A drug called pioglitazone has recently been shown to cut the risk of developing Type-2 diabetes by 72 percent.
Most of us have relatives who’ve developed diabetes, and we’ve watched as they struggle to balance their diets and prick their fingers twenty times a day to monitor their blood glucose levels, hoping we never have to deal with the same thing.
Diabetes, which prevents the natural production of insulin and makes those afflicted subject to dangerous changes in blood glucose levels, is an all-too-common disease, especially here in the United States: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 105 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes, including half of people 65 or older. But a drug used in a recent study shows great promise for those on the verge of being diagnosed with the disease, and could prevent many of them from becoming diabetic.
The drug, called pioglitazone, is a simple daily pill that’s already used to stabilize blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes. However, a study tracking 604 prediabetic subjects found that taking the daily pill was able to prevent 72 percent of them from developing diabetes in the 2.4-year period tracked by the study.
Of course, there are other ways to prevent the onset of diabetes: namely, maintaining a healthy diet and a regular exercise regime. Still, for patients who cannot or are unwilling to make these lifestyle changes, and for those whose insulin levels are not affected by such measures, a daily dose of pioglitazone may prove to be an effective preventative measure. While further research is required before physicians begin recommending the drug to all prediabetic patients, the new study shows great potential for putting a stop to one of America’s most deadly diseases.