Welcome back to our regular feature where we sift through thousands of new, health-related papers, and pick a few to summarize in a practical, simple, and not anxiety-inducing way.
Our main questions on each paper:
- In simple language, what does it say?
- Does it have good evidence?
- Should what it says matter to normal people?
- What simple thing, if anything, could a normal person do to take advantage of this finding?
Okay, away we go. And, as always, we rate each paper for practicality and level of interest, but we are mostly focused on finding ways to simplify findings. And more than anything else, we want to avoid over-optimization, so if a paper is telling you down to the minute how much sunlight to get at dawn, or that you should only drink coffee during eclipses, we are outta there.
This edition's articles and papers:
- Achievement of LDL-C <55 mg/dL among US Adults : Findings from the cvMOBIUS2 Registry - ScienceDirect https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002870324001650
- Is 70 the new 60? A longitudinal analysis of cohort trends in intrinsic capacity in England and China | Research Square https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-4271576/v1
- The effect of CO2 on the age dependence of neurovascular coupling | Journal of Applied Physiology https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.00695.2023?af=R
- Most Patients Stop Using Wegovy, Ozempic for Weight Loss Within Two Years, Analysis Finds https://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/most-patients-stop-using-wegovy-ozempic-weight-loss-within-2024a1000coc?src=rss
Paper: LDL-C and Cardiovascular Risk
Practicality (4/5): 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️
Interest (4/5): 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️
Summary
The study looks at how well patients in the U.S. with cardiovascular disease are achieving low levels of bad cholesterol, a key goal in preventing further heart problems. It finds that less than half of those monitored meet even the less strict guidelines, and fewer yet achieve the stricter European standards. There are notable gaps, especially among women and Black populations, in meeting these cholesterol targets.
What is the paper's main claim?
- Most patients with cardiovascular disease do not achieve recommended low levels of bad cholesterol.
- There are significant disparities among demographic groups in reaching cholesterol goals.
Are the methods and/or data it uses appropriate and convincing?
- The large sample size of over 167,000 patients adds weight to the findings, but nearly half had no cholesterol measurements, which introduces potential bias.
What do we know now that we didn't know before, if anything?
- There is a clear, documented shortfall in achieving LDL-C targets among U.S. patients with cardiovascular disease.
- The study highlights demographic disparities that may need policy or clinical intervention.
What simple and practical thing could a normal person do knowing this?
- People with cardiovascular disease should discuss their cholesterol levels and treatment goals with their healthcare providers, and follow the advice, especially if they are from groups identified as underachieving in the study.
Paper: Is 70 the New 60?
Practicality (5/5): 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️
Interest (5/5): 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️
Summary
Researchers compared the health of older adults today to previous generations by studying their cognitive, mobility, sensory, psychological, and vitality capacities. They found that recent generations enter old age with better health and experience a slower decline. The data came from English and Chinese aging studies.
What is the paper's main claim?
- Recent generations of older adults have better health and slower decline than previous ones.
- These improvements are noticeable across both English and Chinese populations.
Are the methods and/or data it uses appropriate and convincing?
- The study used long-term data from established aging studies in England and China, providing robust and reliable data.
- The effect size was large, showing significant improvements in health metrics over recent generations.
What do we know now that we didn't know before, if anything?
- We now understand that generational improvements in health exist globally, across diverse populations.
- There are measurable benefits in health outcomes for more recent generations as they age.
What simple and practical thing could a normal person do knowing this?
- Taking actions to enhance and maintain one's health throughout life can make a significant difference in the quality of old age.
- Age, while not just a number, is often less important than people make it.
Paper: CO2 Effects on Cognition
Practicality (2/5): 🏃♂️🏃♂️
Interest (3/5): 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️
Summary
The study explores how healthy aging affects brain blood flow in response to different levels of carbon dioxide during cognitive tasks. It finds that older adults display a stronger blood flow response under normal and high CO2 conditions compared to younger adults. Middle-aged adults show varied responses, resembling younger adults under high CO2 and older adults under low CO2.
What is the paper's main claim?
- Aging affects brain blood flow response during cognitive tasks under different CO2 levels.
- Older adults have a stronger blood flow response to cognitive tasks compared to younger adults when CO2 levels are high or normal.
Are the methods and/or data it uses appropriate and convincing?
- The study involved 78 participants aged between 18 and 78, which provides a reasonably diverse sample.
What do we know now that we didn't know before, if anything?
- The study provides new insights on how different age groups respond to cognitive tasks under varying CO2 conditions.
- It highlights an age-related enhancement in brain blood flow response to such stimuli.
What simple and practical thing could a normal person do knowing this?
- Recognize that increasing levels of environmental CO2 has insidious and unexpected effects on cognition.
Paper: Few Patients Continue Weight-Loss Drugs
Practicality (5/5): 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️
Interest (5/5): 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️
Summary
A Reuters report found that only about one in four U.S. patients continue using the weight-loss medications Wegovy or Ozempic after two years. This decline in usage has important implications for the cost-effectiveness and long-term benefits of these drugs.
What is the article's main claim?
- Only 24% of patients stick with Wegovy or Ozempic for two years.
- This drop in adherence affects debates on the financial viability of these drugs.
Are the methods and/or data it uses appropriate and convincing?
- The data covers pharmacy claims of 3,364 patients, but lacks details on why patients stopped using the drugs.
- While the sample size is adequate, the absence of reasons for discontinuation limits the conclusiveness of the findings.
What do we know now that we didn't know before, if anything?
- The study shows a clear trend of declining drug adherence over two years.
- This helps inform conversations on the effectiveness of these medications for weight loss.
What simple and practical thing could a normal person do knowing this?
- If prescribed such medications, individuals should discuss with their healthcare providers the long-term plan and potential challenges in adherence.
- Investors and others need to consider the low adherence when modeling long-term effects in obesity markets.
Back next week with thoughtful and simplifying takes on papers getting attention. And if you see anything you want us to look at, let us know.