Night-time blood pressure: a role in the prediction and prevention of diabetes?

This commentary discusses and reviews the implications of two studies published in this issue of Diabetologia by Hermida et al (DOIs: 10.1007/s00125-015-3748-8 and 10.1007/s00125-015-3749-7 ) suggesting that high nocturnal blood pressure could have a role in the prediction of diabetes and act as a therapeutic target to prevent diabetes. This overview addresses the clinical implications of this work and new research that is likely to advance this field. It also provides a framework for interpreting claims of causality from observational studies and clinical trials.