Behavioral Strategies to Lower Postprandial Glucose in Those with Type 2 Diabetes May Also Lower Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

Introduction Efforts to lower glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are intended to reduce the risk of diabetic complications, but A1c is not the only factor contributing to this risk. Consequently, we re-analyzed published data from a broad-spectrum lifestyle intervention that lowered A1c to assess its effectiveness in lowering the overall risk of two complications of T2D, namely, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. Methods Data from 37 adults who participated in a randomized clinical trial of a lifestyle intervention intended to reduce postprandial glucose (PPG) were re-analyzed for their pre- and post-treatment risk of CHD and stroke using the T2D-specific UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) v2.0 risk algorithm. Results Compared to participants who received routine care, those using the lifestyle intervention had a significantly greater reduction in 10-year risk for CHD, but not for stroke. Conclusion These secondary analyses suggest that broad-spectrum lifestyle interventions that focus on lowering PPG may lower the risk of future CHD, which could guide future research. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02432391.