real Heart11 January
2008BritainStatins cut the
risk of heart attack, stroke
and death in diabetic people
even in those with low
cholesterol levels, analysis
of 14 trials shows.

It means hundreds of thousands
more people could benefit from
treatment, the Lancet report
said.

There are 2.5 million people
diagno
more

real Heart11 January
2008BritainStatins cut the
risk of heart attack, stroke
and death in diabetic people
even in those with low
cholesterol levels, analysis
of 14 trials shows.

It means hundreds of thousands
more people could benefit from
treatment, the Lancet report
said.

There are 2.5 million people
diagnosed with diabetes in the
UK.

Many more do not realise they
have the condition and statins
are 'underused' in people with
diabetes the researchers said.


Guidance from the National
Institute of Clinical and
Health Excellence (NICE) in
England and Wales issued in
2006 estimated around 3.3
million people are eligible
for treatment with statins.

This includes people with
diabetes who have a 20% risk
of developing cardiovascular
disease in the next 10 years.


Benefits

A team of researchers at
Oxford University reviewed
studies of more than 90,000
people - 19,000 with diabetes
- and found that many more
would benefit from statins
than previously realised.

They found that standard daily
treatment with statins would
prevent about one third of
heart attacks and strokes in
people with diabetes.

The benefits were seen
regardless of age, sex and
whether patients were already
showing signs of
cardiovascular disease.

What we're saying is statins
are clearly effective in every
type of person with diabetes

Professor Colin Baigent

After five years, 42 fewer
people with diabetes had major
problems, such as heart
attacks or stroke, for every
1,000 treated with statins.

The only exceptions for
treatment should be those with
exceptionally low risk, such
as children or those who
cannot take the drugs for
other reasons, such as
pregnant women.

Study leader Professor Colin
Baigent said there had been
some debate about whether
statins would have the same
benefits in people with
diabetes as those with heart
disease in general.

'People with diabetes are a
clearly defined group of
people at an increased risk of
cardiovascular disease.

'What we're saying is statins
are clearly effective in every
type of person with diabetes.'


Diabetes UK estimates 60% of
all diabetics currently
receive statins. That would
mean the vast majority of the
remaining 40% could also
benefit from these drugs,
according to the researchers.


However, Douglas Smallwood,
chief executive of Diabetes
UK, recommended statins for
people with diabetes over the
age of 40 or diabetics younger
than 40 with another risk
factor.

'Diabetes UK also strongly
recommends that good diabetes
management should rely not
only on medication, but also
on a healthy lifestyle and
diet,' he added.
The cause is sorbitol, a
widely used sweetener in
chewing gum and sweets, which
acts as a laxative.

Writing in the British Medical
Journal, experts gave the
example of two patients who
had become ill after chewing
around 20 sticks of gum a day.


Industry representatives said
sorbitol was a safe product
and packs carried warnings
about excessive con

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