Breakthrough for Heart Disease-Suffering Diabetics
Breakthrough for Heart Disease-Suffering Diabetics
January 03, 2009
LifeScript
Diabetics may be able to reverse heart disease by ramping up treatment to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, one study showed. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study tracked 499 type 2 diabetics of Native American descent, a group that faces an increased risk of diabetes and is two to four times more likely to die from heart disease compared to people without diabetes. Researchers found that dramatically reducing blood pressure and cholesterol in patients by using cholesterol-lowering statins and blood pressure drugs – more than is usually recommended – helped reverse thickening of the arteries and damage to the heart.
The study showed that lowering targets to 70 milligrams of “bad” LDL cholesterol and the blood pressure level to 115 or lower reversed damage to the arteries in patients, all of whom were middle-aged adults. The results suggest that fewer heart attacks and strokes will occur among aggressively treated patients. However, sharp reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol may not be advisable for people with coronary artery disease. Consult your doctor about treatment options for heart disease.
