A recent study by King’s College London found that lowering blood pressure reduces the chances of heart disease in people with prediabetes. A study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology states that reducing blood pressure in the prediabetic population leads to a 50% reduction in heart disease or heart attacks.
It was confirmed that people who have got rid of prediabetic conditions had a 58% lower chance of hospitalisation due to heart disease or heart attacks. The effect was seen even after decades of reducing the blood glucose, showing a promising long-term prevention strategy. Prediabetic remission also reduced other disease risk, including attacks, strokes, and major cardiovascular disease by 42%. The study was conducted on data from China and the US, and the same results were found in both places.
This study is important in the context of another recent research, according to which lifestyle changes do not lead to improvement in cardiovascular health. Dr Saptarishi Bhattacharya, a senior consultant from Apollo Hospital, says that not just a good lifestyle, but improvement in the prediabetic conditions is also important for reducing the risk of heart disease.
Prediabetes is a condition in which the blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not enough to be listed as type 2 Diabetes. It is often a precondition that later develops into type 2 Diabetes or issues related to the heart, leading to thousands of deaths annually. Over 15.3% Indians, which accounts for 136 million, are prediabetic. As per the ICMR-INDIAB study, 100 million people are diabetic. Experts say that half of the people suffering from prediabetic conditions are likely to transform into diabetics in the next five years if conditions are not managed.
The most important takeaway of the study is to manage prediabetes in a better way. Until now, it was expected that exercise and a good diet were enough to manage pre diabetes, but this study explains that though these are important pillars, they are not enough to tackle prediabetes.
