Young Male Diabetics Research Articles

Two weeks taurine supplementation reverses endothelial dysfunction in young male type 1 diabetics

Type 1 diabetics have a well-recognised risk of accelerated cardiovascular disease. Even in the absence of clinical signs there are detectable abnormalities of conduit vessel function. Our group has previously reported reversal of endothelial dysfunction in diabetics with pravastatin. In young asymptomatic smokers, taurine supplementation has a beneficial impact on macrovascular function, assessed by FMD, and shows an up-regulation of nitric oxide from monocyte-endothelial cell interactions. We hypothesise that taurine supplementation reverses early endothelial abnormalities in young male type 1 diabetics, as assessed by applanation tonometry, brachial artery ultrasound and laser Doppler fluximetry. Asymptomatic, male diabetics (n=9) were scanned prior to treatment and then randomised in a double-blind cross-over fashion to receive either 2 weeks placebo or taurine. Control patients (n=10) underwent a baseline scan. Assessed diabetics had detectable, statistically significant abnormalities when compared with controls, in both arterial stiffness (augmentation index) and brachial artery reactivity (FMD). Both of these parameters were returned to control levels with 2 weeks taurine supplementation. In conclusion, 2 weeks taurine supplementation reverses early, detectable conduit vessel abnormalities in young male diabetics. This may have important implications in the long-term treatment of diabetic patients and their subsequent progression towards atherosclerotic disease.

Progression of nephropathy in long-term diabetics with proteinuria and effect of initial anti-hypertensive treatment.

The rate of progression of nephropathy was studied in 6 young male diabetics with intermittent proteinuria (Albustix) and in 10 young male diabetics with constant proteinuria by measuring glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal plasma flow (RPF), and urinary albumin excretion by exact techniques. Albumin excretion was elevated in both the recumbent and the erect position in patients with intermittent proteinuria. GFR and RPF were at the same level as in diabetics without proteinuria, and no deterioration in renal function was noted during a mean control period of 32 months. In the patients with constant proteinuria the fall rate during a mean period of 33.6 months for GFR and RPF was 0.91 ml/min/month +/- 0.68 (S.D.) and 4.38 ml/min/month +/- 3.23 (S.D.) respectively. Initial fall rate in GFR correlated well with long-term fall rate, both of which were studied in 7 patients. In the same patients there was a positive correlation between the fall rate in GFR and diastolic blood pressure as well as albumin clearance. In 8 patients with constant proteinuria and mean blood pressure of 159/101 mmHg, antihypertensive treatment was started with propranolol alone or combined with hydralazine and furosemide. During a treatment period of 47 days blood pressure was reduced to 143/93 mmHg, and in the same period urinary albumin excretion was reduced significantly from a mean value of 3547 mug/min to 2414 mug/min (P less than 0.01). Further control studies will clarify whether end-stage of renal insufficiency will be postponed by antihypertensive treatment.

RR interval variations in young male diabetics.

The beat-to-beat (RR interval) variation in resting heart rate was used to detect possible autonomic nerve damage in a group of 42 young asymptomatic male diabetics, employing a sensitive electrocardiographic computer technique. Compared with 25 age-matched controls, the diabetics showed both a significantly smaller mean RR interval (P less than 0.005) and less RR interval variation (P less than 0.001). Whereas only 4 of the diabetic subjects had shorter mean RR intervals, 22 (52%) of the diabetics had RR interval variations that were less than any of the normal subjects. This reduction in heart rate variation has not been previously reported in diabetics without clinical features of autonomic neuropathy and might provide a sensitive method of assessing early autonomic nerve involvement in diabetes.

Continuous electrocardiographic recording during exercise in young male diabetics. A computer study.

Forty selected young patients with diabetes of medium to long duration and 26 control subjects without clinical evidence of ischaemic heart disease were studied using a new and sensitive technique of electrocardiographic recording during exercise with continuous computation of the time course of the ST-T segment changes to detect possible early ST depression indicative of ischaemia. Although no such evidence was found, significant differences in the diabetics were observed in the heart rate and ST-T segment, the latter changes having not been previously reported but which may be attributed to ischaemia or alternatively to autonomic neuropathy in the "presymptomatic" phase.

Fibrinolytic response to moderate exercise in young male diabetics and non-diabetics.

The euglobulin lysis time was measured in 25 young male insulin-dependent diabetics and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls before and after a standardized moderate treadmill exercise procedure. There was a statistically significant mean shorter resting euglobulin lysis time in the diabetic group but their ability to respond to the exercise procedure was significantly impaired. It is suggested that this impaired fibrinolytic reactivity may be related to the diminished vaso-active reactivity previously reported in young diabetics.