SGLT2 inhibitors are a class of prescription medicines that are FDA-approved for use with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Medicines in the SGLT2 inhibitor class include canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and empagliflozin.
In a study from the University of Oxford, scientists found that SGLT-2 inhibitors decreased heart disease risk in people with chronic kidney disease.
Many studies of empagliflozin and other similar medicines called SGLT-2 inhibitors (sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors) have found that these medicines are safe for people with type 2 diabetes.
In the study, researchers combined the results from 13 major clinical trials of SGLT-2 inhibitors to consider the effects on kidney disease progression, acute kidney injury, and death or hospitalization for heart failure, in participants with or without type 2 diabetes.
The analysis confirmed the important benefits of SGLT-2 inhibitors on both major heart and kidney disease outcomes.
The team found that SGLT-2 inhibitors reduced the risk of cardiovascular death by 14%, with similar results among participants with or without type 2 diabetes.
SGLT-2 inhibitors also reduced the risk of heart disease death or hospitalization for heart failure by 23%, with similar results among the participants with or without Type 2 diabetes.
The risk of kidney disease progression was reduced by 37% overall, again with similar effects among participants regardless of type 2 diabetes status.
Based on the trial data, for every 1,000 participants with heart failure treated for a year, 34 with diabetes and 22 without diabetes avoided death or hospitalization for heart failure.
For every 1,000 participants with chronic kidney disease treated for a year, 11 with diabetes and 15 without diabetes avoided worsening kidney disease.
Another analysis showed that among the participants in the empagliflozin group, the risk of worsening kidney disease and death from heart disease decreased by 28%, with similar benefits for participants with or without Type 2 diabetes.
The rate of heart disease events was lower than anticipated.
Though the reduction in major cardiovascular events with empagliflozin treatment was not strong in the trial, the results for these outcomes were entirely consistent with results from other trials.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about a new cause of heart disease, and Aspirin is linked to an increased risk of heart failure.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies about unhealthy plant-based diets linked to metabolic syndrome, and results showing Mediterranean diet could help reduce the diabetes risk by 30%.
The study was conducted by David Preiss et al and presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2022
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