Deterring heart disease if you have diabetes
Three newer medications for type 2 diabetes, empagliflozin (Jardiance), canagliflozin (Invokana) and liraglutide (Victoza), appear to lower the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease in addition to lowering blood sugar. Empagliflozin and canagliflozin, which improve diabetes by helping the body release more sugar into the urine, seem to be especially helpful for decreasing heart failure cases. Liraglutide lowers blood sugar by preventing the liver from making too much sugar and helping the pancreas produce more insulin. It reduced serious heart events by 13% and deaths from heart disease by 22%. People with type 2 diabetes and heart disease who are having trouble reaching their HbA1c targets may want to discuss these new medications with their doctors.
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