Diabetes and Alzheimer's disease: another link

Protein humanin will help in the creation of drugs for diabetesElvira Koshkina, Compulenta
Researchers from the Institute of Gerontology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (USA) suggest using new information about the humanin cellular protein to develop drugs for diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

Experiments on rats have shown that humanin, which prevents the death of nerve cells in the brain, also helps to increase the effectiveness of insulin and reduce blood glucose levels.

Scientists have long assumed that there is a connection between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Now, after a new role of humanin in glucose metabolism has been discovered, indirect confirmation of this guess has appeared.

According to the head of the study, Professor Nir Barzilai, the humanist will serve a good service in the creation of drugs against diabetes and Alzheimer's disease — diseases that millions suffer from today. In addition, the humanist is able to help in the cure of other age-related ailments.

The results of the study are published in the July 22 issue of the journal PLoS One.

Prepared based on the materials of HealthDay News.

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