Yearly Archives: 2023


Time-Restricted Eating Without Calorie Counting Effective for Weight Loss

A 1-year US randomized controlled trial concluded that time-restricted eating (TRE) without calorie counting is effective in weight loss, on par with calorie restriction (CR). Ninety obese participants were randomly assigned to 8-hour TRE (eating between noon and 8:00 p.m. only, without calorie counting), CR (25% energy restriction daily), or control […]


Healthy Diet Score, CVD and Mortality in World Regions

An analysis of data from international studies indicated that diets comprised of higher amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and a moderate amount of fish and whole-fat dairy is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality in all world regions, especially in countries with lower income […]


Clinical Significance of LVEF Thresholds

An analysis of individual-level information of heart failure (HF) patients revealed that there was a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) threshold of around 40% to 50% where the pattern of patient characteristics changed, and event rates began to increase compared with higher LVEF values. The analysis was performed on 33 699 […]


Plant-Based Diets Linked to Lower Cholesterol, LDL-C, and Apo B

A systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that vegetarian and vegan diets were consistently associated with reduced concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and apolipoprotein B (Apo B). The study included 30 randomized controlled trials published between 1980 and October 2022. Compared with omnivorous diets, the plant-based diets reduced […]


SBP <130 mmHg Beneficial for Young-Older Patients

The secondary analysis of a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial in China suggested that maintaining systolic blood pressure (SBP) at <130 mmHg offers additional cardiovascular benefits among young-older patients with high blood pressure. The trial enrolled 8511 young-older (60–80 years) hypertensive patients without prior stroke to compare the intensive treatment (SBP […]


Ambulatory BP More Informative for Mortality

A Spanish observational cohort study indicated that ambulatory blood pressure (BP), particularly night-time BP, was more informative about the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular death than clinic BP. The study used clinic and ambulatory BP data obtained from 59124 patients between March 1, 2004, to Dec 31, 2014. During a […]


Napping Duration Relevant in Health

A Spain cohort study suggested that siesta duration is relevant in obesity/metabolic syndrome (MetS). Timing of nighttime sleep and eating, energy intake at lunch, cigarette smoking, and siesta location may be potential lifestyle mediators. The study included 3275 individuals (mean age 41 years, 78% women, and average BMI 31.1) with […]


Heterogeneity in BP-Lowering Effects of 4 Drugs

A Swedish randomized, double-blind, repeated crossover trial revealed substantial heterogeneity in blood pressure (BP) response to drug therapy for high BP. There were 280 participants with grade 1 high BP at low risk for cardiovascular events (54% men; mean age, 64 years). Each participant was randomized to treatment with 4 […]


Different Genetical and Environmental Contributions in Obesity to CVD

National cohort data from Swedish twins indicate that genetically related obesity is not associated with negative health outcomes to the same extent as environmentally related obesity. A total of 17,988 twins born before 1959 were enrolled in sub-studies of the Swedish Twin Registry between 1984 and 2010 and followed on […]


Family History of Heart Disease Still Matters

A cross-sectional analysis suggested that a multivariable model of clinical and genetic risk factors explains only 36% of the likelihood of family history of heart disease (FHHD), with most of the risk of a FHHD unexplained. The analysis included 166,714 UK Biobank participants with 43.2% reported a FHHD. In the […]