New research from London has suggested that people suffering from early schizophrenia could be at an increased risk of developing diabetes.

The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry by researchers from King’s College London. Schizophrenia is already associated with a reduced life expectancy of up to 30 years, which is largely due to cardiovascular conditions like heart attacks and stroke—events linked with type 2 diabetes.

To get a better understanding of why schizophrenic patients tend to suffer from cardiovascular conditions, researchers investigated whether diabetes risk is already present in them when they begin to develop the disease, before they begin taking antipsychotics and develop poor lifestyle habits associated with poor mental health.

“The mortality gap between people with schizophrenia and the general population is growing, and there is a need for novel approaches to halt this trend,” said Toby Pillinger, MD, the lead author on the study and a clinical researcher at King’s College London. “Our study highlights the importance of considering physical health at the onset of schizophrenia, and calls for a more holistic approach to its management, combining physical and mental healthcare.”

The researchers gathered data from 16 studies, which included more than 700 patients with early schizophrenia, and an additional 614 people with no history of schizophrenia. By analyzing blood tests from the studies, they found that patients with schizophrenia had a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to the control group patients.

After adjusting for diet, exercise and ethnic background, researchers found that the schizophrenic patients generally had higher levels of fasting blood glucose, an indicator that they are at risk for diabetes. Additionally, they found that compared to the control group, patients with schizophrenia had higher levels of insulin and increased levels of insulin resistance.

“Our findings tell us that people with early schizophrenia have already started down the road to developing diabetes, even if they haven't been diagnosed with diabetes yet,” Pillinger said. “Given that some antipsychotic drugs may increase the risk of diabetes further, clinicians have a responsibility to select an appropriate antipsychotic at an appropriate dose. Our results also suggest that patients should be given better education regarding diet and physical exercise, monitoring and, where appropriate, early lifestyle changes and treatments to combat the risk of diabetes.”