Table 1.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria	Exclusion criteria
Patients aged ≥35 years	Use of NPH or regular insulin, pioglitazone, GLP-1 receptor agonist, DPP-4 inhibitor or acarbose
History of DM and mild hypertension (blood pressure <160/100 mmHg) no longer than 15 years	Intolerance to metformin
Body mass index <35 kg/m2	Use of three or more anti-hypertensive drugs, which characterizes resistant hypertension
Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) between 7.0 and 10.5 %	Smoking within the previous 6 months
	Pregnancy or breastfeeding
	Creatinine clearance <45 mL/min (MDRD)
	Serum alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase level of more than three times the upper limit of the normal range
	Subjects with ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, other atherosclerotic disease, cancer, or heart failure in functional classes II, III and IV
	Treadmill stress test with typical chest pain or with ST segment depression ≥1 mm, or with a horizontal or descending trace on the electrocardiogram for a duration of 0.08 s after the J point
	Presence of coronary heart disease diagnosed by treadmill stress test, myocardial scintigraphy or coronary angiography
	Inability to give informed consent