Medications
Several new drugs have been developed to treat
type 2 diabetes. By using the oral
diabetes medications now available, many people can control blood glucose levels without insulin injections. Studies are under way to determine how best to use these drugs to manage type 2
diabetes.
Alternative Therapies
Recent diabetes research clinical studies have been investigating:
- Whether vitamin C supplements are beneficial in diabetes
- The safety of glucosamine with respect to insulin resistance
- Whether dark chocolate lowers blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity.
A category of functional foods containing polyphenols (a group of plant chemical substances with antioxidant properties) may be of benefit for further study in diabetes, including:
- Green tea (epigallocatechin gallate)
- Dark chocolate (epicatechin)
- Red wine (resveratrol).
Several other areas of diabetes research are being conducted in alternative therapies, including:
- Chromium on high blood glucose levels
- Yoga on glucose control in people at risk for diabetes
- Ginkgo biloba extract on diabetes medicines.
Genetics and the Environment
- Weight loss
- Regular exercise
- Lowering their intake of fat and calories.
Researchers are intensively studying the genetic and environmental factors that underlie the susceptibility to:
As they learn more about the molecular events that lead to diabetes, they will develop ways to prevent and cure the different stages of this disease. People with diabetes and those at risk for it now have easier access to clinical trials that test promising new approaches to treatment and prevention.
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