[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/sharma_arya.jpg” caption=”Arya Sharma”]A study by McMaster obesity expert Arya Sharma that looks at a
potential drug treatment will help doctors better understand how being overweight causes diabetes and how it may be prevented.

Sharma is studying whether the drug telmisartan, commonly used for treating high blood pressure, in combination with a low-glycemic diet can reduce muscle fat in patients who are at increased risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Recent studies show that increased fat stored in muscle can reduce the response to insulin or cause insulin resistance that can lead to increased blood sugar levels or diabetes.

“Previous studies show that patients with high blood pressure, when treated with this type of drug, get diabetes less often and we think that this may be due to an effect on muscle fat,” said Sharma, Canada Research Chair for Cardiovascular Obesity Research and Management at McMaster University, and internist at Hamilton Health Sciences.

“If true, this type of drug, which is already available, may offer a new treatment for the prevention of diabetes, a disease that affects 60,000 new patients each year in Canada.”

Patients involved in the eight-month study will be asked to take the drug or a placebo, change to a lower fat food plan and change consumption of certain carbohydrates. The effect of the medication and the food plan on muscle fat will be measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy, an advanced imaging system that uses a powerful magnetic field and radio waves to analyze muscle
composition. Study participants will receive 10 nutrition counseling
sessions and undergo a number of tests to assess their health.

Participants who can take part in the study must be overweight and have either high blood pressure, high blood sugar or high cholesterol levels.

For more information about being a study participant, call the
automated 24-hour screening number at 905-527-7748 or Sue during office hours, 905-527-4322 ext. 44710.