Early, Intensive Blood Glucose Control Vital for Type 2 Diabetes Management

New research led by scientists from the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh reveals that early and intensive blood glucose control plays a significant role in minimizing the risk of complications for individuals with type 2 diabetes. These findings, which include a reduced risk of heart attacks, kidney failure, and vision loss, are based on data from the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), one of the longest clinical trials in type 2 diabetes history.

The UKPDS, which began in 1977, randomly assigned individuals with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes to either an intensive blood glucose control strategy using sulfonylureas, insulin, or metformin, or to a conventional blood glucose control strategy primarily based on diet. The 20-year trial results, published in 1998, demonstrated that intensive blood glucose control significantly reduced the risk of diabetic complications.

Professor Rury Holman, of Oxford’s Radcliffe Department of Medicine and the University of Oxford Diabetes Trials Unit, who served as the Chief Investigator of the UKPDS, stated, “These groundbreaking findings underscore the importance of detecting and treating type 2 diabetes as early and intensively as possible.”

Individuals with type 2 diabetes may remain undiagnosed for several years due to the lack of noticeable symptoms until their blood sugars become significantly elevated. The UKPDS trial showed that those who received early intensive blood glucose control experienced fewer complications in the long term compared to those following conventional blood glucose control.

Despite the groups’ therapies and blood glucose levels becoming similar after the trial, the 10-year post-trial monitoring study, published in 2008, confirmed the continued benefits of early intensive blood glucose control. Professor Holman explained, “The fact that those who had been allocated to early intensive blood glucose control continued to experience fewer complications is a testament to the long-term benefits of this approach.”

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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
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