Diabetes News and Research

Latest Diabetes News and Research

Experts call for safer weight loss as concerns grow over GLP-1 use

An editorial in Diabetology International argues that inappropriate GLP-1 use should be judged not only by regulatory compliance or off-label prescribing, but also by whether weight reduction is medically safe, nutritionally adequate, and properly supervised. Drawing on Japanese reports of ketosis and ketoacidosis following inappropriate tirzepatide use, the authors call for greater attention to the risks of unsafe weight-loss practices alongside medication-related harms.

30 Aug 2026

Is there a best day to take GLP-1 drugs? Researchers looked for an answer

A systematic review of 1,000 screened records identified only three eligible studies examining administration timing for semaglutide, and none directly compared different days of the week or assessed tirzepatide timing. The limited evidence suggests flexible dosing may support adherence and tolerability without compromising glycemic control or weight loss, but these findings rely largely on indirect evidence and expert opinion rather than direct comparative trials.

30 Aug 2026

Starting statins early after diabetes diagnosis linked to lower dementia risk

Early initiation of statins after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was associated with a lower risk of dementia, according to a study presented today at ESC Congress 2026 and published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.

30 Aug 2026

Met-HeFT trial finds no cardiovascular benefit from metformin

Metformin did not significantly affect the risk of cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and diabetes or at risk of diabetes.

30 Aug 2026

H-ISDN shows no significant benefit in broader heart failure population

In patients with heart failure, hydralazine with isosorbide dinitrate did not significantly improve the incidence of death or heart failure events and treatment discontinuation rates were high.

30 Aug 2026

People with diabetes may have another reason to protect their cardiovascular health

Better cardiovascular health, measured using Life’s Essential 8, was associated with a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment among people with diabetes after accounting for genetic susceptibility. Associations with dementia varied by genetic risk, while higher LE8 scores were also linked to greater gray matter volume and lower white matter hyperintensity volume.

30 Aug 2026

Your skin may offer clues about how many fruits and vegetables you eat

In an exploratory study of 137 Australian adults, skin yellowness measured by reflectance spectroscopy was associated with combined fruit and vegetable intake, fruit intake alone, total carotenoid intake, body fat percentage and skin color. The findings suggest skin measurements could provide an objective dietary biomarker, but the researchers caution that skin color, ethnicity and other individual characteristics may influence how the measurements are interpreted.

30 Aug 2026

Trial shows antiplatelet therapy needs personalization after stent implantation

Antiplatelet monotherapy reduced bleeding but dual therapy provided greater cardiovascular event protection in patients at high ischemic risk who had undergone stent implantation 12 months earlier.

29 Aug 2026

Atorvastatin reduces major cardiovascular events but misses disability-free survival goal

Atorvastatin reduced major cardiovascular events by 30% in older people without known cardiovascular disease, diabetes or dementia, but did not significantly improve disability-free survival, according to results presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2026 and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

29 Aug 2026

Pacibekitug safely reduces inflammatory biomarkers in kidney disease patients

The interleukin-6 (IL-6) antibody, pacibekitug, produced sustained reductions in inflammatory biomarkers in patients with chronic kidney disease at high inflammatory risk, according to results from the phase II TRANQUILITY trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2026.

29 Aug 2026

Type 1 diabetes cases projected to increase worldwide by 2049

New research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) estimates the number of people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) worldwide will increase by 29% from 9.4 million in 2025 to 12.1 million in 2049.

28 Aug 2026

Study identifies role for peroxisomes in protecting insulin and maintaining beta cell health

Researchers at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center have identified a previously underappreciated role for tiny structures inside cells called peroxisomes in protecting insulin and maintaining the health and maturity of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.

28 Aug 2026

Blood-brain barrier-crossing blood pressure drugs linked to lower dementia risk

In a large Australian cohort of adults with hypertension, use of blood-brain barrier-crossing antihypertensive medications was associated with a lower risk of dementia and mortality than use of non-crossing drugs. The association was strongest for beta-blockers and angiotensin II receptor blockers, although the observational design means the findings cannot establish causality.

27 Aug 2026

Study reveals how SGLT2 inhibitors improve failing heart function

Researchers have discovered that SGLT2 inhibitors, a class of drugs originally developed to treat diabetes and now widely used for heart failure, work by activating a key enzyme that helps heart cells produce and use energy more efficiently.

27 Aug 2026

Scientists reviewed 20 edible and medicinal fungi for clues to better prebiotics

A review of 20 non-toxic edible and medicinal fungal species found that their polysaccharides can resist digestion, interact with gut microbes, and influence microbial metabolites linked to intestinal and metabolic health. The evidence suggests potential benefits for conditions including colitis, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, although most findings currently come from laboratory and animal studies.

27 Aug 2026

Sunlight, blood sugar and diabetes: a new study finds an intriguing connection

Higher short-term ambient UVA exposure was associated with modestly lower blood glucose levels, particularly during winter, in a large UK Biobank analysis. Separately, more frequent solarium use, used as a proxy for habitual sunlight exposure, was associated with a lower hazard of type 2 diabetes, although the observational findings do not establish causality.

27 Aug 2026

Pomegranate phytobiotics offer natural alternative to synthetic veterinary drugs

Researchers have identified a broad range of biological properties in pomegranate with potential for use in medical applications, including antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, liver-supporting, and wound-healing effects.

27 Aug 2026

Ketogenic diet excels at reversing prediabetes and fatty liver

There is no shortage of popular diets to try, and they can generally produce weight loss if followed to the letter. But are all diet plans created equal in terms of reducing the cardiometabolic risks that come with obesity, such as Type 2 diabetes and liver disease?

27 Aug 2026

UofL receives new federal funding to advance metabolic health research

Chronic health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and metabolic liver disease have sharply increased in recent decades and are among the most urgent health challenges facing our society.

27 Aug 2026

New platform enables large-scale production of custom proteins

Scientists have been hard at work for more than 20 years to instruct biological systems, such as E. coli cells, to produce proteins they don't naturally do.

27 Aug 2026