A new study has found that the diabetes drug tirzepatide helps people lower their blood sugar and lose weight more quickly than other commonly used treatments.
Researchers at the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust discovered that people taking tirzepatide reached their blood sugar and weight-loss goals weeks earlier than those taking other diabetes medications.
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a long-term condition in which the body struggles to use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps control blood sugar levels, and when it doesn’t work as it should, sugar builds up in the blood.
Over time, high blood sugar can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, kidney failure, and nerve damage. To manage the condition, people with T2D often take medications, adjust their diet, and exercise regularly.
Tirzepatide is a relatively new drug that works by mimicking two natural hormones in the body—GLP-1 and GIP. These hormones help control blood sugar and reduce appetite, making it easier for people with diabetes to manage their weight. The drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2022 for treating type 2 diabetes.
In this latest study, researchers compared tirzepatide with two other common treatments: semaglutide (another injectable diabetes drug) and a type of insulin called degludec (iDeg). Participants in the study were also following a healthy diet and taking other oral diabetes medications.
The results showed that people taking tirzepatide reached healthy blood sugar levels much faster than those on semaglutide or insulin degludec. On average, those taking tirzepatide (in doses of 5, 10, or 15 mg) reached their first blood sugar goal—an HbA1c level below 7%—within eight weeks. In contrast, people taking semaglutide or insulin degludec took about 12 weeks to reach the same target.
For an even stricter blood sugar goal (HbA1c of 6.5% or lower), tirzepatide helped patients reach this level in about 12 weeks, while semaglutide took 16 weeks and insulin degludec took 24 weeks.
The study also found that tirzepatide helped people lose weight more quickly. Weight loss is important for people with type 2 diabetes because even a small reduction in body weight can lead to major health benefits, such as improved blood sugar control and a lower risk of heart disease.
Participants taking the two higher doses of tirzepatide (10 mg and 15 mg) lost at least 5% of their body weight in just 12 weeks. Meanwhile, those taking semaglutide needed twice as much time—about 24 weeks—to achieve the same level of weight loss.
Losing just 5% of body weight can make a significant difference in managing diabetes and preventing complications. The researchers highlighted that achieving these health benefits in half the time is a major advantage for patients.
Dr. Adie Viljoen, who led the study, emphasized that faster improvements in blood sugar and weight can make it easier for people with diabetes to manage their condition and stay motivated. These findings suggest that tirzepatide could be a highly effective treatment for type 2 diabetes, offering better results in a shorter period.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about 5 vitamins that may prevent complication in diabetes, and how to manage high blood pressure and diabetes with healthy foods.
For more health information, please see recent studies about vitamin D and type2 diabetes, and to people with type 2 diabetes, some fruits are better than others.
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