Caffeine May Fight Diabetes
A cup of espresso for your health
A new study indicates caffeine may activate genetic circuitry to help treat medical conditions.
“We think caffeine is a promising candidate in the quest for the most suitable inducer of gene expression,” researchers wrote in their paper published in Nature Communications. The research was led by Dr. Martin Fussenegger of ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
The team engineered a system to treat type 2 diabetes in mice by delivering sips of coffee. When the mice consumed caffeine, a synthetic genetic system of cells implanted in their abdomens activated. That caused production of a hormone that increases insulin production and reduces blood sugar levels.
“Capitalizing on routine cultural habits, therapies based on such systems should seamlessly integrate into people’s lifestyles, and therefore could be a key pillar upon which the new generation of personalized medicine can build,” they wrote.
Learn more: go.nature.com/2NEOzfo