Insensitive insulin, heart attack, stroke

Canadian researchers say that daily insulin injections, which start early with type 2 diabetes, do not increase or decrease the risk of heart attack, stroke or cancer, according to UPI news agency.

McMaster University experts in Hamilton, in the province of Ontario (Canada), conducted trials on more than 12,500 people at high risk or in the pre-type 2 diabetes phase.

These people either received insulin glargine or only received standard care, ie they were not given insulin for an average of 6.2 years.

The lead researcher Dr. Hertzel Gerstein and colleagues Salim Yusuf noted no differences between the two groups in the cardiovascular effects or the development of any type of cancer. This suggests that injecting insulin to regulate glucose levels is not harmful for a long time.

Insulin patients maintained glucose levels in the normal range - 90-94mg / dL, for the duration of the study, experts said.

Some previous studies have shown an association between insulin use and an increased risk of heart attack, stroke or certain types of cancer, but none of the studies considered long-term effects. of cardiovascular insulin use and cancer in people at high risk, said Gerstein.