健康英语新闻:Actos prevents diabetes in high-risk people

BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhuanet) -- A new study has found that Actos, a medicine treats onset diabetes, could also reduce the diabetes risk in people with prediabetes.

The study, which was published Wednesday in New England Journal of Medicine, followed 602 prediabetics whose obesity, ethnicity, family history and other factors put them at high risk of developing diabetes.

The research findings showed that Actos, generically known as pioglitazone, reduced the odds of developing Type 2 diabetes by 72 percent in people with prediabetes.

Only 2.1 percent of those who took Actos developed diabetes each year over the three years of the study, compared with 7.6 percent of those who took a placebo.

Lead author of the study Ralph DeFronzo said, "The 72 percent reduction is the largest decrease in the conversion rate of pre-diabetes to (Type 2) diabetes that has ever been demonstrated by any intervention, be it diet, exercise or medication."

However, Actos can have significant side effects, including water retention, moderate weight gain, and increased risk of bone fractures.