I DIPPED into the medical file this week and pulled out a couple of stories on the great disease scourge of Guam: diabetes.

It wasn’t until I did a little further research that I discovered a rather bizarre local link between the stories. Read on!

English researchers have discovered that two plants found in southeast Asia may have properties that are not only anti-diabetic, but also are involved in the body’s fat uptake and could help tackle obesity.

The researchers aim to isolate and identify certain extracts from the plants Cassia auriculata and Cassia alata, which may have active ingredients for treating diabetes. One of the compounds isolated from the plants, kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside, has proven to be eight times more potent than standard anti-diabetic drugs.

The research is ongoing and requires further study and validation but the researchers are moving to the clinical trial stage soon. Cassia auriculata and Cassia alata grow in the tropics where they are popular both as ornamental plants and for their medicinal uses.

Hmmm. These Cassia plants sound like a good thing. Let’s move on to the next story which addresses the fact that you are your own universe.

All humans have enormous numbers of bacteria in their lower intestines. In fact our bodies contain about 10 times more bacterial cells than ‘human’ cells and these tiny passengers are extremely important for our health. They help us digest our food and provide us with energy and vitamins. The friendly bacteria in your gut can also stop the bad guys like Salmonella from making you sick. Even the biochemical reactions that build up and maintain our bodies come from our intestinal bacteria as well as our own cells.

Researchers from Canada and Switzerland have now shown that the influence of intestinal bacteria extends even deeper inside the body. Your healthy gut bacteria may help prevent you from getting diabetes. In children and young people, diabetes is caused by the body’s immune cells damaging the special cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin.

By chance, 30 years ago, before the development of genetic engineering techniques, Japanese investigators noticed that a particular strain of laboratory mice was unusually susceptible to diabetes. These mice also have many of the same genes that make some humans susceptible to the disease. The researchers have been able to show that intestinal bacteria, especially in male mice, can produce biochemicals and hormones that stop diabetes from developing.

So ... we’ve got a plant that might help prevent diabetes and our gut bacteria could do the same thing. What’s the weird local connection?

Cassia alata is a common plant on Guam. It’s a large bush or small tree and it blooms in December and January with large cone-shaped yellow flowers. The English common name is “Candle Bush” because the flowers resemble candles. The odd local connection, however, concerns the Chamorro common name for Cassia alata. It’s taki biha.

If you don’t know what taki biha means, ask one of your Chamorro friends. Then you’ll see the local connection with the second story!

Cruise on over to The Deep website at www.thedeepradioshow.com to learn more about diabetes research and many other topics. Enjoy!

Pam Eastlick is the director of the University of Guam Planetarium. Reach her at uogstarlady[at]gmail.com.