In a study recently published in Academia Biology, researchers Gumpeny Sridhar, Srinivas Botta, and Gumpeny Lakshmi explored how helminths affect the development of insulin resistance and type two diabetes. The research team highlighted how individuals with prior schistosomiasis (a disease caused by parasitic worms called schistosomes) have lower rates of diabetes, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. The study revealed that helminths stopped the development of insulin resistance by changing our immune system into an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Helminth infections promote regulatory macrophages and affect lipid metabolism and gut microbiota, which are all important in fighting type two diabetes. In early clinical trials, controlled helminth infections have shown metabolic benefits. Research is also being done to harness molecules and excretory products from the helminths that may provide therapy for metabolic diseases. To read the study, click here https://www.researchgate.net/publication/399456707_Can_parasites_influence_insulin_signaling_and_development_of_diabetes_mellitus