Researchers have identified a group of enzymes that help protect certain people against diabetic kidney disease.The study published in 'Diabetes Care' is built on the findings from a 2017 Joslin Medalist Study of protective factors and diabetic kidney disease (or DKD).The 2017 study focused on Joslin Medalists--people who have had diabetes for more than 50 years with little to no complications. The Medalists who never developed kidney disease had higher levels of a group of enzymes involved in glucose metabolism than people who did develop kidney disease.In their new study, doctors Hetal Shah, Daniel Gordin, and George King were able to show that protective factors are also present in kidney-disease-free people with shorter-duration type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.This finding indicates that these enzymes, and one in particular known as PKM2, play a strong protective role against kidney disease. The enzymes could be used as both biomarkers and, potentially, targets for DKD ...
