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Study: Vitamin C appears to boost diabetes therapy

Updated: 2009-07-30 22:38:44 CST Category: General Health

by Laurent Castellucci

Based on new research results, scientists believe a combination of insulin and vitamin C may prevent the damage caused by type 1 diabetes.

The National Institutes of Health estimates type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5 to 10 percent of diabetes cases diagnosed in the U.S. Although it affects mostly children and young adults, anyone can develop the condition.

Scientists from at the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center recently conducted a study which found that enhancing diabetes treatment with vitamin C supplements prevented blood vessel damage that often occurs in diabetic patients with poor glucose control.

Dr Michael Ihnat, principal investigator and a pharmacologist at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Department of Cell Biology, says the theory had already been tested on research models, but the experiment marked the first time researchers had shown the therapy's effectiveness in humans.

The team is now studying the therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes as well.

According to the NIH, the costs of treating and managing diabetes amounted to $174 billion in 2007 alone.

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