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Why do people with diabetes develop severe COVID-19? (Helpful: Interferon beta and possibly methyl donors with lysine)
Medical XPress / University of Michigan ^ | Sept. 8, 2021 | Kelly Malcom / W. James Melvin, M.D., Katherine Gallagher, M.D., et al

Posted on 09/08/2021 7:04:29 PM PDT by ConservativeMind

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians have noted that certain patients are at especially high risk of developing severe illness or dying from coronavirus infection. Type 2 diabetes—a condition affecting more than 10 percent of the U.S. population— is one of the main risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness. New research from U-M uncovers why this might be and offers hope for a potential therapy.

The culprit appears to be an enzyme called SETDB2. This same enzyme has been implicated in the non-healing, inflammatory wounds found in people with diabetes….

"We think we have a reason for why these patients are developing a cytokine storm," said Melvin.

In the mouse and human models, noted Melvin and Gallagher, as SETDB2 went down, inflammation went up. In addition, they revealed that a pathway known as JAK1/STAT3 regulates SETDB2 in macrophages during coronavirus infection.

Taken together, the results point to a potential therapeutic pathway. Previous findings from the lab demonstrated that interferon, a cytokine important for viral immunity, increased SETDB2 in response to wound healing. In their new study, they found blood serum from patients in the ICU with diabetes and severe COVID-19 had reduced levels of interferon-beta compared to patients without diabetes.

To test this, the study team administered interferon beta to coronavirus-infected diabetic mice and saw that they were able to increase SETDB2 and decrease inflammatory cytokines.

"We're trying to home in on what controls SETDB2, which is sort of the master regulator of a lot of these inflammatory cytokines that you hear about as being increased in COVID-19, such as IL-1B, TNFalpha, and IL-6," explained Gallagher.

"Looking upstream at what's controlling SETDB2, interferon is at the top end, with JaK1 and STAT3 in the middle. Interferon increases both, which increases SETDB2 in a sort of cascade."

(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: ace1; ace2; chinavirus; cytokinestorm; diabetes; lysine
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Diabetics and those with atherosclerosis have too little SETDB2, which belongs to the KMT1 family of lysine methyltransferases. Your body needs lysine from protein and methyl donor groups, usually from B vitamins, but much more is available from betaine powder (comes from beets).

Methyl groups help other key processes in the body and we probably don’t get enough of it.

1 posted on 09/08/2021 7:04:29 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: ConservativeMind

Interesting.

Diabetic type 2 old fart, and my covid bout was minor, which surprised my PA.

I’ll keep visiting this thread to keep up with the research and the article.

Thank you for posting.


2 posted on 09/08/2021 7:08:01 PM PDT by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: ConservativeMind
Deficiency of histone lysine methyltransferase SETDB2 in hematopoietic cells promotes vascular inflammation and accelerates atherosclerosis
https://insight.jci.org/articles/view/147984

Betaine supplementation attenuates atherosclerotic lesion in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19255798/

Are You Eating Methyl Donor Foods?
https://naturallysavvy.com/eat/are-you-eating-methyl-donor-foods/

Foods High in Lysine
https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-lysine

3 posted on 09/08/2021 7:08:06 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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18 months to ask this question.

Read a paper that mentioned the possibility: certain diabetics meds that down-regulate ACE1 may cause increase in ACE2 expression.

Increased ACE2 expression is fertile ground for SARS.

Think about that.


4 posted on 09/08/2021 7:13:30 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: texas booster

I almost wish I could do it and get it over with.


5 posted on 09/08/2021 7:21:08 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Politicians are only marginally good at one thing, being politicians. Otherwise they are fools.)
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To: Gene Eric

“Read a paper that mentioned the possibility: certain diabetics meds that down-regulate ACE1 may cause increase in ACE2 expression. Increased ACE2 expression is fertile ground for SARS.”

I could certainly believe that. From the beginning, I’ve always wondered how the virus manages to know if someone has high blood pressure, as it’s unlikely that virus particles carry sphygmomanometers to measure blood pressure - so I figured it must be something else, and meds of course came to mind first.


6 posted on 09/08/2021 7:22:47 PM PDT by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's, I just don't tell anyone, like most here.)
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To: BobL

I thought it’s simply stored iron.

Older people are at higher risk. They have more stored iron.

Men are at higher risk. They have more stored iron.

Excess iron causes diabetes. Excess iron can cause high blood pressure.


7 posted on 09/08/2021 7:25:39 PM PDT by TTFX ( )
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To: ConservativeMind

Bookmark


8 posted on 09/08/2021 7:29:53 PM PDT by RightField
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To: ConservativeMind

85 percent of diabetics are overweight.


9 posted on 09/08/2021 7:35:10 PM PDT by MMaschin (The difference between strategy and tactics!)
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To: BobL

And if true, think about the Pharma conflict and lack of disclosure.


10 posted on 09/08/2021 7:39:32 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: ConservativeMind

Bkmk


11 posted on 09/08/2021 7:39:41 PM PDT by sauropod (Bidet was no prize before he put the “d” in “dementia.” - Schlichter)
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To: TTFX

Recall a vid from 15 months ago that talked about excess iron as a consequence of the SARS disruption to the red blood cells. And that iron buildup complicated lung functionality.


12 posted on 09/08/2021 7:43:55 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: ConservativeMind

We have a son-in-law who’s pushing 50 who is a Type 1 diabetic on an insulin pump. He tested positive with Covid and was completely asymptomatic. Had his office not come down with it, resulting in everyone being tested, he wouldn’t even have known he had it.


13 posted on 09/08/2021 7:57:22 PM PDT by AlaskaErik (In time of peace, prepare for war.)
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To: ConservativeMind

I believe there is a large study that goes through most of the American data and it concludes that diabetes is not a predictor of bad outcomes when it comes to Covid. If you control for age and especially weight, you will see diabetes is not a factor. I think the three factors with the highest predictive correlation are Age, Weight and Vitamin D. Some think Vitamin D is also associated with the other two.


14 posted on 09/08/2021 8:03:00 PM PDT by poinq
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To: poinq

People with low vitamin k do worse if they get the wuhan coronavirus.


15 posted on 09/08/2021 8:04:47 PM PDT by TTFX ( )
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To: TTFX

I don’t think the blood samples could test for K. So the data I saw only had certain data.Surveys and blood results.


16 posted on 09/08/2021 8:07:38 PM PDT by poinq
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To: ConservativeMind

Simple answer is that high blood sugar weakens the immune system and makes it less able to fight off infections. Also, if you do get COVID-19, the infection could put you at greater risk for diabetes complications like diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA happens when high levels of acids called ketones build up in your blood. It can be very serious.

If you do get sick, check your blood sugar more often than usual. COVID-19 can reduce your appetite and cause you to eat less, which could affect your levels. You also need more fluids than usual when you’re sick. Keep water close by, and drink it often. And most of the over the counter medicines can cause high or lower blood sugars and the only real partially safe pain killer and fever reducers is acetaminophen, tylenol, but large quantities of it can give you false glucometer readings. Kind of between a rock and a hard place with C19.

wy69


17 posted on 09/08/2021 8:19:51 PM PDT by whitney69
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To: ConservativeMind

I have type 2 diabetes. I had COVID. I am fine. My diabetes is under control and my a1c is 5.7. I am wondering if you have it under control through diet and weight loss, is this a factor?


18 posted on 09/08/2021 8:20:06 PM PDT by Whatever Works
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To: Whatever Works

I would say if you had it and got through okay, you must not have the level of dysfunction many other diabetics have.

Congratulations!


19 posted on 09/08/2021 8:25:58 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: AlaskaErik

Our neighbor 61 covid positive and diabetic died two days ago after 2 weeks in icu


20 posted on 09/08/2021 8:29:48 PM PDT by italianquaker
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