In the News... Mounjaro update, CGM Medicare coverage shift, Metformin and aging study, Dolly Parton T1D connection and more!
Episode Description
On this episode of Diabetes Connections In the news…
The FDA approves a new indication and health benefit for Mounjaro, lots of CGM news including an update on Medicare coverage for people who don't use insulin and a new study about using CGM when you don't have diabetes, metformin and aging, statins and type 2, and did you know there was a Dolly Parton diabetes connections? That and much more...
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On this episode of Diabetes Connections In the news…
The FDA approves a new indication and health benefit for Mounjaro, lots of CGM news including an update on Medicare coverage for people who don't use insulin and a new study about using CGM when you don't have diabetes, metformin and aging, statins and type 2, and did you know there was a Dolly Parton diabetes connections? That and much more..
that's coming up right after this.
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Welcome! I'm your host Stacey Simms and this is an In The News episode.. where we bring you the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now. A reminder that you can find the sources and links and a transcript and more info for every story mentioned here in the show notes.
Welcome to September! Want to let you know about a webinar I'm doing with Abbott later this month. That's Sept 23 at 7pm ET. We'll be talking about ketones, DKA and learn more about their dual CGM/ketone monitor that was just approved – more on that coming up. But please register – the link is in the show notes.
So much going on over here – tomorrow night we have our Club 1921 in Charlotte, later this month Moms' Night Out Detroit/Bloomfield and in October we're going to Seattle. Please join us. More at d-c dot com slash events.
Okay.. our top story this week:
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Another indication for Mounjaro – the FDA approved it to lower the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (MACE), including CV death, non-fatal heart attack, or non-fatal stroke in adults with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for these events. Mounjaro – the brand name of tirzepatide - is already approved as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve blood sugar in adults and children 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes.
The approval was based on results from the largest and longest tirzepatide study to date, enrolling more than 13,000 participants across 30 countries over more than four and a half years. In the trial, Mounjaro demonstrated non-inferiority to Trulicity (dulaglutide), a GLP-1 treatment with established cardiovascular benefit, with an 8% lower rate of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke (MACE-3). The estimated hazard ratio for time to first MACE was 0.92 (95.3% CI: 0.83, 1.01) for Mounjaro compared to Trulicity (dulaglutide).
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The FDA approves the Libre Duo – the first device designed to continuously monitor both blood sugar levels and ketone levels in people with diabetes.
The Libre Duo 10-Day Continuous Dual Glucose Ketone Monitoring System is now approved for those ages 2 and older.
Until now, the agency said, people had to monitor ketone levels with separate tests that only provided a single measurement at one point in time. The new system combines blood sugar and ketone tests and monitors them continuously. Readings -- and alerts in case of dangerous trends -- are sent wirelessly to a smartphone app.
The FDA previously granted "breakthrough device" status to the system, which is meant to expedite the device's development and review.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/08/25/fda-oks-blood-sugar-ketone-monitor/5521787688375/
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Diabetes tech firms Dexcom and Abbott are watching closely for a Medicare coverage expansion that could significantly broaden access to their glucose sensors.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to expand Medicare coverage of continuous glucose monitors to people with diabetes who do not take insulin. Currently, coverage is limited to people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who take insulin or have a history of problematic low blood sugar.
Dexcom CEO Jake Leach told investors in a late July earnings call that the company expects to hear back from the CMS before the end of the year, with coverage going into effect in mid-2027.
Dexcom presented results of a randomized, controlled trial earlier this summer at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions that it expects will support the CMS' decision. The 26-week study found that people who used a CGM had a larger hemoglobin A1C reduction than the control group and spent five more hours per day in a normal glucose range than the control group.
https://www.medtechdive.com/news/dexcom-abbott-await-medicare-coverage-expansion-for-cgms/828775/
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A new study suggests continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) may offer benefits for people with type 1 diabetes that go beyond improving blood sugar and reducing hypoglycemia.
Researchers analyzed health records from more than 8,400 adults with type 1 diabetes receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration. Over one to four years of follow-up, people who started using a CGM had a 10% to 16% lower risk of death from any cause compared with those who did not use one.
The association appeared strongest among people over age 65 and those who were not using insulin pumps. Researchers did not find meaningful differences based on A1C, race or ethnicity, or frailty.
Importantly, this was an observational study using medical records, not a randomized clinical trial, so it cannot prove that CGM use directly caused the lower death rate. But the findings suggest CGM may have important long-term health benefits beyond glucose
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We've been talking about people without diabetes using CGMs for a long time.. now a new study weighs in. Research published in JAMA finds that this wellness trend isn't helpful for people without a diabetes diagnosis.
They found that the strongest evidence for CGM use is for people who are already living with diabetes, but not for those without the condition who use them for wellness purposes.
It's also worth noting, though, that this new study is a narrative review. This means that the researchers drew their conclusions from the findings reported in several other studies. More randomized controlled trials would be necessary to see whether there are any meaningful health benefits of using a CGM if you don't have diabetes.
Dower also warned that constantly monitoring your blood sugar when you don't have diabetes could lead to unintended health anxiety. In some cases, you may even make accidental lifestyle changes that could be harmful. "[Blood sugar] spikes may occur after meals, but if this leads someone to replace healthy food such as fruit with unhealthy food such as something high in fat but low in carbohydrate, the glucose information has done more harm than good," Dower said.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/blood-sugar-monitor-for-people-without-diabetes-12058575
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Could metformin somehow influence the biological processes that drive aging? A new review found evidence that metformin may affect several key features of aging, including how cells use energy, inflammation, cellular damage and even some changes in gene activity. Animal studies have shown longer lifespans or improvements in markers of biological aging, while some human studies have also found promising results.
But researchers say there's still no proof that metformin actually slows aging or helps healthy people live longer. Most human research has involved people with diabetes or other health conditions, and one large trial found that while metformin helped prevent type 2 diabetes, it did not reduce cancer, cardiovascular disease or deaths.
Researchers say larger clinical trials in people without diabetes are needed to determine whether metformin can truly extend healthy lifespan—or whether its benefits are primarily related to preventing and treating specific diseases.
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More to come including more research on a spice thought to help diabetes, predictions about the number of people who may be living with type 1 in the years to come around the world, and a connection I didn't know about between diabetes and Dolly Parton.
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A compound found in turmeric may help protect blood vessels from some of the damage caused by Type 1 diabetes. In rats, curcumin reduced inflammation, improved cellular signaling, and restored vascular health to levels resembling those of nondiabetic animals. The results hint at a possible new way to reduce the long-term cardiovascular risks of diabetes, but human trials are still needed.
Curcumin, the natural compound responsible for turmeric's vivid yellow color, is widely studied for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260824065543.htm
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New research estimates the number of people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) worldwide will increase by 29% from 9.4 million in 2025 to 12.1 million in 2049. This will be presented at EASD, the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2
The USA will see an increase of over half a million, going from 1,492,825 to 2,055,235. The authors suggest that the reasons for the predicted high incidence and prevalence in 2049 in countries such as Australia, US, UK are likely to be a combination of genetics, environmental triggers and also high case detection rates (due to the good health care infrastructure here and in other HIC).
Unlike previous estimates, the DIAMOND-T1D model takes historical patterns of insulin availability into account and aims to provide global, regional and country-specific estimates of T1D incidence, prevalence and mortality from 1900 to 2050.
Although the majority of people with T1D live in high-income countries (HIC) and middle-income countries (MIC), the largest relative increase in the T1D prevalence is expected to occur in LIC as access to insulin, glucose monitoring and survival all improve in those countries.
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Early initiation of statins after a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was associated with a lower risk of dementia, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. According to the Lancet Commission, nearly half of dementia cases could theoretically be prevented by eliminating 14 risk factors.
"Detecting and treating high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from midlife is one such highlighted risk factor,"
From Danish registers, researchers identified 132,585 statin-naive individuals who developed type 2 diabetes from 2006 through 2019, with follow-up until the end of 2021.
Medical records were searched for diagnoses of all-cause dementia. A clone-censor-weight design was used to analyze dementia incidence in patients with no statin initiation within five years after diagnosis, in those with early statin initiation within one year and in those with late statin initiation between one and five years after diagnosis.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-early-statins-diagnosis-diabetes-dementia.html
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We are heartbroken over the loss of our friend Dolly Parton. Dolly was a beloved icon whose extraordinary generosity, warmth, and compassion touched countless lives, including those of the Children's Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes.
Her support of The Carousel Ball and Carousel of Hope Ball reflected her deep commitment to helping children and families affected by type 1 diabetes. Beyond her remarkable talent, Dolly will be remembered for the kindness and joy she shared so generously with others.
Our hearts are with her family, friends, and all who loved her as we celebrate her extraordinary life and lasting legacy. She will be deeply missed.
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