Benfotiamine and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The number of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been increasing worldwide [1]. The majority of patients with long-term course of diabetes mellitus (DM) (mainly T2DM) are diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases. Conditionally, there are two main forms of heart disease in case of DM: diabetic cardiomyopathy and ischemic heart disease (IHD). There is a metabolic stage (actual cardiomyopathy); metabolic-ischemic stage-IHD; myocardial infarction (MI); dystrophic coronary cardiosclerosis; cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) [2]. Pathogenetic treatment includes: balanced diet and physical activity; reducing insulin resistance; optimization of glycaemic control; treatment of hyperlipidaemia; correction of metabolic abnormalities in myocardium; prevention and treatment of thrombosis; antioxidants, first of all α-lipoic acid (ALA); use of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; vasodilators; fat-soluble vitamin B1 (benfotiamine); treatment of concomitant diseases and syndromes (hypertension, heart failure and arrhythmias) and others [3,4]. The aim of this mini-review was to analyze the latest evidence about the effects of benfotiamine (BFT) (a lipid-soluble thiamine derivative with higher bioavailability than thiamine) on some metabolic and functional parameters in T2DM patients with diabetic angio-, neuropathies.