IGPs are frequent in the everyday life of patients with type 2 diabetes, occur for most (95%) within 1 h after meal, timing of IGPs is not influenced by treatment (diet or drugs), and IGPs correlate with CIMT.

Rosiglitazone might be effective in reducing the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome.

OBJECTIVE -The aim of this study was to assess the effect of rosiglitazone on endothelial function and inflammatory markers in patients with the metabolic syndrome.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial. One hundred subjects (54 men and 46 women) with the metabolic syndrome, as defined by the Adult Treatment Panel III, were followed for 12 months after random assignment to rosiglitazone (4 mg/day) or placebo. Primary end points were flow-mediated dilation and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels; secondary end points were lipid and glucose parameters, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of insulin sensitivity, endothelial function score, and circulating levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-18, and adiponectin.RESULTS -Compared with 60 control subjects matched for age and sex, patients with the metabolic syndrome had decreased endothelial function, raised concentrations of inflammatory markers, and reduced insulin sensitivity. After 12 months, subjects with the metabolic syndrome receiving rosiglitazone showed improved flow-mediated vasodilation (4.2%, P Ͻ 0.001) and reduced hs-CRP levels (Ϫ0.7 mg/dl, P ϭ 0.04), compared with the placebo group. Moreover, HOMA (Ϫ0.8, P ϭ 0.01) and serum concentrations of IL-6 (Ϫ0.5 pg/ml, P ϭ 0.045) and IL-18 (Ϫ31 pg/ml, P ϭ 0.036) were significantly reduced in subjects receiving rosiglitazone, whereas adiponectin levels showed a significant increment (2.3 g/ml, P ϭ 0.02). High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels increased more and triglyceride levels decreased more in the rosiglitazone group compared with the placebo group. At 1 year of follow-up, 30 subjects receiving rosiglitazone still had features of the metabolic syndrome, compared with 45 subjects receiving placebo (P Ͻ 0.001).CONCLUSIONS -Rosiglitazone might be effective in reducing the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Care 29:1071-1076, 2006T he metabolic syndrome represents a cluster of several risk factors for atherosclerosis, including visceral obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension (1). Patients with the metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of future cardiovascular events (2,3). Recent data indicated that inflammation is strongly associated with the features of the metabolic syndrome (4 -7). The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was reduced by approximately one-half in patients after a 2-year diet intervention program (8), whereas the incidence of new cases of the metabolic syndrome in the participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program was reduced by 41% after intensive lifestyle intervention (9).Thiazolidinediones are a class of insulin-sensitizing agents currently used in the treatment of diabetic hyperglycemia (10). These compounds may have direct beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk independent of their hypoglycemic action (11). In particular, in patients with type 2 diabetes rosiglitazone has a positive impact on a number of nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors and markers of endothelial...

The role of dietary factors in erectile dysfunction (ED) has never been addressed. In the present case-control study, we investigated the relation of the Mediterranean diet with ED. A total of 100 men with ED were compared with 100 age-matched men without ED. A scale indicating the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet was constructed: the total Mediterranean diet score ranged from 0 (minimal adherence to the Mediterranean diet) to 9 (maximal adherence). The percentage of physical inactivity was greater in the ED group (35 vs 19%, P=0.04), whereas the diet score was lower (4.7+/-0.5 vs 5.4+/-0.5, P<0.01), indicating a reduced adherence to the Mediterranean diet. In analyses adjusted for the prevalence of associated risk factors (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia), body mass index, waist, physical inactivity and total energy intake, the intake of fruits and nuts, and the ratio of monounsaturated lipids to saturated lipids remained the only individual measures associated with ED. In conclusion, the results of the present study show that dietary factors may be important in the development of ED: adoption of healthy diets would hopefully help preventing ED.