Sodium-glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors: Impact on Body Weight and Blood Pressure Compared with other Antidiabetic Drugs.

BACKGROUND

Sodium-glucose co-transporters 2 inhibitors have emerged as a novel antidiabetic class of drugs offering significant ameliorating effects on a variety of cardiovascular risk factors, secondary to their mechanism of action, including blood pressure and body weight.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this article is to discuss available data on the impact of SGLT-2 inhibitors on blood pressure and body weight compared with other available anti-diabetic drugs and to present potential mechanisms mediating these effects.

METHODS

A comprehensive review of the literature was performed to identify studies examining the effects of SGLT-2 inhibitors on blood pressure and body weight.

RESULTS

SGLT-2 inhibition has been related with a mild decrease in blood pressure of approximately 3-5mmHg in systolic and 1-2mmHg in diastolic blood pressure. These data have been confirmed with 24h ambulatory measurements, as well. Furthermore, given the loss of calories in the urine, a mild decrease in body weight is anticipated, as well. Studies with this class of drugs noted a reduction in body weight of 2 to 3 kg, similar to the loss noted with the use of glucagon-like peptide 1 analogues, the only class of drugs that has offered significant reductions in body weight so far. Consclusion: The beneficial effects of the SGLT-2 inhibition on an abundance of cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure and body weight, have created great expectations for potential benefits from the cardiovascular events standpoint, a theory that was confirmed in the two available cardiovascular studies of this promising class of drugs.