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10 Oct 2008
Common intestinal bacteria could provide some protection against the development of Type 1 diabetes, according to a new piece of research.
Published this week in Nature magazine, the study by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International states it lends additional support to the "hygiene hypothesis".
The theory suggests exposure to an appropriate amount and composition of bacteria could be important to a healthy life and that susceptibility to Type 1 diabetes could be caused by a lack of exposure to certain microbes and parasites.
Researchers from US academic institutions Yale University and the University of Chicago found exposure to particular bacteria will trigger an immune system response in mice, a reaction which is believed to prevent autoimmune disorders, conditions where the immune system attacks the body's own healthy cells.
"The scientists suggest that safe, measured exposure to certain bacteria may lower the risk of immune disorders," the researchers state, asserting the outcome of the study gives them a "new avenue" to explore in diabetes therapy.
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