The number of people with diabetes has tripled across the Americas over the past decade, according to data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), with extreme sedentary behavior and excess weight as the main drivers of what some specialists now describe as a "metabolic pandemic."
Argentine endocrinologist Adrián Proietti, an international clinical researcher and former medical director of Argentina's Institute of Diabetes and Applied Technology, reviews the latest drug developments in this context: a new family of medicines based on incretins, substances the body itself produces in the gut, which include semaglutide.
Beyond drug treatment, Proietti stresses that people using these medications should maintain a protein-rich diet and do muscle-toning exercise to preserve muscle mass, since the appetite reduction these drugs cause can lead to nutritional deficits if not paired with careful nutrition.