NIH Radio
Tight Glucose Control Helps Prevent Heart Disease in Type 1 Diabetes
Brief Description:
The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial has shown that proper insulin levels through intensive glucose control lower the risk for diabetes.
Transcript:
Thornton: Since 1993, researchers have know that tight glucose control helps prevent or delay, nerve, eye and kidney diseases but they were not sure if the strict control prevented cardiovascular disease in these patients. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial has shown that proper insulin levels through intensive glucose control lower the risk for diabetes. Dr. David Nathan, Director of the Diabetes Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital discusses the findings.
Nathan: We have demonstrated that intensive therapy with the aim of lowering glucose levels, to as close to the non-diabetic range as we safely can also reduces the development of heart disease. In fact this intensive therapy reduced the development of heart attacks and strokes, death from heart attacks and stroke and other treatments that go along with heart disease by about 42 percent.
Thornton: Type 1 Diabetes comprises ten percent of the diagnosed cases of diabetes in the United States and usually affects children and young adults. For more information about controlling glucose levels along with blood pressure and cholesterol visit the website www.niddk.nih.gov. From the National Institutes of Health, I'm Matt Thornton in Bethesda, Maryland.
About This Audio Report
Date: 12/23/2005
Reporter: Matt Thornton
Sound Bite: Dr. David Nathan
Topic: Diabetes, Heart Disease
Institute(s): NIDDK
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