Anyone at risk for diabetes should take note: new research presented at The Society for Endocrinology Annual Conference found that anti-inflammatory drugs appear to increase the risk for diabetes.
Studying anti-inflammatories and diabetes
Teams of researchers from the University of Oxford and Sapienza University in Italy recruiting healthy male volunteers to take either 10 milligrams or 15 milligrams of prednisolone (glucocorticoids) for a week. These are the doses that doctors typically prescribe for things like arthritis, allergies or asthma.
At the end of the treatment, the scientists measured metabolic markers and regular biomarkers (e.g., weight and fasting blood sugar) to see if anything had changed.
Although most of the biomarkers hadn’t been affected by the anti-inflammatories, the researchers noted that the blood sugar regulation mechanisms seemed to have been negatively impacted. Over the long term, this could increase a person’s risk for diabetes.
“This is the first study to examine the very short-term metabolic effects of commonly prescribed doses of glucocorticoids on healthy men and indicates that, even at these lower doses, glucose metabolism is impaired, suggested an increased risk of diabetes with continued treatment,” says study author Dr. Riccardo Pofi. “This [research] suggests that we need to more accurately assess [glucocorticoid] use in patients to prevent and reduce the undesired effects, especially in patients for which steroid treatment is essential for life.”
Anti-inflammatory risks
Glucocorticoids can come with other risks besides increasing your chances of developing diabetes. Potential side effects include sleep issues, shortness of breath and dry and/or discolored skin.
When taken at higher doses, some people report experiencing high blood pressure and depression.
More research needed
More research—with a larger cohort—needs to be done to confirm the validity of this research.
Dr. Pofi and his team want to investigate whether it’s possible to prevent or at least reduce the metabolic impact of glucocorticoids.
