DHAKA: Japanese researchers said Thursday they had moved a step closer to an oral treatment for diabetes, offering hope of a breakthrough against a disease racking the increasingly obese world.

Scientists at the University of Tokyo said they have created a compound that helps the body to control glucose in the bloodstream, france24.com.

Glucose is a fuel that is vital to the functioning of organs all over the body, but too much of it is bad news. In some people it leads to Type 2 diabetes, a condition that can cause heart disease, strokes and kidney failure.

Doctors say the incidence of Type 2 diabetes has rocketed over the last few decades, a factor they blame largely on the growing number of overweight people.

Studies have shown that obese people tend to have lower levels of adiponectin, a hormone that regulates glucose and increases the effectiveness of insulin.

BDST: 1717 HRS, OCT 31, 2013
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