A cure for diabetes may have been found -- at least in men.
The news comes amidst reports that the number of British Columbians diagnosed with diabetes is expected to jump a staggering 62 per cent in 10 years — the second highest rate increase in Canada, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association.
Especially worrying is that diabetes among South Asian immigrants is soaring in comparison with rates for other immigrant groups, clocking in at three times higher than among newcomers from western Europe or North America according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Reports this week said researchers have used slivers of testicular tissue to make millions of healthy replacements for the faulty cells that trigger diabetes.
In experiments on mice, grafts of the lab-grown pancreatic cells produced enough insulin to control blood sugar levels in diabetic mice.
Although the work is at an early stage, US researchers believe it could lead to a cure for men and boys with type-1 diabetes in perhaps just five years, reports the Daily Mail.
The researchers, from Georgetown University Medical Centre in Washington, started with tiny samples of tissue from human testicles.
Using a cocktail of vitamins and growth factors, they transformed them first into stem, or ‘master cells, and then into the beta islet cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. The process took around five weeks, said a Georgetown University release.
Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not make enough insulin, a hormone key to the conversion of sugar into energy, or the insulin that is made does not work properly.
In the latest study, immature cells that would normally go on to form sperm were turned into healthy insulin-producing cells.
Layers of pancreatic cells were then grafted onto diabetic mice, where they produced enough insulin to control blood sugar levels for a week.
While this might not seem long, the researchers say it should be possible to make the cells work for much longer - and for them to produce enough insulin to benefit human diabetics.
Researcher Ian Gallicano of Georgetown University believes the testicular cells, or spermatogonial stem cells, could succeed whether other potential diabetes cures have failed.
Using a man’s own cells as the source of the treatment would sidestep any chance of the tissue being rejected by the body.
These findings were presented at American Society of Cell Biology’s annual conference.
“The economic burden of diabetes in British Columbia is staggering and threatens the sustainability of our healthcare system and the provincial economy,” said Michael Cloutier, President and CEO, Canadian Diabetes Association.
“It’s estimated the direct and indirect financial impact of diabetes in British Columbia currently costs the province $1.3 billion per year. By 2020, these costs will increase to $1.9 billion per year if we don’t take action.”
“By 2020, over 30 per cent of British Columbians will be living either with diabetes or prediabetes,” said Cloutier in a statement posted on the organisation’s website.
“Turning the tide against diabetes requires a shift in government approach, private sector involvement and broad-based personal and societal change.”
In order to offset the burden caused by diabetes, the Canadian Diabetes Association is encouraging the BC Government to continue with an enhanced approach to diabetes management through augmenting current diabetes policies and programs.
This approach would include an on-going focus on high-risk populations while placing increased focus on secondary prevention efforts to ensure greater access to medications, devices and supplies necessary to prevent or delay costly diabetes complications.
Maria Isabella Creatore, an epidemiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto whose study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found immigrants from South Asia already had higher risks than other immigrants by their 20s and 30s.
Diabetes rates among people from Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa were also high.
 “Diabetes prevalence is increasing most rapidly in the developing world, which contributes to the majority of immigrants to Canada,” the study says.
About 250,000 people a year immigrate to Canada, and the large numbers are from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
An unexplained finding was that diabetes risk increases – rather than decreases - among immigrants the longer they stay. The authors theorize that this is because immigrants pick up unhealthy behaviour such as “a westernized diet” and suffer “acculturation stress” along with a decline in their social and economic status because they are newcomers.
More than three-million Canadians suffer diabetes.

Three types of diabetes

Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children, teenagers, young adults and even people in their 30s. It occurs when the pancreas no longer produces insulin, which the body needs to break down sugar for energy. It is treated with insulin. 10% of people with diabetes have Type 1.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body does not effectively use the insulin that is produced. It often develops in overweight adults. 90% of people with diabetes have Type 2.
Gestational diabetes occurs in 2 to 4% of women during pregnancy and usually disappears after the birth of the baby. It can increase the risk of the mother and the baby developing diabetes later in life.

Reduce your risk

If you have diabetes, the best way to reduce the impact it can have on your health is by controlling your other risk factors.  Here’s how:
If you are 40 or older, have a family history of diabetes, are overweight, have high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol, ask your doctor to test your blood sugar levels.
Achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Ask your doctor to refer you to a registered dietitian to learn about healthy eating. Follow Canada’s Food Guide. 
Work closely with your healthcare team to set goals for your blood glucose and know your target levels.
Learn how to monitor your blood sugar and tell your doctor if you cannot keep it in control.
Become physically active. Work with your doctor to design a program that’s right for you.
Visit the Canadian Diabetes Association website for more information or contact your local branch of the Canadian Diabetes Association.