Low dose aspirin associated with a 15% lower risk of developing diabetes in elderly

New research to be presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Hamburg, Germany shows that use of low dose (100mg daily) aspirin among older adults aged 65 years and older is associated with a 15% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The authors say the results show that anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin warrant further study in the prevention of diabetes.

This study investigated the randomised treatment effect of low-dose aspirin on incident diabetes and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels among older adults. The authors did a follow-up study of the ASPREE trial - a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of aspirin, the principal results of which were published in NEJM in 2018. The original study showed that aspirin conferred a 38% increased risk of major hemorrhage in older adults without any reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

The study enrolled community-dwelling individuals aged 65 years or over, and free of cardiovascular disease, independence-limiting physical disability, and dementia. Participants were randomized 1:1 to 100 mg daily aspirin or placebo.

Compared with placebo, the aspirin group had a 15% reduction in incident diabetes and a slower rate of increase in FPG (difference in annual FPG change: -0.006 mmol/L).

Reference: Diabetologia

Meeting: Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)