Cholesterol Drug Cuts Heart and Stroke Risk in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

In a 5-year study of more than 10,000 type 2 diabetics with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (high levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL), the cholesterol-lowering drug fenofibrate cut adverse cardiovascular outcomes by 30% in women and 24% in men. The results, which come from the Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) study, are published in Diabetologia. Fenofibrate stimulates the action of an enzyme that breaks down triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins.