Research
Hormonal
Lower baseline beta cell function (measured by postprandial C-peptide index) is strongly associated with poorer glycemic control, higher HbA1c, and greater glycemic variability, regardless of whether the patient is treated with oral agents or insulin.
Your body's remaining ability to make insulin is the best predictor of how well your diabetes will be controlled. Even if you take medication, if your beta cells are failing, your blood sugar will be harder to manage. This highlights why preserving beta cell function is critical.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
These results indicate that beta cell function is significantly associated with clinical outcome, i.e., glycemic control, in patients with T2DM. ... lower beta cell function at baseline showed higher glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and glycated albumin (GA) levels after 2 years
Why this rating
Supported by retrospective cohort studies and major trials (UKPDS, ADOPT, TODAY).
Source
Importance of Beta Cell Function for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes
Yoshifumi Saisho · Journal of Clinical Medicine · 2014
DOI 10.3390/jcm3030923
narrative_reviewCited 67×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Preserving or recovering endogenous beta cell function through reduction of beta cell workload (via lifestyle modification, metformin, or TZDs) is the primary therapeutic strategy for managing Type 2 Diabetes, as opposed to exogenous insulin supplementation which causes adverse effects.Good
- Postprandial hyperglycemia and glycemic variability are more strongly correlated with cardiovascular disease and mortality than fasting hyperglycemia alone, and controlling postprandial excursions reduces oxidative stress and hypoglycemia risk.Good
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