A new study shows that a diabetes medicine called tirzepatide helps people lower their blood sugar and lose weight faster than some other common treatments.
The study was done by researchers in the UK at the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust.
Type 2 diabetes is a health problem that lasts for a long time. People with this condition have trouble using insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body control sugar in the blood. When insulin doesn’t work the right way, sugar stays in the blood instead of going into cells for energy.
Over time, too much sugar in the blood can damage the heart, kidneys, nerves, and eyes. That’s why it’s important for people with type 2 diabetes to take care of their health through medicine, eating well, and being active.
Tirzepatide is a newer medicine that was approved in the United States in May 2022 to help treat type 2 diabetes. It works by copying two natural hormones in the body called GLP-1 and GIP. These hormones help lower blood sugar and make people feel full, which can help them lose weight.
In the study, researchers compared tirzepatide to two other common treatments. One is called semaglutide, and the other is a kind of insulin called degludec. Everyone in the study also followed a healthy eating plan and took other diabetes pills.
The results showed that people taking tirzepatide were able to reach their target blood sugar levels faster. People who took tirzepatide (in doses of 5, 10, or 15 milligrams) got their blood sugar down to a healthy level (called HbA1c under 7%) in just 8 weeks. For those taking semaglutide or insulin degludec, it took about 12 weeks to get the same result.
When researchers looked at an even lower blood sugar goal (HbA1c under 6.5%), they found that tirzepatide worked in about 12 weeks. The same result took 16 weeks for semaglutide and 24 weeks for insulin degludec.
Weight loss was another important benefit of tirzepatide. People taking the higher doses of tirzepatide (10 or 15 mg) lost at least 5% of their body weight in 12 weeks. People taking semaglutide took twice as long—24 weeks—to lose the same amount. Losing just 5% of body weight can really help improve blood sugar control and reduce the risk of other health problems.
Dr. Adie Viljoen, the lead researcher, said that reaching health goals faster can help people with diabetes stay motivated and feel better. The study shows that tirzepatide could be a very helpful treatment for people with type 2 diabetes because it works faster and helps people lose weight more quickly than some other options.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes, and to people with diabetes, some fruits are better than others.
For more health information, please see recent studies that low calorie diets may help reverse diabetes, and 5 vitamins that may prevent complication in diabetes.
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