A Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) research team has found that antibacterial treatment that removes Helicobactor pylori can improve glycated hemoglobin levels.

Helicobacter pylori is a parasitic bacterium between the gastric mucosa and mucus and cause gastritis, functional dyspepsia, peptic ulcer, and malignant gastric mucosal lymphoma. Notably, it significantly increases the incidence of gastric cancer by affecting the occurrence of atrophic gastritis and intestinal epithelial metaplasia, which are precancerous lesions. Also, Helicobacter pylori cause metabolic diseases by promoting the production and secretion of inflammatory cytokines throughout the body and adversely affecting the stomach.

Professor Kim Na-young of the Department of Gastroenterology and his team conducted a study of long-term follow-up of blood sugar changes in patients who received antibacterial treatment at SNUBH for up to five years. Comparatively, they analyzed them with Helicobacter-negative and non-bacterial patients to determine if Helicobacter pylori eradication could improve blood sugar disorders.

The team used glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) to estimate the average blood glucose level as an index to measure blood sugar.

As a result, Professor Kim’s team found that the HbA1c significantly decreased and blood sugar control improved a year after treatment in the antibacterial treatment group. Moreover, this difference between groups was consistent until the maximum period suggested in the study after five years.

Also, the research team revealed that the groups in which the HbA1c reduction effect of the antibacterial treatment was most evident were men under 65.

“Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment has various effects, such as preventing gastric cancer and other gastrointestinal lesions and lowering mortality after gastric cancer surgery,” Professor Kim said. “Especially for men under the age of 65 with metabolic diseases, it is necessary to consider Helicobacter pylori testing and eradication treatment more actively.”

Following this study, the team will investigate the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure and coronary artery disease, she added.

The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine published the results of the study.