Research has found that a pioneering type of diabetes medication can also reduce the risk of painful kidney stones.
Canagliflozin and dapagliflozin help the body get rid of excess fluid, allowing organs like the kidneys to function more effectively.
And experts say the drugs should become the first choice for GPs.
Previous studies have found that patients with diabetes who take the daily tablets, known as SGLT-2 drugs, have their risk of premature death or hospitalization reduced by more than a quarter.
Now, Canadian researchers have found that those who take SGLT-2 tablets are also much less likely to develop other diabetes-related conditions, such as gout, an agonizing joint pain. Medications could be instrumental in helping diabetics live healthier lives.
A person with diabetes taking a blood sample for blood sugar testing. It is estimated that more than 5.6 million people in the UK are living with diabetes.
It is estimated that more than 5.6 million people in the UK are living with diabetes, with 90 per cent suffering from type 2 diabetes.
The condition occurs when the body can no longer regulate blood sugar, leading to complications such as blindness, loss of limbs and heart failure. Kidney stones and gout are also common in people with type 2 diabetes.
Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and salts that can be incredibly painful. They can occur when the kidneys do not work as they should.
Because diabetes often damages the kidneys (due to the pressure it puts on the organs that filter blood), patients are twice as likely to develop stones as people without diabetes.
Gout is also linked to poor kidney function. This is because the painful swelling it causes is due to a buildup in the joints of uric acid, a toxin that is normally filtered from the body through the kidneys.
A nurse performing a diabetes test on a patient. Researchers have found that one type of diabetes medication may help reduce the risk of developing other related conditions
In the study, researchers from the University of British Columbia followed 20,000 diabetics for a year. Those taking canagliflozin or dapagliflozin were 30 percent less likely to suffer from kidney stones or gout than those not taking them.
“There is growing evidence that this is one of the first medications that should be prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes,” says Professor David Strain, a diabetes expert at the University of Exeter.
“Although we now know that these medications can improve people’s quality of life, they are not currently the preferred option for doctors.”