- Researchers say a new endoscopic procedure may be able to reduce the need for insulin for some people with type 2 diabetes.
- They say the one-hour procedure works by making changes in the lining of the small intestine.
- Experts say the procedure looks promising, but they add that the best prevention against type 2 diabetes is to maintain a healthy weight.
An endoscopic procedure that makes changes to the lining of the small intestine could reduce the need for insulin for some people with type 2 diabetes, according to a study presented at Digestive Disease Week 2023.
In their study, researchers used a one-hour endoscopic procedure that delivered electrical pulses to the duodenum, a portion of the small intestine lining located right below the stomach.
This is an early-stage study that hasn’t been published yet in a peer-reviewed journal. The research was funded by Endogenex, the company that owns the technology used in the procedure.
“If this therapy is proven effective, it could eliminate the need for medication or insulin, or potentially prevent disease progression so it does not lead to organ failure and other debilitating conditions,” Dr. Luke Putman, a lead investigator of the study and a gastrointestinal surgeon at Keck Medicine of USC in California, said in a press release.
In the study, 14 participants underwent the hour-long outpatient procedure.
They then followed a calorie-controlled liquid diet for the next two weeks. Afterward, they were started on the weight-loss drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The researchers noted that people taking semaglutide can sometimes stop taking insulin, but this usually occurs in only about 20% of patients.
In the current study, the researchers reported…
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