The good news did not stop there. It reduced the risk of progression of kidney disease by almost 40 percent and the need for dialysis by a stunning 55 percent.24 The elusive cardiovascular and renal benefits that virtually every previous study had failed to deliver were finally found. Tellingly, the blood glucose–lowering effect was very modest. The A1C only dropped by 0.47 percent, far less than almost every other medication currently in use, but the benefits were far greater. This result once again underscored that glucotoxicity is a minor-league player.
