Published: 23:30 BST, 1 September 2026 | Updated: 23:42 BST, 1 September 2026
A pill taken by more than a million type 2 diabetics could put patients at risk of a deadly organ-wrecking disease, scientists have warned.
Medications used to lower blood sugar may trigger a condition called ketoacidosis, otherwise known as a 'diabetic attack'.
This happens when levels of harmful compounds called ketones build-up in the blood, triggering a range of life-threatening complications.
Swedish researchers found that drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors could trigger the condition, particularly in type 2 diabetics with a low body weight.
Around 10 per cent of people with type 2 diabetes have a body mass index that isn't in the overweight or obesity category, according to charity Diabetes UK.
Experts have previously suggested that the drugs encourage the body to burn fat for energy, which fuels the release of ketones.
The new warning follows separate research showing that deaths from ketoacidosis are on the rise in the UK.
Medications used to lower blood sugar may trigger a condition called ketoacidosis, otherwise known as a 'diabetic attack'
The new study, which is published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, suggests the drugs – prescribed to around a third of the UK's type 2 diabetics – may be a trigger for high-risk patients.
Scientists from the prestigious Karolinska Institute analysed the health records of 280,000 type 2 diabetes patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors, such as dapagliflozin.
Such drugs help lower blood sugar by increasing the amount of sugar released by the kidneys via urine.
Type 2 diabetics have too much sugar in their blood – a result of their body's insensitivity to insulin, which converts sugar in food into energy.
The drugs are also prescribed to protect against heart failure, kidney disease, and studies have shown they can even help with weight loss.
There are four types of SGLT2 inhibitor available in the UK, which are taken as once-daily tablets.
