Research
Hormonal
Beta-cell function is lost by 80-85% in individuals with Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), meaning significant damage occurs long before a formal diabetes diagnosis.
If you have 'pre-diabetes' (IGT), you have likely already lost 80% of your pancreas's ability to make insulin. This is not a 'wait and see' condition. You need to act now to preserve what function remains.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Subjects in the upper tertile of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) are maximally/near-maximally insulin resistant and have lost over 80% of their beta-cell function.
Why this rating
Based on data from SAM and VAGES studies cited in the paper.
Source
From the Triumvirate to the Ominous Octet: A New Paradigm for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Ralph A. DeFronzo · Diabetes · 2009
DOI 10.2337/db09-9028
narrative_reviewCited 2,984×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →