We at Biohackr Health believe that blood sugar may be a root cause of many disease processes.
It is for this reason at our Bay Area clinics we focus so much on glucose. At our SF and Palo Alto locations Biohackr Health offers continuous glucose monitors, a probiotic to help with glucose control, metformin, and semaglutide + tirzepatide. The reason we believe in the issues of blood sugar is we are listening to the data. Study after study keeps showing the beneficial effects of good blood sugar control, from lower dementia and heart disease, to lower rates of knee osteoarthritis. We can now add lower risk of asthma attacks to that list.
This study is published in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal, November 2024. “Antidiabetic Medication and Asthma Attacks.” For those of you with no attention span, the bottom line? Yes. Metformin and Semaglutide/GLP 1 agonists lower rates of asthma attacks by 30% or more. For the details read below.
The authors discuss how people with a higher BMI and Type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of asthma attacks. They found in experiments that metformin and GLP 1 agonists lowered airway inflammation, hyperresponsiveness, and remodeling. But epidemiology evidence was limited. So they studied lots of antidiabetic medications- GLP 1 agonists, dipeptide peptidase 4 inhibitors, sulphonylurease, glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, insulin) and their correlation with asthma attacks.
Study:
- Self controlled case series, population-based cohort study 12,702 patients in the UK between 2004 and 2020
- Mean age 2as 52, 60% were women
- Asthma types and severity were noted
- Asthma reactions were rated as exacerbation (short course of oral steroids, unscheduled hospital visit, death) during a 12 month follow up.
- Metformin lowered risk of asthma attacks by 30%
- Adding a GLP 1 agonists had an ADDITIONAL lowered risk of 40%
- Other diabetic medications did NOT show an additive lowering of risk- just the GLP 1 agonists
- This lower risk was regardless of glycemic control (ie you are doing a good job of controlling your blood sugar as measured by HbA1c), weight, or asthma type.
Our thoughts at Biohackr Health and how can Biohackr Health help?
Speaking to the choir. As we stated above, we believe blood sugar levels are a root cause to so many disease issues.
- If you are overweight, we like semaglutide and tirzepatide, GLP 1 agonists which help with weight loss and their anti inflammatory effects seem to help a host of other issues, from dementia, joint pain, to heart disease risks. There are so many studies coming out showing incredible benefits in every body system- read them SEMAGLUTIDE BENEFITS.
- If you don’t know your glucose control, test for HbA1c levels. Hemoglobin A1c levels give you an insight into your glucose control over the past 3 months. Unlike a “fasting glucose” level, which gives you one data point, this gives you an average over months which is much better to indicate your levels.
- If you are not overweight, you can still have issues with blood sugar. Metformin is a cheap prescription used by many biohackers (it has been shown to improve multiple body systems) and may be a great medication for those who are not overweight or diabetic yet.
- If you have a HbA1c over 5.0,
- do a continuous glucose monitor to see your pattern and triggers for glucose spikes.
- Take our probiotic with strains of bacteria which help with glucose control.
- Take metformin after meeting with our clinicians who can prescribe it for you.
- Get educated on lifestyle habits and ways to eat that can improve your glucose control. Glucose control blogs.
We must say, study after study after study keeps reinforcing the same message- glucose control is incredibly important to aging well. You cannot biohack and focus on healthspan and lifespan without addressing your blood sugar. Come in to our San Francisco or Palo Alto clinic for advice, testing, and treatments.
Don’t know where to start? Overwhelmed? We also offer one on one telehealth visits, usually covered by insurance with a Biohackr Health clinician, who can walk you through all of this.
MEDICAL CITATIONS:
Antidiabetic Medication and Asthma Attacks