A new study led by Professor Charalambos Antoniades finds that insulin itself can cause oxidative damage to human arteries, contrary to what has previously been found in mouse and cell studies. But their study also finds that a commonly used category of anti-diabetic tablets (which inhibit a key enzyme known as dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) can ameliorate this effect, restoring blood vessel health.
Writing in the online magazine The Conversation, the study's first author Dr Ioannis Akoumianakis and Professor Antoniades describe how diabetes patients are at greater risk of cardiovascular complications as well (including heart attacks and strokes). But combining insulin injections with a DPP4 inhibitor may successfully tackle both of these issues.
Read the article in The Conversation.
Read the study.