A glucosamine-like dietary supplement has been found to suppress the damaging autoimmune response seen in type 1 diabetes, according to University of California, Irvine health sciences researchers.

In studies on mice, researchers found that N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), which is similar but more effective than the widely available glucosamine, inhibited the growth and function of hyperactive T-cells that cause diabetes. GlcNAc increased sugar modifications to the T-cell proteins, preventing the hyperactive immune response. This therapy normalized T-cell functions and prevented development of high blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes.

GlcNAc decreases pain and inflammation, which likens the results of the Irvine study to a study that was conducted in Toronto last December. Researchers found they were able to cure diabetic mice overnight by injecting them with something called Substance P. Substance P is involved in the transmission of pain impulses from peripheral receptors to the central nervous system. Diabetes is like a rat without the ability to feel pain. The naked mole rat lacks Substance P and cannot feel pain when painful stimuli are administered to the skin. Snapple fact, folks!