Do you have hyperactive platelets?

A researcher at the University of Newcastle is looking for patients with type-2 diabetes who are currently not taking anti-platelet medication for a new study involving tomato juice and fish oil!

Sherri Lazarus from the Faculty of Health is investigating the effects of diet and food components on cardiovascular health in particular on people with type-2 diabetes, as they are known to have hyperactive platelets.

The metabolic abnormalities associated with type-2 diabetes include glucose intolerance, hypertension (high blood pressure) and dislipidaemia (high cholesterol and high triglycerides). These alter the function of blood vessels and as a result, patients with type-2 diabetes are predisposed to develop cardiovascular disease.

Platelets are the parts of blood responsible for the preservation of healthy blood vessels and the clotting of blood after injury to stop bleeding. When the health of blood vessels is impaired, as in the case of diabetes, platelets are recruited and stick to the lining of the vessel wall.

The continual build up of platelets (and other factors in the blood) over time can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease, which can lead to angina (chest pain) or heart attacks.

"Studies have shown that pharmacological anti-platelet treatments can decrease death rates and incidence of heart attacks in patients with type-2 diabetes. The most well-known anti-platelet therapy is aspirin. Dietary strategies have been developed to address known cardiovascular risk factors, however, currently there is no dietary strategy aimed at reducing high platelet activity," said Sherri.

"This study aims to determine whether dietary supplementation with tomato juice and/or fish oil can decrease platelet activity in type 2 diabetes patients who are currently not taking anti-platelet therapy as part of their medical treatment."

Interested participants should contact Sherrie on (02) 4921 5644 or 0419 633 767.

Item provided courtesy of The University of Newcastle