document: Further study of a newly isolated hormone found in the pancreases of diabetics may lead to new treatments for the most common form of the disease , a scientist says . `` We have a lot of evidence that this is likely to be , if not the final cause , at least a major part of the disease process , '' said New Zealand biochemist Garth Cooper . The research `` opens the door to the scientific study of the disease at a level that was n't possible before and potentially the mechanisms that we uncover may be very wide ranging , '' he said . Cooper , who has been working with scientists at Oxford University , described the hormone research this week at the 13th International Diabetes Federation Congress in Sydney , Australia . In his presentation , Cooper said the hormone , dubbed `` amylin , '' was normally undetectable but found in high levels in the pancreases of diabetics . Amylin appears to be responsible for the obesity , reduced insulin secretion and the reduced effectiveness of insulin observed in Type II diabetes , he said . Currently , obesity is considered a major contributor to the disease rather than a result of it . Insulin normally controls the level of blood sugar . In Type II diabetes , also called non-insulin-dependent diabetes , the body 's insulin is not effective and blood sugar levels rise too high . Complications can include kidney disease , blindness , and gangrene that requires amputations . Type II diabetes afflicts the majority of the nation 's estimated 11 million diabetics , according to the American Diabetes Association . It often can be controlled through diet and exercise . Cooper said researchers hope to develop substances that block amylin 's secretion or action , opening the possibility of treatment . He also said reseachers hope to develop a test to detect diabetes very early in its development . The new work is `` a very important finding '' if amylin truly blocks insulin and appears in abnormal amounts in diabetics , F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer , an authority on Type II diabetes , said Friday . Scientists already knew of another pancreatic hormone that blocks insulin , but it is not found in abnormal levels in diabetics , said Pi-Sunyer , director of the endocrinology , diabetes and nutrition division at St. Luke 's - Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York .
extractive_keyphrases: diabetics amylin new treatments pancreatic hormone american diabetes association hormone research disease process insulin secretion blood sugar levels obesity