High-tech goggles that emit bright light into the eyes could stop people from developing type 2 diabetes.
They work on the principle that light regulates the action of the body clock, which, in turn, regulates the release of certain hormones.
The theory is that the release of hormones which control blood sugar levels is irregular in people with pre-diabetes — those who already have raised blood sugar, but not the full condition.
Looking up: Australian product Re-Timer, worn for an hour each day, could regulate sugar
In a new trial, patients with pre-diabetes will wear the goggles for an hour each morning for four weeks, and the effects on glucose and insulin will be measured.
Around seven million people in the UK are thought to have pre-diabetes, and some 10 per cent will go on to develop full-blown type 2 diabetes.
With pre-diabetes, cells don’t respond properly to insulin. Normally, once carbohydrates have been broken down into sugars, insulin helps push the glucose into cells where it can be used for energy.
But if the body starts to become insulin-resistant, the cells cannot absorb glucose so readily, and sugar builds up in the blood. A healthy blood sugar level after a 12-hour fast is 4 to 6 mmol/L (millimoles of sugar per litre of blood).
A reading above 7 indicates diabetes — one between 6.1 and 6.9 is referred to as pre-diabetes.
The new treatment is based on the idea that exposure to bright light in the mornings resets the body clock, which, in turn, increases insulin sensitivity and lowers blood sugar levels.
A recent study in the Journal of Biological Rhythms found there have been a number of reports of improvement after bright light therapy.
For example, one patient saw increased insulin sensitivity after ten 30-minute sessions first thing in the morning.
Ticking time-bomb: Around seven million people in the UK are thought to have pre-diabetes
Researchers at Northwestern University Hospital, in the U.S., where the new trial is taking place, have previously found that exposure to bright light alters metabolism, too. People who were exposed to bright light in the morning weighed less than those exposed to it after midday, regardless of how much they ate.
It’s not clear how light has this effect, but one theory is that it regulates the release of the hormone melatonin in the brain.
Melatonin release has, in turn, been shown to affect insulin secretion and metabolism. The goggles, called Re-Timer, look like a pair of white frames without lenses and have four small lights in the frame. These shine into the eyes and are designed to help regulate the body clock centre in the brain.
The goggles were first developed at Flinders University in Australia for treating sleep problems and seasonal affective disorder.
In the new trial, 34 patients will wear the goggles. Some will emit bright light; others will only have a dim light, to act as a placebo.
Commenting on the goggles, Dr Paul Jenkins, a consultant endocrinologist at The London Endocrine Centre, said: ‘Light exposure can have profound effects on some of the body’s hormones. It will be interesting to determine the effects of this light therapy on insulin sensitivity — although perhaps getting outside and exposure to sunshine might be equally beneficial.’
MEANWHILE, green bananas could help treat diabetes and pre-diabetes.
In a new trial at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 136 patients with either condition will be given a green banana extract tablet, or a placebo, daily for six months.
Green bananas are rich in resistant starch. Previous research has suggested this can improve cells’ sensitivity to insulin and reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes.