Increased arterial stiffness flags a risk for developing type 2 diabetes regardless of blood pressure if other risk factors are present, researchers have found in a large cohort study. 

In addition, the combination of stiffer arteries and hypertension is associated with a more than twofold increased risk of diabetes compared with people who have ideal vascular function, the Chinese researchers say.

The study, involving 11,000 people followed for six years, was designed to establish the usefulness of arterial stiffness compared with hypertension — defined as ≥140/90mmHg — in predicting diabetes.

Among the cohort, drawn from participants in an ongoing longitudinal study of adults aged 18-98 in the Chinese city of Tangshan, some 7% developed type 2 diabetes over the study period.