Did you know type 1 diabetes can take months or even years to develop? It makes perfect sense considering my entire family developed type 1 diabetes at varying points in the life cycle -- teen, young adult and middle-age.

Research has shown the pancreas is stubborn and strong, requiring the loss of over half of the beta cells before symptoms of type 1 kick in. Researchers are taking the next logical step and enrolling relatives of type 1 diabetics in various studies to try and delay or even prevent the onset of the disease.

The University of Florida Health Science Center and Shands at UF are one of 14 centers nationwide dedicated to Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet, a research group dedicated to a host of prevention and early treatment studies.

Now here is a study I feel like enrolling in. TrialNet is testing whether a one-a-day oral insulin capsule can prevent or delay onset of type 1 in high-risk individuals. An earlier trial suggested oral insulin might delay type 1 diabetes up to 4 years in a portion of participants with islet cell autoantibodies in their blood. Makes me wonder if I have any autoantibodies swirling around in my blood.