A group of scientists in Sweden has discovered a new drug that may help people with type 2 diabetes and obesity. This drug could lower blood sugar and help the body burn more fat, all without causing common side effects like muscle loss or a drop in appetite.
The study was done by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University and was published in the science journal Cell.
Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease where the body can’t use insulin properly. This causes sugar to build up in the blood. Obesity, which means being very overweight, often happens along with type 2 diabetes. Both conditions can lead to heart disease, kidney problems, and other serious health issues.
Right now, many people with these conditions use GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic. These medicines are usually given by injection and help lower blood sugar and support weight loss by changing how the brain and gut work together. But they can also cause problems like nausea, stomach pain, tiredness, and loss of muscle.
The new drug works differently. It’s a pill, not an injection, and it works directly on the muscles instead of the brain or gut. It helps muscles burn sugar and fat better. In animal tests, this drug lowered blood sugar and increased fat burning without causing serious side effects.
To see if it’s safe for people, scientists did a small study. They gave the drug to 48 healthy people and 25 people with type 2 diabetes. Everyone tolerated it well, and no one had serious side effects.
Professor Tore Bengtsson from Stockholm University, one of the lead researchers, said this discovery could be a big step forward. He explained that muscle health is very important for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Having strong muscles helps people stay healthy and live longer. This new drug may help protect muscle mass while treating these conditions.
The drug is based on a lab-made molecule that works like a type of medicine called β2 agonists. These are often used to help people breathe better, like in asthma treatment. But those drugs can raise heart rate too much. The new drug avoids that problem—it boosts muscle function without affecting the heart.
Dr. Shane Wright from Karolinska Institutet said the drug could be easier to take because it comes as a pill. He also said that it could be used together with GLP-1 drugs, since they work in different ways. This could give doctors more choices when treating patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity.
The company developing the drug is called Atrogi AB. They plan to run a larger study soon with more patients. The goal is to see if the drug works just as well in bigger groups of people.
This research is the result of a team effort between scientists from Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm University, Uppsala University, and universities in Denmark and Australia.
In short, this new pill shows early promise in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. It may help lower blood sugar, reduce fat, and protect muscle—all without the usual side effects. Early tests say it’s safe, but more research is needed. If successful, this could be a better and easier way to manage long-term health.
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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