Ulcer bacteria could be linked to diabetes

A study by scientists in the United States has found a link between bacteria that cause many stomach ulcers and the development of type 2 diabetes in people that are overweight or obese.
The research, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, found that adults that do not have diabetes that are infected with Helicobacter pylori regardless of any ulcer symptoms tended to have higher levels of blood sugar than those who didn’t have the bacteria in their bodies.
Persistent infections from Helicobacteri pylori usually start in childhood and can produce ulcers of the stomach and small intestine, as well as a higher risk of stomach cancer, in later life. The team also reported that they hope that antibiotics used to kill of the bacteria and help to heal ulcers could one day offer protection against diabetes for older adults, although the team still have to work out the impact of eliminating the bacterium would have on type 2 diabetes and blood sugars.
Co-author on the study, Martin J. Blaser, who is chairman of New York University’s department of medicine, said “This study provides further evidence of late-in-life cost to having H. pylori. The findings also give new support to the concept of eradicating H. pylori in older people.”