April 6, 2019 : Issue #984

DICInsight — Exclusive Commentary on Breaking News and Research

Metformin For People Who Do Not Have Diabetes?
Featuring insights from Dr. Stuart Weiss, Dr. Viswanathan Mohan, Dr. Stanley Schwartz

TOP STORIES — Diabetes News and Research

Meds That Impact Your Exercise As A Person With Diabetes
By Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, FACSM

Eighteen Years After the DPP (Diabetes Prevention Trials)

Best Interventions to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

This week two of our most favored medical professionals chime in on the effects of using medications. Our exercise guru Dr. Sheri Colberg has an interesting feature on how non-diabetes medication can affect exercise and diabetes, and our Medical Editor Joy Pape shares information on the idea of giving Metformin to patients without diabetes. 

We knew that this would generate some controversy, so Joy reached out to some of the top opinion leaders in the diabetes arena to get their feedback. I am going to venture a guess that a few of the comments will surprise you. 

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

We can make a difference!

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

Dave Joffe

Editor-in-chief

We asked the DIC advisory board to comment on the use of metformin in patients who do not have diabetes:

Your patients may have asked about it or, if not yet, they most likely will. What is your comment on whether you recommend metformin for people who do not have diabetes? If you do not, how do you respond to patients who ask about it? If you do, what do you tell your patients? And what do you say to your patients when their other health care providers tell them this is a diabetes drug and they should only be taking it if they have diabetes?

Here’s how they responded.

By Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, FACSM
If you take any other medications to help lower your blood cholesterol, manage your blood pressure, or control other health problems, be aware that some of them can potentially impact your ability to be physically active. Although most drugs do not affect exercise, several common nondiabetes medications with such potential effects are statins, beta-blockers, diuretics, vasodilators, and blood thinners.

What are the long-term effects of metformin on diabetes prevention?

Metformin and physical activity best prophylactic interventions for prevention.

Sometimes the results of a study go against current beliefs, but we need to understand why. The results of a current published study in the Journal Diabetologia go against what we thought made sense: that more alcohol is better than no or less alcohol. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prospective association between baseline and 9-year change in alcohol consumption and long-term risk of diabetes and whether these associations might be modified by sex and/or BMI. In this secondary analysis of data from the ARIC study (N = 12,042), these authors aimed to determine whether associations between alcohol consumption and risk for type 2 diabetes differ by gender or BMI in a community-based population with long-term (21-year) follow-up for incident diabetes. Among the 3,795 incident cases of diabetes, women consuming 8 to 14 drinks per week had a significantly lower risk of diabetes compared with current drinkers consuming one or no drink per week. This effect was similar among men. This reduction in diabetes risk was most pronounced in men and women who were overweight or obese. From the results of the study, there was an inverse association between alcohol consumption and diabetes risk. The amount of the alcohol consumption associated with lower risk was different in women and men, and the association was more pronounced among participants with higher BMI. Determining the pathophysiology behind this risk reduction is important in order to determine the relevance of alcohol intake guidelines. Diabetologia

Quote of the Week!

“Try to look at your weakness and convert it into your strength. That’s success.”

…Zig Ziglar

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

Ghazal Blair, Pharm.D. Candidate 2019, LECOM School of Pharmacy

Your Friends in Diabetes Care
Steve, Dave, and Joy
Diabetes In Control
810 Bear Tavern Road Suite 102
Ewing, NJ, 08628
USA
www.diabetesincontrol.com