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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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Bone Hormone Could Help Treat Diabetes

Bones produce a hormone that controls blood sugar

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(Newser) – A substance produced by the skeleton may help to treat diabetes, a new study suggests. A hormone called osteocalcin regulates blood sugar; type 2 diabetics have a lower level of the hormone than other people. In the study, mice with lower levels of osteocalcin develop symptoms of diabetes, which go away when they are injected with the hormone.

Scientists caution that more work needs to be done to see how osteocalcin interacts with other hormones. However, the substance is known to be tolerated well by humans, and seems to target a wide array of symptoms. "One could hope and certainly we will test if it could be a treatment for type 2 diabetes," says one of the study's authors.

A standard blood-sugar test for diabetics.
A standard blood-sugar test for diabetics.   (Shutterstock.com)
"It has opened up a new area" of research, said Dr. C. Ronald Kahn, head of obesity research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, who was not involved in the work. "But it's so unexpected, it's going to take...   (Shutterstock.com)
Scientists have discovered that bone cells generate a hormone that helps regulate the body's metabolism and stem diabetes.
Scientists have discovered that bone cells generate a hormone that helps regulate the body's metabolism and stem diabetes.   (Shutterstock.com)
"What makes osteocalcin attractive is that we all have it in our bodies and we tolerate it very well," said Dr. Gerard Karsenty, senior author of the paper in Cell magazine and chairman of the department...   (Shutterstock.com)
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