Health


Make Every Bite Count with the Dietary Guidelines

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are out. For the first time the Guidelines provide recommendations by life stage, from birth through older adulthood, while focusing on dietary patterns and recognizing that more than half of adults have one or more diet-related chronic diseases. The guidelines: for about the first […]


Physical Activity Lowered Sedentary Death Risk

A harmonized meta-analysis concluded that longer sedentary time is associated with higher mortality in less active individuals when measured by accelerometry. About 30–40min of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) per day attenuate the association between sedentary time and risk of death. The analysis included 44370 middle-aged and older men and women […]


Vegan Diet Effective in Reducing Weight

A US randomized clinical trial revealed that a low-fat plant-based diet is effective in reducing body weight and increasing insulin sensitivity and postprandial metabolism. A total of 244 participants with body mass index of 28 to 40 (87% female, 48% White, mean age 54.4 years) were randomized in a 1:1 […]


Key Lifestyle Factors in Gout Prevention

A US prospective cohort study suggests that most gout cases could potentially be prevented by achieving and maintaining a normal weight, eating a DASH-style diet, and avoiding alcohol consumption and diuretic use. Men with obesity may not benefit from other modifications unless weight loss is addressed. The study included 44 654 […]


Insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 provides a rules-based synthesis of the available evidence on levels and trends in health outcomes, a diverse set of risk factors, and health system responses. Five key insights that are important for health, social, and economic development strategies […]


More Exercise Better Even in the Elderly

A randomized controlled trial in Norway suggested a lower all-cause mortality trend after high intensity interval training at about 90% of peak heart rate (HIIT) compared with controls and moderate intensity continuous training at about 70% of peak heart rate (MICT) in older adults. The trial included 1567 participants (790 […]


Atlas on T2D Risk Factors

A meta-analyses and Mendelian randomization study identified causal risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2D). The study found evidence of causal associations between 34 exposures (19 risk factors and 15 protective factors) and T2D. Insomnia was identified as a novel risk factor (OR 1.17). The other 18 risk factors were […]


Long Naps Risky

A meta-analysis suggested that long naps (more than 60 mins) were associated with a 30% greater risk of all-cause death and 34% higher likelihood of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to no napping. When night-time sleep was considered, long naps were linked with a higher risk of death only in those […]


Plant Protein Linked to Lower Mortality

A US prospective observational cohort study revealed that higher plant protein intake was associated with reductions in risk of overall and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. The study included 237 036 men (57%, median ages 62.2) and 179 068 women (median age 62.0). Based on 6 009 748 person-years of observation, 77 614 deaths (18.7%; 49 297 […]


CBT on Par with Medication for Insomnia

A sequential multiple-assignment randomized trial concluded that behavioral therapy (BT) and zolpidem medication produced equivalent response and remission rates for insomnia. Adding a second treatment produced an added value for those whose insomnia failed to remit with initial therapies. The study included 211 adults (132 women; mean age, 45.6 years) […]