A recent study in America by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine has found that the effects of diabetes on the heart differ depending on the ethnicity of the patient. The results of the study, called the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis,) emerged when researchers focused on heart mass.
The aim of the study was to investigate why diabetics have an increased risk of heart failure, and to what extent atherosclerosis is involved. The study compared patients who had impaired fasting glucose with patients who had normal blood sugar levels. They measured the left ventricle of the heart, and found that an increased muscle mass led to the future possibility of heart failure.
The lead author of the study was reported as saying: “Every ethnic group seems to have a set of abnormalities related to diabetes. While we think those with diabetes from all ethnic groups are at increased risk for heart failure, perhaps there is a different mechanism in play in each of the ethnic groups.” His further conclusions included the fact that they “found evidence that in whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics with diabetes there was increased heart muscle mass over those without diabetes.” The incidence of heart failure was found to be similar between whites and African-Americans, yet lower amongst Hispanics and Asians who also had diabetes.

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