Nick Jonas of the American pop boy band Jonas Brothers was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 13. In 2008, Nick Jonas become a diabetes ambassador for Bayer Diabetes Care to raise awareness among young adults on diabetes management. Bret Michaels was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 6. He raised $640,000 for the American Diabetes Association by winning the Celebrity Apprentice 3. Sharon Stone, the famous Hollywood actress who sizzled in films such as Basic Instinct and Assassins, also has Type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes (also called juvenile diabetes), which usually effects children and young adults is a chronic disease that occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin required to control blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes accounts for less than 10% of people with diabetes. The other types of diabetes are Type 2 diabetes and Gestational diabetes.
There are 100 clinical trials currently active to find new cures for Type 1 diabetes, some of them being: https://trialx.com/clinicaltrial/96772/DEFEND2-type-1-diabetes-trial-otelixizumab-adolescents-adults/
- Type 1 diabetes clinical trial to evaluate drug that preserves your body’s ability to produce insulin
- Research study to examine effect of pioglitazone on Type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Clinical trial to test effect of Naltrexone and Hypoglycemia in Type 1 Diabetes
- Clinical trial to evaluate prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
You can search for these trials by treatments such as Islet transplant, Sirolimus, Sitagliptin as well as by doctors conducting these studies. You can learn more about Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Strategies and Clinical Trials. Common symptoms of type 1 diabetes include fatigue, weight loss, feeling hungry and thirsty and urinating more often. Because type 1 diabetic people can’t produce their own insulin, they must take insulin daily, usually via injections or an insulin pump.
Several organizations led by the American Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation are doing great work in promoting awareness and research for type 1 diabetes. Nick Jonas recently testified with the Congress to increase research funding for type 1 diabetes. We commend and appreciate the hard work being done by these organizations as well as celebrities such as Nick Jonas, Bret Michaels, Halle Berry in promoting awareness of this serious disease!
