May 21, 2009 -- Treating type 2 diabetes patients with a cholesterol-lowering drug called fenofibrate cuts the risk of a first diabetes-related limb amputation by 36%, according to a new study published this week in The Lancet. "I would call that a substantial reduction in risk," says James Best, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne in Australia and a co-author of the study. The reduction in limb amputation risk is probably not directly related to the cholesterol-lowering effects of the drug, he tells WebMD, but rather to some of the other effects, such as improving the functioning of small blood vessels.

Amputation & Type 2 Diabetes: Background People with diabetes are more likely than people without the condition to have a foot or leg amputation, according to the American Diabetes Association. That's because people with diabetes are likely to have peripheral artery disease, reducing blood flow to the lower legs and feet, and to have nerve disease called diabetic neuropathy, boosting their risk of getting ulcers and infections that can result in a need for amputation.