Beta Blockers and Risk of Diabetes

[Bruce42]

I had my annual physical yesterday, and my GP mentioned something I hadn't heard before. She said that in studies of hypertensive patients, they had found that being on beta blockers for a long time was associated with elevated risk of diabetes. When I asked what "long time" meant, she said decades. I thought, well, that's us, or most of us, anyway.

Has anyone else heard of this? She didn't direct me to specific studies, but said it's out there in the literature. I'm not sure how large the elevated risk is.

It's not as though we have a choice about our beta blockers, of course. I guess this is one more reason to try harder on the weight loss/fitness front, to try to get out of the diabetes risk category if we can.

[LindaSo]

Bruce,
I haven't heard this before. Perhaps there is someone out there that is knowledgable regarding this.
L

[mtlieb]

This has actually been well-documented now and I had at one time posted several relevant studies pertaining to this issue. If I can relocate the links I will post them again but a google search should turn up some good info as well. Here's a quickie that I found just now regarding atenolol and metoprolol:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1836369

In a nutshell, beta-blockers can intitiate insulin resistance and in turn type II diabetes. They can increase blood glucose levels and triglycerides, promote central adiposity, and lower hdl (good) cholesterol levels. The NHS in Britain no longer recommends beta-blocker therapy as a first-line treatment for hypertension due to the increase in diabetes cases attributed to their use. My doctor has told me that this is starting to be the case here in the U.S. as well.

I suppose the bottom line though, is that beta-blockers are a necessary part of HCM management for most of us, and the benefits do still outweight the risks.

[gfox42]

I think Jim pretty much said it. Yes, this is pretty well established.

It's a consequence of a basic principle of biology: everything has unintended consequences. Nobody can ever make a drug that only does what we'd like it to do -- after all, our bodies don't do that!

That said, I think Jim's right: on balance, most of us still benefit a lot from beta blockers, even in the long term.

I don't know how much more likely diabetes becomes -- that can be an important question! I suspect that makes proper exercise and diet more important for us.

Gordon

[Bruce42]

Thank you very much, Jim. This confirms it--more treadmill time, starting first thing in the morning.

The good news for me (which probably belongs on the "diet and exercise" thread) is that my poker club recently conducted a "biggest loser" weight challenge, and I came in second--I've lost 17 lbs since the end of March. That should move me a little in the right direction. Sadly, I've put back 3 or 4 since the challenge ended--this will motivate me to get back on the downward track.

BTW, your signature line is great. :)

[shirleymahoney]

Well I'm now a diabetic, but I just thought that that goes along with heart problems in general after a time, my dad was on beta blockers also and was a diabetic also, but my husband has been on beta blockers for ab out 15 years and he is fine. I guess everyone is unique in their own way.

Shirley

[Theresia]

Diabetes has to do with insuline. Insuline is a hormone wich the body produce when processing carbohydrates. Insuline is also the most fat storing hormone we have in our bodies.

In the beginning of the last century a high fat low carb diet was common treatment for diabetic patients, but later that knowledge was "forgotten".

It is also proven that the first study (by Ancel Keys) that showed saturated fat to be dangerous was a scientific fraud.

In Sweden there is a famous doctor (Annika Dahlqvist) who sort of invented this diet. She was very over weight and tried to loose weight with a low fat low calorie diet. She wouldn't succed. Eventually she did the opposite. She ate high fat low carb and she lost all her over weight and saw several positive effects in her health. She started to advice her patients to do the same.. with many positive effects! But her advice was not approved by the national guidelines so she acctually was almost condemned as a criminal in court. But she eventually got the right on her side and today her diet is approved by the state as a treatment method for people with over weight and diabetes.

I have heard so many positive stories from people who have diabetes, over weight and other problems who get helped from this diet.

And what is most natural? Meat and butter, or corn oil and cookies? What did people eat a 1000 or 7000 years ago? Corn contains 0.4% fat? It takes very hard methods to get to that fat. But butter doesn't need any unnatural methods.

The basic rule is to eat natural fats and vegetables, not so much fruit. You can eat food that contains less than 5% carbohydrates.

Here is a good article about this in english:
http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/10786A.htm

Wish you the best! :)

[Pam Alexson]

When I was fianally diagnosed @ age 45 the endo felt that I must have had it way back in my 20's.. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome and that goes w/ it often. I started BB in my 30's for hypertension was diagnosed w/ HCM Obstructed at 47.
Had gastric bypass at age 53 have been normal for diabetes and no meds since. That is one favor that surgery did for me and continues to work. My AIc( glycemic index) last was 5.4 ..it used to be as high as 8.9. I used to be very symptomatic.. I eat low carbs, any more then low makes me sick and I will vomit.

[mtlieb]

Bruce,

Here's an article regarding beta-blockers, weight gain, and metabolic side-effects that you might find interesting. The list of references cited may provide some good additional reading for you as well. Of particular interest to me is the reduction in basal metabolic rate, total calorie expenditure, and thermogenic response to food observed with beta-blocker therapy.

http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/37/2/250

Since HCM'ers often exceed the standard dosage of beta-blockers prescribed for hypertension, the effects for us may be even more severe than are shown in the various studies. In one study, 25mg of atenolol given twice daily produced negative metabolic effects. I've taken up to 5 times that amount during the course of my treatment, and there are others here who take even more.

I think we all agree though we just have to do the best we can to mitigate the damage. As Theresia mentioned above, a low-carbohydrate diet may be the way to go and I see it often recommended by folks on the board here.

Jim

[mtlieb]

Has anyone noticed their body temperature running cooler since starting beta-blocker therapy? My temperature lately consistently runs two degrees lower than normal and at my doctor's office yesterday it was 96.4. In the past it had always been right on the money or if anything, a degree or two high. My labs (including thyroid) are all fine. After pondering this thread a bit it suddenly occured to me that my low temperature may simply be a sign of reduced metabolic rate from beta-blocker therapy.

[gfox42]

Maybe. I'm certainly more often cold than I used to be.

Gordon

[shirleymahoney]

Well I wish I could say that I get cold, I just talked to my doctor about this today, I sweat just filling out paper work like this morning at his office, I had an elderly man ask me if I was ok because he was cold and he thought I was having chest pain because of the sweating, I felt so bad.

Shirley

[Pam Alexson]

Shirley you probably sweat a lot due to the effort involved in the task with your stiff heart .. BUT are you actually feeling hot at those times because I sweat and I am cold .. people always ask me if I am hot because I look kind of red/ pink when I am exerting myself or talking too much and sweat BUT not USUALLY feeling hot.

[shirleymahoney]

yeah because you can touch my skin and it is cold, it feels awful to feel your skin and it feels cold but you are wringing wet from sweat, I have cut my hair short because of my hair getting soooo wet. If I were to get chills then there is something wrong with me.

Shirley

[Pam Alexson]

Same scenario for me and I also cut my hair very short for same reason.

Pam

[Bruce42]

Thanks very much for the reading material, Jim! This will be very helpful.