Tokyo, November 3rd (Xinhua) – In a significant scientific revelation, an international research team spearheaded by scholars from Kyoto University, Japan, has published a ground-breaking paper in the esteemed journal Cardiovascular Diabetology. The study delves into the capabilities of the widely prescribed diabetes drug, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT-2 inhibitor), uncovering that while it holds promise in warding off cardiovascular disease (CVD), its prophylactic punch may be blunted in non-obese diabetic patients.
Kyoto University’s recent press release detailed the mechanism and status of SGLT-2 inhibitors in the medical landscape. These drugs have revolutionized diabetes treatment by facilitating the expulsion of sugar through urine and curbing the body’s absorption, thus ascending to the ranks of mainstream diabetic medications. Over recent years, mounting evidence has spotlighted their additional benefit of CVD prevention, outshining previous drug regimens. However, a crucial knowledge gap lingered; prior investigations homed in predominantly on obese diabetic patients, typically with an average body mass index (BMI) of 30, leaving the efficacy in lower BMI diabetics largely unexplored.
To bridge this divide, a collaborative effort involving researchers from Kyoto University, Boston University, and Harvard University in the United States embarked on an ambitious project. Leveraging Japan’s National Health Insurance Association’s exhaustive database – replete with detailed physical examination and medical fee records for lifestyle disease prevention – they strived to replicate real-world clinical scenarios for precise analysis. Participants were segregated into groups based on their use of SGLT-2 inhibitors versus another diabetes drug, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor (DPP-4 inhibitor). Among the nearly 280,000 participants, a significant subset of 85,000 were non-obese diabetics with a BMI under 25, forming a key cohort for the study.
After an average follow-up spanning 27.5 months, the data painted a revealing picture. Roughly 8,000 of the 280,000 participants succumbed to CVD, manifesting as myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, heart failure, or death from cardiovascular causes. Crucially, the SGLT-2 inhibitor’s effectiveness was found to be BMI-dependent. Diabetics with a BMI above 25 reaped an average 8 percent reduction in CVD risk, with protection escalating alongside increasing obesity levels. In stark contrast, those with a BMI under 25 enjoyed far less safeguarding.
The research bulletin cautions that while SGLT-2 inhibitors herald a new era in diabetes treatment with CVD prevention potential, patient obesity status undeniably wields influence over their efficacy. The currently observed weak preventive effect in non-obese diabetics represents an overall average; individual variability remains an open question, warranting further scrutiny. Moreover, given that the study’s database chiefly encompassed those at risk but yet to develop CVD, future research must pivot to examining the drug’s impact on non-obese diabetics already grappling with established cardiovascular conditions. This discovery not only recalibrates our understanding of SGLT-2 inhibitors but also paves the way for more personalized, targeted diabetes and CVD management strategies.
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