While neither therapy produced desired results when used alone, the combination of insulin to control blood sugar together with the use of Vitamin C, stopped blood vessel damage caused by the disease in patients with poor glucose control, said researchers.

The findings appear this week in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. “We had tested this theory on research models, but this is the first time anyone has shown the therapy’s effectiveness in people,” said Michael Ihnat, principal investigator from the OU College of Medicine.

Ihnat said they are now studying the therapy in patients with Type 2 diabetes. The goal of the work being done by Ihnat and British scientists from the University of Warwick is to find a way to stop the damage to blood vessels that is caused by diabetes.