Category: Renal

A study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society found that people with type 2 diabetes who habitually sleep longer may have an increased risk of developing or worsening diabetic kidney disease [diabetic nephropathy].

Key details:

• Who was studied: 678 Japanese people with type 2 diabetes, followed for about 6 years.
• What was found: Longer habitual sleep duration was associated with a higher risk of developing or worsening nephropathy. The link was strongest in older adults and in those who already had signs of kidney damage, like microalbuminuria or reduced kidney function.
• Context: Diabetic kidney disease affects 30-40% of people with diabetes and can lead to kidney failure and higher cardiovascular risk.

What it does NOT mean:

Lead author Dr. Tomoya Mita of Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine in Tokyo stressed this was an observational study. It does not show that long sleep causes kidney disease, and should not be taken as a recommendation to sleep less.

Instead, researchers suggest longer sleep may be a readily observable marker of underlying health vulnerability — a simple clue to help identify people with diabetes who may need closer monitoring of their kidney health.

A new study found that dihydropyridine calcium-channel blockers (DCCBs) — a widely used blood pressure medication — may be linked to worse kidney outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), even when patients are already on modern kidney-protective drugs.

Study details:

• Data analyzed: 31,031 adults with T2D from 2016–2021, all taking both RAS inhibitors and SGLT2 inhibitors, the current standard kidney-protective therapies for diabetic kidney disease (DKD).
• Groups: 12,172 patients (39.2%) also took DCCBs; 18,859 (60%) took other antihypertensives.
• Follow-up: Median ~3.5 years.

Results: After adjusting for baseline differences, DCCB use was associated with a 33% higher risk of major adverse kidney events compared to other blood pressure treatments. These events included a ≥40% drop in eGFR or progression to end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis/transplant.

Why this might happen: Researchers suggest DCCBs may worsen kidney damage by relaxing blood vessels entering the kidney’s filtering units but not those exiting, potentially increasing pressure and strain within the kidneys. The increased risk persisted even with SGLT2 inhibitors, which were thought to possibly offset harm.

Context:

• DKD is a leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, driven by high blood sugar damaging kidney blood vessels.
• DCCBs are commonly prescribed as second-line blood pressure meds for DKD patients.
• RAS and SGLT2 inhibitors are now standard of care for DKD due to their kidney-protective effects.

Researcher comments: Lead author Dr. Timna Agur noted the findings “raise important questions about whether these medications are always the best option” for DKD patients on modern therapies.

Caveats: The study is observational, so it cannot prove DCCBs directly cause worse outcomes. Dr. Agur called for prospective studies and randomized controlled trials to confirm results and define safest blood pressure strategies. Given how commonly DCCBs are prescribed, even a small risk increase could affect many DKD patients.

This press release from Xia & He Publishing Inc. [13-Feb-2026] outlines a study that compared biochemical parameters across four groups: patients with diabetic nephropathy (DNp), individuals with diabetes alone (DC), those with non-diabetic nephropathy (NC), and healthy controls.

What they found:

• DNp Group: This group showed the most severe biochemical issues, with significantly higher fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen. This points to really poor blood sugar control and kidney damage.
• DC Group: People in this group had elevated random glucose levels and notably worse lipid profiles, including high triglycerides, VLDL, LDL, and cholesterol.
• NC Group: This group displayed elevated inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase.
• Overall: The study concluded that DNp patients have the most severe biochemical disruptions compared to the other groups, with both their glycemic and kidney function being significantly impaired. Different inflammatory and lipid patterns were observed across the groups.