Dr. Ahmed Study Highlights:
- Subjects who got Tirzepatide had a noticeable weight loss over 21 months, which shows its efficacy in managing obesity, a common comorbidity in type 1 diabetes.
- Key cardiovascular risk factors, which include cholesterol levels and systolic blood pressure, were improved with tirzepatide treatment, suggesting potential cardiovascular benefits.
- Participants also experienced a proper decrease in HbA1c levels, which indicates that this drug can contribute to better glucose management.
- The research showed a positive effect on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), an important marker of kidney function.
- Participants treated with Tirzepatide also reported a significant decrease in the total daily dose of insulin required, which can greatly improve patient quality of life.
A new study has discovered some great benefits of Tirzepatide regarding overweight and obese adults with Type 1 Diabetes.
This research was recently published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT). It describes how this dual-incretin drug can actually improve kidney and heart health markers.
The results tell us that this medication can help lower the long-term risks linked with type 1 diabetes [ref].
Tirzepatide is a medicine used to help those with type 2 diabetes handle their blood glucose spikes. It works by acting like two natural hormones in the body, which lead to decreased serum sugar levels and managed weight.
People receive it as an injection under the skin, usually once a week. It helps the body use insulin better and slows down the speed at which food leaves the stomach, which makes individuals feel full for longer (a phenomenon called satiety).
Moreover, some common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, and reduced appetite. Doctors may also prescribe it for weight loss in people who are overweight or obese.
Tirzepatide was approved by the FDA on 8th November 2023 for chronic weight management as Zepbound. [ref]
Dr. Satish Garg, a lead author of the study, stressed the importance of these findings and called for more long-term randomized control trials to verify these results.
The study highlights that even with changes in weight and HbA1c, there were still significant improvements in cardiovascular biomarkers and preservation of kidney function.
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Methodology & Analysis
This study reviewed medical records of 84 overweight or obese adults with type 1 diabetes who started using tirzepatide since July 2022 and continued for at least six months.
A control group of 38 people was chosen to match them based on age, diabetes duration, sex, HbA1c levels, and BMI.
Researchers collected data from medical records before starting tirzepatide and for up to 21 months after.
They used statistical methods to track changes in cholesterol, blood pressure, and kidney function (eGFR) over time, comparing the results between those taking tirzepatide and the control group.
The researchers checked the results of the two groups side by side. They found that people taking tirzepatide lost a lot of weight, about 10% of their starting weight.
This weight loss was not random but a real effect of the treatment. The tirzepatide group also had much better serum glucose control as seen by their HbA1c levels decreasing by 1%, showing improved glucose management compared to the other group.
Regarding kidney function, the eGFR, which is something that measures how nicely the kidneys are filtering waste, showed a positive trend in the tirzepatide group.
While the change was not as obvious as the weight and glucose results, it still showed a positive effect.
Finally, the total daily insulin usage was decreased in the tirzepatide one by a statistically significant amount, which tells that the drug helped to reduce the need for insulin.
In terms of cardiovascular health, the study found that the tirzepatide group had improvements in their cholesterol levels.
Specifically, there was a decrease in LDL cholesterol and an increase in HDL cholesterol. Additionally, there was a decrease in systolic blood pressure, showing an average decrease of around 5 mmHg.
Previous research on Tirzepatide
What more do we know about Tirzepatide? A study looked at how well tirzepatide, a drug that works on two hormone receptors (GIP and GLP-1), helps people with obesity who do not have diabetes.
The results showed that tirzepatide led to a significant amount of weight loss, much more than a placebo.
In conclusion, taking tirzepatide for three years helped people with obesity and prediabetes lose a lot of weight and lowered their risk of developing type 2 diabetes much more than a placebo did [ref].
Even when compared with semaglutide, tirzepatide showed a much stronger power in causing weight loss.
In a study where authors looked at how well semaglutide and tirzepatide worked in people with obesity, some of whom also had type 2 diabetes, the researchers found that tirzepatide generally led to more weight loss than semaglutide after comparing several clinical trials [ref].
Another study checked how well tirzepatide works for people with a liver disease called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) who also had liver scarring (fibrosis).
Researchers found that tirzepatide helped improve liver health in many participants. Specifically, it reduced liver fat, lessened liver inflammation, and even improved liver scarring in a significant portion of the people taking it.
So, this single drug can be a source of hope for those who suffer from an array of disorders but wish to find a good treatment option [ref].
Conclusion:
This research is actually important because many people with type 1 diabetes struggle with overweight and obesity, which raises their risk of heart and kidney problems. The study points at the fact that tirzepatide could be a helpful treatment option for them.
That said, it is important to keep in mind that tirzepatide is currently only approved for type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, we need more experiments to verify and comprehend the long-term effects and safety of this drug in diabetics.
Nevertheless, this study marks an exciting step toward finding some ways to improve their health and quality of life.
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