A major study led by Dr. Henry Burch and The GRADE Study Research Group has given us important new facts about treating type 2 diabetes.
The research focused on people who were already taking metformin, which is the most common medicine used first to treat type 2 diabetes. The question was: What other medicine works best when added to metformin?
The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, looked at four different FDA-approved drugs: sitagliptin, liraglutide, glimepiride, and insulin glargine U-100. The researchers wanted to see which of these worked best with metformin to keep blood sugar levels in the target range for the longest time.
They studied 5,047 people from different backgrounds, including various ages, races, and ethnic groups. Everyone in the study was already taking metformin. Then, each person was randomly given one of the four other medications. They were watched for about four years.
The results showed that people who took liraglutide or insulin glargine with metformin kept their blood sugar levels in the target range longer than people taking the other two drugs. On average, these two combinations worked about six months longer than sitagliptin, which was the least effective.
A good thing about this study is that it included a wide variety of people, so the results apply to many different patients. It turned out that all four drugs worked in similar ways across all ages, sexes, and races.
But the study also showed how tough it is to control type 2 diabetes for many years. Even with these medications, nearly 75% of people were not able to keep their blood sugar in the healthy range for the full four years. This means there is still a big need for better treatments and new ways to manage diabetes.
The researchers also looked at heart health. People who took liraglutide had the lowest chance of having heart problems like heart attacks or strokes. This is a big deal because people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to have heart issues. So liraglutide might help in more ways than just lowering blood sugar.
This big study helps doctors and patients choose the best second medication to use with metformin. It also shows that even with good medicine, diabetes is still hard to manage long-term. We need more research to find better solutions.
For people living with type 2 diabetes, this study is a reminder of how important it is to find the right mix of medications. It’s also important to check blood sugar often and work closely with your doctor to make changes if needed.
To sum up, the best choices to add to metformin are liraglutide or insulin glargine. These give the best results for long-term blood sugar control and may also help protect the heart. This research moves us one step closer to better care for people with diabetes.
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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