Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health, recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. A Phase II clinical trial of oral insulin in patients with Type 1 diabetes is also underway at Georgetown Medical Center. Until now, insulin has been available to people with diabetes only by injection. But in theory, oral insulin has significant medical advantages over injected insulin. Oral insulin more closely mimics the activity of normal insulin in that higher levels reach the liver, while lower levels are seen in muscle and fat tissue.
Oral insulin is also likely to improve compliance.
If PDI has solved the problem of getting a protein like insulin past the acids and enzymes of the stomach, accuracy in dosing could pose a major problem, especially in Type 1 diabetes. In two recent studies in Germany on humans, PDI's oral insulin was found to be safe and effective, with few side effects. These patients also had a three-fold lower readmission rate for DKA over the study period. This study provides support for using specialty care in acutely ill patients rather than primary care. The trend currently is to increase the delivery of medical care by primary physicians, which in circumstances such as these leads to worsening of outcomes.