Type 2 diabetes is a common health condition that occurs when the body struggles to use insulin properly, leading to high blood sugar levels. Many people with this condition start treatment with a drug called metformin, which helps control blood sugar.
But over time, metformin may become less effective for some people, and they need extra help to keep their blood sugar in check.
Now, there’s promising news from researchers at Thomas Jefferson University. They’ve discovered that combining two other diabetes medications — dapagliflozin and exenatide — provides better and longer-lasting results for people whose blood sugar isn’t well managed by metformin alone.
In their study, the scientists looked at 695 adults with Type 2 diabetes. All of these participants had been using metformin but still had high blood sugar levels. The researchers divided them into three groups:
- One group added exenatide, a once-weekly injection, to their routine.
- Another group took dapagliflozin, a daily pill.
- The third group received both exenatide and dapagliflozin along with metformin.
After following the participants for two years, the results were clear. People who took the combination of both drugshad better blood sugar control than those who took only one of the new medications. Not only that, but the improvements lasted over time — a key benefit for a long-term condition like diabetes.
These two drugs work in different but complementary ways:
- Dapagliflozin helps the body get rid of extra sugar through urine. It works through the kidneys and doesn’t rely on insulin.
- Exenatide helps the body make more insulin after eating. It also slows digestion, reduces the amount of sugar the liver makes, and helps people feel full longer, which can lead to eating less and losing weight.
Because they work differently, using both drugs together leads to better results. People in the study not only had lower blood sugar, but also saw weight loss and improvements in blood pressure — two other important health concerns for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Even better, the study found that this combination is safe. There were no surprising side effects or safety concerns during the two-year trial.
The results were published in the journal Diabetes Care, and the lead researcher, Dr. Serge Jabbour, believes this new treatment approach could be a game changer for many patients. For people whose diabetes is not well controlled with metformin alone, this new drug combo could make a big difference.
This discovery gives new hope to those managing Type 2 diabetes. It shows that there are effective and safe options beyond metformin that not only lower blood sugar but also improve overall health by supporting weight and blood pressure control. With this research, doctors may soon have a better way to help patients manage diabetes for the long haul.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about the cooking connection between potatoes and diabetes, and low calorie diets may help reverse type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about protein power: a new ally in diabetes management, and pineapple and diabetes: A sweet surprise.
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