More than 1 in 10 American adults has diabetes. But the billion-dollar blockbuster drugs marketed to treat diabetes have not proven too successful against the biggest cause of death related to it: heart disease.
Four new studies published in New England Journal of Medicine is a stark warning for diabetics who rely on the drug to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke.
One person found that using antihypertensive drugs to reduce systolic blood volume did not reduce the risk of cardiac complications; another found no benefit to adding a drug to raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol. And there were no heart benefits associated with the two drugs given to lower high blood sugar.
Evidence is accumulating that diabetics may not benefit – and may even get worse – when they are treated with certain diabetes medications. The message that really works here is that people with diabetes shouldn’t forget the importance of lifestyle factors. Losing excess weight, increasing activity levels, and improving nutritional habits will lead to better diabetes control and a lower risk of heart disease.
