What We're Reading: E-Cigarette Rule Delay; Metformin Safety; "Fittest City" Rankings

Senators Urge Gottlieb to Enforce Deadline for E-Cigarette Restrictions

A group of 11 Democratic Senators have penned an open letter to the new FDA Commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, MD, urging him to reconsider the delay of an FDA rule regulating e-cigarettes. The rule finalized last year was supposed to give manufacturers 2 years to comply with the requirements, such as including warning labels on products, but the FDA recently extended the deadline by 3 months. “Given the public health threat posed by youth e-cigarette use, it is imperative that the FDA commit to the original compliance deadlines for the tobacco deeming rule,” the Senators wrote.

Metformin Not Associated With Cognitive Impairment

A long-term randomized study of over 2000 patients with diabetes has found no link between metformin use and worsened cognition, according to Medscape. Some prior studies had indicated the drug could contribute to cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease, but the results from the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study should put those fears to rest. The patients in the study had no significant difference in cognitive performance after taking metformin for 8 years compared with those who had not.

Minneapolis Knocks DC From Top of Fittest City Rankings

The American College of Sports Medicine has crowned Minneapolis the fittest city in the United States, pushing Washington, DC, to second place after 3 consecutive years at #1. The rankings are based on city-wide measures of health and wellness, including chronic disease prevalence, recreational facility access, walkability score, and residents’ health choices like eating a well-balanced diet or getting enough aerobic activity. The report notes that “there were some remarkably positive shifts in several key indicators” nationwide.