Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, Nutrition / 29.01.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rajan Anthony Sonik Lurie Institute for Disability Policy Heller School for Social Policy and Management Brandeis University Waltham, MA Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: We know that food insecurity (experiencing hunger, insufficient food, or concerns about having enough food) is associated with a host of health problems, ranging from behavior health conditions to iron deficiencies. However, understanding the relationship between food insecurity and healthcare utilization and cost patterns has been more difficult to assess with available data. Presumably, rises in food insecurity should worsen health, which in turn should increase healthcare utilization and ultimately costs. To examine this topic, I actually looked at this in the opposite way by asking if a decrease in food insecurity might lead to decrease in costs. The opportunity to do so arose in the form of the April 2009 increase in benefit levels for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly the Food Stamps Program) that were part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (commonly referred to as the “stimulus package”). SNAP has been shown to alleviate food insecurity, and so this increase in benefits created the chance to explore my question. I analyzed Massachusetts data from October 2006 to August 2012 using interrupted time series models and found that inpatient Medicaid cost growth in Massachusetts fell by 73% (p = 0.003) after the increase in SNAP benefits. Moreover I found that decreased admissions were the primary driver of this outcome rather any patterns in health care inflation. In addition, I found that, for people with selected chronic illnesses that create heightened sensitivity to food insecurity, the drop in cost growth was even greater (the diseases studied were sickle cell disease, diabetes, malnutrition/failure to thrive, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, and cystic fibrosis). (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Nutrition / 29.01.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Helmut Schröder,  Ph.D. Head Cardiovascular Epidemiology and Nutrition Research Group, CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health Senior Research Scientist Cardiovascular Risk and Nutrition Research Group (CARIN-ULEC) IMIM-Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona Barcelona,Spain Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Schröder: A healthy diet is paramount for physical and mental health. Healthy dietary patterns are more expensive than unhealthy choices. But it is unknown how increases in individual diet cost, driven by rising food prices, affects consumers’ food choices and, consequently, overall diet quality. It is of particular concern that low diet quality is more often found in segments of the population with the lowest socioeconomic status. The he aim of our research was to determine the prospective association between changes in individual diet cost and changes in diet quality in the REGICOR (Registre Gironí del Cor) cohort, a representative Spanish population. Additionally, we determined the impact of changes in diet cost on body weight. We have found that an increase in the energy-adjusted diet cost predicted a shift to a healthier diet and to better weight management. Diet quality strongly increased if money previously spent on unhealthy food choices such as fast food and pastry is instead spent on vegetables and fruits. Furthermore, we have seen that a 1.4€ increase in average spending on food is associated with the consumption of 74 grams more vegetables and 52 grams more fruit, per person per day, for a 1000 kcal diet. Conversely, a reduction of 0.06€ in average spending is linked to a decrease of 121 grams of vegetables and 94 grams of fruit, as well as increased consumption of foodstuffs like fast food and baked goods. (more…)
Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Nutrition, Protein, Weight Research / 29.01.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Stuart M. Phillips Ph.D., FACSM, FACN Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Canada Exercise Metabolism Research Group – Protein Metabolism Research Lab Director, Physical Activity Centre for Excellence Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Prof. Phillips: During weight loss with diet only people lose both muscle and fat and muscle. The long-term health consequences of losing metabolically active muscle versus fat are not likely to be beneficial. In the context of this study we thought perhaps the preservation of muscle would also be important in very active young men. We wanted to see whether when men were in a very large energy deficit (40% less energy than they required) higher protein (2.4 g/kg/d) could preserve muscle mass and still result in increased function (strength) and fitness. Our results show that during a marked energy deficit that consumption of 2.4 g protein/kg/d was more effective than consumption of a diet containing 1.2 g protein/kg/d in promoting increases in LBM (1.2 vs 0.1kg increase) and losses of fat mass (-4.8kg vs. -3.5kg) when combined with a high volume of resistance and anaerobic exercise. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Nutrition, Weight Research / 29.01.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Monica L. Bertoia, MPH, PhD Instructor in Medicine, Channing Division of Network Medicine Brigham and Women’s Hospital & Harvard Medical School Research Associate, Department of Nutrition 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: Most weight loss studies have focused on one type of flavonoid, the flavan-3-ols found in green tea, and are limited to small numbers of overweight and obese study participants. We examined 7 subclasses of flavonoids and weight change in 124,086 healthy adults who reported their diet and weight repeatedly over up to 24 years. (more…)
Author Interviews, Nutrition / 27.01.2016

MEDICALRESEARCH.COM INTERVIEW WITH:

Jonathan Welburn PhD Student and Research Assistant Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering University of Wisconsin, Madison Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: This study addresses rising concerns associated with increasing levels of food imported into the United States.  We use data on FDA import violations to quantify risks to food safety.  Using this data, we provide insight on food safety risks that are not easy to obtain by other means.   Our results suggest that the risk level of imported food is higher for foods from low-GDP countries.  High-GDP countries, on the other hand, may be better able to reduce risks through standards and regulations.  Consequently, importers may wish to pay a little more for products from high-GDP countries or work closely with suppliers from low-GDP countries to ensure good safety practices. (more…)
Author Interviews, Pediatrics, Weight Research / 27.01.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lauren Fiechtner MD MPH Director of Nutrition Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Massachusetts General Hospital for Children MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Fiechtner: In previous studies, we investigated if distance to a supermarket was associated with a child’s BMI or weight status. These were cross-sectional studies measuring only one point in time. We wondered if distance to a supermarket modified how much children in a behavioral intervention improved their weight or dietary intake. In particular we examined 498 children participating in the Study of Technology to Accelerate Research, which was a randomized controlled trial to treat childhood obesity in Eastern Massachusetts. The intervention included computerized clinician decision support plus a family self-guided behavior change intervention or a health coach intervention, which included text messages to the family to promote behavior change. We found that children living closer to supermarkets were able to increase their fruit and vegetable intake and decrease their BMI z-score more during the intervention period than children living farther from supermarkets. (more…)
Author Interviews, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, Nutrition / 22.01.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Refaat Hegazi, MD, PhD MS MPH Abbott medical director and study author MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Hegazi: The NOURISH study that was recently published in Clinical Nutrition showed that a specialized oral nutrition supplement (with high protein, HMB and Vitamin D) was associated with a 50 percent lower death rate in older, malnourished patients with a heart or lung disease, 90 days after leaving the hospital. The study was conducted with the utmost scientific rigor and is one of the largest nutrition clinical studies of its kind. In the study, we evaluated the effects of this specialized nutrition supplement compared to a placebo supplement on the incidence of hospital readmission or death through 90-days after leaving the hospital. The population studied has never been evaluated before in this way. Results showed no significant differences between the two groups for the primary composite (i.e. combined) endpoint of hospital readmissions or death. However, the study individual components and additional analyses showed:
  • A significantly lower (50 percent) death rate for those who received the specialized nutrition supplement. This lower incidence of death began at 30 days after participants left the hospital, and continued for 90 days.
  • Similar rates of hospital readmissions between the two groups.
  • Improvements in other health outcomes including body weight, nutritional status and Vitamin D levels at 30 and 60 days after leaving the hospital, and continued body weight and nutritional status improvements at 90 days for the group taking the specialized nutrition supplement. 
(more…)
Author Interviews, Columbia, Nutrition, Sleep Disorders / 20.01.2016

More on Sleep on MedicalResearch.com MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ph.D, FAHA Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center Institute of Human Nutrition College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University New York, NY 10032   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. St-Onge: We have shown that sleep affects food intake: restricting sleep increases energy intake, particularly from fat (others also find increased sugar intake).  We wanted to know if the reverse was also true: does diet affect sleep at night? Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report? Dr. St-Onge: Diet quality can play an important role in sleep quality.  Sleep can be affect after only a single day of poor dietary intakes (high saturated fat and low fiber intakes).  It is possible that improving one’s diet can also improve their sleep. (more…)
Author Interviews, Nutrition / 19.01.2016

More on Nutrition on MedicalResearch.com MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Lindsey Taillie PhD Research Assistant Professor Department of Nutrition University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Taillie: Walmart is the US’ biggest grocer retailer. With over 50% more sales than the next largest grocery retailer, Kroger, Walmart has a major influence on what Americans buy and eat. Previous research suggests this growing dominance of Walmart could also contributing to our growing waistlines: Walmart has been linked to less healthy food purchases and higher levels of obesity. At the same time, public health scientists and advocates are also increasingly concerned about ensuring that everyone—and especially the poor—have access to healthy food stores to buy fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods. But what’s a healthy store? Typically we think of these as traditional grocery stores and supermarkets, but not massive supercenters like Walmart (or convenience or drug stores). However, it’s very difficult to actually test how stores affect the healthfulness of our diets. For example, the reason why some food store purchases seem healthier is because more health-conscious consumers shop there to begin with, not necessarily because the food is actually healthier. Where stores choose to locate is not random, either—stores like Walmart might choose to open a store in a certain neighborhood because of other characteristics (low rent, more space, etc.), which themselves can be associated with poor diets and more obesity. People also shop at more than one type of food store, so unhealthy foods at one store might offset healthier foods purchased at another. (more…)
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, JAMA, Nutrition, Ophthalmology / 16.01.2016

More on Ophthalmology on MedicalResearch.com MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jae Hee Kang, MSc, SC Associate Epidemiologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Brigham and Women's Hospital Department of Medicine Channing Division of Network Medicine Boston, MA 02115 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Kang: Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common form of the disease. Little is known on the causes of glaucoma but dysfunction in the regulation of blood flow to the optic nerve, which transmits visual information to the brain, may be involved. Nitric oxide is important for maintenance of blood flow and its signaling may be impaired in glaucoma. We were interested in whether dietary nitrates, an exogenous source of nitric oxide mostly found in green-leafy vegetables, may be related to lower risk of POAG. Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Kang: We (Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers) used 25+ years of data from over 100,000 participants in the Nurses' Health Study (63,893 women) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (41,094 men). Participants were nurses or other health professionals and were aged 40 years or older and reported eye exams. We collected information on their diet and other health information every two years with questionnaires. During follow-up, 1,483 new cases of primary open-angle glaucoma with visual field loss were identified and confirmed with medical record review. Participants were divided into quintiles (one of five groups) of dietary nitrate intake (quintile 5, approximately 240 mg/day; quintile 1, approximately 80 mg/day) and of green leafy vegetables (quintile 5, approximately 1.5 servings/day; quintile 1, approximately one-third of a serving/day). We observed that greater intake of dietary nitrate and green leafy vegetables (e.g., romaine and iceberg lettuce and kale/chard/mustard greens) was associated with a 20 percent to 30 percent lower POAG risk; the association was particularly strong (40 percent-50 percent lower risk) for POAG with early paracentral visual field loss (a subtype of POAG most linked to dysfunction in blood flow autoregulation). (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Diabetes, NIH, OBGYNE / 13.01.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Cuilin Zhang MD, PhD Senior Investigator, Epidemiology Branch Division of Intramural Population Health Research NICHD/National Institutes of Health Rockville, MD 20852  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Zhang: Potatoes are the third most commonly consumed food crop in the world. In the United States, about 35% of women of reproductive age consume potatoes daily, accounting for 8% of daily total energy intake.  Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication of pregnancy characterized by glucose intolerance with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. GDM is at the center of a vicious circle of 'diabetes begets diabetes' across generations. Potato foods are typically higher in glycemic index and glycemic load, but data are lacking regarding whether potato consumption is associated with the risk of Gestational diabetes mellitus. Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Zhang: Women who eat more potatoes before pregnancy may have higher risk of gestational diabetes—the form of diabetes that occurs or first diagnosed during pregnancy—compared to women who consume fewer potatoes. Substituting potatoes with other vegetables, legumes or whole grains may help lower gestational diabetes risk. (more…)
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, NIH, Nutrition, Sugar, Weight Research / 12.01.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Caroline Fox, MD MPH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Fox: There is evidence linking sugar sweetened beverages with obesity and type 2 diabetes. There is also evidence suggesting that specific adipose tissue depots may play a role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. We found that higher levels of sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) intake was associated with more visceral fat (fat in the stomach cavity) over 6 years. (more…)
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Weight Research / 08.01.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Russell Keast Ph.D., CFS Professor Centre for Advanced Sensory Science (CASS) School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health Deakin University Melbourne Burwood Campus Burwood, VIC 3125 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Keast: Fatty acids are detected at various stages of food consumption and digestion via interactions with nutrient receptors upon the tongue and within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This chemoreception initiates functional responses, i.e., taste perception, peptide secretion and alterations in GI motility that play a fundamental role in food consumption, hedonics and satiety. In obesity, both GI and taste detection of fatty acids is attenuated and this may predispose individuals to increased consumption of high-fat foods, or foods containing greater concentrations of fat.  In other word overweight and obese people are less sensitive to fat and this is associated with overconsumption of fatty foods leading to weight gain. (more…)
Author Interviews, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, JAMA, Nutrition / 23.12.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Philipp Schuetz, MD, MPH University Department of Medicine Clinic for Endocrinology/Metabolism/Clinical Nutrition, Kantonsspital Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland Medical Faculty of the University of Basel Basel, Switzerland Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Schuetz: Malnutrition is common in hospitalised patients and associated with detrimental metabolic consequences. The current clinical approach is to provide at risk patients nutritional support as a strategy to tackle malnutrition and its associated adverse outcomes. Yet, whether this strategy is effective and improves clinical outcomes in the medical inpatient population is unclear. In addition, recent trials from critical care have shown adverse outcomes when nutritional therapy was used too aggressively. Herein, our metaanalysis is the first to systematically investigate effects of nutritional support in medical inpatients. Our analysis shows that nutritional support is highly effective in increasing energy and protein intake and helps to stabilize weight loss. Also, risk for unplanned readmission after discharge from the hospital was reduced and length of stay was shorter in the patient population with established malnutrition. Yet, for other important clinical outcomes such as mortality and functional outcomes effects of nutritional support remained uncertain. Also, the quality of evidence was found to be moderate to low. (more…)
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Diabetes, Nutrition / 20.12.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Qi Sun Sc.D Assistant Professor Department of Nutrition Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Boston, Massachusetts  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Qi Sun: Potato is considered as a vegetable in certain dietary recommendations, such as in the U.S. MyPlate food guide, whereas in the U.K. national food guide, potato is grouped with cereal as sources of carbohydrates. Potato foods are typically higher in glycemic index and glycemic load, but data are rare regarding whether individual and total potato foods are associated with chronic diseases. In this analysis, we focused on diabetes and found that a higher consumption of total potato foods and individual potato foods, especially french fries, was associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in three large cohort studies of ~200 thousand U.S. men and women. In addition, we found that increased potato food consumption over time was associated with a subsequent increased risk of developing diabetes. (more…)
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Schizophrenia / 19.12.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Zoltan Sarnyai, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Pharmacology Head, Laboratory of Psychiatric Neuroscience Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) Comparative Genome Centre Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics James Cook University Townsville, Australia Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Sarnyai: Schizophrenia has long been conceptualized as a disease contributed by the increased activity of the neurotransmitter system that provides dopamine for the brain. All clinically used antipsychotic drugs inhibit dopamine transmission in the brain by blocking dopamine receptors. These drugs have only a limited efficacy on a certain set of symptoms associated with schizophrenia. More recent research has uncovered that abnormal glucose and energy metabolism in the brain may contribute in the development of schizophrenia. This is not altogether surprising considering that our brain is using a disproportionately high amount of glucose to fuel neurotransmission (cell-to-cell communication in the brain), to maintain normal electrical activity of nerve cells and to deal with damaging free oxygen radicals. Therefore, even relatively small changes in the machinery that is required to provide energy for the brain cells can have very significant impact on brain function. In fact, recent studies have identified altered expression of genes and proteins that are responsible for enzymatic breakdown of glucose and proper handling of the metabolites to create the energy-rich molecule ATP. In addition, recent research shows decreased number and impaired function of the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, in the brain of individuals with schizophrenia.  These recent results that show abnormal energy metabolism in schizophrenia raise the possibility of targeting metabolic pathways for therapeutic benefit in this condition. Ketogenic diet provides and alternative source of energy to the brain through fatty acids. Furthermore, since this diet is very low in carbohydrates, almost all the energy needs of the cells comes from breaking down fat (fatty acids) as opposed to glucose. This can circumvent the classic glucose metabolic pathways that maybe impaired in the disease. Also, breaking down fatty acids produces 40% more of the energy-rich molecule ATP than breaking down the carbohydrate glucose. Altogether, ketogenic diet may provide extra energy and can help neurotransmission in the brain, leading to the improvement of neurobiological processes underlying schizophrenia. (more…)
Antioxidants, Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Nutrition / 14.12.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Néstor Vicente Salar, PhD. Profesor Asociado UMH/ UMH Part-time Assistant Professor Doctor en Biología Diplomado en Nutrición Humana y Dietética (CV00195) Miembro del GE-NuDAFD (AEDN)  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Nowadays, the practising of endurance sport is increasing, running being the sport chosen by many people who decide to start doing exercise. Distances and time are important factors to take in account in amateur as well as in professional runners. Among others, these factors are directly related to the risk of oxidative damage. In fact, oxidative stress has two faces: beneficial and deleterious. Helpful effects include the defence against infectious agents or the function as intracellular signaling molecules in many processes. On the other hand, high and persistent levels of oxidative stress can produce harmful effects if the antioxidant defences are overwhelmed, resulting in structural damage. Antioxidants from diet, for example pomegranate juice, seem to control oxidative stress disorders. However, the studies about the role of pomegranate juice in oxidative stress modulation in athletes are scarce. We have demonstrated that the intake of this kind of juice during 22 days in endurance athletes is capable to modulate the structural damage in macromolecules as proteins and lipids. (more…)
Author Interviews / 17.11.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ming Ding, MD, DSc Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Boston, MA Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Response: Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed beverages worldwide. Previous studies showed coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and Parkinson’s disease. However, the association between coffee consumption and risk of mortality remains uncertain. Some studies showed an inverse association between moderate coffee consumption and risk of mortality, and an inverse or null association between heavy coffee consumption and risk of mortality. However, some studies found heavy coffee consumption to be associated with higher risk of mortality. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Response: With 208,501 participants and 31,956 deaths in three large cohort studies, our results showed a non-linear association of coffee consumption with total mortality in the whole population. When restricting to never smokers, coffee consumption was associated with lower risk of total mortality, and mortality due to CVD, neurological diseases, and suicide. No association of coffee consumption with cancer mortality was found. The present study provides strong evidence that long-term coffee consumption is not associated with increased risk of mortality. (more…)
AACR, Author Interviews, NIH, Nutrition, Ovarian Cancer, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 13.11.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Bo (Bonnie) Qin, PhD Postdoctoral associate at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response:  Ovarian cancer is among the top five causes of cancer death among women in the US. Compared to white women, African-American women tend to have a worse 5-year survival rate of ovarian cancer. It highlights a critical need for identifying preventive factors in African Americans, particularly through dietary modification, which is relatively low cost and low risk compared to medical treatments. We found that adherence to an overall healthy dietary pattern i.e. Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010 may reduce ovarian cancer risk in African-American women, and particularly among postmenopausal women. Adherence to the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans i.e. Healthy Eating Index-2010, were also strongly associated with reduced risk of ovarian cancer among postmenopausal African-American women. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Lipids, Stanford / 13.11.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Liana Del Gobbo PhD Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA; and Life Sciences Research Organization, Bethesda, MD Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Del Gobbo: Accumulating evidence suggests that nut intake lowers risk of cardiovascular disease. But the specific mechanisms by which nuts may exert beneficial effects (eg. through lowering blood cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation, etc.) were not clear. Two prior reviews on this topic only evaluated one type of nuts, and only a few cardiovascular risk factors. To address these knowledge gaps, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials to examine the effects of eating tree nuts (walnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts) on major cardiovascular risk factors including blood lipids (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides [TG]), lipoproteins (ApoA1, ApoB, ApoB100), blood pressure (systolic, SBP; diastolic, DBP), and inflammation (C-reactive protein, CRP) in adults 18 years or older without cardiovascular disease. A daily serving of nuts (1oz serving, or 28g per day) significantly lowered total cholesterol, LDL, ApoB, and triglycerides, with no significant effects on other risk factors, such as HDL cholesterol, blood pressure or inflammation. To give you an idea of a 1oz serving size of nuts, it is about 23 almonds, 18 cashews, 21 hazelnuts, 6 Brazil nuts, 12 macadamia nuts, 14 walnut halves, 20 pecan halves, 49 pistachios. We did not see any differences in cholesterol-lowering effects by nut type. (more…)
Author Interviews, FASEB, Metabolic Syndrome, Nutrition, Weight Research / 13.11.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Suzan Wopereis, Ph.D. TNO, Microbiology and Systems Biology Group Zeist, The Netherlands Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Wopereis: For the first time we could demonstrate the very subtle start of negative health effects caused by a high calorie snack diet in healthy men. We already knew about the negative consequences of such diets from so called epidemiologic studies. In such studies, scientists compare large populations (thousands of people) to better understand disease development. For example, by comparing  obese populations to a lean population, scientists could define various steps in the disease development related to obesity, like high cholesterol, onset of inflammation, high blood pressure, high glucose, etc. Yet, the early deviations from health  were difficult to study because human metabolism (the way we digest and metabolize our meals from a biochemical viewpoint)  is very flexible and able to efficiently deal with all kinds of daily stressors, such as a meal or intensive exercise. So, at TNO we decided to exploit  this flexibility by giving our healthy volunteers a ‘challenge test’, in the form of a high-fat milkshake. Next, we studied how multiple aspects of their metabolism react to such a challenge test. We showed that a snack diet for 4 weeks reduced many aspects of  flexibility of our healthy men, thus indicating very early changes in health. Both the high-fat challenge test and the integral study of many different outcomes form a novel approach of what “healthy” really means. In the study we used two groups of male volunteers. One group of 10 healthy male volunteers and one group of 9 male volunteers with Metabolic Syndrome, who had a combination of 2 or more risk factors that raises your risk for heart disease and other health problems (unhealthy cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high blood lipids, and abdominal fat). In other words, subjects with Metabolic Syndrome have a suboptimal health condition. Both groups received a high-fat milk-shake, and before and up to 8 hours after consumption of this metabolic challenge-test, blood samples were taken. In these blood samples, 61 different biomarkers were measured, such as cholesterol and blood sugar. These 61 biomarkers were used for a thorough health assessment of these 2 groups in response to the challenge test. We noted that biochemical processes related to sugar metabolism, fat metabolism and inflammation function abnormal in subjects with Metabolic Syndrome. The next step was to provide the 10 healthy male volunteers with a snack diet for 4 weeks. On top of their normal diet they had to consume an additional 1300 kcal per day, in the form of sweets and savory products such as candy bars, tarts, peanuts, and crisps. After these 4 weeks the response of the same 61 biomarkers to the challenge test was evaluated. Here, we observed that signaling molecules such as hormones regulating the control of sugar and fat metabolism and inflammation were changed, resembling the very subtle start of negative health effects. Without the use of the challenge test, we would not have been able to observe that even this short period of overfeeding induces changes in the metabolism of healthy people that resemble what happens in people with metabolic syndrome. (more…)
Author Interviews, Bone Density, Mineral Metabolism, Nutrition, Pediatrics / 13.11.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Audry H. Garcia PhD Scientist Department of Epidemiology Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam Rotterdam, The Netherlands Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Garcia: Mild and chronic metabolic acidosis as a result of a diet rich in acid-forming nutrients, such as cheese, fish, meat and grain products, may interfere with optimal bone mineralization and indirectly increase the risk of osteoporosis later in life. Previous observational studies in adults have reported inverse associations between dietary acid load and bone mass. However, the evidence in younger populations is scarce; only a few studies have been performed in healthy children and adolescents with inconsistent results, and not much is known on the effects of dietary acid load on bone mass in younger children or in children with a non-European background. In a prospective multiethnic population-based cohort study of 2,850 children from the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, we found that dietary acid load estimated as dietary potential renal acid load (dPRAL), and as protein intake to potassium intake ratio (Pro:K) at 1 year of age, was not consistently associated with childhood bone health. Furthermore, associations did not differ by sex, ethnicity, weight status, or vitamin D supplementation. (more…)
Author Interviews / 12.11.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Aouatef Bellamine, Ph.D Lonza Inc Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Bellamine: About two years ago, Robert Koeth and his colleagues (Nat Med. 2013 May;19(5):576-85) published a paper linking atherosclerosis and increased cardiac disease risks to Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a degradation product of dietary quaternary ammonium compounds such as L-Carnitine, Betaine and Choline. When these compounds are not completely absorbed into the intestine, bacterial gut metabolizes them to TMA (Trimethylamine) which is absorbed to the blood and further metabolized by the liver flavin-containing mono-oxygenases (FMOs) to TMAO. This is why some people use injectable l carnitine products. Koeth’s observation was based on
  • 1- clinical association between L-Carnitine levels increased incidence of major cardiac events,
  • 2- on increased lesion formation in ApoE-/- mouse, a disease model used to study atherosclerosis.The conclusion was that TMAO promotes atherosclerosis. Although the association is established, the cause to effect cannot be clarified given the lack of dose response in this mouse model (a single dose has been used) and the small number of animals in the treatment group making the difference between treatments (3 out of 11 animals). In addition, TMAO has been described to play the role of a molecular chaperone, preventing the protein unfolding. TMAO is also found in fish where it plays an important role in maintaining a normal osmolality. Fish is reported otherwise to be a healthy food source and its consumption is not linked to atherosclerosis occurrence.
Lonza decided to investigate the mechanism (s) behind these observations (Bellamine et al., Experimental Biology meeting, San Diego, 28 April 2014, Bellamine et al., Atherosclerosis in press). First, we showed that increasing TMAO levels up to 10-fold the Cmax as reported in humans, did not affect the foam cell formation in vitro, an obligatory step in the atherosclerosis disease progression. Second, we used an improved version of the ApoE-/- mouse model, expressing the cholesteryl ester transport protein (CETP) lacking normally in rodents. The CETP plays a major role in the cholesterol re-cycling in humans and its inhibition has been studied as a target for atherosclerosis treatment. Further, we used different doses of dietary L-Carnitine, leading to different levels of TMAO in an attempt to establish a dose-response curve. We found that TMAO levels inversely correlated with the lesion size. Significantly reduced aortic lesion size was observed at high levels of TMAO. These effects were independent from lipid changes. These observations suggest that TMAO may play a protective role in atherosclerosis disease development by reducing the lesion formation. When the lesions start developing, the TMAO levels would be up-regulated by a compensatory mechanism (possibly by increasing FMOs expression levels). (more…)
Author Interviews, Depression, Omega-3 Fatty Acids / 07.11.2015

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. (more…)
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Nutrition, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 04.11.2015

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. (more…)
Author Interviews, Nutrition, PLoS, University Texas, Weight Research / 04.11.2015

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.  (more…)
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Social Issues / 03.11.2015

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. (more…)
Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Nutrition / 13.10.2015

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. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Karolinski Institute, Nutrition, Stroke / 27.09.2015

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. (more…)