Diabetes heart risk revealed

Friday June 25th, 2010

People who develop diabetes face a hugely increased risk of developing heart disease and stroke, according to a major new analysis.

The study of 700,000 people world-wide found a doubled risk of a wide range of diseases of the blood vessels, including stroke and heart disease.

The research, led by Dr Nadeem Sarwar and Professor John Danesh, of the University of Cambridge, UK, is reported in The Lancet today and will be reported to the American Diabetes Association conference in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Experts said the findings raised fresh questions about the nature of diabetes - as it did not show a direct link between blood sugar levels, obesity or blood pressure with the development of blood vessel disease.

Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, which helped finance the research, said: "The message we get from this important research is loud and clear - people should avoid becoming diabetic if they possibly can because it more than doubles your risk of developing heart disease.

"If you don't already have diabetes, you can reduce your chances of getting it by controlling your weight, eating sensibly and doing regular physical activity."

He added: "However, the study also found that raised blood sugar itself doesn’t appear to be very important for heart disease risk. So while a blood sugar test will find diabetes, it’s probably not so important as part of a heart risk check."

* A second study in the same journal reports promising findings on a new diabetes drug dapagliflozin.

The study of more than 500 patients by Professor Clifford Bailey, of Aston University, Birmingham, UK, concluded that the drug helped reduce patient's weight, control glucose and was independent of insulin.

* An editorial in the journal warns a "medical" approach to type 2 diabetes - which is generally caused by unhealthy lifestyles - is "unlikely to be the solution".

Praising campaigns which target young people, it says: "The focus on youth in a disorder that is age-related might seem paradoxical; but the age of diabetes onset is falling and it is in young people that diet and exercise habits are formed.

"It is also at a young age that the seeds of diabetes are sown."

The Lancet Vol 375 June 26, 2010, Lancet 2010; 375: 2215–22

Tags: Diabetes | Heart Health | North America | Pharmaceuticals | UK News

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