RICHMOND, Va. -- A new ray of hope could be on the horizon for the more than 38 million Americans that deal with Type 2 diabetes and obesity. A team of Virginia Tech researchers was recently awarded nearly $2 million to explore novel approaches to treating Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The grant is from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney disease.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1.4 million people are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes each year. "Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body struggles to regulate blood sugar levels due to insulin resistance or insufficient insulin production by the pancreas, or sometimes both," Virginia Tech explained in a press release.
The research project will be led by principal investigator Dongmin Liu, a professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “We hope that this research could potentially pave the way for innovative, safe, and improved therapies targeting both obesity and diabetes,” Liu said.
Researchers say they will study the impact of a natural compound, a derivative of secoiridoid, which is found in certain plants like olives on blood sugar control and obesity. "This compound is promising, as it’s been shown to be more effective in lowering blood sugar and managing body weight, especially when compared with metformin, the first-line glucose-lowering drug for patients with Type 2 diabetes," the Virginia Tech researchers stated.
The research team aims to pinpoint how this compound functions in the body to create these metabolic benefits.
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