Medical Bulletin 18/October/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Is Diabetes drug Mounjaro also effective for weight loss? Nature Medicine Study sheds light!

A recent double-blind, placebo-controlled trial has revealed that Tirzepatide, a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, led to a substantial additional weight reduction in individuals who had already achieved ≥5.0% weight loss through intensive lifestyle intervention.

The trial included 579 adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher (or 27 with obesity-related complications) who had managed to shed at least 5% of their initial weight after a 12-week intensive lifestyle intervention. These participants were then randomly assigned to receive tirzepatide or a placebo for 72 weeks.

Reference: Wadden, T.A., Chao, A.M., Machineni, S. et al. Tirzepatide after intensive lifestyle intervention in adults with overweight or obesity: the SURMOUNT-3 phase 3 trial. Nat Med (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02597-w

A cheap treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

A cheap and widely available prescription drug can improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in patients seen in GP surgeries, new research presented at UEG Week 2023 has found. Amitriptyline, which is commonly used at low doses for a range of health concerns, has been found to improve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms too, according to the results of the ATLANTIS trial

Led by researchers at the Universities of Leeds, Southampton, and Bristol, the study was conducted in primary care. Some 463 people with IBS took part from three regions across the UK - West Yorkshire, Wessex, and West of England. They were recruited from 55 general practices.

Reference: Amitriptyline at Low-Dose and Titrated for Irritable Bowel Syndrome as Second-Line Treatment in primary care (ATLANTIS): a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, phase 3 trial, The Lancet

Is fluctuating blood pressure a sign of future dementia and heart disease?

A new study by Australian researchers has shown that fluctuating blood pressure can increase the risk of dementia and vascular problems in older people. Short blood pressure (BP) fluctuations within 24 hours as well as over several days or weeks are linked with impaired cognition, say University of South Australia (UniSA) researchers who led the study. Higher systolic BP variations are also linked with stiffening of the arteries, associated with heart disease. The findings have been published in the journal Cerebral Circulation – Cognition and Behaviour.

To help explore the mechanisms that link BP fluctuations with dementia, UniSA researchers recruited 70 healthy older adults aged 60-80 years, with no signs of dementia or cognitive impairment. Their blood pressure was monitored, they completed a cognitive test, and their arterial stiffness in the brain and arteries was measured using transcranial doppler sonography and pulse wave analysis.

Reference: Cross-sectional associations between short and mid-term blood pressure variability, cognition, and vascular stiffness in older adults,Cerebral Circulation - Cognition and Behavior

DOI: 10.1016/j.cccb.2023.100181