Importance of Good Heart Health in Diabetes Prevention

A new study has revealed the importance of good cardiovascular (CVH) health in preventing type 2 diabetes among middle-aged people, regardless of genetic risk.

The research is presented at this year's annual meeting of the European //Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and conducted by Kan Wang, Dr. Fariba Ahmadizar, and colleagues at the Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

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‘At age 55 years, more favorable cardiovascular health was associated with a lower lifetime risk for type 2 diabetes. ’

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Study Background

Research on the link between different CVH categories and lifetime risk of T2D is scarce. It is unclear whether being genetically predisposed to diabetes affects how cardiovascular disease affects a person's odds of developing diabetes during their life.

Data from the prospective population-based Rotterdam Study was used to produce a CVH 'score' for each participant. Based on BMI measurements, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diet, and exercise, the scores were calculated.

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Individuals were placed into one of the three categories according to their CVH score:

Poor (CVH score 0-5)
Intermediate (CVH score 6-7)
Ideal (CVH score 8-12)

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From the 403 common genetic variants, genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes was quantified in the form of a Genetic Risk Score (GRS).

According to each participant's GRS, the sample population was divided into three equal-sized groups, resulting in them being classed as a low, medium, or high genetic risk.

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At age 55, the remaining lifetime risk of T2D was 22.6% for people classed as having ideal CVH, 28.3% for intermediate CVH, and 32.6% for poor CVH.

People with high genetic risk had a likelihood of developing T2D of 23.5% if their CVH was ideal, 33.7% if they had intermediate CVH and 38.7% when CVH was classed as poor.

They conclude: "Our results highlight the importance of favourable cardiovascular health in preventing T2D among middle-aged individuals regardless of their genetic predisposition."

Source-Medindia