New study finds sitagliptin (Januvia) could help prevent diabetes

Scientists in the United States have carried out research on the use of sitagliptin (sold as Januvia) revealing that it could be an effective treatment for prediabetes . The diabetes drug was shown to help increase levels of an intestinal factor called GLP-1, which raises insulin output and also slow down glucagon output.
The study by researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, and published in Experimental Biology and Medicine, examined an animal model with prediabetes, the SHROB rat, which is extremely obese and have normal glucose after fasting, high glucose after eating and excessive levels of glucagons, in the same way as people who are prediabetic .
It was shown that the rats given sitagliptin experienced reduced glucose levels after a meal, and increased the total output of insulin by the pancreas and was able to reduce glucagon to normal levels.
Paul Ernsberger, team leader, commented “These animal studies suggest that sitagliptin should be tested in the clinic as a possible diabetes-preventing medication . It may act to shore up the function of the pancreas, which deteriorates during the onset of diabetes.”
Type 2 diabetes can be caused either by low levels of insulin that helps control blood sugar, or by extremely high levels of the hormone, glucagon causing the liver to flood the body with stored glucose.