Diabetes Drug May Also Be Cancer Drug

Could getting a mild case of Type 2 Diabetes, while something anybody would want to avoid, actually be a blessing in disguise for some people? It looks like it could be true, especially for people with a family history of cancer. This story hits home with me, because I'm one of those people.

For those of you that don't know me, I'm an older guy. Like a lot of other people my age, I let my weight get out of control and developed a mild (at least so far) case of diabetes. My doctor demanded I lose some weight and prescribed a drug to control the diabetes. That drug was Metformin, which I take twice a day. I have since lost about 45 pounds and the drug is keeping my blood sugar down to acceptable levels.

It did not really surprise me that I developed diabetes. Both of my parents developed the disease later in life and controlled it with medication. But my family also has a history of an even scarier disease -- cancer. My father died of lymphoma and my mother had breast cancer (from which she has recovered and is now cancer-free). I've always been surprised that I have never contracted cancer. Now I discover there may be a medical reason for that.

It seems that Metformin, currently only used for diabetes, is effective in preventing cancer. The evidence is strong enough that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is currently organizing clinical trials using the drug in patients without diabetes but who are smokers. Others are testing the drug for breast and prostate cancer.

An oncologist for the NCI, Dr. Phillip A. Dennis, says, "The epidemiological evidence in diabetic humans is convincing and strong. It is real, and the reduction in risk ranges from 30% to 70% (depending on the type of cancer)." This was first noticed in a 2005 observational study by British doctors, who noticed that those taking Metformin had a 40% lower incidence of cancer.

Dr. Dennis and his NCI colleagues have performed tests in mice. They injected three groups of mice with NNK, the carcinogen in cigarette smoke. In the control group 100% of the mice got lung cancer. In the group that took Metformin orally, at least 33% did not develop cancer. And in the group that got injections of Metformin, around 70% did not develop cancer.

Reachers say that while the evidence is not yet strong enough to prescribe Metformin to people without diabetes, it should probably be considered the drug of choice for those with the disease because of its oncological effect. Metformin is currently one of the most widely used diabetes drugs (40 million prescriptions were issued in 2008). It is also "off patent", which means generics are available and the drug is cheap.

This is very good news for those of us with diabetes.

NOTE -- The picture above is of the chemical structure of Metformin.

A Violation Of Privacy Rights

The Arizona Court of Appeals has reinstated a lawsuit filed by the Havasupai Indian Tribe against Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. A lower court had tossed out the case, but I have to agree with the appeals court. The case at least deserves a hearing.

The Havasupai Tribe allowed researchers to take blood samples from 200 tribe members to do research on diabetes. Diabetes is a serious disease in their tribe and in our country, and they were happy to be of help. But then the university researchers broke their word.

After completing the diabetes study, there was blood left over. They used that blood "for research into schizophrenia, inbreeding and ancient population migration." But they did this without asking permission of the Havasupai. The tribe says this was an invasion of their privacy, and now some members of the tribe are afraid to go to a doctor because they can't trust that their privacy will be respected.

I know if I give some bodily fluids to someone to be used for an agreed upon purpose, then I fully expect that is the ONLY purpose it will be used for. If there is some left over and someone would like to use it for another purpose, they'd better ask my permission. If they don't ask, then they'd better dispose of it properly, because they do not have my permission to do anything else.

There is nothing more personal or more private than our own bodies. When we allow access to our bodies, we must be able to trust those to whom we are giving access. The denial of the right to privacy regarding our own bodies could have serious consequences for our society. And if they can deny that right to the Havasupai, they can do it to anyone else.

The researchers said the blood was voluntarily donated and there was a legitimate public interest in data that advances disease research. They are wrong. If they wanted to use the blood for other purposes, they should have asked. By not asking, they broke their word and violated the privacy rights of the Havasupai.

Diabetes Reversed In Mice By Researchers

U.S. and Canadian researchers believe they have made a breakthrough in researching the cause and possible cure of diabetes. They have known for quite a while now that sufferers of diabetes have damaged nerve ends in the pancreas. It has been thought that the damage was the result of the diabetes, but these researchers think the damaged nerve ends may actually be the cause of the disease.

They believe the defective nerve endings may attract proteins from the body's immune system which attack the pancreas and destroy it's ability to produce insulin, thus causing diabetes.

The researchers have taken mice with type-1 diabetes [also known as juvenile diabetes], and injected a peptide into the defective nerve endings. According to Dr. Hans Michael Dosch of the University of Toronto, the mice were cured of their diabetes "overnight". He said, "It is very effective in reversing diabetes."

Dosch said the nerve endings in the diabetic mice were not secreting enough of the peptides to keep the insulin flowing. According to the researchers, injecting the peptides lowered the body's resistance to insulin, allowing it to carry glucose to the cells.

The next step is for researchers to study people whose family history shows them to be at high risk for type-1 diabetes. If they are found to have the defective nerve endings, then tests will be conducted on the at-risk group and on diabetics. The study and testing will take several years.

The procedure may also be of help to those with type-2 diabetes [also known as adult-onset diabetes], but the reaction in mice so far has not been as strong as with the type-1 diabetic mice.