So suggests new research from the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia that is featuring at the American Chemical Society’s 254th National Meeting & Exposition, held in Washington, D.C.
The team found that 3 weeks after receiving polymer sponge implants in their fatty abdomens, obese mice with type 2 diabetes fed on a high-fat diet gained less weight and had lower levels of blood sugar than untreated equivalent mice.
Diabetes is a long-lasting disease that develops when the body either does not make enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or cannot use insulin effectively (type 2 diabetes).
Insulin is a hormone that helps cells to take up sugar from the blood so they can use it for energy. Major tissues and organs, such as the liver, brain, and skeletal muscles, need lots of blood sugar to work properly.
If untreated, diabetes can result in vision loss, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other health problems, due to damage caused by excess glucose in the bloodstream.
