New Delhi, Jan 5 || Type 2 diabetes quietly changes the heart structure and how it produces energy, thus increasing the risk of heart failure, according to a study.
Researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia, studied donated human hearts and found that diabetes disrupts how heart cells produce energy, weakens the muscle’s structure, and triggers a buildup of stiff, fibrous tissue that makes it harder for the heart to pump.
These effects were most pronounced in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy-- the leading cause of heart failure.
The findings, published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine, can help explain why people living with diabetes face a much higher risk of developing heart failure.
"We've long seen a correlation between heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but this is the first research to jointly look at diabetes and ischemic heart disease and uncover a unique molecular profile in people with both conditions,” said Dr. Benjamin Hunter, from the School of Medical Sciences.