A study in Cardiovascular Diabetology found that lower baseline LDL cholesterol levels are associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, independent of statin use. An analysis of data for 13,674 participants without diabetes or cardiovascular disease found those those in the lowest LDL cholesterol group had the highest risk of incident diabetes over a median follow-up of nearly 6 years. 

Limits: Researchers cautioned that the study did not elucidate potential mechanisms or include genetic analysis or data about lifestyle factors.

Dr. Ralph DeFronzo, co-author of a paper in Diabetes Care, discusses the use of oral glucose tolerance tests to help detect pre-prediabetes, or the risk of developing prediabetes. "We're not recommending that you do this in every single person in the world," DeFronzo said. "We're recommending that you do this in high-risk individuals."

A series of papers in The Lancet highlights the global rise in consumption of ultraprocessed foods as a significant public health threat, linking these foods to chronic health conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Researchers call for policy reforms to address the production, marketing and consumption of ultraprocessed foods and to improve access to healthful foods.

Dr. Liana K. Billings, lead author of a Phase 2 trial in The Lancet that found that weekly injections of eloralintide led to weight reductions of 9% to 20% over 48 weeks, said the amylin receptor agonist regulate appetite, slows gastric emptying and aids the metabolism. "The next steps involve launching Phase 3 clinical trials, which will study eloralintide in a much larger and more diverse group of participants to further examine eloralintide's effectiveness and long-term safety," Billings said.

A 31-woman study in the journal Science Translational Medicine questions the effectiveness of time-restricted eating, a form of intermittent fasting, in improving metabolic or cardiovascular health without reducing caloric intake. The study found that while time-restricted eating affected circadian rhythms, it did not enhance insulin sensitivity or other cardiometabolic health markers.

Interactive digital whiteboards that integrate with EHRs are giving patients and health care professionals at Reid Health real-time updates, discharge instructions, medication information and entertainment options, says Misti Foust-Cofield, vice president and chief nursing officer at Reid Health, which added about 250 digital whiteboards last year. Clinicians can pull up lab results to discuss with patients and speak or type notes for automatic integration into the EHR. Brigham and Women's Hospital surveyed patients with and without whiteboards in their rooms and found that those who had them felt more informed and better prepared. Geisinger Health has also been installing whiteboards.

The impact of noncompete agreements on competition in health care is under scrutiny. Critics argue these clauses stifle competition by restricting physicians' ability to change employers, ultimately affecting patient access to care. Meanwhile, nine states have taken legislative action to restrict these agreements, although a Federal Trade Commission rule to ban them nationwide was not enacted.