Eliminating old cells in human fat alleviates diabetes: Study

The discovery could lead to game-changing new treatments for metabolic diseases

Eliminating old, dysfunctional cells in human fat alleviates signs of diabetes, researchers from UConn Health (University of Connecticut, US) report. The discovery could lead to new treatments for Type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

The cells in our body are constantly renewing themselves, with older cells aging and dying as new ones are being born. But sometimes that process goes awry. Occasionally damaged cells linger. Called senescent cells, they hang around, acting as a bad influence on other cells nearby. Their bad influence changes how the neighboring cells handle sugars or proteins and so causes metabolic problems.

By using a newly developed mouse model, the research team demonstrated that clearance of these senescent cells once every month is effective for both slowing down the development of diabetes and alleviating developed diabetic symptoms in obese mice.