Nutrition

24 Jul Sports Drinks Linked To Weight Gain in Adolescents

Posted at 18:03h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, Weight Research

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Alison E. Field, ScD Professor of Pediatrics Boston Children's Hospital Division of Adolescent Medicine Boston, MA 02115 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We found that intake of regular soda is decreasing, whereas, sports drink consumption is increasing. More importantly, we found that intake of sports drinks predicted greater weight gain among adolescent boys and girls.

24 Jul Hot Flashes? Nightsweats? It May Be Your Caffeine….

Posted at 16:55h in Author Interviews, Coffee, Mayo Clinic, Menopause

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Stephanie Faubion, M.D Director of the Women’s Health Clinic Mayo Clinic in Rochester Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Faubion: In this study that included over 1800 women, we found that caffeine intake was associated with more bothersome hot flashes and night sweats in postmenopausal women.

22 Jul Regular Soda Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis

Posted at 18:38h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, Rheumatology

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Yang Hu From the Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School Boston, MA MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We find regular (≥ 1 serving/day) consumption of sugar-sweetened soda, but not diet soda, is associated with increased risk of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in women, independent of other dietary and lifestyle factor.

18 Jul Only Processed Red Meat Linked to Shorter Survival

Posted at 11:41h in Author Interviews, Karolinski Institute, Red Meat

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Andrea Bellavia From the Unit of Nutritional Epidemiology and the Unit of Biostatistics Institute of Environmental Medicine Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Bellavia: By evaluating together the consumption of processed and fresh red meat, we observed that processed red meat consumption was associated with shorter life, implying a potential negative effect on health. On the other hand, consumption of only fresh red meat was not associated with either shorter or longer survival. Therefore, the main finding of this work is that the negative effects of red meat consumption might only be due to meat processing, which counteract the positive effects of the beneficial nutrients of meat.

17 Jul Processesed Red Meat Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Failure

Posted at 10:41h in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Red Meat

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr inz. Joanna Kaluza Department of Human Nutrition Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW Warsaw POLAND Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Response: The most important finding of my study is the fact that processed red meat consumption, but not unprocessed red meat, increases a risk of Heart Failure incidence and Heart Failure mortality.

14 Jul Vitamins C and E Found To Have No Effect On Risk of Cancer

Posted at 22:58h in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Nutrition, Vitamin C

MedicalResearch Interview with: Dr. Lu Wang MD PhD Associate Epidemiologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Brigham and Women's Hospital Department of Medicine Preventive Medicine Boston, MA 02115 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Wang: We found that vitamin E supplement 400 IU every other day and vitamin C supplement 500 mg daily had no effect on total cancers, the incidence of prostate cancer and other site-specific cancers during periods of intervention, post-trial observation, or overall.

03 Jul PAD: Polyphenols in Dark Chocolate May Improve Peripheral Artery Disease

Posted at 11:55h in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Chocolate, PAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lorenzo Loffredo, MD and Francesco Violi, MD Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Dark chocolate is rich of polyphenols; these natural substances exert antioxidant properties and, through an increase of nitric oxide, dilate arteries. Our research group applied this effect to enhance blood flow in a very common disease, the peripheral arterial disease. This disease is characterized by reduced blood flow to the limbs. There are not any drugs that improve this blood flow, but dark chocolate could. Our study suggest that dark chocolate, and only dark chocolate, could reduce oxidative stress and improve blood flow and walking autonomy in patients with peripheral arterial disease. We observed no effect on blood flow, oxidative stress and on walking autonomy in PAD patients after milk chocolate assumption. This lack of effect was probably due to the low concentration of polyphenols in milk chocolate.

02 Jul St. John’s Wort May Cause Dangerous Drug Interactions

Posted at 14:04h in Author Interviews, Supplements, Wake Forest

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Scott A. Davis, MA Research Administrative Coordinator Department of Dermatology Wake Forest School of Medicine MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: St. John’s wort (SJW), a common complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment for depression, is frequently used together with drugs that may interact dangerously with it. In data from the 1993-2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative survey of physician visits from the National Center for Health Statistics, SJW was prescribed together with drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), benzodiazepines, warfarin, statins, digoxin, verapamil, and oral contraceptives. Using SJW together with other antidepressants may cause serotonin syndrome, a potentially fatal condition.

28 Jun Increasing Fruits & Vegetables In Diet May Not Lead To Weight Loss

Posted at 03:36h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, Weight Research

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Kathryn A. Kaiser, Ph.D. Department of Biostatistics Ryals Public Health Bldg, University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL 35294 MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Kaiser: Recommendations to increase or home delivery of fruits and vegetables to increase intake results in no significant weight loss or gain in adults studied over 8-16 weeks.

17 Jun Canola Oil May Improve Glycemic Control, Reduce Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Posted at 01:29h in Author Interviews, Diabetes, Diabetes Care, Mediterranean Diet, Nutrition

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: David J.A. Jenkins Professor and Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and Metabolism, Dept. of Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Prof. Jenkins: The main findings were that inclusion of just over an once (31g) of canola oil in low glycemic index diets of type 2 diabetes study participants, to further reduce the glycemic load (GL), reduced HbAIC more than a high cereal fiber diet, as predicted. However the Canola oil low GL diet also reduced serum TG and LDL-C and thus Framingham risk score for cardiovascular disease. The effect was seen most clearly in those at highest CHD risk and those with features of the metabolic syndrome.

11 Jun Breast Cancer: Study Finds Red Meat May Increase Risk

Posted at 00:27h in Author Interviews, BMJ, Breast Cancer, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Nutrition

MedicalResearch.com Interview with Dr. Maryam Farvid MSc, Ph.D. Takemi fellow, and Associate Arofessor Senior author: Prof Walter Willett Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Farvid: Compared to women who had one serving per week red meat, those who consumed 1.5 serving per day red meat had a 22 percent higher risk of breast cancer. Red meat intake is associated with breast cancer risk in a dose-response manner. Each additional serving/day increase in total red meat was associated with a 13% increase in risk of breast cancer. Furthermore, each additional serving/day of poultry was associated with a 25% lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Substituting one serving/day of legumes for one serving/day of red meat was associated with a 15% lower risk of breast cancer, substituting one serving/day of poultry for one serving/day of red meat was associated with a 17% lower risk of breast cancer overall, and substituting one serving/day of combined legumes, nuts, poultry, and fish for one serving/day of red meat was associated with a 14% lower risk of breast cancer.

09 Jun Polyphenol Intake Linked To Decrease in Cardiovascular Mortality

Posted at 09:55h in Author Interviews, BMC, Mediterranean Diet

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventos, PhD Associate Professor Department of Nutrition and Food Science School of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Lamuela-Raventós: We have found an inverse relationship between polyphenol intake and risk of overall mortality among elderly subjects at high cardiovascular risk. Adjusting for confounders and comparing the highest versus the lowest quintiles of intake, total polyphenols were inversely associated with total mortality (HR=0.63, 95 CI=0.41-0.97, P-trend=0.12), as well as stilbenes (HR=0.48, 95 CI=0.25-0.91, P-trend=0.04) and lignans (HR=0.60, 95 CI=0.37-0.97, P-trend=0.03). In fact, our results showed that all polyphenols subgroups, except for dihydrochalcones, trended to be protective although their intake did not reach statistical significance. In stratified analyses we also found a stronger association between total polyphenol intake and mortality risk for women and for those who did not drink alcohol.

07 Jun Children May Eat More Vegetables When Introduced Early and Often

Posted at 11:16h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, PLoS

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Marion M. Hetherington BSc (Hons) DipEd DPhil Institute of Psychological Sciences University of Leeds , Leeds, England MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Professor Hetherington: This study was part of a much larger, funded project called HabEat (European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under the grant agreement n°245012. In this study we investigated the effects of offering a new vegetable (artichoke puree) to 332 children in the UK, Denmark and France from weaning age to 38 months. During the experiment each child was given between five and 10 servings of at least 100g of the artichoke puree in one of three versions: basic; sweetened, with added sugar; or added energy, where vegetable oil was mixed into the puree. There was a strong effect of repeated exposure with no additional, clear benefit of adding sweetness or energy. Thus little difference in how much was eaten between children fed basic puree and those who ate the sweetened puree. This suggests that making vegetables sweeter does not make a significant difference to the amount children eat.

06 Jun Study Cautions Against Resveratrol Supplements During Pregnancy

Posted at 05:36h in Author Interviews, FASEB, Nutrition, OBGYNE

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Antonio E. Frias, MD Associate Professor | Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine Oregon Health & Science University Director, Diabetes and Pregnancy Program Assistant Scientist | Oregon National Primate Research Center Portland, Oregon 97239 MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Frias: Resveratrol supplementation in pregnant nonhuman primates fed a Western-style diet improved maternal metabolism, restored placental blood flow, reduced placental inflammation and improved lipid deposition in the fetal liver. However, there was an unexpected disruption of fetal pancreatic development that is very concerning.

06 Jun Olive Oil in Diet Linked To Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

Posted at 05:23h in Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Mediterranean Diet

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof Jordi Salas-Salvadó Professor of Nutrition. Human Nutrition Unit (Director) Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, IISPV School of Medicine. Rovira i Virgili University. Reus, Spain. CIBERobn, Instituto Carlos III. Centre Català de la Nutrició - Institut d'Estudis Catalans (Director). Federation of Spanish Food, Nutrition and Dietetic Scientific Societies (President). Red Iberoamericana RIBESMET (Director) INC - World Forum for Nutrition Research and Dissemination (Chairman). MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The main findings of our study are that olive oil consumption, especially the extra-virgin variety (which is the olive oil with the best quality because it has higher amounts of bioactive compounds than other varieties), is associated with a reduced risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease (stroke, myocardial infarction...) and also cardiovascular death in an elderly Mediterranean population from Spain who were at high cardiovascular risk (because they had several cardiovscular risk factors such as smoking, being overweight or obese, having a family history of cardiovascular disease...). This means there is even more reason to visit gringocool.com. We have conducted an observational study including more than 7000 individuals who had participated in a randomized clinical trial to evaluate effects of a Mediterranean Diet in on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

05 Jun Green Tea Ingredient Changes Metabolism of Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Posted at 11:21h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, Pancreatic

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Wai-Nang Paul Lee, M.D. Division Chief, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Professor of Pediatrics Director of Biomedical Mass Spectrometry Laboratory Harbor-UCLA MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Wai-Nang Lee: The study reports that EGCG, the active biologic constituent in green tea, changed the metabolism of pancreatic cancer cells by suppressing the expression of an enzyme associated with cancer, LDHA. The researchers also compared the effects of EGCG with those of an enzyme inhibitor, oxamate, which is known to reduce LDHA activity, and found that they both operated in a similar manner by disrupting the pancreatic cancer cells metabolic system. Scientists had believed they needed a molecular mechanism to treat cancer, but this study shows that they can change the metabolic system and have an impact on cancer.

30 May Do Calorie Labels Benefit Socioeconomic Disadvantaged?

Posted at 08:57h in Nutrition, Weight Research

MedicalResearch.com Interview Anna Peeters Associate Professor, BSc(Hons) PhD Head Obesity & Population Health | Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute President Australian & New Zealand Obesity Society MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Professor Peeters: The context for this study is that ‘point of sale menu labelling’ policies in fast food restaurants have some evidence of generally decreasing how many calories are consumed by people who go there. They may also lead the companies to reformulate their food to become slightly healthier. The key finding of our study is that those from more disadvantaged/ poorer backgrounds are unlikely to have a direct benefit from ‘point of sale menu labelling’ policies in fast food restaurants through a decreased number of calories consumed.

29 May Mediterranean Diet in Children Found Protective Against Obesity

Posted at 10:18h in Mediterranean Diet, Nutrition, Pediatrics, Weight Research

MedicalResearch Interview with: Dr Gianluca Tognon University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Tognon: We found that eating a pattern rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts, cereal grains and fish, that we call a Mediterranean-like diet was not only inversely associated to being overweight or obese, but also protective against an increase in body mass index and waist circumference at a 2-year follow up.

25 May Metabolic Syndrome May Increase Risk of Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Posted at 10:42h in Metabolic Syndrome, Nutrition, Prostate Cancer

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Katharine N. Sourbeer, BS Institute for Medical Research Durham, N.C. MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: In a study where biopsies were conducted independent from PSA, more metabolic syndrome components were found to be associated with more high-grade prostate cancers.

24 May Prostate Cancer: Tomato Products May Reduce Risk

Posted at 06:23h in Author Interviews, JNCI, Nutrition, Prostate Cancer

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Edward Giovannucci, MD, ScD Department of Nutrition Harvard School of Public Health Boston, MA MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Giovannucci: In 50,000 men followed over 24 years, we found that those regularly consuming tomato products, which are high in lycopene, had a 30% lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer. Among men being screened regularly with PSA, the risk reduction from high tomato consumption was 50%. We also examined the prostate cancer tissue and found that higher dietary lycopene intake was associated with less new blood vessel formation, which may help explain why the cancers were less likely to progress.

23 May Healthy Carbs May Reduce Risk of Prostate Cancer

Posted at 10:28h in Nutrition, Prostate Cancer

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Adriana C. Vidal, Ph. D. Assistant Professor Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Division of Clinical & Epidemiologic Research and Cancer Prevention, Detection and Control Research Program and Department of Surgery Division of Urology Duke University School of Medicine Durham, NC 27710 MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Vidal: Among 430 veterans at the VA Hospital in Durham, N.C., including 156 men with confirmed prostate cancer, we found that men who self-reported a higher intake of carbohydrates were at a reduced risk of both low-grade and high-grade prostate cancer. Moreover, we found that intake of foods with high glycemic index increased total prostate cancer risk in black men. However, a higher fiber intake was associated with reduced risk of high grade prostate cancer.

23 May High Fat & Sugar Diet May Disrupt Bowel Circadian Rhythm and Bacteria

Posted at 10:16h in Author Interviews, Circadian Rhythm, Gastrointestinal Disease, Sugar

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Robin Voigt PhD Department of Internal Medicine Division of Gastroenterology Rush University Medical Center Chicago, Illinois MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Voigt: We found that chronic circadian rhythm disruption has no effect on the intestinal microbiota when mice are fed a standard chow diet but when combined with a high-fat, high-sugar diet circadian rhythm disruption results in intestinal dysbiosis and an increase in pro-inflammatory bacteria.

14 May Brief Exercise Before Meals May Improve Blood Sugar Control

Posted at 11:11h in Author Interviews, Diabetes, Diabetologia, Exercise - Fitness, Sugar

MedicalResearch Interview with: Monique Francois Teaching Fellow & Research Assistant at the University of Otago School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We found that small 'snacks' of interval exercise before the three main meals lowered postprandial blood glucose and contributed to a lower blood glucose across the day. Whereas 30 minutes of continuous moderate exercise before dinner did not lower postprandial blood glucose nor mean glucose levels the exercise day or the following day, compared to exercise snacking. Six one minute intervals as walking or a combination of walking and resistance 3x per day (before the three main meals) improved glycaemic control in individuals with insulin resistance.

14 May Stroke Risk Reduced by Increased Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Posted at 10:54h in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Nutrition, Stroke

MedicalResearch Interview with: Dr. Yan Qu Qingdao Municipal hospital Fruits and Vegetables Consumption and Risk of Stroke A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Reply: First, both fruits and vegetables were found inversely associated with risk of stroke, and the relationships might be linear. Second, the inverse association of fruits and vegetables consumption with risk of stroke is consistent across subgroup analysis by outcome (stroke incidence and stroke mortality), location where the study was conducted (USA, Europe and Asia), sex (male and female), and stroke subtypes (ischemic and hemorrhagic). Third, citrus fruits, leafy vegetables and apples/pears were found inversely associated with risk of stroke. Fourth, very similar results were found in the subgroup analysis by status [yes: 0.78 (0.71-0.86) or no: 0.79 (0.74-0.85)] of adjusting for 6 or more of the 7 covariates (smoking, alcohol, blood pressure/hypertension, serum cholesterol, physical activity, body mass index, ≥3 dietary variables). These findings generally indicated that the association of fruits and vegetables consumption with the reduced risk of stroke may not be the result of confounding by the known factors.

08 May Snacking Between Meals May Increase Liver and Belly Fat

Posted at 10:14h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, Weight Research

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mireille Serlie, MD PhD Academic Medical Center University of Amsterdam Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism Amsterdam, The Netherlands MedicalResearch What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Serlie: We studied the effects of hypercaloric high sugar or high fat/high sugar drinks consumed with the 3 main meals (representing an increase in meal size) or in between the 3 main meals (representing an increase in meal frequency or snacking). All subjects gained a similar amount of body weight but only the ones that snacked showed an increase in liver and abdominal fat. This suggests that besides caloric content and diet composition, eating pattern independently contributes to liver and abdominal fat accumulation. We also observed a trend for a decrease in hepatic insulin sensitivity in the high fat/high sugar frequency group only.

05 May Preconception Maternal Diet Linked to Birth Outcomes

Posted at 11:09h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, OBGYNE

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jessica A. Grieger (BSc(hons), R Nutr, PhD) Post-doctoral research fellow Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Grieger: The study aimed to identify associations between maternal dietary patterns in the 12 months before conception on fetal growth and preterm delivery. We report that a one standard deviation increase in the scores on the high-protein/fruit pattern was associated with decreased likelihood for preterm birth, whereas a one standard deviation increase on the high-fat/sugar/takeaway pattern was associated with increased likelihood for preterm birth as well as shorter gestation and birth length.

04 May Coffee Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Posted at 12:40h in Author Interviews, Coffee, Diabetes, Diabetologia

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Frank B. Hu MD MPH PhD Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology From the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Hu: We found that people who increased the amount of coffee they drank each day by more than one cup over a four-year period had a 11% lower risk for type 2 diabetes than those who made no changes to their coffee consumption, but those who decreased their coffee consumption by more than a cup per day increased their type 2 diabetes risk by 17%.

04 May Dietary Fiber: Potential Mechanism of Appetite Suppression Discovered

Posted at 12:25h in Author Interviews, Nature, Nutrition

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Gary Frost PhD RD Head of the Nutrition and Dietetic Research Group NIHR Senior Investigator Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Faculty of Medicine Imperial College Hammersmith Campus London W12 ONN MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Prof. Frost: That acetate that is derived from the fermentation of dietary fiber in the colon by the microbiota is taken up by the hypothalamus in the brain. In the hypothalamus the way the cells metabolize acetate creates a signal that suppresses appetite

02 May Post MI: Increasing Dietary Fiber Decreased Mortality

Posted at 11:00h in Author Interviews, BMJ, Heart Disease, Nutrition

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Shanshan Li, Doctoral candidate Department of Epidemiology Harvard School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02115, USA MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: This is the first study to show that greater intake of dietary fiber, especially cereal fiber, was inversely associated with all-cause mortality. Participants increased their average dietary fiber intake after myocardial infarction (MI), and the greater the increase, the lower was the risk of subsequent all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Overall, the benefits for increased fiber intake were strongest for fiber from cereal and grain sources.

18 Apr About Half of Adults Use Dietary Supplements On A Regular Basis

Posted at 22:04h in Author Interviews, Nutrition

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Annette Dickinson PhD Consultant to the Council for Responsible Nutrition. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Dickinson: “A five-year series of consumer surveys (2007 to 2011) consistently found that about half of adult consumers use dietary supplements on a regular basis, and a higher percentage (about 2/3) report using dietary supplements when occasional as well as regular use is taken into account. Over the five years, there was a shift in the pattern of supplement use, with the percentage of respondents who said they regularly used mostly a multivitamin declining, and the percentage who said they regularly used a variety of products increasing. The top 7 products used were: multivitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin C, B vitamins, and vitamin E. The main reasons given for supplement use were for overall health and wellness (58% of users) and to fill nutrient gaps in the diet (42%). Supplement users were more likely than nonusers to say they try to eat a balanced diet, visit their doctor regularly, get a good night's sleep, exercise regularly, and maintain a healthy weight. This indicates that supplement use is part of an overall approach to seeking a healthy lifestyle.”