What to read after Diabetes?

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing rapidly worldwide, implying increases in associated micro- and macrovascular complications. Vascular complications in the heart, brain, and peripheral arteries are more than twice as prevalent in patients with diabetes than in those without diabetes. Nearly 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes die from cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction or stroke. Prevention of vascular complications of diabetes is now an important public health priority worldwide. Statins and aspirin have been used widely to prevent or delay vascular complications in patients with diabetes, but residual risk remains. The development of drug-eluting stents has reduced the incidence of restenosis after coronary intervention, but restenosis of the intervened vessel is still a critical issue. Thus, studies have been focusing on finding new agents for improved treatment of macrovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes. Ginkgo biloba extracts have drawn attention in this context because of their antioxidant and anti-platelet properties, and thus their possible protective effects against atherosclerosis. There is substantial evidence supporting a protective role of Ginkgo biloba extracts against atherosclerosis in vitro and in rat models of this disease, however, there are limited data on this issue in humans. In this chapter, we discuss the pleiotropic anti-oxidative and anti-atherosclerotic actions of Ginkgo biloba extracts from a cardiometabolic perspective.