What is the future of diabetes research likely to tell us?
Diabetes research is heading in several important directions: Researchers are actively trying to understand how aging increases the risk for diabetes and how diabetes increases the risk for several age-related diseases. Abnormal levels of several molecules (e.g. several cytokines and a series of sugar-modified proteins) have been detected in patients with diabetes and in older patients, suggesting overlaps between these processes. Weight control, diet, exercise and positive mental outlook are factors that appear to be beneficial for both diabetes and aging. • For patients with long-standing diabetes, health and medical institutions are widely implementing research programs to markedly reduce the long-term complications involving the eyes, kidney, and nerves, as well as damage of the large blood vessels that leads to heart disease, stroke and amputations. • New approaches to allow normalization of the blood glucose are being formulated, aimed at the insulin secreting system, as well as
