Healthcare professionals should consider all emerging therapy options when treating type 2 diabetes, researchers have said.
This comes after experts at the University of Virginia Health System have revealed that almost 40% of people with type 2 diabetes stop taking their medication within the first year of diagnosis.
Researchers are now urging healthcare professionals to consider alternative treatment options that could be easier for people with type 2 diabetes to stick with long-term.
The authors said: “Prescribing a medication or making lifestyle recommendations that a patient is not willing or able to follow for any reason is not likely to lead to improvements in diabetes outcomes. The best treatment is one that is easy to implement and sustainable for the patient.”
According to the study, it is important for healthcare professional to include people with type 2 diabetes when deciding their treatment options, rather than telling them what to do.
People with type 2 diabetes are more likely to stick to their treatment plan when they have been involved in the decision-making process, the research has indicated.
First author Daniel J Cox said: “Patients and significant others being personally engaged in whatever approach taken is critical.
“Nothing works if it is not followed consistently, while most approaches will have some benefits if followed consistently for the duration of diabetes – a lifetime.”
Continuous glucose monitors should be considered when doctors are designing a treatment plan for people with type 2 diabetes, the researchers have said.
Additionally, weight loss drugs such as Ozempic can also be used to treat type 2 diabetes and improve blood sugar control, the results have suggested.
A lifestyle intervention called GEM (Glucose Everyday Matters) could also be offered to people with type 2 diabetes because it aims to combat blood-sugar spikes through informed eating choices and well-timed exercise.
Previous research has discovered that the GEM intervention helped two-thirds of participants put their type 2 diabetes into remission.
Daniel Cox explained: “The GEM programme isn’t just about giving up sweets and high-carb foods.
“Instead, it emphasises understanding the effects of different foods on an individual’s blood-sugar levels, making smart eating choices and getting extra physical activity to bring blood sugar down – to sit less, step more.”
He concluded: “Not only does GEM help control one’s diabetes, but it is a lifestyle that promotes general health, while reducing risks of a variety of other chronic disease.”
