Diabetes is a long-term condition that affects millions of people around the world.
For those with type 2 diabetes, their bodies cannot use insulin properly, leading to high blood sugar levels. If not controlled, this can cause serious problems with the heart, kidneys, eyes, and other organs.
Over the years, scientists have worked to create medicines that help people lower their blood sugar and prevent these dangerous complications.
One of the newer groups of drugs for diabetes is called sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, or SGLT2 inhibitors. At first, these drugs were made to help people bring down their blood sugar.
But in the past few years, researchers have found that these drugs may do much more than that. Studies suggest they may also help protect the kidneys, the heart, and possibly even the lungs.
A team of researchers at the University of Hong Kong recently carried out a large study to better understand the benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors. They compared these newer drugs with an older type of diabetes drug known as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, or DPP4 inhibitors.
DPP4 inhibitors have been around for a longer time and are often used by doctors to manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. The question the scientists wanted to answer was simple: could SGLT2 inhibitors provide extra health protection compared to the older medicines?
The team looked at health records of more than 30,000 people in Hong Kong who were living with type 2 diabetes. They focused on kidney health first, because kidney disease is a common and serious problem for people with diabetes. Over time, high blood sugar can damage the kidneys, sometimes leading to end-stage renal disease.
This is when the kidneys no longer work well enough to keep a person alive without dialysis or a kidney transplant.
The study found that people who took SGLT2 inhibitors were much less likely to develop this kind of severe kidney problem compared to those who used DPP4 inhibitors. This suggests that SGLT2 drugs may give the kidneys extra protection beyond what older medicines can do.
The researchers also looked at lung health. This part of the study was especially interesting because most earlier research has focused only on the kidneys and the heart.
They found that people using SGLT2 inhibitors were less likely to develop lung problems such as obstructive airway disease, which makes it hard to breathe, or infections like pneumonia. If future studies confirm these results, it could mean that SGLT2 inhibitors not only help control blood sugar but also reduce the risk of lung-related illnesses.
These discoveries are exciting because they suggest SGLT2 inhibitors may be a better option for many people than DPP4 inhibitors. However, like all medicines, they are not perfect. People taking these drugs may face side effects. Some of the more common ones include a higher chance of genital and urinary tract infections.
There is also a small but serious risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition where the body produces too much acid in the blood. Because of this, doctors stress the importance of discussing both the benefits and risks of SGLT2 inhibitors with patients before deciding on treatment.
The Hong Kong study shows that SGLT2 inhibitors could play a big role in how doctors manage type 2 diabetes in the future. They may not only lower blood sugar but also protect major organs, giving patients a better chance at a healthier and longer life.
Still, scientists say more research is needed to fully understand how these drugs work and whether their protective effects will last in the long term.
Other ongoing studies are also exploring how lifestyle choices, like improving sleep and eating healthy foods such as blueberries, can help lower risks linked to diabetes.
Vitamins like vitamin D may also play a role in protecting against complications. Together with new medicines such as SGLT2 inhibitors, these discoveries give hope that people with diabetes can live healthier lives with fewer complications.
This important research was led by Dr. Cheung Ching-lung and published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism and JAMA Network Open.
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