Type 2 diabetes is a common long-term illness that affects millions of people around the world. It happens when the body can’t use insulin properly or doesn’t make enough of it. Insulin is a hormone that helps control blood sugar levels. When this system doesn’t work right, sugar builds up in the blood and can cause serious health problems over time.
For many years, the most commonly used medicine to treat Type 2 diabetes has been metformin. It helps keep blood sugar levels steady. However, for some people, metformin doesn’t work as well as time goes on. This means they may need other treatments to manage their condition properly.
Now, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University have made an exciting discovery. They found that combining two other diabetes drugs—dapagliflozin and exenatide—can help people whose blood sugar is not fully controlled by metformin alone. The most important part? This combination continued to work well for at least two years, without losing its effect over time.
The study included 695 adults with Type 2 diabetes. They were divided into three groups. One group took exenatide as a weekly injection with their regular metformin. Another group took dapagliflozin pills every day along with metformin.
The third group took both exenatide and dapagliflozin together with metformin. After two years, the group taking both medications saw the best results in controlling their blood sugar.
Each of these medications works in a different way. Dapagliflozin helps the kidneys remove extra sugar from the body through urine. Exenatide helps the body make more insulin when it’s needed. It also reduces how much sugar the liver makes, slows down digestion, and makes people feel full faster, which helps them eat less.
When these two drugs are used together, they give a more complete approach to managing blood sugar. But that’s not all—they also helped people lose weight and lower their blood pressure. These are two major goals in treating Type 2 diabetes, because being overweight and having high blood pressure can make diabetes worse and lead to more health problems.
Importantly, the study showed that this drug combination did not cause any unexpected safety problems. This means the treatment appears to be both effective and safe for long-term use.
The lead researcher, Dr. Serge Jabbour, published these results in the journal Diabetes Care. This research brings new hope for people who find that metformin alone isn’t enough to manage their diabetes.
With this new combination of drugs, they may be able to better control their blood sugar, lose some weight, and lower their blood pressure—all of which can lead to better health and fewer complications in the future.
This study is also a reminder that diabetes treatment isn’t one-size-fits-all. What works for one person may not work for another. That’s why doctors and patients need to work together to find the best treatment plan. New drug combinations like this one offer more options and more hope for people living with this lifelong condition.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about diabetes and vitamin B12, and the right diet for people with type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat smart with diabetes, and turmeric and vitamin D: a duo for blood pressure control in diabetic patients.
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