Heart-warming news
A diabetes drug appears to protect against thickening of artery walls, a precursor to many heart attacks, as well as significantly boost levels of so-called good cholesterol, according to a US study of more than 460 adults. 'It had a dramatic effect on [high-density lipoprotein] cholesterol levels, which is very hard to get,' says team leader Theodore Mazzone, of the University of Illinois at Chicago. The study was paid for by the Japanese drug-maker, Reuters reports. More than 20 million people in the US have diabetes, which puts them at greater risk of atherosclerosis, or artery hardening.