Health
Tirzepatide reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes, research claims
Topline
New research results show that weight loss and diabetes drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro can significantly reduce the risk of diabetes in people with prediabetes and obesity, adding to the growing list of diseases that researchers have found the drugs can prevent.
A sign for Eli Lilly & Co. stands outside their headquarters.
Key facts
Drug manufacturer Eli Lilly announced the results of a three-year study showing that the drug tirzepatide reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 94% in adults with prediabetes who are also obese or overweight.
Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Mounjaro, the company’s approved diabetes drug, and Zepbound, the company’s approved weight-loss drug.
The drug also caused participants to lose weight: those taking the highest dose of 15 mg lost an average of 23% of their body weight compared to the placebo group, which lost only 2.1%.
However, during a 17-week follow-up period, when participants stopped treatment, weight was regained and there was “some increase in progression to type 2 diabetes,” although they still had an 88% risk reduction, according to Lilly.
The most commonly reported side effects in the study group were mild to moderate gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and constipation.
Big number
98 million. That’s about how many Americans have prediabetes, according to a total of about one in three adults in the US facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What is prediabetes?
People with prediabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels, but it is not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes. Are causes due to insulin resistance – the same thing that causes type 2 diabetes – which can happen due to genetics, excess body fat, a diet high in processed foods, physical inactivity, chronic stress, lack of sleep, long-term steroid use and hormonal disorders such as Cushing’s disease. Although prediabetes is quite common, most Americans (80%) don’t know they have it. according to to the Cleveland Clinic. This is because prediabetes often has no symptoms, although some people do experience symptoms such as skin tags, eye changes, and dark skin around the armpits, back, or neck. However, prediabetes is reversible through lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, according to at Yale Medicine.
Important background
Mounjaro was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2022 and Zepbound in 2023. Prediabetes isn’t the only disease that tirzepatide can prevent. According to a February study, participants taking tirzepatide with high blood pressure saw a blood pressure drop of 10.6 points. Earlier this month, Lilly unveiled study results showing that patients taking tirzepatide had a 38% lower risk of death or hospitalization due to heart complications. The drug dramatically slowed the progression of kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes and increased cardiovascular risk. according to to the American Diabetes Association. Tirzepatide also significantly reduces the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Read more
Diabetes Drug Mounjaro Expected to Be Approved Soon for Weight Loss: What You Need to Know and How It Compares to Similar Drugs (Forbes)
Weight-loss drug Zepbound may lower risk of heart failure, says Eli Lilly (Forbes)
Mounjaro and Zepbound can significantly lower blood pressure, research shows (Forbes)
Mounjaro drug Tirzepatide can treat sleep apnea, study shows (Forbes)
