In 2007, twelve studies which included almost 95,000 patents were analyzed to determine if beta blockers as a first-line therapy for hypertension played a role in new-onset diabetes mellitus (often referred to as simply diabetes).

The study’s findings were staggering. Not only did they find that beta blocker therapy increased risk the risk for new-onset diabetes by 22% compared with nondiuretic antihypertensive agents, but the researchers also concluded that beta blockers are associated with a 15% increased risk for stroke and that there was no benefit for the end point of death or myocardial infarction!

The researchers also pointed out that the risk for new-onset diabetes mellitus increased with a higher body mass index, Atenolol (trade name Tenormin), in the elderly and when the beta blockers were not as effective in reducing blood pressure. The risk also “increased exponentially with increased duration on beta blockers”.

The study, titled “A meta-analysis of 94,492 patients with hypertension treated with beta blockers to determine the risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus” was in the October 15, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology and can be found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17920367. The study’s authors included Bangalore S, Parkar S, Grossman E, and Messerli FH. It was supported by the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.