DALLAS, June 28 (UPI) -- Type 2 diabetics who take two drugs with insulin can regulate blood-sugar levels without gaining weight, U.S. researchers said.
Patients with type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes typically take insulin and only one of the drugs used in the study, metformin or a thiazolidinedione, said researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
The therapy reduces blood sugar below the suggested 7 percent level, but usually results in weight gain, forcing patients to increase insulin doses, researchers said.
Researchers gave triple therapy combining the three drugs to 28 patients and found it reduced blood-sugar levels below 7 percent without increasing insulin, and patients who took the thiazolidinedione after insulin and metformin even lost some weight.
"We anticipated that the triple therapy would better control blood-sugar levels, but we never imagined that the patients wouldn't gain weight," said researcher Suzanne Strowig. "And the triple therapy can be done without more insulin and isn't complicated for patients to follow."
