Antioxidants Decrease Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases in Young Female Diabetics

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Diabetic patients are at risk of developing different types of diseases including cardiovascular problems. This is especially true among those who have Type 1 diabetes. As a chronic condition, Type 1 diabetes has deleterious effects. Since the pancreas produces little to no insulin that forces the sugar to enter the cells to be used as a source of energy. Recent studies suggest that women who suffer from Type 1 diabetes have two or three times the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases compared to men with the same condition.

The Role Of Antioxidants

While antioxidants are among the most popular dietary ingredients for people who suffer from different types of diseases, new studies have found out that there is indeed a reason why they are considered as a magic bullet.

Antioxidants play an essential role in the well-being of female patients who have diabetes. Aside from acting as a free-radical sponge, its mechanism of action helps protect the vascular functions specifically among diabetic patients.

Associate professor Ryan Harris from Augusta University focused on the protective effects of antioxidants to the heart. As the lead researcher at Augusta’s Medical College, they looked into how antioxidants can affect the health of the heart especially among women who have Type 1 diabetes.

Estrogen And Diabetes Among Women

Estrogen plays a vital role in the onset of cardiovascular diseases among female Type 1 diabetic patients.  This particular sex hormone is also found to increase the levels of oxidative stress on the blood vessels–specifically its ability to dilate.

Harris noted that “when you have diabetes, estrogen turns into a bad guy as it constricts the blood vessels when you have too much of it.” So how can this be addressed?

The Study Design

The study involved 90 premenopausal women with Type 1 diabetes and 30 healthy premenopausal women at 45 years old.  The researchers gave some women with an antioxidant cocktail consisting of Vitamins C and E as well as alpha lipoic acid. The studies noted that women who were given the antioxidant cocktail have positive impacts not only women with Type 1 diabetes but as well as those who suffer from COPD.

Aside from the antioxidant cocktail, the researchers also used resveratrol and found out that it also decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases among women with Type 1 diabetes as it activates the protein Sirt1 thereby lowering the reactive oxygen produced by the endothelial cells along the blood vessels.

Aside from identifying the different antioxidants that can be potentially used to improve the well-being of diabetic patients, the researchers are looking into understanding the different pathways responsible for improving the cardiovascular health of patients who are at risk or suffering from diabetes. However, studies may take longer to finish but it does offer promising data and results.

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