A new study from Northwestern University has discovered something that could change the way doctors treat type 2 diabetes.
The study found that two common diabetes medications—sulfonylureas and basal insulin—might increase the risk of serious heart problems. These two drugs are usually given to patients when metformin, the first-line treatment, doesn’t work well enough or cannot be used.
The study looked at medical data from over 132,000 people with type 2 diabetes. All of these patients had started using one of six popular second-line diabetes drugs. Researchers wanted to know how each of these drugs affected heart health.
The results were surprising and concerning. About 60% of the people were taking sulfonylureas or basal insulin, and both were linked to a higher risk of heart-related problems. These included heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and even amputations.
When compared to another type of drug called DPP-4 inhibitors, people using sulfonylureas were found to have a 36% higher risk of heart issues. The risk was even worse for those using basal insulin—it was twice as high.
To put that into perspective, if 37 people take basal insulin for two years, one of them is likely to experience a serious heart problem. For sulfonylureas, the risk is about one in every 103 people.
This is alarming news, especially when you consider that around 30 million people in the United States have diabetes. If many of them are using medications that may harm their hearts, the impact could be huge on a national scale.
Dr. Matthew O’Brien, who led the research team, believes that it’s time to rethink how type 2 diabetes is treated. He and his team suggest that doctors should turn to newer and safer medications.
These include GLP-1 agonists like liraglutide, SGLT-2 inhibitors like empagliflozin, and DPP-4 inhibitors like sitagliptin. These newer drugs appear to have fewer negative effects on the heart.
However, these newer medications are much more expensive than the older drugs. That’s why many patients and doctors still rely on sulfonylureas and basal insulin. Cost is a big problem, especially for people who don’t have good health insurance.
One important thing about this study is that it used real-world data, not just lab results or clinical trials. This means the researchers looked at how the drugs affected actual patients in everyday life, making the findings more reliable.
The study was published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. It sends a strong message to both doctors and patients: controlling blood sugar is not the only goal.
Protecting heart health is just as important. People living with type 2 diabetes should talk to their doctors about safer options and find a treatment that keeps both their blood sugar and their heart in good shape.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about diabetes and vitamin B12, and the right diet for people with type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat smart with diabetes, and turmeric and vitamin D: a duo for blood pressure control in diabetic patients.
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