Nutrition

12 Nov

Posted at 22:43h in Author Interviews, Sugar, Weight Research
[caption id="attachment_19336" align="alignleft" width="166"]Prof. Peter J. Rogers PhD School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Prof. Rogers[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof. Peter J. Rogers PhD School of Experimental Psychology University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Prof. Rogers: In recent years low-calorie sweeteners have been in the headlines because of concern that they may undermine rather than help with healthy weight management. That concern is based on selective reporting of studies and outright speculation. Our aim was to review the totality of evidence on this subject, which included results from human and animal (mouse and rat) studies. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Prof. Rogers: We found that randomised, controlled intervention trials in humans showed consistently that low-calorie sweeteners versus sugar consumption reduced energy intake and body weight, with no effect or even reduced body weight compared with consumption of water. These types of studies provide the strongest form of evidence – superior to animal and observational studies. In the animal studies, exposure to low-calorie sweeteners was mostly not representative of how people consume low-calorie sweeteners.

10 Nov

Posted at 16:00h in Author Interviews, Diabetes, JAMA, Pediatrics, Probiotics
Dr. Ulla Uusitalo PhD University of South Florida, TampaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Ulla Uusitalo PhD University of South Florida, Tampa Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Uusitalo: The TEDDY Study is an international prospective cohort study with the primary goal to identify environmental causes of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). It is carried out in six clinical research centers, in four countries: University of Colorado Health Science Center (US), Georgia Regents University (US), Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute (US), Turku University Hospital (Finland), Institute of Diabetes Research (Germany), and Lund University (Sweden), since 2004. One possible environmental factor related to Type 1 Diabetes etiology is diet. Dietary supplements including probiotics as well as various types of infant formulas including probiotic fortified infant formula are studied. The microbial composition of gut has been shown to be associated with the development of  Type 1 Diabetes. Colonization of the infant gut starts already in utero and early microbial exposures have been found to be important in defining the trajectory of colonization. Probiotics have been demonstrated to induce favorable immunomodulation and it has been suggested that probiotic treatment could prevent T1D. Therefore we wanted to study the early exposures of probiotic and risk of islet autoimmunity, a condition often preceding Type 1 Diabetes. This study produced very interesting results. The main finding was that we found 60% decrease in the risk of islet autoimmunity among children with HLA genotype of DR3/4 (high risk), who were exposed to probiotics during the first 27 days of life.

07 Nov

Posted at 23:08h in Author Interviews, Depression, Omega-3 Fatty Acids
[caption id="attachment_19058" align="alignleft" width="200"]Katherine Appleton PhD Associate Professor In Psychology Bournemouth Unviersity Dr. Appleton[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Katherine Appleton PhD Associate Professor In Psychology Bournemouth University Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Appleton: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by depressed mood and/or markedly decreased pleasure or interest in all activities. It has negative impacts on the individual and on society, often over the long term. One possible treatment for MDD are n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3PUFAs), also known as omega-3 oils, naturally found in fatty fish, some other seafood and some nuts and seeds. Various lines of evidence suggests that n-3PUFAs may impact on depressive symptoms, but a lot of studies have different findings, making it difficult to draw conclusions.

05 Nov

Posted at 23:21h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, Sleep Disorders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mike C Parent, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology Texas Tech University Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Parent: There is some research out there on energy drinks, and we know a few things about them. For instance, although the drinks are marketed as though they are for extreme sports athletes, most people who drink them are not athletes. It seems as though drinking them makes some men feel as though they are a part of that extreme sports culture, without even needing to participate in the sports, though. The other part was that, clinically, you would be amazed at how many young men present at student counseling centers and university medical centers with "sleep problems." Then, when you ask them about what they eat and drink during a day, it turns out that some of them are guzzling half a dozen of these drinks a day, or drinking them at night, totally unaware of the extremely high caffeine content. It's true that energy drinks can help people focus a but better or work out a bit harder--but that's because the active ingredient is caffeine. In this research, we aimed to marry together those two lines of work--how does wanting to be more masculine impact energy drink use, and what consequences might energy drink use have for something as basic as sleep hygiene?

04 Nov

Posted at 21:50h in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Nutrition, Race/Ethnic Diversity
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Daniel (Dong) Wang  Doctoral Student Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health Boston, MA 02115 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Over the past more than one decade, many changes related to nutrition and food supply have happened and therefore influence individuals' dietary behaviors and ultmately dietary quality. Also, the changes in dietary quality may impact the disease burden, measured by avoided major chronic disease cases and premature deaths. Therefore, in this study, we were trying to understand 1) how the dietary quality in US population changed from 1999 to 2012, and 2) how changes in dietary quality over time impacted disease and premature death. The quality of the US diet, measured by the Alternate Healthy Eating Index, improved modestly from 39.9 to 48.2 from 1999 through 2012, but the dietary quality of US population remains far from optimal (the optimal score is 110). There is huge room existing for further improvements. We also found that even the modest improvements in dietary quality that we observed contributed to substantial reductions in disease burden, which is measured by avoided disease cases and premature deaths. We estimated that healthier eating habits cumulatively prevented 1.1 million premature deaths over the 14 years, and the difference in dietary quality between 1999 and 2012 resulted in 12.6% fewer type 2 diabetes cases, 8.6% fewer cardiovascular disease cases, and 1.3% fewer cancer cases. Among different key components of healthy diets, despite a large reduction in consumption of trans fat, as well as a relatively large reduction in sugary beverages, most key components of healthy diets showed only modest or no improvements. The improvement in dietary quality was greater among persons with higher socioeconomic status and healthier body weight. African Americans had the poorest dietary quality, which was accounted for by lower incomes and education. The gaps in dietary quality persisted or even widened from 1999 to 2012.

04 Nov

Posted at 13:12h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, PLoS, University Texas, Weight Research
Dr. Marcia C. de Oliveira Otto MD PhD Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences The University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, Houston, TexasMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr.  Marcia C. de Oliveira Otto MD PhD Assistant professor  Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences The University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, Houston, Texas  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?  Dr. Otto: Eat a variety of foods, or food diversity, is a long standing public health recommendation because it is thought to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients, to prevent excessive intakes of less healthy nutrients such as refined sugars and salt, thus promoting good health. However there hasn’t been empiric evidence from populational studies testing this hypothesis. In our study, we characterized three metrics of diet diversity and evaluated their association with metabolic health using data from 6,814 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, including whites, blacks, Hispanic-Americans, and Chinese-Americans in the United States, including the total count (number of different foods eaten in a week), evenness (the distribution of calories across different foods consumed), and dissimilarity (the differences in food attributes relevant to metabolic health, such as fiber, sodium or trans-fat content). We then evaluated how diet diversity was associated with change in waist circumference five years after the beginning of the study and with onset of Type 2 diabetes ten years later. We also examined the relationship between diet quality and the same metabolic outcomes. Diet quality was measured using established scores such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Alterative Healthy Eating (AHEI) score. When evaluating both food count and evenness, we found no associations with either increase in waist circumference or incidence of diabetes. In other words, more diversity in the diet was not linked to better metabolic outcomes. Participants with greater food dissimilarity actually experienced more central weight gain, with a 120 percent greater increase in waist circumference than participants with lower food dissimilarity. Contrary to what we expected, our results showed that participants with greater diversity in their diets, as measured by dissimilarity, had worse diet quality. They were eating less healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and more unhealthy foods, such as processed meats, desserts and soda. When evaluating diet quality, we found about a 25 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes after 10 years of follow up in participants with higher diet quality. There was no association between diet quality scores and change in waist circumference. 

03 Nov

Posted at 19:18h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, Social Issues
[caption id="attachment_18915" align="alignleft" width="100"]Meg Bruening, PhD, MPH, RD Assistant Professor Arizona State University School of Nutrition and Health Promotion College of Health Solutions Phoenix, AZ 85004 Dr. Bruening[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Meg Bruening, PhD, MPH, RD Assistant Professor Arizona State University School of Nutrition and Health Promotion College of Health Solutions Phoenix, AZ 85004 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Bruening: Food insecurity is understudied in college populations, particularly college freshmen. We saw that over 1/3 of our population of freshmen living in dorms reported inconsistent access to healthy foods. Students who were food insecure reported higher odds of anxiety and depression (by almost 3-fold), and were less likely to eat breakfast and eat home cooked meals.

28 Oct

Posted at 11:32h in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Nutrition, Pediatrics
[caption id="attachment_18607" align="alignleft" width="150"]Michael D. Miedema, MD, MPH Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation Abbott Northwestern Hospital Minneapolis, MN Dr. Michael Miedema[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michael D. Miedema, MD, MPH Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation Abbott Northwestern Hospital Minneapolis, MN Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Miedema: A healthy diet is an essential component in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. A dietary pattern high in fruits and vegetables has been associated with reduced rates of cardiovascular disease outcomes in multiple observation cohorts of middle-aged and older adults. However, the cardiovascular impact of fruit and vegetable intake in younger adults is less clear. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Miedema: To evaluate this relationship, we studied 2,506 young adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study to determine the association between fruit and vegetable intake during young adulthood and subsequent development of coronary artery calcium 20 years later. After adjusting for age, gender, and lifestyle variables, including smoking and physical activity, we found an inverse relationship between fruit and vegetable and subsequent coronary artery calcium across tertiles of fruit and vegetable intake (p-value <0.001). Individuals in the top third of fruit and vegetable intake at baseline had 26% lower odds of developing calcified plaque 20 years later. This inverse linear relationship remained significant after adjusting for fruit and vegetable intake at year 20 as well as after adjustment for other dietary variables such as dairy, nuts, fish, salt, and refined grains.

26 Oct

Posted at 01:09h in Author Interviews, Gluten, Pediatrics
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Maria Ines Pinto Sanchez, MD MSc​ Post-doctoral Clinical ​ Research Fellow and Dr Elena Verdu, MD, PhD Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute McMaster University Health Sciences Centre Hamilton, ON Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Celiac disease is a condition caused by ingestion of gluten in people with genetic predisposition, in which the finger like projections of the intestinal lining are damaged by inflammation. The “celiac” genes are necessary, but not sufficient, to develop celiac disease. For this reason, it is believed that additional factors could influence the risk of a predisposed child to develop celiac disease. Some studies have indeed suggested that the ideal time for the introduction of gluten to the diet would fall between the 4th and 6th month of life, when gluten should be introduced in “small quantities” and progressively, while maintaining breastfeeding whenever possible. The Nutrition Committee of the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition recommended avoiding the introduction of gluten before 4 months and after 7 months of age in an attempt to prevent celiac disease. However, not all clinical studies reached this conclusion and we therefore conducted an updated analysis of the literature published on this subject to evaluate the relationship between time and amount of gluten introduction, breastfeeding and the risk of developing celiac disease. Our systematic analysis revealed that based on the studies published to date there is no strong support that early gluten introduction to an infant’s diet increases the chances to develop celiac disease or that breastfeeding specifically protects from it.

21 Oct

Posted at 23:42h in Author Interviews, Radiation Therapy, Supplements
[caption id="attachment_18624" align="alignleft" width="300"]Dr. Nicholas G. Zaorsky MD Resident Physician, Radiation Oncology Fox Chase Cancer Center Dr. Nicholas Zaorsky[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Nicholas G. Zaorsky MD Resident Physician, Radiation Oncology Fox Chase Cancer Center Medical Research: What was the motivation for your studies? Dr. Zaorsky: Men often walk down grocery store aisles and see bottles of pills labeled “men’s health” or “prostate health.” We call these pills “men’s health supplements.” Our goal is to determine what effect (if any) these pills have on the cancer that men are most commonly diagnosed with – that is, prostate cancer. Medical Research: What is the significance of these findings in simple terms? What are the implications for human health? What would you hope a general audience might take away from these findings? Dr. Zaorsky:  Men with prostate cancer commonly use these pills because of the high incidence of prostate cancer (about 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with the disease), the stress associated with the diagnosis, the desire to benefit from all potential treatments, and the limited regulation on marketing and sale of the supplements.  Many men believe the supplements will help their cancer or (at worst) do nothing – so what’s the harm?  We found that men’s health supplements have no effect on curing prostate cancer treated with radiation therapy (a common treatment option). Men who took these pills also had no difference in their side effects during or after treatment.  Although we did not see a change in side effects, there have been thousands of cases in the US where supplements have harmed patients.

20 Oct

Posted at 00:08h in Author Interviews, Calcium, Kidney Disease, Kidney Stones, Supplements, Vitamin D
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Christopher Loftus M.D. candidate Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Most kidney stones are made, at least partially, of calcium composite. In a prospective study of nurses in the post-menopausal age, it was found that diets that contained high amounts of calcium were beneficial in preventing kidney stones in this population. In the gut, calcium can bind to oxalate which prevents it from being absorbed into the body and decreases the concentration of calcium in the urine. However there has been debate as to whether supplemental calcium (calcium pills) has the same beneficial effects as calcium in the diet. Supplemental calcium enters the gut in large quantities all at once so it may enter the blood stream in higher concentrations over smaller amounts of time. By the same token, vitamin D plays a role in the management and balance of calcium in the body and could potentially have an effect on stone formation as well.  It has also been debated whether vitamin D supplementation has major effect on patients who are known to be stone formers.  So we reviewed CT scans of patients and 24 hour urine collections (both male and female of adult age) who were known to have kidney stones and measured the growth of stones over a period of time. Our main findings were that supplementary calcium increased the rate of stone formation in these patients. We also found that vitamin D had a protective effect and patients taking only vitamin D had a slower rate of stone progression.

17 Oct

Posted at 20:41h in Author Interviews, CDC, Emergency Care, Supplements
[caption id="attachment_4115" align="alignleft" width="83"]Andrew I. Geller, MD Medical Officer in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at CDC. Dr. Andrew Geller[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Andrew I. Geller, M.D From the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Geller: In recent years some dietary supplement products have been recalled for having unapproved ingredients or contaminants, but there is very little national data about how frequently dietary supplements that are not included in such recalls cause health problems. This study looks at how often people went to emergency departments (EDs) for problems caused by dietary supplements.
  • Supplements include herbals, complementary nutritionals (such as amino acid supplements), and vitamins and minerals.
  • We studied records from 63 emergency departments from 2004-2013.
  • We calculate that every year, dietary supplements cause:
  • More than 23,000 ED visits, and
  • More than 2,000 hospitalizations.
  • More than a quarter (28%) of these ED visits were among young adults (20-34 years).
  • More than half (56%) of the ED visits made by young adults were for problems with products for weight loss or increased energy.
  • Cardiac symptoms (irregular/fast heartbeat or chest pain) were common among patients with weight loss or energy supplement problems.
  • More than 20% were young children who got into supplements meant for someone else.
  • ED visits were less common among older adults, but more than 1 in 3 (36%) of these ED visits by older adults were for swallowing problems, such as choking on a pill, most commonly vitamin/mineral supplements.

13 Oct

Posted at 19:42h in Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Nutrition
Iris Shai MD PhD Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases Dep. of Public Health Faculty of Health SciencesMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Iris Shai MD PhD Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases Dep. of Public Health Faculty of Health Sciences Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Shai: Despite enormous contribution of observational studies, clinical recommendations for moderate alcohol consumption remain controversial, particularly for people with diabetes, due to lack of long-term, randomized controlled trials, which are needed for evidence-based medicine. People with diabetes are more susceptible to developing cardiovascular diseases than the general population and have lower levels of HDL-c. Also, it is uncertain if red wine confers any advantage over white wine or whether the ethanol is the primary mediator of alcoholic beverages related beneficial associations.  The two-year CArdiovaSCulAr Diabetes and Ethanol (CASCADE) RCT was performed among 224 controlled diabetes patients (aged 45 to 75), who generally abstained from alcohol. Red wine was found to be superior in improving overall metabolic profiles, mainly by modestly improving the lipid profile. As for glycemic control and blood pressure, the effect of both, red or white wine, was dependent on ADH enzyme polymorphism, suggesting personalized approach. Overall, wine of either type did not effect change in liver function tests, adiposity, or adverse events/symptoms. However, sleep quality was significantly improved in both wine groups, compared with the water control group. All comparisons were adjusted for changes in clinical, medical and drug therapy parameters occurring among patients during the years of the study. The trial completed with adherence rate of 87 percent after 2 years.

05 Oct

Posted at 14:32h in Author Interviews, Genetic Research, Nutrition, Weight Research
Jacqueline Alvarez-Leite MD, Ph.D Full Professor, UFMG Moore Laboratory Massachusetts General HospitalMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jacqueline Alvarez-Leite  MD, Ph.D Federal University of Minas Gerias in Brazil Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Alvarez-Leite : Obesity is now a global epidemic and bariatric surgery is now the main therapeutic option for those individuals with extreme obesity in which clinical treatments failed. However, a significant proportion of those patients regain the weight lost 3-4 years after surgery. Therefore, some metabolic or genetic trait may be related to weight regain. The rs9939609 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the fat mass and obesity- associated (FTO) gene is one of the most studied genes involved in obesity. However, few studies have been conducted on patients who underwent bariatric surgery. In our study, we evaluated the influence of  this FTO SNP on body weight and composition, and weight regain in 146 patients during a 60-mo follow-up period after bariatric surgery. We observed that there was a different evolution of weight loss in individual with obesity carriers of the FTO gene variant after bariatric surgery. However, this pattern is evident at only 2 y post bariatric
 surgery, inducing a lower proportion of surgery success (percentage of excess weight loss >50%) and greater and earlier weight regain after 3-y of follow-up. Multiple regression 
analyses showed that the variation in rs9939609 was a significant and independent predictor for regaining weight during the 
5-y follow-up period.

30 Sep

Posted at 20:59h in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Heart Disease, JACC, Nutrition

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Adela Hruby PhD Adjunct Instructor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy Research Fellow, Harvard School of Public Health Fellow, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Hruby: There were several reasons for conducting this study. While dietary quality and nutrient content in...

30 Sep

Posted at 01:57h in Author Interviews, Kidney Disease, Mayo Clinic, Sugar
Wisit Cheungpasitporn, MD Nephrology Fellow Departments of Nephrology and Hypertension Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MNMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Wisit Cheungpasitporn, MD Nephrology Fellow Departments of Nephrology and Hypertension Program director: Suzanne Norby, MD Co-authors: Charat Thongprayoon, MD, Oisin A O'Corragain, MD, Peter J Edmonds, BS, Wonngarm Kittanamongkolchai, MD, Stephen B Erickson, MD Project mentor: Stephen B. Erickson, MD Departments of Nephrology and Hypertension Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Cheungpasitporn: High-fructose corn syrup consumption in the form of sugar-sweetened soda has dramatically increased worldwide and associated with risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) including diabetes mellitus (DM) and metabolic syndrome. Recently, artificial sweeteners have become commonly used in soda marketed as ‘diet’ alternatives. Recent studies have demonstrated that diet soda consumption may also be associated with weight gain, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. The risks of CKD in individuals with sugar-sweetened or diet soda consumption, however, were conflicting. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to assess the associations between CKD and the consumption of sugar sweetened and diet soda. The findings of our study were recently published in Nephrology (Carlton). 2014; 19(12):791-7. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Cheungpasitporn: Five studies (2 prospective cohort studies, 2 cross-sectional studies and a case-control study) were included in our analysis of the association between consumption of sugar-sweetened soda (≥1-2 drinks of sugary soda/day) and CKD. We found an overall 1.58-fold increase CKD risk in individuals who regularly consumed sugar-sweetened soda with the pooled risk ratio (RR) of 1.58 (95% CI 1.00–2.49). Four studies (2 prospective cohort studies, a cross-sectional studies and a case-control study) were included to assess the association between CKD and diet soda consumption (≥1-2 drinks of diet soda/day). Despite a trend of chronic kidney disease risk in individuals with diet soda consumption with the pooled RR of 1.33 (95% CI 0.82–2.15), this association was not statistically significant.

29 Sep

Posted at 23:54h in Author Interviews, Rheumatology, Supplements
Prof. Andrew B Lemmey School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences Bangor University Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, UKMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof. Andrew B Lemmey School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences Bangor University Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, UK Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Prof. Lemmey: Substantial loss of lean mass (LM; mostly skeletal muscle) is common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as we and others have shown that even amongst patients with well-controlled disease approximately 67% are significantly muscle wasted. This loss of muscle, termed “rheumatoid cachexia”, is a major contributor to the decreased strength and impaired physical function which continues to characterise RA. Unfortunately, current drug treatments for RA, including use of biologics and the ‘treat-to-target (T2T)’ strategy, do not reverse this LM loss, nor fully restore physical function (Lemmey et al., “Tight control of disease activity fails to improve body composition or physical function in rheumatoid arthritis patients”. Submitted to Rheumatology (Oxford), currently under review). Whilst high-intensity exercise (specifically, progressive resistance training (PRT)) has been shown to be highly effective in restoring both  lean mass and function in  rheumatoid arthritis patients (Lemmey et al., Arthritis Care & Research 2009;61(12):1726-34), the lack of uptake and adherence to sufficiently intense training (Lemmey et al., Arthritis Care & Research 2012;64(1):71-5) means this form of therapy is not widely adopted. Anabolic nutritional supplementation offers a potential adjunct treatment intervention for increasing LM, and thereby improving physical function, that could be widely accepted. Indeed, our group (Marcora et al., Clinical Nutrition 2005;24(3):442-54) has previously demonstrated that 12 weeks of daily oral protein supplementation improved lean mass and some measures of strength and function in  rheumatoid arthritis patients. Creatine (Cr) is a popular dietary supplement generally shown to have greater benefits on both lean mass and physical function than generic protein supplementation. One study (Willer et al., Rheumatology 2000;39(3):293-8) has investigated the efficacy of Cr supplementation in rheumatoid arthritis patients. In this short uncontrolled trial, twelve patients underwent 3 weeks of supplementation, and although strength increased, no changes in function were found, and body composition changes were not investigated. Using a double-blind, placebo controlled design, the current study aimed to investigate the effects of 12 weeks of oral Cr supplementation on body composition (by DXA; dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), strength (knee-extensor and handgrip) and objectively-assessed physical function (chair and walk tests) in patients with RA. Thirty-five patients (Cr=15, Pl=20) completed the study. 

29 Sep

Posted at 21:37h in Author Interviews, BMJ, Heart Disease, Mediterranean Diet, Microbiome, Nutrition, Vegetarians
Prof. Danilo Ercolini, PhD Department of Agricultural Sciences University of Naples Federico II Portici - ItalyMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof. Danilo Ercolini, PhD Department of Agricultural Sciences University of Naples Federico II Portici - Italy Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Prof. Ercolini: There is a thick body of literature showing that diet can significantly impact the gut microbiota and metabolome. In a recent study, negligible differences in gut microbiota and feca lshort-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were reported between habitual omnivores and vegans in the USA. In addition, Mediterranean diet is a recognized healthy dietary pattern but has not previously been related to the composition of the gut microbiota and related metabolome. That’s the background in short. Here we show how habitual vegetarian and vegan diets promote enrichment of fibre-degrading bacteria in the gut. Subjects who consume a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, legumes and vegetables have higher levels of fecal short chain fatty acids, regardless of the diet type. Low adherence to the Mediterranean diet corresponds to an increase in urinary trimethylamine oxide levels, a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

27 Sep

Posted at 13:32h in Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Karolinski Institute, Nutrition, Stroke
Susanna C. Larsson | PhD, Associate Professor Associate professor, Nutritional Epidemiology Institute of Environmental Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, SwedenMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Susanna C. Larsson  PhD, Associate Professor Associate professor, Nutritional Epidemiology Institute of Environmental Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Larsson: A high dietary cholesterol intake has been postulated to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Egg is a rich source of dietary cholesterol and has been positively associated with risk of heart failure in previous prospective studies. High consumption of eggs has also been associated with a higher risk of myocardial infarction in diabetic patients. Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Larsson:  We investigated the association between egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular diseases in two population-based prospective cohort studies of approximately 38,000 Swedish men and 33,000 Swedish women. Findings from our study indicate that egg consumption does not increase the risk of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or hemorrhagic stroke. High egg consumption (one or more times per day) was associated with an elevated risk of heart failure in men but not in women. Egg consumption was not associated with an increased risk of heart failure, myocardial infarction, or stroke in individuals with diabetes.

21 Sep

Posted at 13:02h in Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues, Exercise - Fitness, Nutrition
Beetroot juice WikipediaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Chris Thompson BSc MSc ANutr AFHEA University of Exeter St. Luke's Campus Exeter Devon Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Response: Dietary nitrate has been shown to favourably alter the contractility of type II muscle fibres and enhance blood flow to working muscles that are predominantly type II. Dietary nitrate may also improve perfusion to areas of the brain responsible for cognitive function. It is therefore possible that through these mechanisms, nitrate-rich beetroot juice supplementation may improve both physical and cognitive performance during exercise which reflects the high intensity intermittent nature of team sport play. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Response: Participants were able to complete greater total work during an intermittent sprint test following nitrate-rich beetroot juice supplementation. We also found that dietary nitrate enabled a reduction in response time to decision making during the cognitive tasks performed throughout the exercise test.

18 Sep

Posted at 13:55h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, Pediatrics
Juliana F. W. Cohen, ScD, ScM Harvard T. H Chan School of Public Health Department of Health Sciences, Merrimack College North Andover, MAMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Juliana F. W. Cohen, ScD, ScM Harvard T. H Chan School of Public Health Assistant Professor Department of Health Sciences School of Science and Engineering Department of Health Sciences, Merrimack College North Andover, MA  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Cohen:  There is a substantial amount of variation in the amount of time students have to eat lunch because there are no national standards for lunch period lengths. This study found that when students had less than 20 minutes of seated time in the cafeteria, they were less likely to select a fruit and consumed significantly less of their entrees, milk and vegetables compared with students who had at least 25 minutes to eat their lunch.

18 Sep

Posted at 12:17h in Author Interviews, Lifestyle & Health, Sugar
Louise Brunkwall Nutritionist, MPH and Phd-student Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, Genetic Epidemiology Lund University, Clinical Sciences Malmö, Sweden MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Louise Brunkwall Nutritionist, MPH and Phd-student Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, Genetic Epidemiology Lund University, Clinical Sciences Malmö, Sweden  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: There has been a huge interest for sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) the last years and SSB has been associated with various diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity, while juice for example which have approximately the same amount of energy have not. We find this very interesting and wanted to know more about who the people were that consumed a lot of these different beverages. We started of by looking at diet and found that the different beverages were associated with different dietary patterns. Sugar sweetened beverages were associated with a more unhealthy diet while juice was associated with a more healthy diet. We see the same for tea which is a beverage previously associated with a lower risk of several diseases, that it is associated with an overall very healthy diet. Therefore we draw the conclusions that beverages are a part of the overall diet which might contribute to the previous findings of associations with different diseases. This also tells us that it is of great importance to know more about the overall diet than just consumption of a single product when investigating beverages-dieases association studies.

15 Sep

Posted at 16:27h in Author Interviews, Chocolate, Heart Disease
PD Dr. med. Christian Heiß Sektion Angiologie Oberarzt, Facharzt für Innere Medizin und Angiologie Klinik für Kardiologie, Pneumologie und Angiologie Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf MedicalResearch.com Interview with: PD Dr. med. Christian Heiß Sektion Angiologie Oberarzt, Facharzt für Innere Medizin und Angiologie Klinik für Kardiologie, Pneumologie und Angiologie Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response:  There is an extensive body of research which has shown that cocoa flavanols can improve healthy blood vessel function. However, for the most part, these investigations have focused on high-risk individuals like smokers and people that have already been diagnosed with conditions like hypertension and coronary heart disease. The purpose of the FLAVIOLA HEALTH study, published in BJN, was to find out whether the beneficial cardiovascular effects of cocoa flavanols would hold true for the general population. The studies demonstrated that consumption of cocoa flavanols significantly improves several of the hallmarks of cardiovascular health, including increased flow-mediated vasodilation. Flow-mediated vasodilation is a sign of improved endothelial function and has been shown by some studies to be associated with decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In addition, consuming flavanols decreased both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and improved the blood cholesterol profile by decreasing total cholesterol, decreasing and increasing HDL cholesterol. The results demonstrate that flavanols are effective at mitigating age-related changes in blood vessels, and could thereby reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy individuals.

14 Sep

Posted at 21:33h in Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, JAMA, Mediterranean Diet
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Miguel Ángel Martínez González MD Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Response: ​Several observational studies and mechanistic experiments in animal models and cell lines suggested that the Mediterranean diet and minor components of extra-virgin olive oil may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. The PREDIMED study was a randomized primary prevention trial for cardiovascular disease among high risk patients initially free of cardiovascular disease. The participants were 7,447 men and women (60-80 years old). We have used the data from women in this trial to assess the effect of the randomized diets on the occurrence of new cases of breast cancer. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Response: Among 4,152 women randomized to 3 different diets (1.- Mediterranean diet with free provision of extra-virgin​ olive oil; 2.- Mediterranean diet with free provision of tree nuts; and 3.- Advice to follow a low-fat diet, i.e. control group) We confirmed 35 new cases of invasive breast cancer during 4.8 of follow-up. A statistically significant 68% relative reduction in the risk of breast cancer in the Mediterranean diet with free provision of extra-virgin​ olive oil versus the control group was found. There was a significant trend of risk reduction associated with progressive increments in the intake of extra-virgin olive oil during the trial (with repeated yearly measurements of diet) when the 3 groups were assessed together.

12 Sep

Posted at 12:58h in Author Interviews, BMJ, Depression, Fish
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Fang Li Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, The Medical College of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Fish, rich in multiple beneficial nutrients, including  n-3 polyunsaturated fattyacids, high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals, have been hypothesized to protect against chronic diseases generally , such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Depression is a common mental health disorder,with an estimated 350 million people affected. We hypothesis that fish consumption may be benefical in depression prevention. Several epidemiological studies have investigated associations between fish intake and depression risk, but the findings are inconsistent. Therefore we conducted a meta-analysis to expect to find this association. A total of 26 studies involving 150 278 participants were included in the present meta-analysis.The pooled relative risk of depression for the highest versus lowest consumption of fish was 0.83 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.93). The findings remained significant in the cohort studies.This meta-analysis indicates that high-fish consumption can reduce the risk of depression.

07 Sep

Posted at 12:14h in Author Interviews, Frailty, Geriatrics, Nutrition
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Alberto Lana Department of Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Public Health Area School of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Lana: Healthy diets are associated with lower risk of frailty among elderly, but we thought that knowing the role of particular foods is essential to establish prevention measures. Dairy products are substantial sources of proteins, vitamins, and minerals, especially for older adults. Thus, dairy products could theoretically reduce the incidence of frailty. But high milk consumption could also have deleterious effects because it adds saturated fatty acids to diet and could increases oxidative stress. So the advice regarding dairy consumption remains unclear. Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report? Dr. Lana: According to our results, clinicians should recommend replacing whole-fat products with low-fat ones. Generally, patients should be educated to perform always healthy dietetic choices.

03 Sep

Posted at 15:20h in Author Interviews, BMJ, Depression, Nutrition
Dr. Mila Kingsbury PhD Senior Research Associate at Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine University of Ottawa MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Mila Kingsbury PhD Senior Research Associate at Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine University of Ottawa   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Kingsbury: Eating a healthy diet, including enough fruits and vegetables, is good for physical health, and some evidence suggests that it may be good for mental health, too. Specifically, intake of fruits and vegetables has been associated with lower risk of depression. However, there are very few longitudinal studies on this topic. Most studies haven’t accounted for the effects of other related lifestyle factors such as smoking and exercise, nor for the fact that the links between lifestyle and mental health are bidirectional (i.e., depression can also hinder our ability to engage in healthy behaviours). Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Kingsbury: While we found an association between fruit and vegetable consumption and psychological distress and depression two years later, depression and distress also predicted future fruit and vegetable consumption. Importantly, these associations became non-significant when we controlled for lifestyle factors like smoking and exercise.

28 Aug

Posted at 16:18h in Author Interviews, BMJ, Nutrition, Weight Research
Dr Aseem Malhotra MBChB, MRCP Honorary Consultant Cardiologist - Frimley Park Hospital Consultant Clinical Associate to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Science Director- Action on Sugar Saving Londoners Lives - External Advisory Board MemberMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Aseem Malhotra MBChB, MRCP Honorary Consultant Cardiologist - Frimley Park Hospital Consultant Clinical Associate to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Science Director- Action on Sugar Saving Londoners Lives - External Advisory Board Member   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Malhotra: It is a review of all the research up to date on what is the impact of diet on health. What type of diet has the most robust evidence for weight and health and how this can be translated into policy to rapidly reduce the burden of chronic disease. Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report? Dr. Malhotra:
  • That "low fat" diets to do not improve health outcomes and the public should stop counting calories.
  • That a high fat Mediterranean diet is more powerful in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke than any medical treatment.
  • That it's effect is independent of cholesterol lowering.
  • That rapid weight loss through calorie counting combined with exercise doesn't only not improve health outcomes in the long term for diabetics but can also be potentially harmful by increasing CVD risk.

25 Aug

Posted at 18:07h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, Weight Research
Candida Rebello, PhD candidate Louisiana State University Pennington Biomedical Research Center School of Nutrition and Food Sciences Baton Rouge , Louisiana MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Candida Rebello, PhD candidate Louisiana State University Pennington Biomedical Research Center School of Nutrition and Food Sciences Baton Rouge , Louisiana   MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Oats contain a soluble fiber called beta-glucan. When mixed with liquids, this fiber induces viscosity or what is commonly called thickening. The degree of thickening depends on a number of factors such as the structure and concentration of the fiber, its molecular weight, and the ease with which the fiber will absorb water. These qualities of the fiber can be affected by various processing techniques used in the preparation of food products. Viscosity affects appetite by influencing the way foods interact with the mouth, as well as the stomach and intestines. Viscosity in the stomach can cause distension and promote a feeling of fullness. Viscosity in the intestinal tract delays digestion and absorption allowing nutrients to interact with cells and release hormones that reduce hunger and keep a person full for a prolonged period after eating a meal which is termed satiety. Viscosity in the mouth also affects appetite and all these effects often work in concert. In animal studies, oat beta-glucan has been shown to influence appetite regulating hormones, as well as reduce food intake and body weight.1,2 In human trials, several studies have shown that oat beta-glucan reduces appetite.3-10 In this study, we found that instant oatmeal eaten at breakfast reduced hunger, increased fullness, and reduced food intake at lunch, compared to an oat-based ready-to-eat cereal containing equal calories. Instant oatmeal had greater viscosity than the ready-to-eat cereal.

23 Aug

Posted at 21:12h in Author Interviews, Colon Cancer, Nutrition
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Andrew Kunzmann & Dr Helen Coleman Joint first authorsCentre for Public Health Queen’s University Belfast Northern Ireland Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Response: There is now a large amount of evidence to suggest that individuals who consume diets high in fiber tend to be at a lower risk of bowel (colorectal) cancer. However, it is not known whether this association begins at the early stages of bowel cancer development or at later stages, in individuals with polyps (adenomas) that can lead to bowel cancer if left untreated. The best source of dietary fiber (cereals, fruit or vegetables) for bowel adenoma and cancer prevention is also debatable. We analysed data from individuals taking part in a large U.S trial assessing bowel screening, who completed a dietary questionnaire and received sigmoidoscopy screening at the start of the trial and received further screening 3 to 5 years later. This allowed us to investigate whether individuals with higher fiber diets had a lower risk of developing their first left-sided adenoma, but also for having adenomas recur at a later time, or indeed risk of bowel cancer, than individuals with diets low in fiber. By analysing only the screened participants, everyone had an equal opportunity to have their recurrent adenomas diagnosed – something that previous studies of dietary fiber have been unable to address.