New Advances in Diabetes Treatment

In the last decade, many new developments have taken place in diabetes treatment. New drugs as well as equipments have been developed to help patients lead a better life. Apart from these, new researches have revealed several new ways of treating the condition. This has made life easier for diabetics as their condition is getting diagnosed and treated earlier. Some new advances in diabetes treatment in the past 10 year have been –

DPP-4 inhibitors

These are oral drugs which help to retain GLP-1 from breaking down. GLP-1 is a natural compound that lowers blood glucose. Januvia, Onglyza and Tradjenta are some common DP-4 inhibitors.

GLP analogs or Incretin mimetics

Byetta and Victoza are some drugs that fall under this category. They make use of the body’s biochemical signals to increase the insulin levels after a meal.

Latest development of insulin

Diabetics only need to take one shot of injection and it lasts long. This makes it much simpler and better than multiple injections that are required to be taken in standard insulin treatment. Some people can derive the benefit of this treatment.

Combination of drugs

By combining various drugs in one pill, different medications can be delivered at once. The patient does not need to take multiple medications in such a case. Some of these combination drugs are Actoplus MET, Avandamet, PrandiMet, Duetact and Metaglip. Although there are some drawbacks of taking such medications, such as the inability to organise the treatment or the high costs, they are still useful. Just that it becomes difficult to give the precise amount of medication.

Medications to be developed

Research and development is going on for development of drugs that treat diabetes in different ways. One class of drugs being developed prevents the body from reabsorbing glucose from the urine. After such a drug is approved by the FDA, you may soon find them in your medical stores.

Knowledge of lifestyle changes for controlling diabetes

Several studies over the past decade have revealed that introducing many lifestyle changes can help diabetics to prevent its complications. For example, 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week coupled with strength training will reduce the risk of heart diseases.

Making an alteration in food choices is particularly difficult and it is advisable that you consult with your dietician to work out a custom plan. Success in controlling diabetes with such a plan would depend on how well you are able to stick to it.

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