My Diabetes Information Articles
Symlin—Part of the Diabetes Hormone Balancing Act
09/06/07
Diabetes Medications, Type II Diabetes, Type I Diabetes or Juvenile Diabetes, Treatment Options, General
In 1987, an Oxford University research team isolated a hormone produced in the pancreas that was later named amylin. As their research persisted, scientists learned that amylin delays the time it takes for the stomach to empty into the intestines, and delays sugar transfer from the digestive system to the blood stream. It also slows the liver's production of glucose. Scientists found that type 1 diabetics often produce little or no amylin, and type 2 diabetics make less amylin.
During the day, people's highest blood sugar levels occur roughly 2 hours after a meal, as the sugar from the meal makes its way from the digestive system into the bloodstream. Amylin acts as the gatekeeper allowing the correct amount of sugar to pass into the bloodstream from the stomach and intestines.
What if you could slow the flow of sugar into the bloodstream and reduce postprandial blood glucose? Would that help some people lower their A1C scores over time? From this question sprung a small research company, Amylin Pharmaceuticals. It developed an injectable synthetic version of the hormone, pramlintide, and started testing it to see if lower blood sugar readings after meals occurred in people who used it.
In clinical trials the pramlintide injections lowered patient's average A1C scores by more than 0.5 percent. Patients also lost weight and reported feeling less hungry. As a result of these favorable findings, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved pramlintide in 2005 under the brand name Symlin.
Symlin is among the many new choices that people living with diabetes have to help lower blood sugar. It is beneficial to many people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Clinical trials taught the medical community about Symilin's safety and effectiveness. We are interested to see if lowering postprandial blood sugar readings also helps diabetics lower their risks of long-term complications.
Sources:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Purification and Characterization of a Peptide from Amyloid-Rich Pancreases of Type 2 Diabetic Patients. 1987; 84 (23)
- American Family Physician, Therapies for Diabetes: Pramlintide and Exenatide. 2007; 76 (12)
- National Institutes of Health
- Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.