Salsalate lowers inflammation in obese patients

Salsalate, a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medication similar to aspirin that does not cause bleeding was found in a double-masked, placebo-controlled study to substantially reduce glycemia as well as inflammation in obese, young adults.

"People who are overweight or obese are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes," said lead study researcher Allison Goldfine, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, USA. "We know they can reduce that risk by losing weight and increasing physical activity. But many people aren't good at maintaining those types of lifestyle changes over the long-term. Those people can be helped through pharmaceutical interventions. Our study was the first to look at the metabolic changes that occur when you give salsalate to obese people who have not yet developed diabetes. And we're really encouraged by what we found," she added.

Specifically, the study found that those who took 4g a day of salsalate reduced fasting glucose levels 13% and C-reactive protein concentrations, a marker of inflammation, 34%. Previous studies have implicated inflammation in the development of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, the US scientists noted.