Empagliflozin (Empa), an FDA-approved drug typically used to lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes patients, may also help improve blood vessel function and reduce arterial stiffness associated with aging, according to recent research.
The study, published in the journal GeroScience, first compared blood vessel function and stiffness in 18 young healthy adults (average age of 25) to 18 older adults (average age of 61).
Findings confirmed previous data, showing impaired endothelial function and increased aortic stiffness in the older group.
Researchers then investigated the effects of Empa on aged male mice. The 72-week-old mice were divided into two groups: one received food enriched with Empa for six weeks, while the other group was given standard food.
After six weeks, it was found that mice treated with Empa had improved blood vessel function, reduced arterial stiffness, and experienced other vascular benefits.
Camila Manrique-Acevedo, associate professor of medicine at the University of Missouri, says this is the first study examining the potential role of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibition, which Empa induces, in reversing vascular aging.
SGLT2 inhibitors work by preventing the kidneys from reabsorbing glucose back into the blood, helping to lower a patient’s blood glucose levels.
The results highlight the need for further clinical investigations to determine the potential role of SGLT2 inhibition as a therapeutic tool to delay or reverse vascular aging in humans.
The findings may bring hope for a new treatment approach to improving vascular health in older adults, in addition to established methods such as weight loss, physical activity, antihypertensive therapy, and lipid-lowering drugs.
This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and a VA Merit Grant. The authors have stated no potential conflicts of interest.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that pomace olive oil could help lower blood cholesterol, and honey could help control blood sugar.
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