In a large-scale study, people taking the ACE inhibitor ramipril were less likely to develop diabetes than those who took placebo. People with high blood pressure are at high risk for diabetes.

The study was undertaken to examine alternative diabetes prevention strategies, since lifestyle modifications are not always successful in preventing the disease among those at high risk. It involved more than 5,700 people in 19 countries aged 55 and older. They did not have diabetes but did have vascular disease, which put them at high risk. Half of them took the ACE inhibitor while the other half took a placebo.

Those who took the drug reduced their risk of diabetes by more than 30%. After four and a half years, 3.6% of the people taking the drug were diagnosed with diabetes, compared to 5.4% in the group not taking it. The same research team had previously published a study showing that ramipril could reduce deaths, heart attacks, and other complications in people with diabetes and at high risk for it.

ACE inhibitors are widely used to treat high blood pressure. The researchers commented that the drug’s effect of relaxing the blood vessels might also improve functioning of the pancreas and reduce insulin resistance.

Related information: Basic facts - Disease risks | Diabetes channel

Source:  Yusuf S, Gerstein H, Hoogwerf BHR, et al. Ramipril and the development of diabetes. Journal of the American Medical Association, Oct. 17, 2001;286:1882-1885. (Abs.)