Reason to Sweat

Even fat that you don't see can kill you: If you're overweight and diabetic, doctors say, you probably have a fatty liver, which raises your risk of ills that go beyond that organ, including heart disease. But a recent study found that moderate biking, walking, or running three times a week, plus resistance training, trimmed fat in volunteers' livers by as much as 40 percent. “It's an added reason to exercise,” says Kerry Stewart, Ed.D., an exercise physiologist at Johns Hopkins University.

Available: Now.

Hope for a Type 1 Cure

In an exciting study in mice, researchers reversed new cases of type 1 diabetes using the cancer drugs imatinib (Gleevec) and sunitinib (Sutent). The mice were bred to develop diabetes, but none of them got the condition while on either drug. In mice with early stages of the disease, 80 percent were symptom-free after two weeks of treatment-and when drugs were given for ten weeks, results lasted even after the regimen ended. Up next: years of human studies to check safety and efficacy. (The researchers say the drugs will likely work only for people with new cases of the disease.)

Available: Not for at least 5 years.

Pacemaker for the Stomach

Some people with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes turn to gastric bypass surgery to lose weight. But an implanted device may do the job much less invasively, by sending electric signals to make the person feel full. Volunteers who got the Tantalus System lost an average of 11 pounds and lowered their blood sugar-enough to cut the risk of many complications by 40 percent.

Available: About 5 years.

No needles!

About a fourth of people with diabetes rely on insulin injections, but shot-free options could be on the way. One of the most promising: ORMD 0801, a capsule designed to protect insulin from being broken down during digestion. If early results are borne out, people may finally be able to take their insulin as a pill instead of injecting it.

Available: 4 to 5 years.