A diabetes drug would reduce blood sugar more quickly than other treatments, between four and twelve weeks, and lead to weight loss. Explanations.
- 20 to 30% of diabetic adults are not diagnosed according to Inserm.
- In France, more than 8 million adults are obese, i.e. 17% of the population according to the Ministry of Solidarity and Health
In France, nearly four million people were identified as diabetic by the‘Health Insurance in 2019. L‘National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) estimates that 90% of diabetics have type 2 diabetes. This usually develops after the age of 20 and is due to poor use of insulin by the body’s cells. On the other hand, type 1 diabetes is due to an absence of insulin secretion by the pancreas and is present from childhood or adolescence. But whether it is one or the other, this disease characterized by too high blood sugar levels, hyperglycemia.
An antidiabetic that lowers blood sugar more quickly
For patients with type 2 diabetes, management consists of taking care of a healthy lifestyle, ie losing weight, doing physical activity and eating a balanced diet. They also take anti-diabetic drugs to help control blood sugar. Among them is tirzepatide, sold under the name Mounjaro. This drug is manufactured by the laboratory Eli Lilly. The United States Medicines Agency (The Food and Drug Administration – FDA) approved its use last May for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
But researchers have just presented latest results of a study on this drug at the congress of European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). This new study aimed to assess the time needed to reach glycemic targets. Thus, scientists believe that tirzepatide would act twice as quickly to reduce blood sugar compared to other antidiabetic drugs. In detail, it would achieve a satisfactory blood sugar reduction up to 12 weeks faster. Its role is to eliminate excess sugar and prevent the liver from making and releasing too much sugar… But it’s not the only one.
A diabetes treatment that helps you lose weight
The other virtue of this treatment is that it would help patients lose weight, a drop of up to 5% in body weight in twelve weeks. The explanation for this phenomenon is that it suppresses hunger, by mimicking the body’s hormones that make you feel full after a meal.
“Tirzepatide is unique because it mimics two naturally occurring insulin-releasing and appetite-suppressing hormones in a single injectionsays Adie Viljoen, MD, a metabolic physician in a Press release. Its rapidity in lowering blood sugar and losing weight exceeds that of all other available treatments and may enable better management of adults with type 2 diabetes to prevent long-term complications. (…) For people with type 2 diabetes, being able to achieve these health improvements in about half the time is pretty amazing.”. The authors point out that the drug alone is not enough. Patients should, in parallel, follow a balanced diet and exercise.
