A new study from the University of North Carolina has helped doctors and patients better understand which medications are most helpful for people with type 2 diabetes.
The research looked at how well four different drugs worked when added to metformin, the most common first medication used to manage blood sugar.
Type 2 diabetes happens when the body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it properly. This causes high blood sugar, which can lead to serious problems like heart disease, kidney damage, and nerve damage. Keeping blood sugar under control is important to avoid these health issues.
Metformin is usually the first drug given to people with type 2 diabetes. But when it’s not enough, doctors often add another medication.
This study involved 5,000 people who were already taking metformin. The participants were split into four groups, and each group took one of the following medications: glimepiride, sitagliptin, insulin glargine, or liraglutide.
Each of these medicines works in different ways. Glimepiride helps the pancreas make more insulin. Sitagliptin helps the body make more insulin and reduce sugar production. Insulin glargine is a long-acting insulin shot. Liraglutide is also a shot that mimics a hormone to control blood sugar.
The results showed that liraglutide and insulin glargine worked the best. They helped more people keep their blood sugar within the target range. This was measured using the A1C test, which shows average blood sugar levels over two to three months. Most doctors recommend keeping A1C levels below 7% for people with diabetes.
Liraglutide and insulin glargine helped more people reach this goal compared to glimepiride and sitagliptin. Sitagliptin turned out to be the least effective of the four. The difference was even more noticeable for people who started the study with high A1C levels.
The study also looked at how these drugs affected body weight. People taking liraglutide and sitagliptin lost more weight than those on glimepiride. People using insulin glargine stayed about the same in terms of weight. This is important because extra weight can make it harder to control blood sugar.
However, there were some side effects. People taking liraglutide had more stomach issues like nausea, stomach pain, and diarrhea. But liraglutide also showed a possible extra benefit: it may lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes, which are common in people with diabetes.
Glimepiride had a higher risk of causing low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia. This can be dangerous and lead to confusion, dizziness, or even passing out, although it didn’t happen often in the study.
This research is helpful for doctors choosing the best second medication for people with type 2 diabetes. If metformin isn’t enough, liraglutide or insulin glargine may be better choices than glimepiride or sitagliptin, especially for people with high blood sugar or a risk of heart problems.
Doctors also consider other things like weight goals and how well patients handle side effects. In short, picking the right medicine can help people stay healthier and avoid serious problems.
If you care about blood sugar, please read studies about why blood sugar is high in the morning, and how to cook sweet potatoes without increasing blood sugar.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about 9 unhealthy habits that damage your brain, and results showing this stuff in cannabis may protect aging brain, treat Alzheimer’s.
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