FOX4: New approach takes insulin, risk of heart problems out of Type 2 Diabetes treatments

We have been treating diabetes with insulin for 100 years. For a long a time it was the only therapy we had and it’s better than nothing but the accumulating data suggests that insulin for Type 2 Diabetes often causes more trouble and is detrimental from the cardiovascular standpoint. 

Patients need to know that there are options that instead of gaining weight – and when you are put on insulin you are almost guaranteed to gain weight that can be impossible to get rid of when you are on insulin – we have options that reduce weight. Instead of increasing cardiovascular risk we have options that reduce cardiovascular risk. We have options that will decrease and get rid of extra fluid, whereas insulin makes you hang on to fluid. 

Dr. James O’Keefe, cardiologist at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, told Abby Eden with FOX4 that it’s sometimes frustrating to see the struggles his patients with Type 2 Diabetes go through. “People like Bernie, with Type 2 Diabetes -- seven out of 10 of them will die from cardiovascular disease,” O’Keefe said.

A different way of treating patients with Type 2 Diabetes takes away the insulin and it also takes away much of the threat of heart problems for patients. Insulin has been used for decades to help treat diabetes and is a life-saving medicine for those with Type 1 Diabetes. However, insulin can create more health problems in patients with Type 2 Diabetes.