Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest-growing health problems in the world. Millions of people live with the condition every day, and many others may have it without even knowing it.
Diabetes happens when the body cannot properly control blood sugar levels. Over time, high blood sugar can slowly damage many parts of the body, especially the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, and nerves.
For many years, diabetes treatment mainly focused on lowering blood sugar. Doctors believed that controlling blood sugar was the main way to prevent dangerous complications.
While this is still very important, scientists now understand that some diabetes medications can provide extra protection for the body beyond simply lowering glucose levels.
Researchers from Monash University and several other institutions have now found strong evidence that a group of diabetes drugs called sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, also known as SGLT2 inhibitors, can protect the heart and kidneys while also being a cost-effective treatment option.
These medicines are already widely used to help people with type 2 diabetes lower blood sugar. They work by helping the kidneys remove extra sugar from the body through urine. However, researchers became increasingly interested in these drugs after doctors noticed that patients taking them often had fewer heart and kidney problems.
The new study focused on whether the benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors for heart and kidney protection alone made them worth the cost for healthcare systems. This is important because governments and health programs must carefully decide which medicines they can afford to support for large numbers of patients.
The researchers found that these medications provide major health benefits even for people whose blood sugar levels are already reasonably controlled. This means the drugs may help prevent serious diseases before they happen, rather than simply treating diabetes after complications appear.
The study showed that SGLT2 inhibitors can lower the risk of heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease. These conditions are among the most dangerous complications linked to type 2 diabetes and are responsible for many hospital visits and deaths every year.
Heart disease is especially common in people with diabetes because high blood sugar damages blood vessels over time. The arteries can become narrow and stiff, making it harder for blood to flow properly.
This increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. People with diabetes are also more likely to develop heart failure, a condition where the heart becomes too weak to pump blood effectively around the body.
The kidneys are also highly vulnerable to damage from diabetes. These organs act as the body’s natural filtering system, removing waste and extra fluid from the blood.
High blood sugar can damage the tiny blood vessels inside the kidneys, slowly reducing their ability to work properly. This condition is called diabetic nephropathy and is one of the leading causes of kidney failure worldwide.
In the early stages of kidney disease, people may not notice any symptoms at all. However, as damage worsens, waste products can build up in the body. In severe cases, patients may need dialysis treatment several times each week to survive, or they may require a kidney transplant.
Because diabetes-related heart and kidney disease place a huge burden on both patients and healthcare systems, preventing these complications is extremely important. The researchers believe wider use of SGLT2 inhibitors could help reduce hospital stays, serious illness, and healthcare costs in the long term.
Since 2019, medical guidelines have already recognized the heart and kidney benefits of these medications. However, access to them is still sometimes limited because prescribing rules often focus mainly on blood sugar control.
The new findings suggest that Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, known as the PBS, may need to reconsider how these medicines are provided so more people can benefit from them earlier.
According to Diabetes Australia, around 1.9 million Australians currently live with diabetes. Experts also believe that roughly 500,000 more people may have type 2 diabetes without knowing it. Because the disease can quietly damage the body for years, many people are diagnosed only after complications begin to appear.
Doctors say prevention remains one of the best ways to reduce the danger of diabetes complications. Keeping blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol under control is very important. Regular exercise, healthy eating, maintaining a healthy body weight, and avoiding smoking can all help protect the heart and kidneys.
Some studies also suggest that certain foods and drinks may provide additional support for heart and kidney health. Olive oil may help lower cholesterol levels, which is important for heart health.
Moderate use of honey may help improve blood sugar control in some people. Research has also suggested that coffee may help reduce the risk of kidney damage, although experts say it should be consumed in moderation.
Still, doctors stress that lifestyle changes alone are not always enough. Many people with type 2 diabetes may also need medications to reduce their long-term risk of serious disease. SGLT2 inhibitors appear to offer an important new option because they can help protect vital organs while also managing diabetes itself.
The researchers behind the study say their findings provide strong evidence that these medications are both medically effective and economically reasonable.
Expanding access to these treatments could improve the lives of millions of people while also helping healthcare systems avoid the very high costs of treating advanced heart and kidney disease.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about 5 vitamins that may prevent complication in diabetes, and how to manage high blood pressure and diabetes with healthy foods.
For more health information, please see recent studies about vitamin D and type2 diabetes, and to people with type 2 diabetes, some fruits are better than others.
The study was led by Jedidiah Morton and colleagues and was published in the medical journal Diabetologia.
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