Can Anti-Inflammatories Abolish Type 2 Diabetes?

Filed in archive Treatment on January 12, 2007

Scientists believe it may be a possibility. Based on the theory that Type 2 diabetes is a result of low-grade inflammation, prescribing anti-inflammatory drugs to Type 2 diabetes patients may prove to be an effective treatment.


The study, which will enroll about 400 adults nationwide, will test whether taking salsalate, an anti-inflammatory drug, can reduce blood glucose levels in people whose diabetes is not under control. The drug is commonly used to treat arthritis pain.

A smaller study, whose results have yet to be published, found that the drug, taken for just four weeks, lowered glucose levels by 10 to 20 percent, according to Dr. Steven E. Shoelson, associate director of research at Joslin and a leader of the new study. In addition, the drug lowered levels of fats, or lipids, in the blood by 40 to 50 percent, he said, and reduced inflammation significantly.

Certainly an intriguing possibility.