May 15, 2021 : Issue #1132

TOP STORIES — Diabetes News and Research

Treating Prediabetes Prevents Functional Decline

Antibiotic Treatment Increases Risk for Type 1 Diabetes

Using CGM Provides Less Staff Exposure To COVID-19

One of the first things I learned about diabetes came from our publisher, Steve Freed. He told me the best way to avoid diabetes is to live like you have diabetes.

I have likely shared this comment with thousands of patients over the years. It makes perfect sense, but is there really any science to back up the claim?

This week in our Laterpay feature, our FAMU PharmD candidate, Brenda Oppong, has information from Diabetes Care that proves me right.

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We can make a difference!

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Dave Joffe

Editor-in-chief

Older adults with prediabetes or diabetes experienced faster physical functional decline and disability progression.

Both prenatal and first year of life antibiotic exposure may increase the risk for developing type 1 diabetes in childhood.

Continuous glucose monitoring in ICU patients can provide unique benefits to both patients and frontline healthcare workers.

A study has found that people with symptoms of cardiovascular health issues, such as angina and heart palpitations, tend to drink less coffee, avoid coffee altogether, or drink decaf. The scientists used a genetic technique to show that these symptoms determine how much coffee people drink, rather than the other way round.

There is observational evidence that drinking moderate amounts of coffee can benefit cardiovascular health; and prospective studies, which follow people over time, have provided evidence that drinking coffee is safe for most people and is associated with lower mortality rates. However, this study suggests that some of the supposed health benefits of coffee for cardiovascular health may have been overblown. As a result of the caffeine that coffee contains, excessive consumption can cause unpleasant symptoms such as tachycardia (a fast resting heart rate) and palpitations. Drinking coffee can also lead to a moderate, temporary increase in blood pressure. So, it may come as a surprise that regular coffee drinkers either have normal or reduced blood pressure compared with people who do not drink coffee.

One explanation may be that coffee drinkers develop a physiological tolerance for the effects of caffeine. But this study suggests that people with a high genetic risk of cardiovascular disease unconsciously reduce how much they drink to avoid unpleasant cardiovascular symptoms. The research found that individuals with high blood pressure, angina, or arrhythmia drank less caffeinated coffee and were more likely to drink decaffeinated coffee.

Crucially, there was substantial evidence that their genetic vulnerability to cardiovascular disease led to their reduced consumption of coffee. This rules out the alternative explanation: that consuming less coffee made them more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease. In reality, people vulnerable to high blood pressure may avoid drinking coffee because, for them, caffeine is more likely to cause unpleasant symptoms.

Researchers at the University of South Australia in Adelaide conducted the study, which appears in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Diabetes in Control gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the following pharmacy doctoral candidates in the preparation of this week’s newsletters:

Tarshay Boyd, PharmD. Candidate, LECOM School of Pharmacy

Laura Martínez López, PharmD. Candidate 2021, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Pharmacy

Brenda Oppong, PharmD Candidate, LECOM School of Pharmacy 

Chardae Whitner PharmD Candidate L|E|C|O|M Bradenton School of Pharmacy

Your Friends in Diabetes Care
Steve and Dave

Diabetes In Control
www.diabetesincontrol.com