2020 Report for Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care:

Excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury, and air pollution have been added to the 2017 Lancet Commission’s list of nine potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, including less education, hypertension, hearing impairment, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, and low social contact. Together the 12 modifiable risk factors may account […]

Predictors of Brain Function in the Oldest-Old

A US longitudinal observational cohort study suggests that APOE*2 allele and lower pulse pressure predicts resistance to amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition in advanced aging. Of 100 participants, mean age at last cognitive evaluation was 92.0 years (range 86-100). Mean follow-up time from baseline to last measured Aβ status was 12.3 years […]

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) […]

2020 ACS Guideline on Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention

The American Cancer Society just updated the guideline on diet and physical activity for cancer prevention, which is consistent with guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association for the prevention of coronary heart disease and diabetes as well as for general health promotion. Recommendations for individuals: […]

Shifted Global Epicenter of High Cholesterol

A global analysis of pooled population-based studies showed the global repositioning of lipid-related risk over the past nearly four decades, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania. The analysis included 1,127 population-based studies that measured […]

Adherence to Healthy Eating Matters

A US study of 3 prospective cohorts suggests that greater adherence to various healthy eating patterns was consistently associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The final study sample included 74 930 women in the 1st cohort (mean baseline age, 50.2 years), 90 864 women in the 2nd cohort (mean baseline […]

CVD Risk Increased with Normal Range SBP

A US cohort study revealed that beginning with a systolic blood pressure (SBP) level of 90 mm Hg, there was a stepwise increase in the prevalence of traditional atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk factors, coronary artery calcium, and the risk of ASCVD. The study included 1457 participants free of ASCVD […]

Medical Therapy, Carotid Endarterectomy on Par in Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis

A US comparative effectiveness study suggests that, given the up-front perioperative risks associated with carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and the reduced benefit derived from revascularization, initial medical therapy may be an acceptable treatment strategy for asymptomatic carotid stenosis. The study included 5221 patients who received carotid imaging between January 1, 2005, […]

NOACs Safer in AF with Prior ICH

A cohort study in Taiwan suggested that among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) with prior ICH, non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) use was associated with lower rates of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and major bleeding compared with warfarin use, whereas the rate of ischemic stroke was similar. The study included […]