Diabetes Drugs Linked To Increased Heart Failure Risk
Metformin is one of the drugs that is prescribed to those with type 2 diabetes as a mainstream gold standard… And when I say, “gold standard” it doesn’t actually mean that there are any alternatives your doctor will offer you instead of taking this drug.
The kicker is that metformin can cause a lot of damage to your heart, which is a bit of a double whammy for diabetes patients because suffering with type 2 diabetes also increases your risk of heart disease.
Hide your hearts
The results of a previous study sent out the urgent message that diabetic men in particular should steer clear from metformin since it places the heart muscle under a specific kind of stress that can lead to heart failure.
Using PET scans, researchers determined that metformin caused men’s hearts to burn more fat and less sugar. And that’s exactly what a diabetic DOESN’T need.
As one researcher put it, metformin worsened men’s heart metabolism, making the heart look “even more like a diabetic heart.”
While the results of this trial showed the exact opposite effect for women ? metformin lowered fat metabolism and increased sugar uptake ? this supposed “good news” for diabetic women fell in the gutters based on the results of a more recent study, especially when it comes to other types of diabetes drugs like pioglitazone (Actos) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors like sitagliptin (Januvia) and saxagliptin (Onglyza).
The results of this huge meta-analysis of clinical studies put an overall figure of 14 per cent on the increased risk of heart failure when taking some diabetes drugs, with Actos increasing the risk of heart failure by a staggering 42 per cent and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors increasing the risk by 25 per cent.
These aren’t small increases. In fact, they are disturbingly high. These results add more weight to the mounting evidence showing that blood sugar-lowering diabetes drugs may actually be at the heart of the increased risk of heart failure instead of diabetes itself.
Fortunately there is a way that you can turn the clock back on diabetes-related heart damage. In a study just published in the African Journal of Biotechnology, researchers have found that there is a very simple (and cost effective) way to help protect your heart from years of diabetes damage.
The answer lies in one of the most powerful antioxidants around ? vitamin C.
When your blood sugar spikes (something that happens to all diabetics) some proteins or lipids form a by-product called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that can cause serious long-term damage to your heart.
Based on the results of this latest study, regular vitamin C supplements actually blocked the formation of AGEs and reduced their levels by a massive 28 per cent. And by reducing AGEs you also reduce your chances of a potential heart attack or heart failure.
Apart from offering this crucial heart protection, vitamin C is known to be a powerful immune booster and is vital for bone and joint health.
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Sources:
Diabetes drugs affect hearts of men, women differently (news.wustl.edu)
Vitamin C helps reduce complications from type 2 diabetes mellitus, slow the aging process, published online, foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/Vitamins/
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Very helpful. Thank you