Specific Blood Pressure-Lowering Drugs Prevent Onset of New Diabetes
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Lowering blood pressure — known to prevent the vascular complications of type 2 diabetes — can also stop the onset of diabetes itself, although the effects vary according to antihypertensive drug class, results from a new meta-analysis show. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) — so-called renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers — showed the strongest association with preventive effects, while conversely, beta-blocker and thiazide diuretic antihypertensives were linked to an increased risk of new-onset diabetes.