Diabetes can be detrimental to a person’s health if left untreated. It produces a number of unpleasant symptoms such as frequent urination, weight loss, extreme hunger and thirst, fatigue, blurry vision and
frequent infection. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or know someone who is, it’s important to see a doctor immediately. Untreated diabetes can lead to cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, nerve damage, blindness and potentially a loss of limb. If diagnosed with diabetes, you and your doctor can come up with an appropriate treatment plan to manage it. While there is not yet a cure, diabetes treatment has progressed quite a bit over the years. While insulin shots are still currently used to treat diabetes, there are many other treatment options for patients. Newly introduced treatments may be more effective for people than anything else before. Our list of the Top 3 Diabetes Treatments highlights some of the most promising treatments in recent years.
The first item on our list, Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2 inhibitors (also known as SGLT2 inhibitors) can be used to treat diabetes patients by lowering blood glucose levels. While most diabetes treatments encourage the production or use of insulin in the body, SGLT2 inhibitors do neither of those things. SGLT2 inhibitors make sure glucose does not remain in the body by inhibiting SGLT proteins in the kidneys that keep glucose in the body. Excess glucose is then passed through the urine, which willconsequently lead to weight loss, since calories will be lost.Additionally, the body loses salt which can improve blood pressure as well. Taken as a pill, three SGLT2 medications are Canagliflozin, Dapagliflozin and Empagliflozin.
Researchers are now testing an artificial pancreas on human patients. In the body, the pancreas secretes several different hormones including insulin and glucagon. Insulin allows the body to store sugar, while glucagon causes the liver to release glucose and increase blood sugar levels. An artificial pancreas can monitor glucose in the blood and control the delivery and supply of insulin in order to reduce blood sugar levels, particularly in individuals with type 1 diabetes. So far the human trails for this treatment have proved successful, and even more effective than the conventional insulin pumps. Researchers hope to have the artificial pancreas available in the next several years.
Researchers are now testing an artificial pancreas on human patients. In the body, the pancreas secretes several different hormones including insulin and glucagon. Insulin allows the body to store sugar, while glucagon causes the liver to release glucose and increase blood sugar levels. An artificial pancreas can monitor glucose in the blood and control the delivery and supply of insulin in order to reduce blood sugar levels, particularly in individuals with type 1 diabetes. So far the human trails for this treatment have proved successful, and even more effective than the conventional insulin pumps. Researchers hope to have the artificial pancreas available in the next several years.
Recently, a new major breakthrough in diabetes treatment involves the use of stem cells. Researchers at Harvard have found a way to turn human embryonic stem cells into beta cells that can produce and release insulin. After 15 years of research, these cells may potentially be transplanted into patients in a matter of a few years. With the use of beta cell transplants, patients would no longer need constant the monitoring that is required for insulin therapy. However, so far this new method for treating diabetes has only been tested on mice. And for individuals with type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks beta cells that produce insulin, so researchers must find a way to encase these new cells, so that they cannot be destroyed.
