The incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing rapidly and, with it, the requirement for insulin therapy in advanced disease. 1 Poor glycemic control, as measured by glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), has long been linked to mortality associated with diabetes 2 and improvement in control is associated with reduced complications.3 However, intensive therapy to achieve near-normal HbA1c levels in patients with type 2 diabetes has not been shown to reduce cardiovascular events 3,4 and is associated with a rise in all-cause mortality. 4 The link between diabetes and vascular disease is complex, but oxidative stress, mediated by increased prevalence of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS), is associated with type 2 diabetes and has been implicated both in its progression via β-cell dysfunction, and with macro-and microvascular diabetes complications. 5-7 There is a close relationship between plasma-borne markers of oxidative stress (eg, oxidized low density lipoprotein [ox-LDL]) and risk of coronary artery disease and stroke. 8,9 The origins of 570359D STXXX10.