Gout drug could lower risk of type 2 diabetes

A gOUT drug might reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes provoked by metabolic syndrome — a combination of high body fat, blood pressure and blood sugar.

In a study at the National Institutes of Health in the U. S., participants were given anti- inflammatory gout drug colchicine twice a day for three months, or a placebo. The colchicine group had lower inflammation and improved insulin resistance (how well insulin works in the body to clear sugar from the blood).

Inflammation caused by obesity plays a role in type 2 diabetes. Writing in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, the authors called for more studies on colchicine as a preventative measure.