Intensive insulin therapy assists people with diabetes to achieve tight control of blood sugar levels. As a result, it reduces several diabetes complications, and helps to improve long-term health. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) revealed the impact this treatment has on diabetes. The researchers found that intensive insulin therapy:

  • Reduced the average risk of retinopathy by 76 percent and slowed it by 54 percent.
  • Decreased the occurrence of microalbuminuria (urinary albumin excretion of 40 mg per 24 hours) by 39 percent.
  • Decreased the occurrence of albuminuria (urinary albumin excretion of 300 mg per 24 hours) by 54 percent.
  • Reduced clinical neuropathy or nerve damage by 60 percent.

However, intensive insulin therapy requires strict management and causes serious side effects, which you should be aware of before opting for this treatment.

What is Intensive Insulin Therapy?

Intensive insulin therapy is a more aggressive treatment for achieving normal or close-to-normal blood glucose levels. Working with your doctor, you set goals to achieve blood glucose levels within a specific range before and after meals. You also try to reach a hemoglobin A1C (your average glucose levels over a few months) of less than seven percent.

Intensive insulin therapy requires more frequent blood sugar testing and insulin injections - typically before each meal and at bedtime. You must also make dietary and exercise changes to help control your blood sugar levels.