Chinese scientists have found that short-term intensive insulin therapy followed by oral anti-hyperglycemic therapies can sustainably improve blood sugar control in patients who have been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

A report on the research led by Li Yanbing, a professor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, was published in British Medical Journal on Tuesday.

Data from the International Diabetes Federation shows there are an estimated 537 million people worldwide who have the disease, according to the report.

Hyperglycemia is a primary risk factor for chronic complications of diabetes and even death. Early, intensive blood sugar control can dramatically reduce the risk of death and complications.

However, despite various treatments, more than half of diabetes patients still struggle to control their blood sugar, an indication that traditional treatment strategies have been unable to curb the progression of diabetes.

Significant hyperglycemia is common in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Owing to the limited efficacy of monotherapy, the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes recommend that a combination of therapies can be used. But a standardized treatment path for these patients remains undetermined.

Emerging evidence has shown that the progression of type 2 diabetes is reversible, especially in its early stages.

The research conducted by Li's team was carried out on 412 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes in 15 Chinese hospitals between 2017 and 2020.

Using what is known as the intense simplified strategy, the team used short-term intensive insulin therapy followed by oral therapies, especially the combination of two drugs — linagliptin and metformin, Li told the media on Thursday.

The treatment sustainably improved blood sugar control and beta cell function in those patients with severe hyperglycemia, she said, adding that the strategy can help improve patient compliance with treatment plans, lower medical costs and reduce complications.

This approach offers a promising direction for decision-making in the clinical management of type 2 diabetes patients.

More practical and feasible intensive approaches that can be applied in outpatient settings could be explored for the "intense" treatment method, and more convenient drugs could be considered in the "simplified" one, Li said.

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