COVID-19 vaccine may help reduce high blood sugar levels, study finds

Researchers at Tulane University have discovered a new approach to tackling a lingering health challenge faced by some with long-term COVID: high blood sugar levels, informs the aforesaid university.

A new study published in Nature Communications and conducted at the Tulane National Primate Research Center suggests that the COVID-19 vaccine could be used therapeutically to address metabolic complications experienced among those with long-term COVID, sometimes called long-haulers, even if the vaccine is administered several days after infection.

Many people who recover from COVID-19 continue to suffer from various long-term health problems, collectively known as Long COVID.

One of the most concerning issues is persistent hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, which can lead to serious health complications such as diabetes and heart disease.

To better understand and combat these long-term effects, researchers at the Tulane National Primate Research Center turned to a nonhuman primate model of long-COVID and determined that the model is also appropriate for studying COVID-onset hyperglycemia and diabetes.

The study found that administering the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine four days after infection showed a significant positive effect on blood sugar levels that was sustained over time.

This finding suggests that the vaccine could potentially be used not just for prevention, but also as a treatment for managing long-term metabolic complications of COVID-19.

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