Diabetes is a long-term condition in which the body cannot properly control the amount of sugar, also called glucose, in the blood.
When blood sugar stays too high for many years, it can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and blood vessels.
Keeping blood sugar under control is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of these serious health problems. Healthy eating, regular exercise, and medicines all play an important role in diabetes care.
One medicine that has received a great deal of attention is semaglutide.
It belongs to a group of medicines that help the body release insulin when needed, reduce the amount of sugar made by the liver, slow the emptying of the stomach, and help people feel full for longer.
Because people often eat less while taking the medicine, many also lose weight, which can further improve diabetes control.
A large international study led by Dr. John Buse examined whether higher daily doses of oral semaglutide could provide even greater benefits.
The findings were published in the medical journal The Lancet. The researchers wanted to compare three daily doses of the medicine—14 milligrams, 25 milligrams, and 50 milligrams—to see which worked best for people with type 2 diabetes.
The study included 1,606 adults, most of whom were men with an average age of about 58 years.
At the beginning of the trial, their A1C levels ranged from 8.0% to 10.5%, showing that their blood sugar was not well controlled. A1C is a blood test that measures average blood sugar over the previous two to three months, and doctors usually aim for a level below 7% for many adults with diabetes.
Participants were randomly assigned to take either 14 mg, 25 mg, or 50 mg of semaglutide every day for one year.
By the end of the study, people taking the higher doses were more likely to lower their A1C to below 7% than those taking the 14 mg dose. This suggests that increasing the dose can improve blood sugar control for many patients.
The medicine also helped participants lose weight. People taking the 50 mg dose lost an average of about 17.5 pounds over the year. Those taking 25 mg lost around 14.8 pounds, while people taking 14 mg lost about 10 pounds. According to Dr. Buse, the standard dose already works well for lowering blood sugar, but the higher doses appear to provide extra weight-loss benefits.
Like all medicines, semaglutide can cause side effects. The most common problems involved the digestive system. Some people experienced nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or an upset stomach. These side effects were more common among people taking the higher doses, although many were able to continue treatment.
The findings suggest that higher doses of oral semaglutide may offer an effective option for people who need better blood sugar control and greater weight loss.
However, the choice of dose should always be made with a healthcare professional, who can balance the potential benefits against the risk of side effects.
The research published in The Lancet provides important evidence that adjusting the dose of semaglutide may help more people successfully manage type 2 diabetes while also supporting healthy weight loss.
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.
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