Katharina Buczek
New research conducted by Australian scientists suggests that anti-inflammatory drugs– specifically aspirin– may help prevent diabetes.
The researchers made it clear that there is still abundant evidence that all patients should use caution and take aspirin in moderation.
However, the team’s latest study discovered that taking low-dose aspirin– 100mg daily– is linked to older adults above the age of 65 having a 15% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
The researchers hoped to better understand the effect of low-dose aspirin on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and incident diabetes among people over 65. This inquiry was a follow-up study to the ASPREE trial, which was a placebo-controlled, double-blind aspirin trial conducted in 2018.
The former study discovered that, among adult adults, aspirin resulted in a 38% increased risk of major hemorrhage. There was no change in cardiovascular disease incidence.
This latest research involved 16,209 individuals over the age of 65 who did not have cardiovascular disease, any physical disabilities that limited independence, or dementia.
The researchers randomly split the participants into two different groups– with one group taking 100mg of aspirin daily, while the other group was placed on a placebo plan.
Afterward, a statistical model analyzed the impact that aspirin had on both FPG levels and incident diabetes– which was defined by the team as self-reported diabetes, an FPG level of 7.0 mmol/L, or the use of glucose-lowering medication.
Over the course of the nearly five-year study, there were 995 cases of incident diabetes recorded. Compared to the placebo group, the group of individuals taking low-dose aspirin had a slower FPG increase rate and a 15% reduction in incident diabetes.
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