A new study says the brain could be the key to new ways of treating type 1 diabetes. This discovery may lead to better ways to manage the disease without always needing insulin shots. The research was done by scientists at the University of Washington and published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
More than ten years ago, researchers found that a serious problem in type 1 diabetes, called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), could be treated with a hormone called leptin—even when there was no insulin. In this new study, the team explained how leptin affects the brain and how it might help treat diabetes in the future.
DKA happens when the body doesn’t have enough insulin. Without insulin, the body starts burning fat for energy. This causes harmful acids and high sugar levels to build up in the blood, which can become life-threatening.
Doctors usually treat DKA by giving insulin. But this study shows that the brain plays a big role too. When the body doesn’t have insulin, the brain wrongly thinks it is out of energy, even when it’s not. This confusion partly comes from low levels of leptin, a hormone made by fat cells that tells the brain how much energy the body has.
Leptin travels through the blood to the brain and mainly works in a part called the hypothalamus. It helps control hunger and body weight. Researchers now believe that leptin could help manage blood sugar levels by changing how the brain sees the body’s energy status.
Dr. Michael Schwartz, who led the study, said this could open the door to a new kind of diabetes treatment. He believes that if people could manage type 1 diabetes without daily insulin shots or constant blood sugar checks, it would make life much easier for them and their families.
The team also explained that if the brain can be convinced that the body still has enough fuel, or if certain brain cells that trigger high sugar and acid levels can be shut off, then the body won’t start the harmful chain reaction that leads to DKA.
This idea is a big change from what doctors have believed for years. Until now, most experts thought that DKA only happened because of a lack of insulin. But this new study shows that the brain is also deeply involved and may hold the secret to new treatments for people with type 1 diabetes.