Introduction: There is limited real-world evidence surrounding the effectiveness of early, mild-to-moderate COVID-19 treatments following the emergence and dominance of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 subvariants. Here, characteristics and acute clinical outcomes are described for patients with COVID-19 treated with sotrovimab, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir or molnupiravir, or patients at highest risk per NHS criteria but who were untreated. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of non-hospitalised patients who received early treatment for, or were diagnosed with, COVID-19 between 1 December 2021 and 31 May 2022, using data from the Discover dataset in north-west London. Patients were included if aged ≥12 years and treated with sotrovimab, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir or molnupiravir, or were untreated but expected to be eligible for early treatment per NHS highest-risk criteria at time of diagnosis. Outcomes were reported for 28 days from COVID-19 diagnosis (index). Subgroup analyses were conducted in patients with advanced renal disease, those aged 18-64 and ≥65 years and by period of Omicron BA.1, BA.2 and BA.5 (post-hoc exploratory analysis) predominance. Results: A total of 696 patients prescribed sotrovimab, 337 prescribed nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, 470 prescribed molnupiravir and 4,044 eligible high-risk untreated patients were included. A high proportion of patients on sotrovimab had advanced renal disease (29.3%), ≥3 high-risk comorbidities (47.6%) and were aged ≥65 years (36.9%). In total, 5/696 (0.7%) patients on sotrovimab, <5/337 (0.3-1.2%) patients on nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, 10/470 (2.1%) patients on molnupiravir and 114/4,044 (2.8%) untreated patients were hospitalised with COVID-19 as the primary diagnosis. Similar results were observed across all subgroups and during Omicron subvariant periods. Conclusion: Patients who received sotrovimab appeared to show evidence of multiple comorbidities that may increase risk of severe COVID-19. Low hospitalisation rates were observed for all treated cohorts across subgroups and periods of predominant variants of concern. These descriptive results require confirmation with comparative effectiveness analyses adjusting for differences in underlying patient characteristics.

This study investigated whether carbohydrate-energy replacement immediately after prolonged endurance exercise attenuates insulin sensitivity the following morning, and whether exercise improves insulin sensitivity the following morning independent of an exercise-induced carbohydrate deficit. Oral glucose tolerance and whole-body insulin sensitivity were compared the morning after three evening conditions, involving: (1) treadmill exercise followed by carbohydrate replacement drink (200 or 150 g maltodextrin for males and females, respectively; CHO-replace); (2) treadmill exercise followed by a non-caloric, taste-matched placebo (CHO-deficit); or (3) seated rest with no drink provided (Rest). Treadmill exercise involved 90 minutes at ~80% age-predicted maximum heart rate. Seven males and two females (aged 23 ± 1 years; body mass index 24.0 ± 2.7 kg·m-2) completed all conditions in a randomized order. Matsuda index improved by 22% (2.2 [0.3, 4.0] au, p = .03) and HOMA2-IR improved by 10% (-0.04 [-0.08, 0.00] au, p = .04) in CHO-deficit versus CHO-replace, without corresponding changes in postprandial glycemia. Outcomes were similar between Rest and other conditions. These data suggest that improvements to insulin sensitivity in healthy populations following acute moderate/vigorous intensity endurance exercise may be dependent on the presence of a carbohydrate-energy deficit. NOVELTY • Restoration of carbohydrate balance following acute endurance exercise attenuated whole-body insulin sensitivity • Exercise per se failed to enhance whole-body insulin sensitivity • Maximizing or prolonging the post-exercise carbohydrate deficit may enhance acute benefits to insulin sensitivity

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone produced in the intestine that is secreted in response to nutrient exposure. GLP-1 potentiates glucose-dependent insulin secretion from the pancreatic β cells and promotes satiety. These important actions on glucose metabolism and appetite have led to widespread interest in GLP-1 receptor agonism. Typically, this involves pharmacological GLP-1 mimetics or targeted inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV, the enzyme responsible for GLP-1 degradation. However, nutritional strategies provide a widely available, cost-effective alternative to pharmacological strategies for enhancing hormone release. Recent advances in nutritional research have implicated the combined ingestion of protein and calcium with enhanced endogenous GLP-1 release, which is likely due to activation of receptors with high affinity and/or sensitivity for amino acids and calcium. Specifically targeting these receptors could enhance gut hormone secretion, thus providing a new therapeutic option. This narrative review provides an overview of the latest research on protein- and calcium-mediated GLP-1 release with an emphasis on human data, and a perspective on potential mechanisms that link potent GLP-1 release to the co-ingestion of protein and calcium. In light of these recent findings, potential future research directions are also presented.

ABSTRACT Background Fructose ingestion with a high-fat beverage increases postprandial lipemia when compared with glucose. It is unknown whether other sugars, such as galactose, also increase postprandial lipemia. Objectives The objective was to assess whether galactose ingestion within a high-fat beverage increases postprandial lipemia relative to glucose or fructose. Methods Two experiments were conducted, which contrasted different test drinks under otherwise standardized conditions. In Experiment 1, 10 nonobese men (age: 22 ± 1 y; BMI, 23.5 ± 2.2 kg/2) ingested either galactose or glucose (0.75 g supplemented carbohydrate per⋅kilogram body mass) within a high-fat test drink (0.94 g fat per kilogram body mass). In Experiment 2, a separate group of 9 nonobese men (age: 26 ± 6 y; BMI: 23.5 ± 2.6 kg/m2) ingested either galactose or fructose (identical doses as those in Experiment 1) within the same high-fat test drink. Capillary blood was sampled before and at frequent intervals after ingestion of the test drinks for a 300-min period to determine plasma triacylglycerol, glucose, lactate, nonesterified fatty acid, and insulin concentrations. Paired t tests and 2-way, repeated-measures ANOVA were used to compare conditions within each experiment. Results The incremental AUC for triacylglycerol was greater following galactose ingestion compared with glucose (127 ± 59 compared with 80 ± 48 mmol⋅L−1 × 300 min, respectively; P = 0.04) but not compared with fructose (136 ± 74 compared with 133 ± 63 mmol⋅L−1 ×300 min, respectively; P = 0.91). Plasma lactate concentrations also increased to a greater extent with galactose compared with glucose ingestion (time–condition interaction: P &lt; 0.001) but not fructose ingestion (time–condition interaction: P = 0.17). Conclusions Galactose ingestion within a high-fat beverage exacerbates postprandial lipemia and plasma lactate concentrations compared with glucose but not fructose in nonobese men. These data suggest that galactose metabolism may be more similar to fructose than to glucose, providing a rationale to reassess the metabolic fate of galactose ingestion in humans. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03439878.

Gonzalez (2021) The effects of glucose-fructose co-ingestion on repeated performance during a day of intensified rugby union training in professional academy players,