Private MD News

Insulin may reduce heart risk in diabetics

Category: Diabetes

When a patient has consistently low insulin test results they are at a much higher risk of of experiencing cardiovascular complications. However, a new study indicates that diabetics may be able to reduce their likelihood of suffering these types of problems through insulin therapy.

For the study, researchers from the University of Toronto tested the effects of administering insulin to aortic muscle cells. The results showed that this prompted the cells to begin producing elastic fibers. This may have implications for the prevention of atherosclerosis in diabetics.

Atherosclerosis is characterized by a hardening of the arteries, which makes the cardiovascular system less capable of regulating blood pressure. However, if insulin is able to restore elasticity to the arteries, it could help prevent this critical cardiovascular risk factor.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the general population, but it is even more common among diabetics. The findings suggest that a simple treatment to manage blood sugar could have the added benefit of reducing the risk of cardiovascular complications. This means diabetics may be able to improve their heart health while they work to improve their insulin test scores.