Yearly Archives: 2019


Nut Consumption Linked to Lower CVD and Mortality

A US prospective analysis revealed that higher consumption of nuts, especially tree nuts, is associated with lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality in patients with diabetes. The analysis included 16,217 men (1986-2014) and women (1980-2014) with diabetes at baseline or diagnosed during follow-up. During 223,682 and 254,923 person-years of […]


Push-up Capacity Linked to CVD Risk

A US retrospective longitudinal cohort study revealed that higher baseline push-up capacity is associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. The study was conducted between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2010. There were 1562 participants underwent baseline examination, and 1104 with available push-up data included in […]


Diet Soda Linked to CVD and Mortality

A US prospective multicenter longitudinal study suggested that higher intake of artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) was associated with increased risk of stroke, particularly small artery occlusion subtype, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality. The study included 81 714 postmenopausal women of ages 50 to 79 years at baseline who enrolled […]


Cortical Cerebral Microinfarcts Linked to Carotid Atherosclerosis

A Japanese study suggested that vulnerable carotid plaque increases the risk of cortical cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs) and subsequent cognitive impairment. The study included 89 patients with >30% carotid stenosis on ultrasound. CMIs were identified in 26 patients (29%). Adjusted for age and sex, CMIs were associated with intraplaque hemorrhage, lacunar […]


A Personalized Approach to Predicting Postprandial Glycemic Responses to Food

A personalized predictive model that takes into consideration unique features of an individual in addition to food characteristics was more predictive than current dietary approaches for glycemic responses to food consumed. The study enrolled 327 individuals without diabetes from October 11, 2016, to December 13, 2017 in the US. The […]


Complex Genetic Roots of Depression

A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of depression identified 102 independent variants, 269 genes, and 15 genesets associated with depression, including both genes and gene pathways associated with synaptic structure and neurotransmission. The analysis included 807,553 individuals (246,363 cases and 561,190 controls). An enrichment analysis provided further evidence of the […]


Fried Foods Linked to Mortality Risk

A prospective cohort study revealed that frequent consumption of fried foods, especially fried chicken and fried fish/shellfish, was associated with a higher risk of all cause and cardiovascular mortality in women in the US. The study included 106 966 postmenopausal women aged 50-79 at study entry who were enrolled between September […]


Heavy Workouts Not Linked to High Mortality

A US prospective observational study showed that high levels of physical activity are associated with prevalent coronary artery calcification (CAC) but are not associated with increased all-cause or cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality after a decade of follow-up, even in the presence of clinically significant CAC levels. The study included 21 […]


Optimal Duration of Cardiac Monitoring Following Syncope

A prospective Canadian cohort study suggested that serious underlying arrhythmia was often identified within the first 2-hours of emergency department (ED) arrival for low-risk patients, and within 6-hours for medium- and high-risk patients. Outpatient cardiac rhythm monitoring for 15-days for selected medium-risk patients and all high-risk patients discharged from the […]


Blood Neurofilament Light Chain, a Biomarker of Neurodegeneration

A cohort study revealed that blood neurofilament light chain (NfL) changes predict disease progression and brain neurodegeneration more than a decade before the onset of familial Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The study included 243 participants with an early-onset genetic variant known to cause dominantly inherited AD and 162 unaffected relatives as […]