Diabetes Drug Slows Artery Clogging

A drug used to lower blood sugar in diabetics significantly decreases the clogging of arteries, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Tests on diabetic patients found that Actos, a new-generation drug that lowers insulin resistance, aided arteries more than a drug that boosted insulin production. Heart disease kills 75% of diabetics and doctors are working to find ways to treat both blood sugar and heart disease.

The leader of the study, funded by the drug's maker and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, said the findings "will potentially have a very big impact" on the treatment of people with diabetes and heart disease. Some doctors say the findings suggest that lowering blood sugar may not be as important for heart health as the choice of drugs used. (More Actos stories.)