Blood pressure medicines may protect against type-2 diabetes

A large study has suggested that blood pressure medicines may protect against type 2 diabetes. The study has been published in medical journal Lancet.

Blood pressure medications are already prescribed by doctors worldover to reduce the risk of heart disease. However, the connection between these drugs and type 2 diabetes was previously unknown.

The study was conducted by universities of Oxford and Bristol. In this study 145,000 people were observed for 5 years. These people took part in 19 global randomised clinical trials. The researchers found that 5 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure resulted in reduction of risk of type 2 diabetes by 11 per cent.

In this study, researchers investigated major blood pressure drugs compared with a placebo. They found that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) had the strongest protective effect. Both of these drug types reduced risk of developing diabetes by 16 per cent.

Other types of blood pressure-lowering drugs were not found to be as effective. Drugs like Calcium channel blockers had no effect on type 2 diabetes.

The study was funded by British Heart Foundation National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the Oxford Martin School.