Good early control of type 2 diabetes linked to significantly reduced rate of complications
Achieving good early control of type 2 diabetes is associated with a 20% reduction in risk of complications over a 10-year period, according to a new study.
The study shows how getting diabetes under control early can have very beneficial, lasting effects. More good news is that many people with type 2 diabetes are able to achieve very good control soon after diagnosis by following some simple lifestyle changes that are easy to incorporate into your life.
The research team, from the University of Chicago and Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, set out to review the effects of early diabetes control on the risks of a range of diabetes complications (long-term health problems commonly associated with diabetes).
The study involved 34,737 participants with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Monitoring of the participants occurred between 1997 and 2013. This allowed the researchers to review the health of the people over at least 10 years. The average review period for participants was 13 years.
The diabetes complications which were monitored included advanced eye and kidney disease, amputations, stroke, heart disease and heart failure, and vascular disease (disease affecting blood vessels). In the study, good control of diabetes was defined as having HbA1c levels of under 48 mmol/mol (under 6.5%).
Good early control of type 2 diabetes was associated with a 20% reduction in the risk of complications compared to the people who had HbA1c levels of 48 mmol/mol to 53 mmol/mol (6.5 to 7.0%) within their first year of diagnosis. Additionally, good control of diabetes was associated with a 30% reduction in risk of mortality (earlier death) compared to people with HbA1c levels of 53 to 64 mmol/mol (7.0 to 8.0%) within the first year of diagnosis.
The results indicate that getting good control of diabetes early on can make a significant lasting difference in improving health and minimising the risk of complications.
We live in positive times as we now know that many people with type 2 diabetes can improve their sugar levels within a short period of time. Many people have been able to get their sugar levels into a healthy range within a few weeks by making simple changes to their diet.
We know this because members who complete our award-winning Low Carb Program have seen an average reduction in HbA1c levels of 13 mmol/mol (1.2%), which is a terrific improvement in health and sugar levels. Additionally, 40% of people are able to discontinue using at least one of their diabetes medications, which means less medication side effects.
A common side effect of some diabetes medications is weight gain. As the Low Carb program helps a lot of people to reduce their dependency on medication, it is not surprising that the program has also helped people to lose a significant amount of weight within the first year of completing the program. Indeed, average weight loss at the one-year mark is an impressive 7 kg. That’s over a stone in lost body weight.
