Yearly Archives: 2022


Updated NICE Guideline for Depression

The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has updated the guideline on management of depression with new recommendations. In the new guideline, depression is classified as “less severe” and “more severe”. More severe includes moderate and severe, and less severe includes mild and sub-threshold depression. Sub-threshold has […]


Comparative Effects of Sleeping Pills

A systematic review and network meta-analysis provided the most comprehensive data synthesis on pharmacological treatments for adults with insomnia. The study included 170 trials (36 interventions and 47 950 participants) in the systematic review and 154 double-blind, randomized controlled trials (30 interventions and 44 089 participants) for the network meta-analysis. Benzodiazepines, doxylamine, […]


Moderate Alcohol Intake Linked to Higher Brain Iron and Malfunction

A UK cohort study and Mendelian randomization (MR) suggested that moderate alcohol consumption [>7 units (56 g) alcohol weekly] was associated with markers of higher brain iron and worse cognitive function. The study included 20,729 UK Biobank participants (mean age 54.8 years, 48.6% female). Multiorgan susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (~9.60 […]


Adding Salt to Foods Linked to Mortality and Life Expectancy

A prospective study indicates that the higher frequency of adding salt to foods is associated with a higher risk of all-cause premature mortality and lower life expectancy. The study included 501 379 participants from UK biobank. There were graded relationships between higher frequency of adding salt to foods and higher concentrations […]


Life’s Essential 8

The American Heart Association has updated a construct of cardiovascular health (CVH), Life’s Essential 8, including diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure. Each metric has a new scoring algorithm ranging from 0 to 100 points, allowing generation of a […]


Dose‐Response of Omega‐3 Fatty Acids for Lowering BP

A dose‐response meta‐analysis suggested that the optimal combined intake of omega‐3 fatty acids for blood pressure (BP) lowering is likely between 2 g/d and 3 g/d. Doses above 3 g/d may be associated with additional benefits in lowering BP among high risk groups for cardiovascular diseases. The analysis included 71 randomized controlled trials […]


Moving More and Sitting Less Linked to Lower Stroke Risk

A US cohort study suggested that more active time, especially at moderate intensities, and less sedentary time, particularly in longer bouts, may reduce the risk of stroke. The study included 7607 participants (mean age 63.4 years; 54.5% female, 31.6% Black, and 68.4% White), including 54.7% of them resided in the […]


Very High HDL-C Linked to Higher Mortality

A prospective, multicenter biobank cohort study in the UK and US revealed that very high high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were associated with higher mortality risk in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). There were 14 478 UK participants (from 2006; mean age 62.1 years, 76.2% men) and 5467 US participants […]


The Higher Life’s Simple 7 Scores, The Lower Dementia Risk Across Genetic Profiles

A study of incident dementia, midlife Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) scores and generated genetic risk scores (GRS) using genome-wide summary statistics of Alzheimer’s Disease showed that across strata of GRS, higher midlife LS7 scores were associated with lower risk of dementia in a US cohort. The study included 8,823 European […]


Prevalence and Clinical Significance of DNA Variants Predisposing to Cardiomyopathy

A genetic association study indicates that 0.7% of participants harbor a pathogenic variant related to inherited cardiomyopathy and are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. The study included 9667 US participants (mean age 54.0 years; 43.8% women; 27.5% African and 72.5% European ancestry) and 49 744 UK […]