Can Drug Therapies Prevent Type 2 Diabetes?
by Alan Muir
Type 2 diabetes continues to be an ever-increasing health condition, which currently affects more than 24 million Americans. It is the most common form of diabetes that develops overtime. Health complications associated with diabetes have led researchers to review drug therapies that may prevent its development.
The National Heart, Blood & Lung Institute has been conducting various trials under the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) Trial. Two different studies under this trial suggest aggressive cholesterol and blood pressure therapies do not reduce cardiovascular and stroke risks. The studies found that reducing cholesterol and blood pressure levels to excessively low levels did not decrease cardiovascular and stroke risks that are extremely high in Type 2 diabetics.
Cholesterol & Type 2 Diabetes
Cholesterol-lowering drugs offer no additional protection to patients with Type 2 diabetes. The ACCORD trial recruited 5,518 patients to take Zocor or a combination of Zocor/TriCor. Findings suggested these drugs did not reduce the risks of heart attack or stroke in patients with Type 2 diabetes. In fact, preliminary findings from a study published in The Lancet journal suggest cholesterol-lowering statins may actually increase the development of Type 2 diabetes.
Furthermore, the FDA recently reported Zocor can increase muscle injury. This is not an uncommon side effect with statin drugs, but these new findings suggest high doses of Zocor can lead to rhabdomyloysis, the most serious form of muscle injury. Rhabdomyloysis can cause kidney damage and lead to kidney failure. These adverse effects have been observed in patients taking the highest-approved dose of Zocor at 80 mg.
Blood Pressure & Type 2 Diabetes
The blood pressure study recruited 4,733 patients with Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure to see if keeping systolic blood pressure below 120 mmHg reduced cardiovascular and stroke risks. Medical experts recommend systolic blood pressure should be lower than 140 mmHg among individuals with Type 2 diabetes.
The ACCORD trial suggests that moving beyond standard health measures to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure in diabetic patients does not decrease cardiovascular and stroke risks. Modifying lifestyle habits still shows the greatest improvement in reducing health risks associated with Type 2 diabetes. Specifically, a healthy diet, increased physical activity and reduced weight have a major effect on reducing Type 2 diabetes conditions.
References
National Heart Blood & Lung Institute. Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) Trial. Retrieved on March 25, 2010 from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/heart/other/accord/
Sattar N, Preiss D, Murray H, Welsh P, et al. Statins and risk of incident diabetes: a collaborative meta-analysis of randomized statin trials. The Lancet 2010; 375(9716):735-742.
