A recent study discovered that bedtime ingestion of hypertension medications reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 57 percent. The study was performed by researchers from the University of Vigo in Spain. The paper work was published in Diabetologia on Sept. 23.
The spanish researchers first investigated a pattern called “non-dipping” which is present in a relevant percentage of patients with high blood pressure. This phenomenon makes the blood pressure hard to substantially decrease during the sleep time as it happens in people without the condition.
Furthermore, the researchers discovered that “non-dippers” are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, unlike healthy people with normal levels of blood pressure.
“The results from our prospective study indicate lowering asleep blood pressure could indeed be a significant method for reducing the risk of developing [type 2] diabetes,” said lead author Dr. Ramon Hermida, a professor of medicine at the University of Vigo in Spain.
Clinical Trial
The research involved more than 2,000 patients with high blood pressure levels but none of them suffered from diabetes, at least at the start of the trial. The patients were split into two different groups – The first one was the morning treatment group and was instructed to take the hypertension drugs as soon as they wake up – while the other had to do it right before bedtime.
Moreover, after six years of follow-up, the researchers discovered that the group who took their pills before going to bed have lower average blood pressure when asleep and a relevant reduction in blood pressure when compared to the morning group – according to the spanish team there was a 57 percent decrease in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the bedtime group.
“In hypertensive patients without diabetes, ingestion of the entire daily dose of one or more blood pressure-lowering medications at bedtime compared with ingestion of all such medication upon awakening results in significantly improved sleeping blood pressure and prevention of new-onset diabetes,” said the researchers from The University of Vigo, in the study published in Diabetologia.
Other Factors
According to Zachary Bloomgarden, a clinical professor of medicine in NY, there are two hormones influencing the development of hypertension and type 2 diabetes: Adrenaline and Angiotensin, which causes blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to rise, also it provide high levels of glucose release from the liver and decreased insulin sensitivity, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.
What’s more interesting is that there are several drugs specifically targeting angiotensin, these medications included Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs), ACE inhibitors and beta blockers. Surprisingly, all these factors were associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes when having the medication at night, the researchers from the study found.
“This could be a very important study, which would influence how we treat high blood pressure in people with diabetes and people at risk for diabetes. These are some really interesting observations you can fit together into this idea that something’s particularly going on at night.” said Bloomgarden
Source: Diabetologia