Bile Resin Treats Type 2 Diabetes

Future treatment for type 2 diabetics comes from a most unlikely source: a resin in the gastro-intestinal tract. Published in the journal Diabetes, the study identifies colestimide, a resin produced by the body to help eliminate bile acids, as possible treatment for high blood sugar.

Researchers at Japan's Kinki University tested the effects of colestimide in laboratory mice with elevated blood glucose, finding that the resin helped significantly lower hyperglycemia. Colestimide is sold in supplement form under the brand name Cholebine. The study's authors called for further research involving human populations.