Browse the evidence

Insulin and Sulfonylureas cause weight gain in T2D patients, which exacerbates insulin resistance and creates a cycle requiring further treatment intensification.

Be aware that insulin and sulfonylureas can cause weight gain. If you are gaining weight on these medications, discuss alternatives with your doctor that do not cause weight gain.

Initiating combination therapy at the time of diagnosis for Type 2 Diabetes is scientifically supported to improve durability of glycaemic control and reduce complications, yet is underutilized due to 'clinical inertia'.

If your blood sugar is high at diagnosis, do not accept being put on just one medication if your doctor suggests it might not be enough. The paper argues that starting with a combination of drugs early on is scientifically better for long-term control and prevents complications. Ask your doctor why combination therapy isn't being used if your levels are high. Do not let 'clinical inertia' (delaying treatment) prevent you from getting the best possible control from the start.

Bariatric surgery yields significantly higher rates of complete and prolonged diabetes remission compared to usual care (lifestyle and medication management).

For patients with Type 2 Diabetes, bariatric surgery is a more effective intervention for achieving remission than lifestyle changes and medications alone. While surgery carries risks and potential for relapse, the data shows it significantly outperforms standard care in both complete and prolonged remission rates. Patients should discuss their eligibility and specific surgical options (like RYGB or Sleeve Gastrectomy) with their healthcare provider, weighing the higher remission probability against surgical risks.

Bariatric surgery patients often have higher baseline HbA1c and require more insulin, yet still achieve higher remission rates than usual care patients.

Even if your diabetes is severe (high HbA1c) or you require insulin, bariatric surgery may still offer a chance for remission, potentially more so than lifestyle changes alone. Do not rule out surgery solely based on the severity of your diabetes or current medication use.

GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and slow chronic kidney disease progression in Type 2 Diabetes, but evidence for improving heart failure outcomes is mixed or insufficient.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes and high heart risk or kidney issues, GLP-1 agonists (like Ozempic, Trulicity, or Victoza) are highly recommended to prevent heart attacks and protect kidneys. However, they are not currently proven to treat existing heart failure. If you struggle with injections, ask about oral semaglutide.

GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce the risk of heart failure hospitalization, with the most significant relative risk reduction observed in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) who have obesity.

If you have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and are overweight or obese, GLP-1 medications like semaglutide or efpeglenatide may significantly reduce your risk of being hospitalized for heart failure. These drugs work by improving blood sugar, reducing weight, and lowering inflammation. While not yet a standard treatment for all heart failure, they are a promising option, especially for those with obesity.

Bile acids, particularly lithocholic acid and hyocholic acid, improve glucose tolerance by activating the GPCR GPBAR1 (TGR5) on enteroendocrine cells, leading to increased GLP-1 secretion and insulin release.

Bile acids play a crucial role in glucose regulation by activating the GPBAR1 receptor, which stimulates the release of GLP-1 and insulin. This effect is particularly pronounced after meals containing fats and cholesterol, as bile acid levels rise. Post-bariatric surgery patients often experience improved glucose tolerance due to increased circulating bile acids. Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome may also influence bile acid composition and effectiveness.

Unsaturated fatty acids, particularly omega-3 PUFAs like linoleic, oleic, and docosahexaenoic acid, stimulate insulin and glucagon secretion via activation of FFAR1 and FFAR4, improving glucose tolerance.

Incorporate unsaturated fatty acids, especially omega-3 PUFAs found in fish, nuts, and seeds, into your diet. These fatty acids activate FFAR1 and FFAR4 receptors, which can stimulate the release of insulin and glucagon, helping to regulate blood sugar levels. This is particularly beneficial for individuals with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.

Semaglutide improves NASH resolution in patients with stage 1-3 fibrosis but does not improve fibrosis or NASH resolution in patients with NASH-related cirrhosis.

Semaglutide can help resolve NASH in patients with early to moderate fibrosis, but it is not effective for reversing scarring in advanced cirrhosis, even if it helps with weight and metabolic markers.

Semaglutide achieves the highest response rate for NASH resolution without worsening fibrosis in clinical trials, but does not reverse fibrosis despite significant weight loss.

Semaglutide is currently the most effective drug for resolving NASH without worsening fibrosis, but it does not reverse existing fibrosis. It should be considered for patients who do not achieve goals with lifestyle changes alone, under medical supervision.

Higher levels of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) are positively associated with increased odds of adverse cardiometabolic risk factors, contradicting the hypothesis that abdominal SAT is metabolically protective.

If you carry excess weight in your abdomen, it matters whether it is visceral or subcutaneous, but both are linked to higher risks of high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol issues. You cannot assume that 'soft' belly fat is safe just because it is not deep visceral fat. Reducing abdominal fat through lifestyle changes is necessary to lower these risks.

Dietary interventions that induce weight loss decrease circulating FGF-21 levels, with the magnitude of decrease being inversely proportional to carbohydrate content (very low carbohydrate diets causing the greatest reduction).

If you are maintaining weight loss, your body's FGF-21 levels will drop, which is a good sign of improved metabolic sensitivity. Eating fewer carbohydrates (Very Low Carb) causes a larger drop in FGF-21 than Low Fat or Low Glycemic Index diets. This suggests that reducing carbs may help resolve 'FGF-21 resistance' associated with obesity, potentially improving liver health.

Decreases in FGF-21 levels during weight loss maintenance are associated with improvements in hepatic insulin sensitivity, suggesting a resolution of FGF-21 resistance.

Improving your liver's sensitivity to insulin is a key goal of weight loss. This study suggests that as your FGF-21 levels drop (which happens with weight loss, especially low-carb diets), your liver becomes more responsive to insulin. This is a positive metabolic adaptation.

Dietary intervention (weight loss maintenance) increases fasting ghrelin levels and decreases chemerin levels, independent of macronutrient composition.

After weight loss, your body naturally increases hunger signals (ghrelin) and decreases inflammation markers (chemerin). This happens regardless of whether you eat low fat, low carb, or low glycemic index foods. This is a normal physiological response to weight loss.

Tirzepatide treatment (5-15 mg once weekly) reduces albuminuria (UACR) without causing adverse changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in individuals with overweight or obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes.

If you have overweight or obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes, tirzepatide (a weekly injection) has been shown to improve kidney markers (specifically reducing albuminuria) without negatively impacting kidney filtration function. This benefit was observed across different doses (5-15 mg) over 72 weeks, alongside lifestyle changes. This suggests it may be a kidney-protective option for this population, particularly those with existing elevated albuminuria.

Discontinuation of GLP-1 RA therapy is associated with significant weight regain, loss of cardiorenal protection, and an increased risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE).

If you stop taking your GLP-1 medication (like Ozempic or Wegovy), you are likely to regain much of the weight you lost. More importantly, studies show that stopping these drugs increases your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events. If you are considering stopping due to side effects, talk to your doctor about adjusting the dose or switching medications rather than stopping abruptly, to protect your heart and maintain your weight loss.

Resistance exercise training in older adults preserves the capacity for myonuclear accretion (satellite cell fusion), indicating that the failure of aged muscle to hypertrophy is not caused by a lack of new nuclei or a myonuclear domain size ceiling.

If you are an older adult struggling to build muscle despite consistent resistance training, do not assume your muscle fibers have run out of capacity to grow. This research confirms that your muscles can still integrate new nuclei (via satellite cells) just as well as a younger person's. The bottleneck is likely not the structural capacity of the fiber, but rather the efficiency of protein synthesis machinery (ribosomes). Focus on high-intensity resistance training to maximize this preserved capacity.

Postprandial glycemic responses to identical meals are highly variable between individuals but predictable within individuals based on personal characteristics.

Recognize that your body's response to food is unique. While general guidelines exist, individual glycemic responses vary significantly. This supports the move towards personalized nutrition rather than relying on universal food labels like GI.

Tirzepatide, a GLP-1/GIP dual receptor agonist, significantly reduces HbA1c levels (up to 2.24%) and body weight (up to 11.2 kg) in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, outperforming semaglutide, insulin degludec, and insulin glargine in head-to-head trials.

Tirzepatide is a once-weekly injection for Type 2 Diabetes and obesity that significantly lowers blood sugar and promotes weight loss, often more effectively than other common medications like semaglutide or insulin. It works by mimicking hormones that regulate insulin and appetite. Common side effects like nausea are usually manageable by starting with a low dose and eating smaller, low-fat meals. Due to high costs, check for insurance coverage or assistance programs.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) significantly reduce systolic blood pressure, total stroke risk, and cardiovascular mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes or Obesity and are at risk for heart disease or stroke, GLP-1 medications (like Semaglutide or Liraglutide) are strongly supported by evidence to lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death. Discuss these options with your doctor, especially if you have existing cardiovascular conditions.

Multi-receptor incretin drugs significantly reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure, with Tirzepatide and Mazdutide showing the most substantial reductions, particularly in non-diabetic populations.

If you have high blood pressure along with overweight or obesity, multi-receptor incretin drugs can help lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. This effect is often stronger in people without type 2 diabetes. Discuss with your doctor if these medications could help manage your blood pressure as part of your overall treatment plan.

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is the primary driver of cardiometabolic complications (hypertension, T2DM, dyslipidemia) through endocrine dysfunction, RAAS activation, and inflammation, rather than total body weight alone.

Stop relying on BMI to assess your health risk. Focus on reducing visceral fat through lifestyle changes, as this specific fat type drives heart disease and diabetes. Use waist-to-height ratio as a better metric than weight alone.

Semaglutide 2.4 mg is cost-effective for patients with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² (ICER 18,459 EUR) but may not be cost-effective for patients with BMI ≥ 35 kg/m² (ICER 22,657 EUR) compared to the willingness-to-pay threshold of 20,000 EUR.

For patients with BMI ≥ 35 kg/m², semaglutide 2.4 mg may exceed the willingness-to-pay threshold for cost-effectiveness in Portugal, whereas it remains cost-effective for those with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m².

Diabetes remission, rather than weight loss itself, is the primary driver for reducing the risk of new-onset microvascular complications.

While weight loss is important, achieving diabetes remission (normal blood sugar without medication) is what actually protects against microvascular complications like kidney and eye damage. Weight loss without remission may not provide this specific protection.