Insulin News and Research

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Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert glucose, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Insulin allows cells to use glucose for fuel and is secreted by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. The release of insulin from the pancreas is stimulated by increased blood glucose, vagal nerve stimulation, and other factors. Insulin is obtained from various animals and available in a variety of preparations. Commercial insulin preparations differ in a number of ways, including differences in the animal species from which they are obtained; their purity, concentration, and solubility; and the time of onset and duration of their biologic action. An oral hypoglycemic agent is not a form of insulin therapy.

Research links specific diets to reduced biological age

Older Australians who reduce either dietary fat or animal-based protein show signs of reduced biological age, new research from the University of Sydney shows.

11 May 2026

Study links metabolic dysfunction to cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder

While they share similar depressive and cognitive symptoms, the biological underpinnings of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder are distinct.

11 May 2026

Diabetes, weight-loss drugs not a perfect fit?

Type 2 diabetes affects millions of people worldwide and now a new international study, jointly led by Adelaide University, University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, and Stanford University, has found one in ten people may not be benefiting from common medications used to treat the condition.

11 May 2026

Urges for cardiologists to screen patients for UPF intake

The European Society of Cardiology identifies ultra-processed foods as a key cardiovascular risk, urging a shift in dietary guidelines for better heart health.

11 May 2026

Liver fat may disrupt post-meal glucagon control in early type 2 diabetes

Researchers found that MASLD, rather than type 2 diabetes alone, was linked to higher fasting glucagon levels in adults with newly diagnosed diabetes and matched controls. In people with early type 2 diabetes, higher liver fat was specifically associated with exaggerated early post-meal glucagon responses, independent of insulin sensitivity, visceral fat, amino acids, or NEFAs.

10 May 2026

Insulin-dependent diabetes linked to sharply higher dementia risk

Individuals with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing dementia but those with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes have the greatest risk, according to research presented at the 28th European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague.

8 May 2026

AI-powered MRI scans predict diabetes and heart disease risk

Research shows AI-enhanced MRI body composition metrics can predict diabetes and heart disease risks, offering insights for better health screening practices.

8 May 2026

UK media portrays Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes stigma differently

Media framing often differs between diabetes types, with implications for misconceptions, blame, and diabetes-related stigma.

8 May 2026

Metformin targets the gut instead of the liver to lower glucose

For decades, physicians and scientists thought metformin, the leading Type 2 diabetes medication taken by millions worldwide, mainly targets the liver to suppress glucose production.

8 May 2026

Time-restricted eating helps with adherence in diabetes patients

Time-restricted eating shows promise for type 2 diabetes management, with family support and simple rules aiding adherence and metabolic health improvements.

8 May 2026

Study links mitochondrial health to effectiveness of anti-aging pathways

Mississippi State University biologist Jean-Francois Gout's contributions to a study highlighting key advances in the complexity of aging now are published in Science Advances, a leading peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

7 May 2026

The role of gut bacteria in sustained diabetes improvement

Changes in gut microbiota after bariatric surgery are strongly linked to altered metabolic health and sustained improvement in type 2 diabetes, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Gothenburg.

7 May 2026

Kyoto University identifies a key regulator of insulin production

A hallmark of Type 2 diabetes is the progressive loss of beta cell mass: cells in the pancreas that produce and release insulin. The endoplasmic reticulum stress response, a cellular pathway that maintains protein homeostasis, plays a critical role in beta cell function and survival, and the protein ATF6α is one of the key regulators of this stress response.

7 May 2026

Birth weight predicts kidney function during endurance exercise

Researchers investigate how birth weight determines kidney function changes following prolonged physical activity in different environmental conditions.

7 May 2026

GLP-1 drugs may reshape how brain values rewarding foods

A new study from the University of Virginia reveals that a widely used class of weight-loss drugs does more than suppress appetite-it directly alters brain circuits that control motivation and reward.

6 May 2026

Exercise remains essential alongside GLP-1 obesity treatments

As GLP-1 receptor agonists reshape obesity treatment, a new medical perspective published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, underscores a persistent gap in care: integrating exercise into weight management in ways patients can sustain.

5 May 2026

Obesity and Alzheimer’s linked through early metabolic disruptions

By 2030, the population in the United States aged 65 and older is expected to reach 71 million or about 20% of Americans. This growth is likely to increase the burden of age-related diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD), affecting about 1 in 9 adults over 65.

5 May 2026

Study reveals epigenetic adaptation of beta cells across lifespan and disease

As people age, most maintain normal blood sugar even as insulin resistance tends to rise. New research suggests that pancreatic beta cells help meet this demand through gradual epigenetic changes in regulatory regions of the genome that support beta-cell identity and function.

5 May 2026

AI-driven model predicts type 1 diabetes risk with greater accuracy

Researchers use machine learning and genetic analysis to uncover type 1 diabetes risk factors, improving prediction accuracy and identifying patient subtypes.

5 May 2026

Virginia Tech researcher wins NIH award to study metabolic brain health

Mary Elizabeth Baugh, a research scientist with Virginia Tech's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health Mentored Research Scientist Development Award to study how metabolic health influences the brain systems that shape what and how we eat.

4 May 2026