Drug helps cut diabetes risk in obese patients

Obese patients in danger of developing diabetes reduced their risk by almost 80% under a treatment regime involving diet, exercise, and a drug — compared to those on a diet and exercise programme alone, a study has found.

The three-year international study involving 2,254 adult patients, including 10 patients at Galway University Hospital, found that those selected to take Liraglutide, combined with diet and exercise, lost three times more body weight than those who used diet and exercise alone.

In addition, a quarter of the participants who used the drug lost in excess of 10% of their body weight, compared to just one in 10 of those who did not use the drug.