Author Interviews, Nutrition, Weight Research / 25.07.2015

Benjamin D. Horne, PhD, MPH, FAHA, FACC Director, Cardiovascular and Genetic Epidemiology, Intermountain Heart Institute Adjunct Assistant Professor, Genetic Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, University of UtahMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Benjamin D. Horne, PhD, MPH, FAHA, FACC Director, Cardiovascular and Genetic Epidemiology, Intermountain Heart Institute Adjunct Assistant Professor, Genetic Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, University of Utah Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Horne:  A rapidly expanding set of results from animal studies exists regarding the effects of intermittent fasting among animals. Many pilot studies of intermittent fasting have been performed now, too, but the body of literature regarding the human response to fasting is incomplete. This study sought to determine how preliminary and incomplete the evidence is in humans regarding the health benefits and the harmful side-effects of intermittent fasting. The purpose was to determine how reliable the evidence is that people should be engaging in fasting to improve their health. In particular, one major concern is that diet gurus and even some scientists are marketing intermittent fasting to the public through diet books and other methods that produce additional income for them, but it is unclear whether their claims can be supported. The main findings of the study are that only three controlled clinical trials of intermittent fasting in humans have been published that were designed rigorously and included a control group in addition to the fasting intervention arm of the study. One of the three had a pre-specified primary outcome (weight loss) and another used the Bonferroni correction to account for inflated false positive results due to multiple hypothesis tests (the third study unfortunately did neither, which is the common approach in human studies of intermittent fasting). These three controlled trials only used surrogate or intermediate endpoints, though, such as weight, cholesterol, or other risk factors for disease. The three trials also have substantial limitations, including small sample sizes (~30 people total), a fasting regimen that was studied for less than three months, and no evaluation of clinical safety outcomes. Only one of the three trials was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, a site instituted as part of the FDA Modernization Act and a pre-requisite for trials that are published in scientifically sound medical journals and are to be reviewed by the FDA. Two observational studies of the association of intermittent fasting with clinical events (i.e., coronary artery disease diagnosis and diabetes diagnosis) also have been published. These two studies included 200 patients and 445 patients. They were performed in patients drawn from a general population in which a large proportion of people engage in fasting intermittently over a period of decades. These observational studies provide the only evidence that fasting is associated with a lower risk of disease outcomes. Such studies are limited, though, by adjustment for only known or measured confounders, making it possible that some important factors may be unobserved in the studies that would account for the fasting benefit that was observed. No randomized controlled clinical trial of fasting for clinical events or disease outcomes has been performed, though, thus these five studies are the whole body of reliable evidence that intermittent fasting is beneficial to humans.
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Diabetes, Nutrition, Pediatrics / 22.07.2015

Prof. Lu Qi, Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition Harvard School of Public Health and Channing Division of Network Medicine Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MAMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lu Qi, MD, PhD, FAHA Associate Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor of Nutrition HarvardSchool of Public Health Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Lu Qi:  Most previous studies focus on the effects of either lifestyle or prenatal malnutrition on diabetes risk; no study has assess these two types of risk factors in combination.
Author Interviews, Probiotics, UC Davis / 20.07.2015

Maria L Marco, PhD Associate Professor Department of Food Science & Technology Davis, CA 95616MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Maria L Marco, PhD Associate Professor Department of Food Science & Technology Davis, CA  95616 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Marco: Probiotics encompass certain strains of bacteria and yeast that when administered alive and in sufficient amounts can confer specific health benefits. Probiotics are increasingly added to foods, beverages, and intestinal supplements for delivery to the digestive tract. (Fermented) dairy products are currently the most popular food carriers for probiotic strains in clinical studies and commercial products. Although microorganisms generally respond quickly and adapt to their surrounding environments (e.g. in foods), the importance of the carrier format on probiotic function in vivo has yet to be systematically and mechanistically investigated. To address this need, we performed a couple studies in rodents to (i) examine whether probiotic Lactobacillus casei produces different proteins during low temperature (refrigeration) incubation in milk and (ii) measure whether incubation in milk is required for L. casei protection against inflammation. We found by shot-gun proteomics that L. casei does adapt for growth and survival in milk by producing a variety of (extra)cellular proteins, even at low-temperatures used to store dairy products prior to consumption. Such exposure of L. casei to milk was also essential for reducing the severity of disease in a mouse model of Ulcerative Colitis (UC), an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by continuous inflammation in the large intestine. Consuming milk alone also provided some protection against weight loss and intestinal inflammation in the Ulcerative Colitis mouse model but was not as effective as L. casei and milk in combination. Lastly, the importance of dairy for L. casei in preventing Ulcerative Colitis was confirmed by our findings that L. casei mutants lacking the capacity to synthesize proteins which are selectively produced during low-temperature incubation in milk were also impaired in preventing inflammatory responses in the intestine.
Author Interviews, BMJ, Nutrition, Weight Research / 20.07.2015

Fumiaki Imamura Ph.D. MRC Epidemiology Unit University of CambridgeMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Fumiaki Imamura Ph.D. MRC Epidemiology Unit University of Cambridge Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Imamura: Soft drink consumption is associated with risk of diabetes, but whether or not the association persists after controlling for obesity status is not known. Diet drinks and fruit juice may be good alternatives to soft drinks. However, while obese individuals may consume diet drinks or fruit juice instead of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, evidence was weak to determine whether or not consuming these beverages is associated with risk of diabetes.
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, Nutrition / 16.07.2015

Dr. Vincent L. Cryns MD Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Department of Medicine University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Madison, WisconsinMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Vincent L. Cryns MD Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Department of Medicine University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Madison, Wisconsin Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Cryns: It’s been known for quite some time that many tumors are highly vulnerable to deficiencies in certain amino acids such as methionine, causing tumor cells to stop growing or die. What’s been missing is a molecular explanation for these effects that would allow us incorporate this approach into a rationally designed clinical trial. In our work, we have demonstrated that “starving” triple-negative breast cancer cells of methionine uncovers a “fatal flaw” by increasing the expression of a cell death receptor (TRAIL-R2) that we can activate with a therapeutic antibody to efficiently kill the tumor cells. What’s especially exciting is that we can use a specific diet to metabolically prime cancer cells to respond to a targeted cancer therapy.
CDC, Nutrition / 15.07.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Latetia V. Moore Ph.D. MSPH Epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Moore: For this study, CDC researchers analyzed the average daily fruit and vegetable intake from the 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for the 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) and the percent of each state’s population meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations.  BRFSS is the sole source of dietary information (systematic surveillance) for most states. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Moore: Researchers found that in every state less than 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. are consuming enough fruits and about 1 in 10 are consuming enough vegetables. Estimates ranged from 8% meeting fruit recommendations in Tennessee up to 18% in California, and for vegetables from 6% in Mississippi to 13% in California.
Asthma, Author Interviews, Nature, Nutrition / 01.07.2015

Dr. Alison Thorburn Ph.D. School of Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University Rockhampton, Queensland 4702, AustraliaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Alison Thorburn Ph.D. Department of Immunology Monash University Victoria, Australia Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Thorburn: Asthma is a highly prevalent disease in the Western World. The prevailing explanation for this has been the hygiene hypothesis, which proposes that a decline in family size and improved hygiene has decreased exposure to infectious agents and therefore resulted in dysregulated immune responses that lead to asthma. However, recently there has been more attention on the role of diet and the gut microbiota in explaining the prevalence of inflammatory diseases in Western World. Indeed, many studies implicate obesity, as well as a high fat, low fruit and vegetable diet with higher prevalence of asthma. On the other hand, a Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruit and vegetables, is associated with lower prevelance of asthma. Interestingly, the consumption of dietary fiber is reduced in severe asthmatics. These and other data suggest that the diet (particularly dietary fibre) and the gut microbiota may play an important role in the development of asthma. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Thorburn: The main findings of this study are that: -        In mice: A high-fiber diet promotes a gut microbiota that produces high levels of anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), particularly acetate. Acetate (alkaline form of vinegar) suppressed the development of allergic airways disease (AAD, a model for human asthma) in adult mice and the offspring of pregnant mice. -        In humans: High dietary fiber intake during late pregnancy is associated with higher acetate levels in the serum and a decrease in the percentage of infants showing predictors for asthma development in later life. -        The mechanism underlying these findings involves increasing T regulatory cell number and function through epigenetic mechanisms, which enhance immune regulation to prevent inflammation.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Nature, Nutrition / 23.06.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof. Wilhelm Krek Institute of Molecular Health Sciences Zürich, Switzerland MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Prof. Krek: Fructose and glucose are major components of dietary sugars consumed in the western world. A current prevailing view holds that glucose is used directly by various tissues as an energy source while fructose is first and foremost metabolized to fat by the liver arguing that these dietary sugars are metabolized differently despite having identical caloric values. Accordingly, overconsumption of fructose causes fatty liver disease and through dissemination of fat to peripheral organs such that adipose tissue contributes to obesity. The key enzyme in fructose metabolism is ketohexokinase (KHK). KHK-A and KHK-C are two isoforms of KHK that are produced through mutually exclusive alternative splicing of the KHK pre-mRNA. KHK-C displays a much higher affinity for fructose than KHK-A. Unlike other tissues that normally express KHK-A, the liver produces predominantly KHK-C providing a possible explanation of the above-noted pathologies upon overconsumption of fructose. Whether fructose metabolism is subject to signal-induced changes in alternative splicing of KHK isoform expression as a mechanism to mediate context-dependent changes in cell metabolism is not known. In this work, we identify the splicing factor SF3B1 as a key mediator of ketohexokinase alternative splicing and thus activator of fructose metabolism and further show that the SF3B1-KHK system is a direct target of regulation by hypoxia and promoter of heart disease. From the analysis of a series of genetic mouse models of pathologic cardiac hypertrophy and human samples of heart disease, we conclude that activation of the newly identified HIF1α-SF3B1-KHK-C axis and the ensuing promotion of fructose metabolism is essential for pathologic stress-induced anabolic growth and the development of heart disease.
Author Interviews, BMJ, Chocolate, Heart Disease / 19.06.2015

Professor Phyo Kyaw Myint MBBS MD FRCP(Edin) FRCP(Lond) Clinical Chair in Medicine of Old Age Epidemiology Group, Division of Applied Health Sciences University of Aberdeen ScotlandMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Phyo Kyaw Myint MBBS MD FRCP(Edin) FRCP(Lond) Clinical Chair in Medicine of Old Age Epidemiology Group, Division of Applied Health Sciences University of Aberdeen Scotland Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The research was carried out by academics from the Universities of Aberdeen, Manchester, Cambridge and East Anglia, as well as the Lancashire Teaching Hospital, the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit, Cambridge and the Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam. It has been published online in the journal Heart. The team base their findings on almost 21,000 adults taking part in the EPIC-Norfolk study, which is tracking the impact of diet on the long term health of 25,000 men and women in Norfolk, England, using food frequency and lifestyle questionnaires. The researchers also carried out a systematic review of the available international published evidence on the links between chocolate and cardiovascular disease, involving almost 158,000 people—including the EPIC study participants. The EPIC-Norfolk participants (9214 men and 11 737 women) were monitored for an average of almost 12 years, during which time 3013 (14%) people experienced either an episode of fatal or non-fatal coronary heart disease or stroke. Around one in five (20%) participants said they did not eat any chocolate, but among the others, daily consumption averaged 7 g, with some eating up to 100 g. Higher levels of consumption were associated with younger age and lower weight (BMI), waist: hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, inflammatory proteins, diabetes and more regular physical activity —all of which add up to a favourable cardiovascular disease risk profile. Eating more chocolate was also associated with higher energy intake and a diet containing more fat and carbs and less protein and alcohol. The calculations showed that compared with those who ate no chocolate higher intake was linked to an 11% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 25% lower risk of associated death. It was also associated with a 9% lower risk of hospital admission or death as a result of coronary heart disease, after taking account of dietary factors. And among the 16,000 people whose inflammatory protein (CRP) level had been measured, those eating the most chocolate seemed to have an 18% lower risk than those who ate the least. The highest chocolate intake was similarly associated with a 23% lower risk of stroke, even after taking account of other potential risk factors. Of nine relevant studies included in the systematic review, five studies each assessed coronary heart disease and stroke outcome, and they found a significantly lower risk of both conditions associated with regular chocolate consumption. And it was linked to a 25% lower risk of any episode of cardiovascular disease and a 45% lower risk of associated death. The study concluded that cumulative evidence suggests higher chocolate intake is associated with a lower risk of future cardiovascular events.
Author Interviews, Nutrition, PLoS, Race/Ethnic Diversity, Vanderbilt / 14.06.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine Anne Potter Wilson Chair in Medicine Director, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center and Danxia Yu, PhD Research Fellow Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville, TN, 37203 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide the most authoritative advice in the US about healthy eating. Higher adherence to the DGA, reflected by a higher Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score, has been found to be associated with lower risk of developing or dying from chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers) in several US studies. However, these studies recruited mostly non-Hispanic white individuals and middle to high income Americans. It has been reported that racial/ethnical background and socioeconomic status may influence food choices and diet quality. However, no previous study has adequately evaluated the association between adherence to the DGA and risk of death due to diseases in racial/ethnical minorities and low-income Americans. Therefore, it is uncertain whether the health benefits of adherence to the current DGA can be generalized to these underserved populations. We analyzed diet and mortality data from the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS), a large, prospective cohort study including approximately 85,000 American adults, 40-79 years old, enrolled from 12 southeastern states between 2002 and 2009. Two-thirds of the SCCS participants were African-American and more than half reported an annual household income <$15,000. During a mean follow-up of 6.2 years, we identified 6,906 deaths in the SCCS, including 2,244 from cardiovascular disease, 1,794 from cancer, and 2,550 from other diseases. Using multivariate analysis methods, we found that participants in the top 20% of the HEI score (highest adherence to the DGA) had only about 80% of the risk of death due to any diseases compared with those in the bottom 20% of the HEI score. This protective association was found regardless of sex, race and income levels.
AACR, Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, Nutrition / 05.06.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ying Wang, PHD | Senior Epidemiologist American Cancer Society, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia Dr. Wang: Several epidemiologic studies and a recent large pooled analysis suggest that higher blood levels of carotenoids, a group of lipid-soluble pigments that are rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, are associated with lower breast cancer risk. What remains unclear is whether or not the effect of carotenoids on breast cancer differ by estrogen receptor status, tumor stage, BMI, and smoking status. We examined plasma carotenoids and breast cancer risk overall, and by aforementioned tumor and participant characteristics in a cohort of 992 postmenopausal women. We found that higher pre-diagnosis plasma α-carotene, but not other subtypes or total carotenoids, was significantly associated with lower invasive breast cancer risk. The inverse association of α-carotene with breast cancer risk seems stronger for estrogen receptor positive tumors than for estrogen receptor negative tumors. There is a suggestive inverse association of total plasma carotenoid levels and breast cancer among ever smokers but not among never smokers.
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Weight Research / 04.06.2015

Catarina Rendeiro Ph.D. Post-doctoral Research Associate Rhodes lab University of Illinois Urbana, IllinoisMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Catarina Rendeiro Ph.D. Post-doctoral Research Associate Rhodes lab University of Illinois Urbana, Illinois Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Rendeiro: The motivation for this study emerges in the context of understanding the link between sugar intake, particularly fructose, and the rising obesity epidemic that we are currently facing. Overeating and lack of physical activity certainly play major roles in obesity, but the sources of calories are also important. Fructose, a simple monosaccharide found in fruit and vegetables, and composing half of sucrose (i.e., table sugar), has been on the increase in Western diets. In our rodent study, 18% of dietary calories were derived from sugar, either fructose or glucose. This level is similar to typical American diets. However, the fructose diet resulted in increased weight gain and fat deposition and reduced physical activity even though food intake was similar between the two groups. It is also important to note that our animals were consuming their regular amount of calories, not overeating. Only the source of sugar was different between experimental groups, and still calorie-for-calorie, fructose caused greater weight gain and less physical activity than glucose.
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Diabetologia, Imperial College, Nutrition / 02.06.2015

Dagfinn Aune, PhD student Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Imperial College LondonMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dagfinn Aune, PhD student Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Imperial College London Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: There are more than 360 million people worldwide that are affected by diabetes, and this number is projected to increase to more than 550 million by 2030, with serious consequences for the health and economy of both developed and developing countries. While previous research has found an association between increased dietary fibre intake and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, most of these data come from the United States, and amounts and sources of fiber intake differ substantially between countries. In this article the we evaluated the associations between total fiber as well as fiber from cereal, fruit, and vegetable sources, and new-onset type 2 diabetes in a large European cohort across eight countries, in the EPIC-InterAct Study (and included 12403 type 2 diabetes cases and 16835 sub-cohort members). We also conducted a meta-analysis where we combined the data from this study with those from 18 other independent studies from across the globe. We found that participants with the highest total fiber intake (more than 26 g/day) had an 18% lower risk of developing diabetes compared to those with the lowest total fiber intake (less than 19g/day), after adjusting for the effect of other lifestyle and dietary factors. When the results were adjusted for body mass index (BMI) as a marker of obesity, higher total fiber intake was found to be no longer associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes, suggesting that the beneficial association with fiber intake may be mediated at least in part by BMI. In other words, dietary fiber may help people maintain a healthy weight, which in turn reduces the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. In a meta-analysis of the EPIC-InterAct study and 18 other independent studies (>41000 type 2 diabetes cases) we found that the risk was reduced by 9% for each 10 g/day increase in total fiber intake and 25% for each 10 g/day increase in cereal fiber intake. There was no statistically significant association between fruit or vegetable fiber intake and diabetes.
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Prostate Cancer / 01.06.2015

Meng Yang, PhD MPH Research Fellow Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public HealthMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Meng Yang, PhD MPH Research Fellow Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Yang: There are nearly 3 million American men living with prostate cancer. However, there is very little information for patients and clinicians about how to manage patients’ lifestyles, like diet, after prostate cancer diagnosis to decrease the risk of death due to this disease and improve their survivorship. The most important finding is that men initially diagnosed with prostate cancer without metastases whose diet was more “Westernized”, i.e. higher processed meats, refined grains, potatoes and high-fat dairy, had a significantly higher prostate cancer-related death and all cause mortality. Men whose diet was more “prudent”, i.e. higher intake of vegetables, fruits, fish, whole grains and healthy oils had a lower risk of death.
Asthma, Author Interviews, JAMA, Nutrition / 27.05.2015

Lewis J. Smith, MD Professor of Medicine and Associate Vice President for Research Northwestern University and the Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL 60611MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lewis J. Smith, MD Professor of Medicine and Associate Vice President for Research Northwestern University and the Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL 60611 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Smith: We previously observed in a survey of more than 1,000 patients with asthma that those consuming soy isoflavones in their diet had better lung functioning than their counterparts who consumed little or none.  Using a more detailed soy questionnaire, we confirmed the observation in a different group of patients with asthma, and followed that up with laboratory studies.  In cell culture studies, we saw that genistein, the major soy isoflavone, at levels that are achieved in individuals consuming a high soy diet, reduces eosinophilic inflammation, a key feature in asthma. In addition, people who consume more soy products, mostly in Japan and parts of China, generally have less asthma than in western countries.  Although these data indicate a potential beneficial effect of soy isoflavones in patients with asthma and nutritional supplements are commonly used by people to treat and prevent disease and improve their health, there was little direct data to prove that the supplement is actually effective.  As a result, we explored the effects of a soy isoflavone supplement in 386 adults and children aged 12 or older with poorly controlled asthma. All were taking medicine to treat their asthma – either corticosteroids or leukotriene modifiers – but none consumed soy more than once a week. In the randomized, double-blind study, half of the participants took a soy isoflavone supplement twice daily for six months, and the other half took a placebo. We found that the supplement, though able to increase blood levels of genistein, did not improve lung function, symptoms or measures of inflammation in these individuals.
Author Interviews, Coffee, Erectile Dysfunction, PLoS, University Texas / 26.05.2015

David S. Lopez, Dr.P.H., M.P.H. Assistant professor University of Texas Health School of Public HealthMedicalResearch.com Interview with: David S. Lopez, Dr.P.H., M.P.H. Assistant professor University of Texas Health School of Public Health Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Lopez: Coffee, and its most studied component, caffeine, have been implicated in potential health benefits due to the rich sources of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds contained in this beverage. Caffeine intake reduced the odds of prevalent erectile dysfunction, especially an intake equivalent to approximately 2-3 daily cups of coffee (170-375 mg/day). This reduction was also observed among overweight/obese and hypertensive men, but not among diabetic men. These associations are warranted to be investigated in prospective studies. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Lopez: Caffeine intake reduced the odds of prevalent erectile dysfunction, especially an intake equivalent to approximately 2-3 daily cups of coffee (170-375 mg/day). This reduction was also observed among overweight/obese and hypertensive men, but not among diabetic men. These associations are warranted to be investigated in prospective studies.
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Nature, Neurological Disorders, Vegetarians / 26.05.2015

Ulka Agarwal, M.D. California State University, East Bay Student Health and Counseling Services, Hayward, MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ulka Agarwal, M.D. California State University, East Bay Student Health and Counseling Services Hayward, CA MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Agarwal: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy affects 60 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes and can come with painful symptoms but limited treatment options. We thought a dietary intervention may help alleviate these symptoms since glycemic control plays a role in diabetes complications. To get started with the pilot, we put 17 adults on a low-fat vegan diet for 20 weeks and prescribed weekly nutrition classes. We found significant improvements in pain, measured by the Short Form McGill Pain questionnaire, the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument physical assessment, and through electrochemical skin conductance in the foot. The participants also lost an average of 14 pounds.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Mediterranean Diet, Nutrition / 10.05.2015

Miguel Á. Martínez-González, MD, MPH, PhD Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health School of Medicine, University of Navarra Navarra, SpainMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Miguel Á. Martínez-González, MD, MPH, PhD Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health School of Medicine, University of Navarra Navarra, Spain Medical Research: What are the main findings? Response: The diet-heart hypothesis has been researched during decades. A common mistake was to assume that a high intake of all types of fat was detrimental for cardiovascular health and could cause heart attacks and strokes. Therefore a low-fat diet was proposed as the best way to prevent heart attacks and strokes. This was wrong. Alternatively, the Mediterranean diet, rich in fat from natural vegetable sources (olive oil, tree nuts), was also considered a healthy dietary pattern. However, most of the evidence to support these benefits of a fat-rich Mediterranean diet came from observational studies and no randomized clinical trial had ever assessed the Mediterranean diet in PRIMARY prevention (i.e. in initially healthy people)
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Sugar, Weight Research / 08.05.2015

Dr. Dragos Petrescu Department of Public Health and Primary Care CambridgeMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Dragos Petrescu Department of Public Health and Primary Care Cambridge Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a major contributor to obesity, particularly in children. Recent systematic reviews provide good evidence that reducing portion size reduces consumption. Similarly, evidence suggests that container shapes and product placement in supermarkets can influence consumption. The public acceptability of "nudging" -- altering properties such as the size, the shape, and location of sugar-sweetened beverages -- to improve public health is unknown. Here we compared the acceptability in UK and USA samples of government interventions to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages: three nudge interventions (limiting portion size, changing container shape, and changing shelf location) and two traditional interventions (increased taxation and an education campaign). We found that for the majority of UK and USA samples, the education campaign and the three nudge interventions were acceptable, with education attracting most support.  By contrast, only a minority of participants supported taxation.
Artificial Sweeteners, Author Interviews, Diabetes, Diabetologia, Nutrition, Sugar / 02.05.2015

Dr Nita Forouhi, MRCP, PhD, FFPHM MRC Programme Leader and Consultant Public Health Physician MRC Epidemiology Unit University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine Cambridge Biomedical Campus Cambridge UKMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Nita Forouhi, MRCP, PhD, FFPHM MRC Programme Leader and Consultant Public Health Physician MRC Epidemiology Unit University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine Cambridge Biomedical Campus Cambridge UK Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Forouhi: Consumption of soft drinks is known to cause obesity and may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. We had previously published findings from the EPIC-InterAct study in 8 European countries that habitual consumption of sugar sweetened beverages increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and we now wanted to probe deeper to understand more about this relationship between sweet beverages and diabetes. We conducted research in the large EPIC-Norfolk study which included more than 25,000 men and women aged 40–79 years living in Norfolk, UK. Study participants recorded everything that they ate and drank for 7 consecutive days covering weekdays and weekend days, with particular attention to type, amount and frequency of consumption, and whether sugar was added by the participants. During approximately 11 years of follow-up, 847 study participants were diagnosed with new-onset type 2 diabetes. By using this detailed information on diet, we were able to study several different types of sugary beverages, including sugar-sweetened soft drinks, sweetened tea or coffee and sweetened milk drinks as well as artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) - such as diet soft drinks - and fruit juice, and to examine what would happen if plain water, unsweetened tea or coffee or artificially sweetened beverages were substituted for sugary drinks. Our study provided three main findings: First, there was an approximately 22% increased relative risk of developing type 2 diabetes per extra serving per day habitually of each of soft drinks, sweetened milk beverages and ASB consumed, even after accounting for a range of important factors including other lifestyle and social factors and for total energy intake. However, after further accounting for body mass index and waist girth as markers of obesity, there remained a higher risk of diabetes associated with consumption of both soft drinks and sweetened milk drinks, but the link with ASB consumption no longer remained, possibly because artificially sweetened beverages was likely to be consumed by those who were already overweight or obese. Second, when we estimated the likely effects of replacing a habitual serving of soft drinks with a serving of water or unsweetened tea or coffee, we found that the risk of diabetes could have been cut by 14%; and by replacing a habitual serving of sweetened milk beverage with water or unsweetened tea or coffee, that reduction could have been 20%–25%.  However, consuming ASB instead of any sugar-sweetened drink was not likely to reduce the risk of diabetes, when accounting for baseline obesity and total energy intake. Third, we found that each 5% of higher intake of energy (as a proportion of total daily energy intake) from total sweet beverages (soft drinks, sweetened tea or coffee, sweetened milk beverages, fruit juice) was associated with a 18% higher risk of diabetes. We estimated that if study participants had reduced the energy they obtained from sweet beverages to below 10%, 5% or 2% of total daily energy, 3%, 7% or 15% respectively of new-onset type 2 diabetes cases could have been potentially avoided.
Aging, Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Geriatrics, Lifestyle & Health, Nutrition / 01.05.2015

Yunhwan Lee, MD, DrPH Director, Institute on Aging Professor of Preventive Medicine & Public Health Ajou University School of Medicine Suwon, South KoreaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Yunhwan Lee, MD, DrPH Director, Institute on Aging Professor of Preventive Medicine & Public Health Ajou University School of Medicine Suwon, South Korea Dr. Lee wishes to acknowledge Jinhee Kim, PhD, the lead author of the study. Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Lee: We have known for some time that there is a progressive loss of muscle mass with aging, where older people lose on average about 1% of their skeletal muscle mass per year. A decline in muscle mass is serious in that it increases the person’s risk of falls, frailty, disability, and death. Because there is currently no “cure” for muscle mass loss, prevention is the best strategy. Over the years, researchers have studied various lifestyle factors to identify potentially modifiable behaviors that may prevent or slow the loss of muscle mass. The majority of prior research so far have found that diet, in the form of protein supplementation, and exercise, especially resistance exercise, may confer some benefits. More recently, the scientific community have begun to pay attention to the positive role of vegetables and fruits intake on the muscle. The role of aerobic exercise on muscle mass is, however, less clear. Also, because people tend to adopt various lifestyles, we were interested in finding out whether those engaging in healthier patterns of diet and exercise retained higher muscle mass. This is why bodybuilders pay such close attention to their diet and make sure their muscle mass is at it's peak. They can also take supplements like SARMs (see SARMS.io for more information about that) to improve muscle mass but their diet has a massive effect on it too. This is where some of the inspiration for this research came from as we knew what an effect food had on bodybuilders so we wondered how it could effect the elderly. Using data from a nationally representative sample of older adults, we investigated whether those who had healthier diet and participated in regular exercise, individually and in combination, maintained higher muscle mass. We looked at five healthy lifestyle factors that included dietary intake of three food groups (meat, fish, eggs, legumes; vegetables; and fruits) and participation in two types of exercise (aerobic and resistance).
Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, JAMA, Salt-Sodium / 29.04.2015

Lynn L. Moore, DSc, MPH Department of Medicine Boston University School of Medicine Boston, Massachusetts MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lynn L. Moore, DSc, MPH Department of Medicine Boston University School of Medicine Boston, Massachusetts Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Moore: The USDA’s current Dietary Guidelines for sodium intake have become increasingly controversial. Current recommendations include restricting sodium intake after the age of 2 years to no more than 2300 mg per day. For African-American adults and children, intakes should be restricted to no more than 1500 mg per day. Actual intake levels are much higher, with most Americans consuming about 3500 mg per day. Our goal was to estimate the effects of dietary sodium and potassium intakes on the change in blood pressure throughout adolescence. We used data from the National Growth and Health Study, a prospective study of more than 2000 girls who were 9-10 years of age at the time of enrollment. Lifestyle factors were assessed repeatedly throughout the study, and blood pressure was measured annually. Dietary sodium and potassium were assessed using multiple sets of three-day diet records. We used longitudinal modeling to estimate the effects of dietary sodium and potassium on blood pressure change over 10 years. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Moore: In this study, there was no evidence for a beneficial effect of reduced sodium intake on blood pressure change during adolescence. By 19-20 years of age, girls who consumed more than 4000 mg of sodium per day had systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels that were similar to those seen among girls with lower levels of sodium intake. Specifically, there was no beneficial effect on blood pressure associated with sodium intakes of less than 2500 mg per day. These results were similar for blacks and whites. In contrast, the repeated measures analyses showed that girls who consumed more than 2400 mg of potassium per day had lower blood pressures throughout adolescence compared with girls consuming less than 1800 mg per day of potassium.
Author Interviews, Nutrition / 27.04.2015

Esther Lopez-Garcia, PhD Dept. Preventive Medicine and Public Health School of Medicine Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid,SpainMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Esther Lopez-Garcia, PhD Dept. Preventive Medicine and Public Health School of Medicine Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid,Spain Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Lopez-Garcia: Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is a global indicator of perceived health status, which includes physical and mental domains. Assessing the association between individual foods and HRQL is important because both the food industry and the population as a whole are interested in knowing whether general well-being could be improved by consuming specific foods. Several biological mechanisms might support an association between consumption of yogurt and better Health-related quality of life. However, to our knowledge, the effect of yogurt on HRQL has not yet been studied in epidemiological investigations in the general population. Thus, the objective of this article was to examine the prospective association between habitual yogurt consumption and the physical and mental components of HRQL among the general adult population. In this study, we found no association between yogurt consumption and the physical and mental components of HRQL after 3.5 years of follow-up of a population-based cohort. The results also held for whole-milk and reduced-fat yogurt.
AACR, Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Nutrition, UCSD / 20.04.2015

Catherine Marinac Doctoral Candidate UC San Diego/San Diego State University Joint-Doctoral Program in Public Health La Jolla, CA 92093MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Catherine Marinac Doctoral Candidate UC San Diego/San Diego State University Joint-Doctoral Program in Public Health La Jolla, CA 92093 MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The dietary advice for cancer prevention usually focuses on limiting consumption of red meat, alcohol, and refined grains, and increasing consumption of plant foods. However, new evidence suggests that other fundamental aspects of diet, such when and how often people eat, can also play a role in cancer risk. For example, research in mice suggests that decreasing the number of hours we eat during the day, and increasing the length of time we fast overnight can improve metabolic parameters and reduce risk of developing a number of chronic diseases including cancer. Similar to the data from animal models, we found that women who fasted for longer periods of time overnight had significantly better control over blood glucose concentrations – and these effects were independent of how much women ate. This finding is relevant to cancer research because people who have poor glucose control are significantly more likely to develop certain types of cancer. It is hypothesized that high concentrations of circulating glucose may fuel cancer growth and progression.
Author Interviews, Nutrition / 17.04.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Kylie Ball PhD Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Australia. Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Most Australians (95% of adults) do not eat enough fruits or vegetables for good health. This is concerning as low fruit and vegetable intakes are linked with increased risk for a range of adverse health outcomes, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. One of the commonly cited barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption is the high cost of these foods. At Deakin University's Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (C-PAN), we undertook a randomised controlled trial study in a supermarket setting to test whether addressing this barrier would help people to consume more fruits and vegetables. We found that a fairly small price reduction (20%) was effective in prompting people to buy more fruits and vegetables – about 2-3 more serves of fruit per week, and about 3 more serves of vegetables per week. These findings are exciting, as even small increases in fruit and vegetable consumption across the population can substantially improve the health of Australians.
Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues, Nutrition / 16.04.2015

Dr. Fredrik Jernerén PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow Department of Pharmacology University of Oxford Oxford, United KingdomMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Fredrik Jernerén PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow Department of Pharmacology University of Oxford Oxford, United Kingdom Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Jernerén: Development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is associated with an accelerated rate of brain shrinkage. Identifying ways to reduce the brain atrophy rate at an early stage may offer new strategies to prevent or delay the onset of dementia. In this study on elderly subjects diagnosed with Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who are at increased risk of developing dementia, we investigated whether the effect of B vitamin supplementation on reducing the brain atrophy rate was influenced by circulating levels of omega-3 fatty acids. We have found that this indeed was the case. The higher the baseline concentration of the combined omega-3 fatty acids (DHA+EPA), the greater the protective effect of the B vitamin treatment. In subjects with high omega-3 concentrations who at the same time had elevated homocysteine levels (indicating a lack of B vitamins), B vitamin treatment reduced the brain atrophy rate by about 70% compared with the placebo group. 
Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Salt-Sodium / 14.04.2015

Edward "Ted" Weiss, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Saint Louis University Saint Louis MO 63104MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Edward "Ted" Weiss, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Saint Louis University Saint Louis MO 63104 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Weiss: Public health recommendations are to keep sodium consumption below 2300 mg/day to avoid adverse health effects. However, most people in the US consume over 4000 mg/day. Furthermore, endurance athletes are often advised to add sodium to their diets to replace the sodium that is lost in sweat and are often lead to believe that the additional sodium is important for exercise performance. Clearly these recommendations are at odds with each other. In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, we evaluated the effect of salt capsule consumption (containing a 1800 mg sodium) on exercise performance and on thermoregulation during 2 - 2.5 hours of running or cycling. Exercise performance was not different between the salt and placebo conditions (i.e. it didn't provide benefit or harm for performance) nor did any of the markers of thermoregulation differ, suggesting that the salt didn't help (or hurt) the body's ability to cool itself.
Author Interviews, Mental Health Research, Probiotics / 14.04.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Laura Steenbergen Leiden University, Institute for Psychological Research, Cognitive Psychology Leiden, The Netherlands Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Food supplements, among which probiotics, are becoming more and more popular. A lot is known about the effect of probiotics on the physical functioning, but even though there are some rat studies on the effects of probiotics on mental well-being, not much is known about the effect in humans. The few studies on humans that are available show beneficial effects on mood when people experience a bad mood, or psychological distress. Worldwide, millions of people are suffering from mood disorders like for instance depression, but not everyone receives treatment for this. Research on probiotics has shown that they are safe and easily available, and we therefore wanted to investigate if probiotics could perhaps be promising in serving as a preventive or adjuvant therapy for mood disorders of anxiety or depression. We therefore focused on cognitive reactivity to sad mood, which measures the degree to which people activate dysfunctional thought patterns when experiencing a sad mood. This measure is known to be predictive of the onset and development of depression. Compared to subjects who received a 4-week placebo intervention, participants who received a 4-week multispecies probiotics intervention showed significantly reduced aggressive and ruminative thoughts. Even if preliminary, these results provide the first evidence that the intake of probiotics may help reduce negative thoughts associated with sad mood. As such, our findings shed an interesting new light on the potential of probiotics to serve as adjuvant or preventive therapy for depression. So if you are interested in taking probiotics then you could check out something like these probiotics in india.