Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have uncovered a significant link between age-related diabetes and the loss of specific pancreatic cells.
This discovery sheds light on how aging affects the pancreas and provides new clues about why diabetes becomes more common in older adults, especially women.
The pancreas is a vital organ that not only helps digest food but also regulates blood sugar by producing insulin.
Within the pancreas are tiny clusters of cells called islets of Langerhans, which produce hormones essential for blood sugar control.
Although these cells make up only about 1% of the pancreas, even small changes in their function can have a big impact on health.
A team led by Professor Shuang-Qin Yi focused on a phenomenon called islet cell loss (ICL), studying pancreatic tissue from deceased individuals aged 65 to 104 who had no known pancreatic diseases.
This research, published in the journal Digestive and Liver Disease, stands out because it examines ICL in a healthy population, an area that has been largely overlooked.
Using microscopic analysis of stained pancreatic tissue, the researchers evaluated the loss of four main types of islet cells: alpha, beta, delta, and PP cells. Among these, beta cells are particularly important because they produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.
The key finding was that beta cells significantly decline with age, especially in elderly individuals. This decline may explain why older people are more prone to developing diabetes.
Interestingly, while pancreatic lesions known as PanIN (pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias) were more common with age, severe ICL seemed to become less frequent in individuals over 90.
The study also highlighted an important gender difference. Women over 70 were more likely than men to experience severe ICL. This aligns with data from the International Diabetes Federation, which shows that women over 70 have a higher prevalence of diabetes compared to men.
These findings suggest that the loss of beta cells due to ICL could be a key driver of “senile diabetes,” a form of diabetes linked to aging. This insight opens the door to new preventive treatments aimed at protecting beta cells in the elderly, potentially slowing or stopping the development of diabetes.
Understanding how our bodies change with age is crucial for tackling common age-related diseases like diabetes. By focusing on the specific loss of islet cells in the pancreas, this research paves the way for targeted therapies that could address the root causes of diabetes rather than just managing its symptoms.
For those interested in managing or preventing diabetes, other studies have found that not all whole grain foods benefit people with type 2 diabetes and that green tea may help reduce the risk of death in those with the condition.
Research also highlights that unhealthy plant-based diets can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, while following a Mediterranean diet could lower the risk of diabetes by up to one-third.
This groundbreaking study is a step forward in understanding how aging affects the pancreas and highlights the need for more research to develop effective interventions for age-related diabetes. The full findings are available in Digestive and Liver Disease.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes, and to people with diabetes, some fruits are better than others.
For more health information, please see recent studies that low calorie diets may help reverse diabetes, and 5 vitamins that may prevent complication in diabetes.
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