A new study from Northwestern Medicine has discovered how some diabetes drugs may help protect the kidneys, not just by lowering blood sugar, but by reducing inflammation. A newer group of diabetes medicines called SGLT2 inhibitors have been shown in past studies to slow down kidney damage. They found that mice missing the SGLT2 protein had more of a molecule called S-adenosylmethionine, or SAM, in their kidneys. SAM appears to help protect the kidneys by lowering inflammation, which can damage kidney cells. This helps explain why the benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors go beyond just controlling sugar—they also change how the kidneys handle stress.