| For all those diabetics out there, do | | | | sometimes kidney failure, amputations |
| the names Avandia or Altace ring a bell? | | | | and death. Type 2 diabetes happens when |
| A recent study has shown that both | | | | the body naturally does not produce |
| drugs may well help by giving additional | | | | enough insulin or cannot effectively use |
| prevention for those that are | | | | what the body does produce. |
| "pre-diabetics",- which accounts for | | | | So here are the ups and downs of the |
| almost 40 million of our population. As | | | | study. Both Altace and Avandia were used |
| many as half of the people who are | | | | on the volunteers and some of them did |
| "pre-diabetics" will develop diabetes | | | | not use any form of medication. The |
| within a three year time span. | | | | study showed that less people died on |
| This has been the largest study on | | | | Avandia than those who did not take it. |
| diabetes prevention ever, the study was | | | | But of those volunteers on Avandia |
| funded by the Canadian Institutes of | | | | given, fourteen of them developed heart |
| Health Research as well as other | | | | failure and only two developed heart |
| companies that make pharmaceuticals, | | | | failure from those not taking |
| like GlaxoSmithKline PLC which makes | | | | medication. |
| Avandia and Sanofi-Aventis SA and King | | | | Experts are somewhat skeptical about the |
| Pharmaceuticals which makes Altace. | | | | study results because the volunteers |
| Avandia, also know as Rosiglitazon, was | | | | were also regularly counseled about |
| shown to cut the risk of Type 2 diabetes | | | | healthy diets and lifestyles. Meaning |
| development by more than half. Avandia | | | | the results could well be very different |
| also controlled blood-sugar to keep it | | | | had the volunteers not been |
| at a normal level. Type 2 diabetes is by | | | | participating in any form of medical |
| far the most common form of diabetes in | | | | assistance. However many doctors say |
| the U.S today, for 18 million sufferers, | | | | that working out and maintaining a |
| this information could well be a major | | | | healthy diet is still the best possible |
| development. | | | | way to prevent diabetes in the long |
| Another part of the study looked at | | | | term. "We know that lifestyle changes |
| Altace, or Ramipril which functions as a | | | | alone can reduce the risk of developing |
| blood pressure medication but can also | | | | diabetes by up to 58 percent," said Dr. |
| help control blood sugar - yet it does | | | | Martin Abrahamson, Medical Director of |
| not reduce any risk. The aim of the | | | | the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. |
| study was to prevent Type 2 diabetes | | | | Dr. Abrahamson is not associated with |
| which is most linked to obesity and | | | | the study. |