Research on Diabetes
NIDDK conducts research in its own laboratories and supports a great deal of basic
and clinical research in medical centers and hospitals throughout the United States.
It also gathers and analyzes statistics about diabetes. Other Institutes at the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) conduct and support research on diabetes-related
eye diseases, heart and vascular complications, pregnancy, and dental problems.
Other Government agencies that sponsor diabetes programs are the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the Indian Health Service, the Health Resources and Services
Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense.
Many organizations outside the Government support diabetes research and education
activities. These organizations include the American Diabetes Association, the Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation International, and the American Association of Diabetes
Educators.
In recent years, advances in diabetes research have led to better ways of managing
diabetes and treating its complications. Major advances include
- Development of quick-acting and long-acting insulins
- Better ways to monitor blood glucose and for people with diabetes to check their
own blood glucose levels, including advances in noninvasive blood glucose monitoring
- Development of external insulin pumps that deliver insulin, replacing daily injections
- Laser treatment for diabetic eye disease, reducing the risk of blindness
- Successful kidney and pancreas transplantation in people whose kidneys fail because
of diabetes
- Better ways of managing diabetes in pregnant women, improving their chances of a
successful outcome
- New drugs to treat type 2 diabetes and better ways to manage this form of diabetes
through weight control
- Evidence that intensive management of blood glucose reduces and may prevent development
of diabetes complications
- Demonstration that two types of antihypertensive drugs, ACE (angiotensin-converting
enzyme) inhibitors and ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers), are more effective
than other antihypertensive drugs in reducing a decline in kidney function in people
with diabetes
- Promising results with islet transplantation for type 1 diabetes reported by the
University of Alberta in Canada
- Evidence that people at high risk for type 2 diabetes can lower their chances of
developing the disease through diet, weight loss, and physical activity
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