Effect of acarbose on cardiovascular events and new-onset diabetes in patients with coronary heart disease and impaired glucose tolerance.

Many studies indicated postprandial hyperglycemia was closely related to the development of diabetes and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Acarbose was shown to delay the onset of diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance that was at low cardiovascular risk. The Acarbose Cardiovascular Evaluation (ACE) trial formally evaluated whether acarbose could reduce the frequency of cardiovascular events in patients with established coronary heart disease and impaired glucose tolerance, and whether the incidence of Type 2 diabetes could be reduced. The Acarbose Cardiovascular Evaluation trial represented that acarbose did not reduce the risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE), but the risk of new-onset diabetes by 18% for a median of 5.0 years follow-up.