People with type 1 diabetes may soon have more options at hand than insulin replacement. Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have reported being able to treat diabetes my eliminating a single hormone in the body.

Called glucagon, the hormone is secreted by the pancreas. In individuals without type 1 diabetes, it prevents low blood sugar. However, its action causes high blood sugar in those with the disorder.

Internal medicine specialists referred to glucagon as the complement to insulin. The former raises blood glucose levels, while the latter lowers them.

By genetically altering diabetic lab animals to produce no glucagon, the team found that insulin replacement was no longer necessary to maintain healthy blood sugar.

They concluded that further research into the suppression of glucagon could result in diabetes treatments that do not involve daily insulin shots or inhalants.

In the U.S., an estimated 1 in 400 children develops type 1 diabetes, the American Diabetes Association reports.