Army veteran, 31, may become the FIRST person in the world to be ‘cured’ of type 1 diabetes: Diet and exercise regime and a rare gene have all kick-started insulin-producing cells in his pancreas
- Daniel Darkes, of Northants, was diagnosed with the incurable condition in 2010
- The 31-year-old’s blood sugar levels had returned to normal last February
- The father-of-one then stopped injecting himself with insulin four times a day
- Baffled doctors sent Mr Darkes to the US for an array of scientific tests
- They revealed he carries a rare gene that recharged his immune system
An army veteran may become the first person in the world to be ‘cured’ of type one diabetes because he carries a rare gene that has kick-started dormant insulin-producing cells in his pancreas.
Daniel Darkes, 31, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, was diagnosed with the incurable condition in 2010 and began taking daily insulin injections.
But the former Grenadier Guard’s routine finger prick tests showed his blood sugar levels had miraculously returned to normal last February.
The father-of-one then stopped injecting himself with insulin four times a day – and his blood sugar levels have remained stable ever since.
Baffled doctors sent Mr Darkes to the US for an array of tests to discover the reason behind his recovery. They revealed he carries a rare gene that recharged his immune system and led to insulin being reproduced in his pancreas.
Mr Darkes believes his diet – high in zinc supplements, nuts, oily fish and vegetables – and running 60 miles a week has also played a role.
And he claims his doctors – who are convinced he will be ‘completely cured’ within months – agree his exercise and diet may have helped his reversal.
Scroll down for video
Daniel Darkes, 31, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, was diagnosed with the incurable condition in 2010 and began taking daily insulin injections
Mr Darkes, known as ‘Miracle Dan’ to his friends, said: ‘I was shocked and upset when I was diagnosed with type one diabetes in 2010.
‘I’d always been fit and healthy, exercising and following a good diet – so it took a good few months to get my head around it, and it changed my life.
‘But since March 2017, I’ve not had to inject myself with insulin at all. It’s been nearly 20 months since I stopped taking it – I’ve not felt like I’ve needed to inject it at all.’
Mr Darkes, father to five-year-old Isla, added: ‘I test my bloods every week and they’re always where they’re supposed to be at.
-
Do YOU suffer from insomnia? You may be lacking in…
Enormous cervical tumour makes single woman, 39, look…
The ‘commercialisation of reproduction’: Desperate infertile…
Youth worker set to have her leg amputated after an INSECT…
Share this article
‘The doctors say if I reach two years without having to inject it, I can consider myself completely cured.
‘They’re certain if I reach 24 months without injecting insulin, it’ll be a complete medical breakthrough.
‘You can reverse type two diabetes through dieting and exercise but type one has never been reversed. So for this to happen to me is unbelievable. I’m in total shock.
‘It’s still early days, but I’m positive I can now say I’ve reversed type one diabetes and will be able to live without the disease for the rest of my life.’
But the former Grenadier Guard’s routine finger prick tests showed his blood sugar levels had miraculously returned to normal last February. Mr Darkes claims running has helped
The father-of-one then stopped injecting himself with insulin four times a day – and his blood sugar levels have remained stable ever since
WHAT IS TYPE 1 DIABETES?
Type 1 diabetes afflicts some 400,000 people in the UK, one of the highest rates in the world. Around 1.25 million Americans are also affected.
It starts when the body mistakenly targets insulin-producing cells in the pancreas that maintain blood sugar levels.
As a result, it can drastically affect the body’s major organs and sufferers are forced to inject themselves regularly with insulin.
Mr Darkes continued: ‘I consider my running and diet to be two major factors in that.’
After increasing his long distance running to more than 60 miles a week in 2012, it was 2016 when Mr Darkes noticed a change.
He experienced a few unexpected hypoglycemic shocks – life-threatening events, which occur when blood sugar levels take a dramatic fall.
Following tests at Northampton General Hospital to assess what was happening, doctors advised him to decrease his insulin.
Mr Darkes stopped taking his insulin altogether in January last year – leaving doctors baffled as it appeared his pancreas was working properly on its own again.
Mr Darkes claims his doctors – who are convinced he will be ‘completely cured’ within months – agree his exercise and diet may have helped his reversal
In order to find out more, he travelled to the US in March 2017 where specialists in St Louis, Missouri, ran further tests to try and understand what had happened.
In one test, he fasted for six hours before running for 30 minutes at a constant speed to see if his brain went into a ‘shock or starvation’ mode.
Scientists noticed his brain had started to send new signals to his pancreas – and found beta cells that had been dormant in his pancreas were active again.
Mr Darkes said: ‘When you have type one diabetes, effectively the pancreas is pretty much dead. So to reverse it would involve the pancreas recharging itself.
‘The doctors still don’t know what this gene is but they’re pretty sure this, combined with exercise, is the reason I’ve been able to cure myself.
‘It’s as if the gene is acting as a back-up immune system and has recharged my pancreas.’ He added that scientists have yet to find anyone else to have the gene.
Mr Darkes continues to be monitored at Northamptonshire General Hospital, where he undergoes regular tests.
It is hoped when the findings are published in full, his bizarre case could offer hope of a cure for type one diabetes.
There are around 400,000 patients with type one diabetes in the UK, including the Prime Minister Theresa May. In the US, there are more than 1.2 million sufferers.
A spokesperson for diabetes.co.uk said: ‘At this moment in time there is no clear cure for type one or type two diabetes, but we are working to find a cure for all types of the disease.
‘We are unable to speculate just yet whether Daniel has reversed his diabetes, but we know that a cure can mean different things to people affected.’
Source: Read Full Article