Growing older affects every part of the body, including the heart and blood vessels. As time passes, blood vessels often become harder and less flexible.
This process is called arterial stiffness, and it can increase the risk of serious health problems such as heart attacks and strokes. Because of this, scientists are searching for ways to keep blood vessels healthier for longer.
A new study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine, published in GeroScience, suggests that a medicine used for diabetes might also help protect blood vessels from aging. The medicine is called empagliflozin, and it is already approved to lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.
Empagliflozin works by helping the body remove extra sugar through urine. It is part of a group of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors. In recent years, scientists have become interested in whether these drugs might have other benefits beyond controlling blood sugar.
To begin their research, the scientists compared younger and older adults. They studied a group of healthy people in their mid-20s and another group in their early 60s. They measured how well their blood vessels functioned and how stiff their arteries were.
The results showed that aging had a clear negative effect. Older adults had weaker blood vessel function and higher stiffness in their arteries. This makes it harder for the heart to pump blood efficiently and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
After confirming these age-related changes, the researchers tested the effects of empagliflozin in older mice. These mice were divided into two groups. One group was given a diet that included the drug, while the other group continued on a normal diet. The treatment lasted for six weeks.
At the end of the study, the differences were clear. The mice that received the drug had better blood vessel function and less stiffness in their arteries. This suggests that empagliflozin may help improve the health of blood vessels during aging.
These findings are important because current methods to improve vascular health do not always provide consistent results. Lifestyle changes like exercise and diet are helpful, but they may not be enough for everyone. Medications for blood pressure and cholesterol also help, but they do not fully solve the problem of aging blood vessels.
The idea that a diabetes drug could help in this area is both surprising and promising. Since the drug is already widely used, it may be easier to study its additional benefits in future clinical trials.
However, there are important limits to this research. The positive effects of the drug were observed in mice, not in human patients. This means we cannot yet be sure that the same results will happen in people. Also, the human part of the study did not involve giving the drug to participants, so its direct effects in humans remain unknown.
When analyzing the study, it is clear that it provides a new direction for research into healthy aging. It highlights the possibility that treatments for one condition may also help with others.
At the same time, caution is needed. The study does not prove that the drug can reverse aging in human blood vessels. Larger and longer studies in people will be necessary to confirm these results.
Overall, this research offers hope that new ways to protect the heart and blood vessels may be developed in the future. If these findings are confirmed, they could lead to better strategies for reducing heart disease risk and improving health as people grow older.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that MIND diet may reduce risk of vision loss disease, and Vitamin D could benefit people with diabetic neuropathic pain.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies that Vitamin E could help reduce blood sugar and insulin resistance in diabetes, and results showing eating eggs in a healthy diet may reduce risks of diabetes, high blood pressure.
Source: University of Missouri.
