In this week’s issue of The Savvy Diabetic:
-
- Dutch Lab-Grown Insulin-Producing Cells to Treat T1D
- Face Mask to Diagnose Kidney Disease
- Sweeteners May Fuel Hunger
- Sucralose Affects Appetite-Regulating Brain Mechanisms
- Optimizing Your Protein Intake
- Can You Eat That?!
Dutch researchers make breakthrough that could cure type 1 diabetes by Simone Jacobs for IAmExpat.nl, 13 July 2025.
Researchers at the Leiden University Medical Centre have reported promising results from a clinical study using lab-grown, insulin-producing cells to treat type 1 diabetes by growing the islets themselves. A clinical trial using laboratory-grown islet cells, which are generated from pluripotent stem cells that can develop into any cell in the body, showed that patients with severe type 1 diabetes were cured of the illness a year after the cells were transplanted.
“The real breakthrough is that islets made from stem cells in a laboratory can functionally cure diabetes,” said Eelco de Koning, physician and professor of diabetology at Leiden University Medical Centre. “This indicates that an unlimited supply of islets may be available for treatment in the future.”
Further research will work on modifying the cells so that the immune system does not attack them. “This could also be achieved by first generating stem cells from people with type 1 diabetes themselves and then culturing ‘our own’ islets from them,” he said. “By concentrating all our expertise in Cure One, we will do everything we can to ensure that the next breakthrough follows quickly.”
Read more: Dutch researchers make breakthrough to cure T1D
Can a Face Mask Diagnose Kidney Disease? by Di Natale and Kerry Dooley Young for MedScape.com, 3 July 2025.
A face mask with specialized sensors was able to detect chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on exhaled levels of ammonia and other metabolites, according to the results of an Italian study. Sensors for ammonia and other relevant molecules achieved a 93.3% true positive rate and 86.7% actual negative rate in detecting kidney diseases, reported Corrado Di Natale, professor of electronic engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, and coauthors in a paper in the American Chemical Society’s ACS Sensors.
The test used a breath sensor embedded in a standard face mask. The sensors consisted of coated silver electrodes with a conductive polymer commonly used in chemical sensors. The electrodes were placed between the layers of a disposable medical face mask, with wires attached to allow an electronic readout of exhaled gases. The sensor was designed to detect CKD-related metabolites, including ammonia, ethanol, propanol, and acetone.
Read more: Can a Face Mask Diagnose Kidney Disease?
ON Sweeteners and the Brain:
Sweeteners May Fuel Hunger: Should You Caution Patients? by Ute Eppinger for MedScape.com, 4 June 2025.
A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Tübingen, Germany, suggests that sucralose — a sweetener approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar — may have unintended neurological effects. The study found that sucralose can disrupt brain signaling and increase appetite. Stephanie Kullmann, PhD, from the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases at the Helmholtz Center Munich, University of Tübingen, was part of the research team.
Early studies had already suggested that the sweet taste alone can activate the brain. The brain contains sensitive sensors that detect glucose levels in the blood. In addition to cells that respond to whether we’re eating carbohydrates or fats, there are neurons that specifically react to sweetness, whether something tastes sweet or not. The surprising part was the difference in responses between the groups we studied.
People with obesity responded more strongly to sweet taste than participants of normal weight, regardless of whether the drink actually contained calories (from sugar) or was calorie-free (from sucralose). It is suspected that a type of mismatch or dissonance occurs. We’ve learned to expect that a sweet taste in the mouth signals real sugar and, therefore, calories. But sweeteners don’t provide those calories. That mismatch likely triggers an expectation that something else is coming, which in turn stimulates appetite. There is some early evidence that more natural sweeteners, like Stevia, may behave differently in the body. But whether Stevia leads to more positive effects isn’t yet clear.
According to Kullmann, “We don’t know whether sweeteners directly cause health risks. I’m not aware of any evidence that proves a causal relationship. However, there are early concerns, and based on that, it would be reasonable to advise against excessive consumption.”
Read more: Sweeteners May Fuel Hunger
************************************************************************
Sucralose Affects Brain Mechanisms That Regulate Appetite by Marilynn Larkin for Medscape.com, 10 April 2025.
The widely used sugar substitute sucralose may affect “key mechanisms” in the brain’s hypothalamus responsible for appetite regulation, a small randomized crossover trial suggested. The findings suggest that the sweet taste alone may modulate hypothalamic activity, said principal investigator Kathleen Alanna Page, MD, director of the Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Functional brain imaging also revealed differences in communication between the hypothalamus and other brain regions, including those involved in motivation and reward, an apparent effect of sucralose that varied by sex, body fat, and insulin resistance.
“We expected sucralose to affect the hypothalamus differently than sugar, but we were surprised by how strongly the hypothalamus of [study participants] with obesity responded to sucralose,” she said. “These differences in how brains and bodies respond to sucralose may help explain why previous studies have shown mixed results about its effects.”
The new study, published online in Nature Metabolism, aligns with Medscape Medical News’s previous report on potential harms associated with nonnutritive sweeteners. Sucralose was initially intended for individuals with obesity and diabetes, but has become a common food ingredient.
Read more: Sucralose Affects Brain Mechanisms That Regulate Appetite
You might be fooling yourself about peanut butter, plus 5 other protein mistakes by Anahad O’Connor for WashingtonPost.com, 16 July 2025.
Optimizing your protein intake can be tricky. It’s not just how much protein you eat that matters, but when you eat it and the foods that you get it from. You may even have higher protein needs than you think, depending on your overall health, your age, your activity levels, and other factors. “We store carbohydrates, we store fat, but we don’t store protein — so we do need to eat it every day,” said Anne Kozil, a registered dietitian nutritionist in the food science and human nutrition department at Colorado State University. Here are six common mistakes people make when it comes to consuming protein. Consume too little protein for too long, and then we resort to consuming our muscle mass as a protein source, which you don’t want to do.”
-
-
-
- Not eating enough protein at breakfast: Some studies estimate that Americans, on average, get about half their total daily protein intake at dinner alone.
- Eating peanut butter because it’s a ‘high protein’ food. In a report published in a top sports nutrition journal last year, exercise and sports nutrition scientists cautioned that peanut butter isn’t as high in protein as many people think, noting that peanut butter is an “energy dense” food: Ounce for ounce, it has a lot more dietary fat and calories compared with eggs, Greek yogurt, lean meats, chicken breast, beans, fish and other high-protein foods.
- Not eating enough protein as an older adult. What many people don’t realize is that the protein requirements also depend on your age. “As people age, we have less and less muscle mass, which makes it even more important to protect the muscle that we have,” said Katie Dodd, a registered dietitian nutritionist who runs a blog on nutrition for seniors called the Geriatric Dietitian.
- Eating too much red and processed meats. People who eat a lot of red and processed meats may be at higher risk of cancer, especially colorectal cancer, which has been rising among young adults. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends consuming no more than three portions of red meat per week, which is equivalent to approximately 12 to 18 ounces of cooked meat. As for processed meats, the institute says that you should eat “little, if any.”
- Not eating enough seafood. Seafood is one of the most nutritious, high-protein foods you can eat. It is chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids, an essential nutrient that our bodies need but can’t produce. Studies have shown that consuming seafood promotes brain and heart health and reduces the risk of premature death.
- Not eating enough protein-rich plants. Another healthy source of protein you are probably overlooking is pulses, which include beans, peas, and lentils. Pulses are brimming with not only protein but also vitamins, minerals, and fiber, a nutrient that promotes gut health and weight loss and improves blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
-
-
Read more: Six protein mistakes
A Spot of Humor … and Truth from Christel Oerum for DiabetesStrong.com
