Weight loss- This diabetes drug is also beneficial for kidneys, can prevent damage - study

GLP-1 receptor agonists are not just limited to treating diabetes but can also play an important role in kidney protection. The use of this medicine may improve kidney function, reduce the risk of kidney failure, and improve the quality of life of patients.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, which help in weight loss and control blood sugar, can also be helpful in protecting the kidneys, whether a person has diabetes or not.

The results of the study conducted on the effects of this drug have been published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. This research has shown that GLP-1 receptor agonists are not only helpful in treating diabetes, but it can also improve kidney function and reduce the risk of kidney failure.

Study Conclusion

The main use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was previously used to treat diabetes. This medicine increases insulin production and regulates blood sugar. Also, it slows down the digestion process, reduces hunger and makes you feel full, thereby helping in weight loss. But this new study has revealed that this drug can also be beneficial for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Researchers at the George Institute for Global Health conducted the study to understand the effect of GLP-1 receptor agonists on chronic kidney disease. The disease is spreading rapidly around the world and around 850 million people are affected by it.

Clinical trial results

In this study, 11 large clinical trials were analyzed on 85,373 people. Of these, 67,769 people had type-2 diabetes, while 17,604 had only obesity or heart disease but no diabetes. Seven different GLP-1 receptor agonists were tested in this study. The results showed that GLP-1 receptor agonists reduced the risk of kidney failure by 16%. In addition, the decline in the kidney's ability to filter blood (glomerular filtration rate) slowed to 22%. Overall, these drugs reduced the risk of kidney failure, deteriorating kidney function and death from kidney disease by 19%.

A ray of hope

Lead author of this study, Professor Sunil Badve said, "Chronic kidney disease is an ever-increasing disease, which can eventually lead to kidney failure and the need for dialysis or kidney transplant. This disease not only affects the quality of life of the patients, but also incurs a huge expenditure in its treatment. The results of this study offer a ray of hope for patients suffering from this disease.