As technology and scientific medicine improve, research has shown that there may be the potential for a stem cell diabetes cure. Stem cells, unlike other cells in the body which are predisposed to become a specific type of cell, have the ability to grow into a multitude of other kinds of cells within the human body. They are the foundation of life itself due to this adaptive ability, and are present to a large extent especially, although not exclusively, in the early development of the human body. In the battle against diabetes, stem cells may play an important role due to just such abilities.
What is most highly needed in diabetic patients is for the pancreas to create the hormone insulin, which helps the body absorb glucose into the bloodstream. Diabetes occurs when the body produces glucose at levels that are insufficient to allow this to happen, or when a body’s insulin is unable to properly achieve the right level of glucose absorption. The introduction of stem cells would, in theory, allow the body to produce the beta cells in the pancreas that serve as the creators of insulin. It is not currently known whether the beta cells are all that would be needed to make the process of insulin creation work, but the fact that stem cells are able to self-generate and become these and other types of cells gives doctors and patients great hope that a stem cell diabetes cure is a remarkable and inevitable possibility. At this point, there needs to be a better balance between insulin-producing cells which regenerate or proliferate, and the insulin-producing cells which are actually able to generate sufficients amount of the hormone to combat diabetes. The situation tends to be that the cells will be able to do one aspect well and not the other; a cell that can proliferate will often not be as adept in producing insulin.
Stem Cell Research and a Cure for Diabetes
The risks involved in stem cell use can be minimized through assurance that the host body will not reject the new cells. With human embryonic stem cells, the chances of this rejection occurring within the host body is significantly reduced. As new developments occur in the field of medical science, new hope arises for the creation of a steady, if not unending, supply of these types of cells.
Recent research has shown without question that embryonic stem cells can indeed become the types of cells necessary in the creation of insulin. This will prove especially helpful for type 2 diabetics, if a definite source of stem cells can be established. For type 1 diabetics, however, there must also be a way to overcome the body’s tendency (in some cases) to have an autoimmune response against the insulin itself; even if the stem cells are able to turn into the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, the body’s autoimmune response may destroy the cells even if they’re healthy.
The bottom line when considering a stem cell diabetes cure is that the future holds immense possibilities. Through current treatment options, lifestyle changes that affect the body as a whole in a healthy manner, traditional remedies and a positive outlook, the lives of many diabetics will only improve with technology and the miracles of modern medicine.
