Plasma triglycerides predict ten-years all-cause mortality in outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). American Diabetes Association standards of care set a series of targets recommended for the CVD prevention: blood pressure, LDL and HDL cholesterol (LDL-C and HDL-C), triglycerides and HbA1c goals. The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiovascular risk factors in a T2DM outpatient population in order to estimate their specific clinical value in predicting long-term overall mortality.

Methods

Our study population was composed of 1917 T2DM outpatients attending the hospital-based Diabetes Clinic of Ferrara for a mean follow-up period of 10 years; recorded information included personal, clinical and biochemical data, and pharmacological treatment.

Results

A Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed, pointing out as age (HR:1.08; IC95%: 1.06-1.11), sex (males: HR:1.97; IC95%: 1.26-3.07), mean triglycerides levels during follow-up (III vs I tertile: HR:1.87; IC95%: 1.12-3.12) and lipid-lowering treatment (HR:0.56; IC95%: 0.35-0.90) were significantly associated with all-cause mortality, independent of confounding factors such as mean values of LDL-C, HDL-C, HbA1c, blood pressure, BMI, fasting glucose, and antihypertensive and antidiabetic treatment.

Conclusions

This finding suggests that more attention should be given to the management of cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetic patients with high triglycerides levels.

http://www.cardiab.com/content/13/1/135

I think we all know the best way to get low trigs is to cut the carbs

Cutting the carbs for sure works in reducing triglycerides. Drugs to reduce triglycerides have generally fail to reduce mortality, so triglycerides could possibly be confounded with something else. Maybe a healthy diet for a diabetic is more important that just a marker.

yoly wrote:Cutting the carbs for sure works in reducing triglycerides. Drugs to reduce triglycerides have generally fail to reduce mortality, so triglycerides could possibly be confounded with something else. Maybe a healthy diet for a diabetic is more important that just a marker.

I don't think we can compare reducing trigs with drugs to that of a reduction by diet, same with HDL attempts to raise it with drugs have been a failure, I agree a healthy diet for a diabetic is the best way especially if also improves the lipids.

trigs under 1 is the way to go

j wrote:trigs under 1 is the way to go

For the past six years my trigs have been <1 and my HDL >2, all down to a LC/HF diet, my ratios have also been excellent on my LDL has remained within the Lab ranges.

graham64 wrote:

j wrote:trigs under 1 is the way to go

For the past six years my trigs have been <1  and my HDL >2, all down to a LC/HF diet, my ratios have also been excellent on my LDL has remained  within the Lab ranges.

mine are shite... even when I went on statins my levels were chol 2.7_T1.4/ H1.2/ L0.9 some 6 months later after I reduced the statins a bit they are still schite chol 3.2_T 1.5/ H1.2/ L1.3

I really don't know why my trigs are staying high, I eat bugger all carbs

I have never ever known a diabetic who went low carb and did not find their trigs did not plummet. Mine went from 3.3 to less than 1 in three months. Just as an aside, although some of us low carbers talk about heroic booze consumption (none of us drink every day) it can''t be as bad as we make out. One of the signs a Doctor looks out for in an alcoholic is high trigs and all of ours are about as low as they get.

Edit. Just read your post J a strange case I reckon, no answer from me I'm afraid. No doubt you have researched this situation, has your Doctor got any answers?