Comparison of acarbose and metformin therapy in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients with overweight and/or obesity
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of acarbose and metformin in overweight and/or obese patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
METHODS: A total of 108 drug-naïve patients with newly diagnosed T2DM, whose hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was between 7% and 10% and body mass index was greater than 24 kg/m(2), were enrolled in the First People's Hospital and Municipal Central Hospital of Xiangtan City, Xiangtan, China, from 1 February 2010 to 1 August 2011. Patients were randomly assigned to acarbose (100 mg three times a day) and metformin (1.5 g/day) groups for a predictive follow-up period of 24 weeks. Plasma glucose, insulin, and glucagons at 0, 0.5, and 2 hours after a standardized meal, and HbA1c were measured at baseline and 24 weeks.
RESULTS: Baseline characteristics of the acarbose and metformin groups were similar. Glucose control improved significantly in both groups at 24 weeks. The percentage of patients achieving HbA1C <6.5% was comparable for acarbose and metformin therapy at 24 weeks. Body weight reduction from baseline to 24 weeks was 3.3 kg in the acarbose group and 2.7 kg in the metformin group, whereas the change in HbA1c and body weight was similar in both groups. The early-phase insulin secretion index improved only in the acarbose group at 24 weeks. After 24 weeks of therapy, fasting glucagon and 0.5 hour postprandial glucagon levels decreased markedly in the acarbose group compared to the metformin group.
CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-four weeks of…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
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