A groundbreaking new study highlights the benefits of the weight-loss drug Zepbound, originally developed to treat diabetes, in preventing the onset of the disease in high-risk individuals.
Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company behind Zepbound (tirzepatide), has revealed that the drug, which is also sold as Mounjaro for diabetes treatment, dramatically reduces the risk of prediabetes developing into diabetes. According to the company’s longest study to date, patients who took tirzepatide saw a 94% reduction in the likelihood of progressing to full-blown diabetes, compared to those given a placebo.
The study followed over 1,000 people with prediabetes who were either overweight or obese for nearly three years. Those who took tirzepatide lost up to 20% of their body mass by the end of the study. More importantly, the drug decreased their risk of advancing from prediabetes to diabetes by an astounding 94%, a significant finding that could reshape how doctors approach diabetes prevention.
How Tirzepatide Works
Tirzepatide works by targeting two key hormones that regulate appetite and weight: glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). In patients with diabetes, this injectable drug helps manage glucose levels both before and after meals while promoting weight loss. This combination has a powerful impact on regulating blood sugar, making tirzepatide a potential game-changer for those at risk of developing diabetes.
“We don’t currently have any approved medication to specifically treat prediabetes,” says Dr. Michael Weintraub, a clinical associate professor of endocrinology at NYU Langone Health, who was not involved in the study. The results, he believes, open up possibilities for early intervention. “If we can intervene earlier and treat obesity before it leads to Type 2 diabetes, we could significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, which remains the leading cause of death among people with obesity.”
A Widespread Problem
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in three Americans has prediabetes, though many remain unaware of it. Typically, 5% to 10% of those with prediabetes develop diabetes annually, with the highest risk among overweight or obese individuals. This study’s findings are particularly relevant to that group, showing how effective medications like tirzepatide can reduce their chances of getting diabetes.
This research builds on earlier findings published in 2022 in the New England Journal of Medicine, where the focus was primarily on weight loss after one year. However, the extended study allowed researchers to track the drug’s effect on the trajectory toward diabetes over time, offering more comprehensive insights.
Dr. Weintraub notes that tirzepatide’s ability to reduce diabetes risk likely stems from multiple factors, including weight control, enhanced insulin production, and its anti-inflammatory properties, which reduce insulin resistance. These mechanisms collectively improve blood sugar management, lowering the chances of diabetes progression.
Questions for the Future
Further research is needed to determine how long patients need to continue tirzepatide therapy to maintain these benefits. Notably, when patients in the study stopped using the drug for 17 weeks, they regained some weight, and their risk of developing diabetes increased slightly. However, their risk was still 88% lower than those who took the placebo, underscoring the drug’s lasting but diminishing effects once discontinued.
While these findings confirm expectations, they offer renewed hope for individuals at high risk of developing diabetes, particularly those eager to take control of their weight and health.
This latest study is a reminder of the evolving role of weight-loss medications in the battle against chronic diseases like diabetes.
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