Obesity drug can decrease risk of getting diabetes
UAntwerp researchers are part of a team that has discovered that a medication prescribed to help control obesity also significantly reduces the risk of getting type 2 diabetes
Stopping it in its tracks
The researchers focused on liraglutide, which aids in weight loss by influencing the part of the brain that controls the appetite and energy intake. They examined whether the drug would also influence the risk of patients with prediabetes – the earliest form of diabetes – in getting type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes results from the body’s inability to make enough insulin or properly use the insulin produced. Insulin is the hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy.
About 2,250 patients in 27 countries participated in the three-year study. Half of them received a daily dose of liraglutide; the other half received a placebo. All participants followed the same diet and were encouraged to take part in physical activities.
“Our study shows that the medication, in combination with physical exercise and a controlled diet, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 80% over a period of just three years,” said UAntwerp professor Luc Van Gaal in a statement. “The participants who received liraglutide also lost more weight.”
The findings mean that liraglutide – sold under brand names Victoza and Saxenda – can be prescribed to patients with obesity and prediabetes to significantly curtail the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and the related complications.
Photo courtesy Saxenda
