Treating Type II Diabetes with Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
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In the human body, the pancreas is responsible for creating the hormone insulin. This hormone acts as a key for allowing blood sugar into the body’s cells for the use of energy. In patients who have type II diabetes, the cells fail to respond normally to the insulin that is provided. This is a condition known as insulin resistance.
As a result, the pancreas continues to make more insulin in order to try to get the cells to respond correctly. Eventually, the pancreas loses its ability to keep up, resulting in blood sugar levels rising. This sets the stage for prediabetes and paves the way for type II diabetes to eventually develop.
Type II diabetes is the name given to an impairment in the body when the body is unable to regulate and use blood sugar as a fuel source. This chronic condition can lead to too much blood circulating within the bloodstream.
When those blood sugar levels get too high in patients, it can cause serious health problems, such as vision loss, kidney disease, and heart disease. In some cases, uncontrolled diabetes can lead to comas or death.
How Many People Have Type II Diabetes?
Approximately 1 out of every 10 Americans has been diagnosed with diabetes. This equates to more than 37 million people in the country. Approximately 90 to 95% of these patients have type II diabetes. The majority of patients who have been diagnosed are over the age of 45. However, we are seeing more children, teenagers, and young adults developing this condition.
Globally, more than 462 million people have been diagnosed with type II diabetes. This equates to approximately 6.28% of the entire population of the world. Currently, type II diabetes has a prevalence rate of approximately 6059 patients per 100,000 people in the population. By 2030, this is expected to increase to a total of 7079 patients per 100,000 people in the population. Every year, more than 1 million people die as a result of diabetes, making it the ninth leading cause of death in the world.
What are the Symptoms of Type II Diabetes?
When it comes to the signs and symptoms of type II diabetes, it is important to understand that the majority of symptoms tend to develop slowly over a period of time, sometimes years. Many patients live with type II diabetes for several years before actually realizing that they have the condition. Once the symptoms begin to show in patients, they may include:
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Increased thirst
- Slow-healing sores
- Unintended weight loss
- Increased hunger
- Frequent infections
- Areas of darkened skin (generally in the armpit and neck area)
- Numbness and/or tingling in the feet and hands
Patients who have type II diabetes can receive various forms of treatment to help control this condition.
What Treatment Options are Available for Type II Diabetes?
Patients who have been diagnosed with type II diabetes will often have to go through various types of treatments in order to take control of their condition. One of the most helpful ways to get blood sugar levels under control is to implement various management techniques into your daily life. These include:
- Exercising regularly
- Eating a healthier diet
- Losing weight
- Monitoring your blood sugar
- Taking medication
Healthy eating habits are one of the most effective changes that a person can implement into their daily life in order to help control the situation. When it comes to healthy eating habits, doctors influence patients to center their diet on:
- Eating smaller portion sizes at each meal
- Eating food on a regular schedule
- Incorporating healthy snacks
- Consuming fewer calories
- Have a modest serving of low-fat meats, fish, and dairy
- Consuming fewer grains, sweets, and starchy vegetables
- Eating more high-fiber foods
In some cases, doctors recommend patients visit dietitians. In addition to making these lifestyle choices, there are various types of diabetes medication that patients can take to help control their sugar levels. Some of the medications commonly prescribed include:
- Metformin (Fortamet, Glumetza, others): This medication works by lowering glucose production in the liver of the recipient. It also improves the body's sensitivity to insulin so that the body is able to use it more effectively.
- Sulfonylureas: These medications are designed to help the body secrete more insulin.
- Glinides: These medications are designed to stimulate the pancreas into secreting more insulin. These modifications are somewhat like sulfonylureas. However, they tend to work much more quickly and last for a shorter duration of time.
- Thiazolidinediones: These medications are designed to make the body’s tissue more sensitive to insulin consumption.
- DPP-4 inhibitors: These medications are designed to reduce blood sugar levels in patients. These medications tend to have a very modest effect on patients.
- GLP-1 receptor agonists: This type of injectable medication is slowly digested and works to help lower the blood sugar levels in the recipient. Many people who receive these medications often associate their use with weight loss and a reduction of risks for stroke and heart attacks.
- SGLT2 inhibitors: These medications are designed to affect the blood-filtering functions of the kidneys. This is done by inhibiting the return of glucose within the bloodstream. As a result, the glucose in the blood is then excreted through the urine. This drug may be able to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks in patients who have a high risk for these serious conditions.
In addition, doctors may prescribe various other types of medications. The types of medications given are generally designed to treat other conditions that are a result of type II diabetes. These can include medications to lower cholesterol levels and those designed to lower blood pressure in patients. In addition, doctors may prescribe a low dose of aspirin in order to prevent any blood vessel disease and heart disease in patients.
Recently, scientists and medical researchers have begun to look at using umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells to treat diabetes. So far, this option looks promising.
What are Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells?
Umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells, or UCT-MSCs, are a type of adult stem cell that is isolated from the umbilical cord tissue cells. In most cases, these cells are isolated out of the Wharton’s jelly, located in the umbilical cord.
These isolated cells have the ability to differentiate into a variety of cell types. These include chondrocytes, osteoblasts, muscle cells, and adipocytes. Umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells have the potential to be extremely beneficial due to the fact that they have immunomodulatory properties, meaning that they have the ability to regulate the immune system. They also have the ability to reduce inflammation.
Due to the positive characteristics of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells, it is no wonder that the results have been extremely promising when it comes to treating Type 2 Diabetes.
Using UC-MSCs to Treat Type II Diabetes
Over the past decade, there have been scientific studies researching the use of mesenchymal stem cells produced from umbilical cord tissue as a treatment for individuals who suffer from type II diabetes. When it comes to assisting patients in finding relief from the symptoms that are associated with this chronic disease, the experiments conducted up to this point have shown promising results.
A study published in 2021 about the use of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells for treating type II diabetes demonstrated that this method of treatment has promising results for improving the blood glucose levels in patients who have been diagnosed with this condition.
Another single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study published in 2022 also showed promising results. This test found that after 48 weeks, the glucose infusion rate increased significantly among patients that had been injected with the umbilical cord tissue mesenchymal stem cells. No significant change was observed among the placebo group. This study found that the use of MSCs could be a plausible therapeutic approach for treating patients who suffer from this disease.
Another study published in 2015 found that the HbA1c levels in patients decreased significantly at three months after transplantation and were found to be more stable overall. Furthermore, all of the patients who were evaluated exhibited a significant improvement in their diabetic state after receiving two infusions of UC-MSCs. This was demonstrated by changes in the patients' C-peptide and HbA1c levels. In addition, during the period of follow-up, either a reduction in the amount of insulin that was required or independence from insulin completely was achieved.
The treatment of type II diabetes with mesenchymal stem cells that are generated from umbilical cord tissue has been shown to be both safe and successful in clinical trials. Patients now have access to an additional management strategy for their illness as a result of this ground-breaking medical procedure, which is beginning to usher in a new era for the treatment of diabetes.
We are ecstatic to have been able to witness the breakthroughs that have been achieved with this revolutionary technique of treatment for patients, as well as the tremendous success that it promises to have in the future for easing symptoms in diabetes patients across the globe.
Have questions about stem cell therapy? Cellebration Wellness has answers. Speak with one of our experts today at 1.800.601.8290!
