While tried and true treatment has existed since the 1920s, there is more diabetes research funding than ever before. You want the best treatment available for you or a loved one with diabetes. Below are some of the latest advancements in diabetes management.
Coffee. Coffee does more than just wake you up in the morning. Studies have shown that coffee drinkers have reduced risk for conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease—and you guessed it—type 2 diabetes.
Researchers are still trying to understand which chemical in coffee beans interacts with our bodies to provide these protective benefits. It’s time to rethink coffee’s reputation as a bad habit.
Medication Combinations. Sticking to a medication routine can be difficult. New combination glucose-lowering drugs that put two medications into a single pill are helping ease the process.
In addition to decreasing the number of pills you need to take, combination medications have many other benefits, such as potentially decreasing out-of-pocket costs and copays for patients. There is also an advantage with combining drugs that treat different aspects of your condition, such as insulin resistant or glucose levels in the liver. Check with your doctor to see if these new medications are right for you.
Basal-Bolus Insulin Therapy. According to researchers at the University of Virginia, if you have type 2 diabetes, the ideal insulin regimen mimics the body’s normal physiologic pattern of insulin secretion. The gold standard to help with this is basal-bolus insulin therapy, which uses long-acting insulin (the basal doses) and mealtime insulin (the bolus doses) based off each person’s need.
The benefit is the insulin produced in the basal role addresses glucose the liver makes throughout the entire day and night, while the bolus role provides a quick burst of insulin from the pancreas to address a sudden appearance of extra glucose.
SGLT2 Inhibitors. These pills, scientifically known as sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, work differently than most other drugs for diabetes because they work completely independent of insulin.
Traditional medications target the liver, pancreas or gut to improve insulin sensitivity; reduce insulin resistance; or stimulate insulin secretion. SGLT2 inhibitors are different because they block the kidney’s reabsorption of glucose and help the body release it through urine, which results in lower blood glucose levels.
Additional benefits scientists have observed when SGLT2 inhibitors are used are modest weight loss, lowered blood pressure and added durability.
This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Please speak with your doctor if you have questions about your diabetes management.
