A new study from Northwestern University has found that two common medications used to treat type 2 diabetes might increase the risk of serious heart problems.
These drugs—sulfonylureas and basal insulin—are often prescribed when the standard first treatment, metformin, isn’t enough or can’t be used.
The researchers looked at how six popular second-line diabetes drugs affected heart health. They studied data from over 132,000 people with type 2 diabetes who had started one of these second-line treatments.
The results were surprising and worrying. More than half of these patients—around 60%—were taking either sulfonylureas or basal insulin. But these two drugs were linked to a much higher chance of having heart problems, including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, or even amputations.
Compared to people who took DPP-4 inhibitors, which are a newer type of diabetes drug, those on sulfonylureas had a 36% higher risk of heart problems. For people taking basal insulin, the risk was even worse—it was twice as high.
In practical terms, this means that out of every 37 people taking basal insulin for two years, one person is likely to suffer a serious heart issue. For sulfonylureas, one in every 103 people will have a similar problem.
This is a big concern, especially because about 30 million people in the United States live with diabetes. If most of them are taking drugs that could harm their hearts, the total risk across the population is huge.
The researchers, led by Dr. Matthew O’Brien, believe it’s time to change the way doctors treat type 2 diabetes. They suggest using safer, newer drugs like GLP-1 agonists (such as liraglutide), SGLT-2 inhibitors (like empagliflozin), or DPP-4 inhibitors (like sitagliptin) after metformin. These medications seem to be safer for the heart.
But there’s a problem. These newer drugs are more expensive than sulfonylureas, which is one of the reasons why many doctors and patients still choose the older, cheaper medications. Cost is a major issue, especially for people without good health insurance.
This study is important because it uses real-world evidence. That means the researchers looked at actual patient experiences, rather than just controlled lab experiments or drug trials with placebos. This gives a more accurate picture of how these drugs affect people in everyday life.
The findings were published in JAMA Network Open and call for doctors and patients to rethink how they approach diabetes care. While cost matters, the safety of patients—especially their heart health—should come first. This study serves as a reminder to look beyond blood sugar control and think about long-term health outcomes.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about a cure for type 2 diabetes, and these vegetables could protect against kidney damage in diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about bone drug that could lower risk of type 2 diabetes, and results showing eating more eggs linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
