Drop in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Seen With Effective Prevention, Management of T2DM

MONDAY, Jan. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Effective prevention and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can improve patient outcomes and reduce health care-related environmental impact, according to a study published online Jan. 20 in BMJ Open.

Niels Lund, from Novo Nordisk A/S in Denmark, and colleagues assessed the potential impact of prevention and effective management of T2DM in adults on both the clinical outcomes and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.K. health care setting. The impact of improving clinical outcomes on GHG emissions over a lifetime horizon was assessed under two hypothetical scenarios: preventing progression from prediabetes to T2DM through diet and exercise versus no intervention, resulting in natural disease progression to T2DM; and well-controlled T2DM using interventions with clinical benefit on glycated hemoglobin and renal and cardiovascular outcomes compared with uncontrolled T2DM.

The researchers found that compared with subsequent natural progression, preventing progression to T2DM led to 6.357 additional undiscounted life-years and 67 percent less kilogram carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions for a person with prediabetes over a lifetime. Compared with uncontrolled T2DM, well-controlled T2DM led to 1.947 additional undiscounted life-years and 21 percent less kilogram CO₂e emissions per patient over a lifetime. The savings in GHG emissions in both scenarios were mainly due to reduced emissions related to avoidance of treating complications of T2DM, including cardiovascular, renal, and eye diseases.

“These findings strengthen the rationale for preventing progression of pre-diabetes to T2DM and effective management of T2DM and its complications, especially cardiovascular and renal diseases in the U.K. health care setting,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry, including Novo Nordisk A/S, which funded the study.

Abstract/Full Text