The perils of high blood pressure are well
documented in modern healthcare but of course, not all side effects are
commonly evident. Smoking, excessive stress, weight issues, salt intake and
genetics are all common catalysts for irregular blood pressure but in
additional to the cause, there is of course the unwanted side effects of ill
health. It’s been suspected that blood pressure has a considerable effect on
the prevalence of diabetes for some time and now Oxford University have stepped
forward with new evidence.
Taking into account over 4.1 million
individuals, the study found that people with high blood pressure have a 60%
higher risk of developing diabetes in their lifetime than those without. The
focal goal of the study was to find a remedy to the near epidemic levels of
diabetes sweeping the contemporary western world. If we can find a way to keep
people’s blood pressure at a healthy rate then we can also hugely reduce the
number of people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
The specialists involved with the study
were also keen to see if people using drugs to reduce their blood pressure were
less at risk of developing the metabolic disease. Despite the strong
indications, Professor Kazem Rahimi who acts as deputy director of the George Institute for Global Health UK at the university assured study recipients that
“We can’t say for certain that one causes the other, but this study helps to
connect the dots, showing that if you have high blood pressure there is a
significantly greater chance of developing diabetes.”
Despite the lack of clarification, this
study still gives medical experts a reassuring push towards identifying early
risk factors that may lead to diabetes. Professor Rahimi further reiterated
this when he commented “At a minimum we know for certain that the link exists”
as well as “In particular researchers can now look at whether lowering blood
pressure is an effective treatment or reduces the risk of getting diabetes.”
Here’s to an optimistic future of research
and the eradication of diabetes!
