BCG Vaccine May Benefit Some People With Type 1 Diabetes

reports that the “bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, used to prevent tuberculosis and to treat some forms of bladder cancer,” may help some people with type 1 diabetes. The 282-person study revealed that a few people with diabetes “who got the vaccine had much better control of their blood sugar after eight years than people who did not get it.” The findings were published online in the journal npj Vaccines. “Levels of...hemoglobin a1c (HbA1c), which measures a person’s blood sugar, dropped more than 10% three years after treatment and by more than 18% four years after treatment,” the study found. This study is ongoing. Additionally, participants who have gotten the vaccine “are using about one-third less the amount of insulin as they did prior to vaccination.” More research is needed to make sure the study’s findings are replicated. http://time.com/5318733/vaccine-type-1-diabetes/