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