July 31, 2021 : Issue #1154

TOP STORIES — Diabetes News and Research

Does Cycling Increase The Lifespan Of People Living With Type 2 Diabetes?

Can a Low-Carb Diet Reverse T2D?

Mental Health and COVID-19

I am guessing that all of you who looked at the list of articles knew which one I would comment on this week.

It has been 11 years since I first started cycling, and during that time I have had 6 road bikes and ridden over 63,000 miles. Friday was a good day, as I got in 27 miles and won the final sprint with a speed of 28.9 mph and a heart rate of 176 bpm.

There is no doubt that cycling has had a positive health effect on me and others over the years, and has probably extended our lives and quality of life. At 68, I feel good about what I can do, and on that Friday ride there were 11 other cyclists that were older than me.

Now our intern Ashley Ball, LECOM PharmD Candidate, has found new research on how cycling of any kind can extend your quality of life and longevity, even if you can only go a few miles at a slow speed.

Check out her Laterpay article to see what you and your patients can do to benefit from the research.

*****************************

We can make a difference!

*****************************

Dave Joffe

Editor-in-chief

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first interchangeable insulin, Semglee (Mylan Pharmaceuticals), which can be substituted for glargine (Lantus, Sanofi) at the pharmacy without the need for a separate prescription. The approval will allow Semglee to function as a generic drug in the market and reduce insulin costs. Cash Price on GoodRx of Lantus is 448/5 pens, Basaglar is 330/5, and Semglee is 150/5.

Recently completed research examines the effect of consistent cycling on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

Investigating whether a low-carb diet can lead to diabetes remission.

Physical activity is linked to mental health; how has the pandemic affected exercise options and mental well-being?

Millions of US adults aged 70 years and over previously were advised to take aspirin for primary prevention. It is now recommended for routine continued use — particularly those with diabetes at low risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) — say the authors of a new study investigating trends in medication use.

The cross-sectional study looked at aspirin use for primary and secondary prevention of CVD in older adults (≥ 60 years). Primary prevention is the critical concern in this age group for whom harms, mainly bleeding, might outweigh benefits. Older people with diabetes were found to be twice as likely to use aspirin for primary prevention as those without diabetes.

The authors at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine suggest “that older adult may have potential overuse of aspirin therapy if it is not actively discontinued, especially among those with diabetes,” in their article published online June 21 in JAMA Network Open. An accompanying editorial points out that the study shows “a large percentage of individuals 70 years and older take daily aspirin in the absence of known CVD.”

The study found that more than 20% of individuals with low cardiovascular risk use daily aspirin. And this increased to over 50% in those people over 80 years. This rate of aspirin use is poorly justified by current evidence and would seem likely to be causing more harm than good. The results of the ASCEND study published in the New England Journal of Medicine also showed similar results.

Revised guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) in 2021 recommend consideration of aspirin use for primary prevention in individuals with diabetes who have an increased CVD risk, without increased risk of bleeding, but generally not in those aged 70 years and older.

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

Torré Anderson, II, Fourth Year Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate, Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health

Ashley Ball, PharmD Candidate, LECOM-School of Pharmacy

Macrina Ghali, PharmD Candidate 2021, Florida A&M University, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Oluwatayo Ishola, PharmD. Candidate, South College, School of Pharmacy

Shalonda Kimble, PharmD Candidate, South College School of Pharmacy

Alan Martinez, PharmD Candidate, University of South Florida Taneja College of Pharmacy 

Brenda Oppong, PharmD Candidate, LECOM School of Pharmacy 

Your Friends in Diabetes Care
Steve and Dave

Diabetes In Control
www.diabetesincontrol.com