Article 3 (Oct 2020): American Diabetes Month: Researchers work to improve current diabetes treatment options

Diabetes is one of the world’s most common chronic diseases, affecting about 463 million adults worldwide--a number that is expected to increase to 700 million by 2045, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
              
About 90 percent of these cases are type 2 diabetes, according to Nature Reviews Endocrinology.  Patients with type 2 diabetes are resistant to the effects of insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar, or do not produce enough insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels, according to the Mayo Clinic. 
              
Patients who are unable to regulate their blood sugar with diet and exercise alone are usually prescribed metformin, which lowers blood sugar.  However, about 30 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes do not respond to metformin and are vulnerable to other complications while their blood sugar remains elevated, according to Science Daily.  Between 20 and 30 percent of patients experience side effects that are difficult or impossible to tolerate, according to Genome Web.
              
Swedish researchers have identified biomarkers that can show in advance, via a simple blood test, how a patient will respond to metformin, according to Science Daily. The researchers hope that this research can be further developed to help inform prescribing decisions for health care providers so patients can receive appropriate medications immediately, according to Science Translational Medicine, a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.