Scientists say they have proof the body's nervous system helps trigger diabetes.

Diabetic mice became healthy virtually overnight after researchers injected a substance (capsaicin) to counteract the effect of malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas.

"I couldn't believe it," said Dr. Michael Salter, a pain expert at the Hospital for Sick Children and one of the scientists. "Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any more."

In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to shift glucose into the cells that need it. In Type 2 diabetes, the insulin that is produced is not used effectively -- something called insulin resistance -- also resulting in poor absorption of glucose.

insulin-producing islets [have an] "enormous" number of nerves, pain neurons primarily used to signal the brain that tissue has been damaged.

Suspecting a link between the nerves and diabetes, he and Dr. Salter used an old experimental trick -- injecting capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot chili peppers, to kill the pancreatic sensory nerves in mice that had an equivalent of Type 1 diabetes.

Almost immediately, the islets began producing insulin normally.

[N]erves in diabetic mice were releasing too little of the neuropeptides...

Injected the neuropeptide "substance P" in the pancreases of diabetic mice...The islet inflammation cleared up and the diabetes was gone.

The researchers are now setting out to confirm that the connection between sensory nerves and diabetes holds true in humans. If it does, they will see if their treatments have the same effects on people as they did on mice.