CHOLESTEROL DRUG MAY BENEFIT DIABETIC WOMEN
Australian researchers
have found that a cholesterol-lowering drug can lower cardiovascular disease
risks by 30 percent in women with type-2 diabetes.
The five-year study of
nearly 10,000 people with type-2 diabetes also assessed the drug fenofibrate’s
impact on a range of lipoproteins and triglycerides (circulating blood fats)
that elevate the risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack.
They found that among
type-2 diabetic patients with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease,
fenofibrate cut adverse cardiovascular outcomes by 30 percent in women and 24
percent in men.
“The finding is good
news for women. The study shows that fenofibrate reduced the risk of dying from
cardiovascular disease, or having a stroke or other adverse cardiovascular
event more in women,” said Tony Keech from University of Sydney.
Fenofibrate stimulates
the action of an enzyme that breaks down triglycerides and low-density
lipoproteins.
Stimulating this
enzyme increases the breakdown of triglycerides (another type of blood lipid)
and low-density lipoproteins in the bloodstream and raises HDL cholesterol.
“Cardiovascular
disease is the most common cause of death in women, almost three times more
common than breast cancer,” said study’s lead author Michael d’Emden from Royal
Brisbane Hospital.
The study appeared in
the journal Diabetologia
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