You don’t have to put out the red light, but it might actually help your blood sugar

It might be the oddest bit of diabetes news you hear this week: “Shining a specific frequency of red light on a person’s back for 15 minutes can significantly reduce blood sugar levels.”

You read that right. And it comes from actual researchers (neurobiologists) publishing in a legit journal (the Journal of Biophotonics) from a real place (the UK).

“Explain how!” I hear you say.

It’s all about the mitochondria^*, which are affected by red light. Specifically, light in the 650-900 nm range (i.e., red through near-infrared) increases the amount of ATP the mitochondria produce “which reduces blood glucose and also improves health/lifespan in animals.”

That in mind, the Brits did a small study (30 people), shining 670 nm red light onto some and no light on others.

People who received red light exposure 45 minutes prior to drinking glucose exhibited a reduced peak blood glucose level and reduced total blood glucose during the two hours.

The interesting side note is that in the modern world with its blue light everywhere, people’s ATP production might be skewed — “the authors suggest that this may be a potential public health issue.”

^* Obligatory “the powerhouse of the cell.”

Time is running out!

Apply or nominate someone to the 2024–25 GPhA Board of Directors — the deadline is Wednesday, March 6!

You have a week to step up! Apply to join the board members and help set the direction for GPhA’s advocacy efforts, choose the issues to focus on, and create the association’s agenda. It’s a chance to make a difference to the entire pharmacy profession in Georgia.

Click here to read more about qualifications, responsibilities, and the process — then apply or nominate someone quickly!

Speeding sperm

No man wants to think his sperm are slow, but sometimes you have to confront reality: Sluggish sperm accounts for almost a third of couples’ infertility. Aussie researchers, though, think they’ve found a way to stomp on the metaphorical accelerator.

The trick? Ultrasound. High-frequency ultrasound waves, it seems, make sperm more motile.

20 seconds of ultrasound at 800 mW and 40 MHz increased measures of sperm motility by up to 266% and reduced the proportion of inactive or ‘nonprogressive’ sperm from 36% to just 10%.

[…]

“Ultrasound not only increased the swimming velocity of sperm but also promoted almost two-thirds of lower-grade sperm to a higher motility grade.”

Teens and meds

Weight loss drugs

There’s a surge of kids — teens and pre-teens — turning to the new crop of weight loss drugs. They’re dealing with the damaging effects of obesity, both physically and psychologically, and now there’s an easy(ish) treatment.

Getting kids on semaglutide, tirzepatide, or their kin has the blessing of the American Academy of Pediatrics (which still suggests starting with lifestyle changes). The AAP is primarily concerned with the health issues of obesity, and understands that genetics can play a major role. There’s been some pushback, though — mostly concerns about unknowns (will they affect growth?) and cost.

Note the transformation that occurs with a combination of GLP-1 drugs, better lighting, a clean background, a touch of makeup, clothes that fit, losing braces, and a new hairstyle.

Antidepressants

During the pandemic, girls and young women went all in on antidepressants. A new study out of the University of Michigan looked at data covering the vast majority of US prescriptions and found that…

While a growing number of young people ages 12 to 25 were receiving antidepressants before the pandemic, the antidepressant dispensing rate rose nearly 64% faster after March 2020.

And yes, it was the girls. For boys and young men the antidepressant dispensing rate “changed little” and even declined among younger boys. Why? The researchers don’t know, but they speculate that boys may have skipped more doctor’s visits during the pandemic, so they just weren’t diagnosed with depression as often.

Respiratory virus update

Covid-19 and RSV cases continues to drop, but flu just won’t go away; outpatient visits held steady nationwide. (Georgia was one of the states that saw a small decline, though.)

The next next GLP-1 drug

This one comes from Viking Therapeutics, and looks to be a biggie. Unlike others, “VK2735” is a dual agonist against both GLP-1 and GIP that also sports a longer half-life than current GLP-1 drugs.

Test results show that VK2735 helped people lose up to 14.7% of their weight after just 13 weeks, which is a lot faster than semaglutide — after 13 weeks those patients hadn’t lost even 10%. (And “Viking believes further weight loss is possible beyond Week 13.”)

The data come from a phase-2 trial, so there’s still a bit of work to do before this gets out into the public.

The Long Read: GLP-1 Coverage edition

Which insurers will cover semaglutide and tirzepatide for weight loss is still shaking out. At last check (in October 2023) only about 27% covered them, “But 13% of plan sponsors indicated they were considering coverage for weight loss.” The devil is in the details of cost, premiums, and making plans attractive. Read the details from CNBC.