Nutrition and health

Objectives:
An enhanced risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) still exists even when patients with type 2 diabetes have tight control on blood sugar. Thus, identification of treatment approaches that address CVD risk factors may be useful for patients beyond the blood sugar management. Although emerging evidence suggests that nuts consumption have beneficial effects on cardiometabolic health, the effects of almond intake in patients with type 2 diabetes are still controversial. Therefore, this review article has been conducted. 

Does almond consumption improve risk factors (cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, insulin, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), body mass index, weight, body fat, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and CRP) of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes?

Study design:
This review article included 9 RCTs.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found there was a causal relationship between almond dietary intake and a  significant reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol) [WMD = -5.28 mg/dL, 95% CI = -9.92 to -0.64, p = 0.026] in patients with type 2 diabetes compared with the control group.
This lowering effect of LDL cholesterol was robust in subgroups with almond consumption >50 g/day and baseline LDL cholesterol level 130 mg/dL.

The investigators found, however, the effect of almond on total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol), fasting plasma glucose, insulin, HbA1c, body mass index, weight, body fat, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and CRP was not significant compared with the control group.

The investigators concluded that a dietary intake of at least 50 g/d almond decreases causally LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) but has no favourable effect on other cardiometabolic outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. Further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of the almond.

Original title:
Effects of almond on cardiometabolic outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by Moosavian SP, Rahimlou M, […], Jalili C.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35443097/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on almond consumption and diabetes right here.
 

Objectives:
While there is growing research interest in the effects of nutrition and exercise on delaying sarcopenia, the results are inconclusive and there is scarce information on regional patterns. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Do protein supplements combined with exercise improve extremity strength in healthy older adults with sarcopenia?

Study design:
This review article included 14 RCTs, involving a total of 888 healthy older adults (>60 years).

4 studies in Asian countries provided data on lower-extremity strength, involving 280 participants (138 in protein supplements + exercise group and 142 in exercise group).
Lower-extremity strength was assessed using knee extension (n = 3) or leg extension (n = 1).
The intervention period of all studies was 12 weeks.
The dosage of protein ranged from 3 g/d to 40 g/d.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in 4 studies in Asian countries a significant increase in the lower-extremity strength in the protein supplementation + exercise group compared to the exercise group, with a SMD of 0.24 [95% CI = 0.00 to 0.47, p = 0.048, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.513].

The investigators concluded that protein supplements (3 g/d to 40 g/d during 12 weeks) combined with exercise (knee extension and leg extension) exerts superior benefit on lower-extremity strength in healthy older adults with sarcopenia in Asian countries, when compared to exercise alone or with a placebo. However, no additional benefits from protein supplementation are observed on upper-extremity strength, muscle mass and physical performance regardless of the regions. More well-designed RCTs with information on baseline and total protein intake for longer follow-up periods are warranted to evaluate the effectiveness of protein supplementation and exercise on the prevention and management of sarcopenia in healthy older adults.

Original title:
Effects of protein supplementation and exercise on delaying sarcopenia in healthy older individuals in Asian and non-Asian countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis by Li L, He Y, […], Liu X.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8808080/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on protein and elderly right here.

Upper extremity is part of the body that includes the arm, wrist and hand.

Lower extremity refers to the part of the body from the hip to the toes.

Sarcopenia is a type of muscle loss (muscle atrophy) that occurs with aging and/or immobility. Sarcopenia can affect people in their 30s and beyond.
 

Objectives:
Epidemiological studies indicate that higher intakes of flavonoids are associated with reduced stroke risk. However, which subtypes play significant roles to protect against stroke remain unclear. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does dietary intake of different flavonoid subclasses (flavanones, flavan-3-ols) reduce risk of stroke?

Study design:
This review article included 10 independent prospective cohort studies with 387,076 participants and 9,564 events (persons with stroke).

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found higher intakes of flavanones significantly reduced risk of stroke with 15% [RR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.78 to 0.93].

The investigators found dose-response analysis showed that 50 mg/day increment of flavanones dietary intake was significantly associated with 11% reduction in stroke risk [RR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.84 to 0.94].

The investigators found dose-response analysis showed that 200 mg/day increment of flavan-3-ols dietary intake was significantly associated with 14% reduction in stroke risk [RR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.75 to 0.98].

The investigators found no association with respect to other flavonoid subclasses.

The investigators concluded that both 50 mg/day flavanones and 200 mg/day flavan-3-ols dietary intake reduce stroke risk. The findings of these associations of the present study need to be confirmed in other regions and ethnic origins.

Original title:
A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies of flavonoid subclasses and stroke risk by Li XQ, Wang C, […], Guo XF.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35023220/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on flavonoid consumption and stroke prevention right here.

Objectives:
Is IL-6 is a candidate marker for severe malaria?

Study design:
This review article included 43 studies.

Most of the included studies were prospective observational studies (19, 44.2%) and the remaining study types included cross-sectional studies (16, 37.2%), case-controlled studies (6, 14%) and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (2, 4.6%).

The studies enrolled patients with P. falciparum (32, 74.4%), P. vivax (4, 9.3%), P. falciparum/P. vivax (3, 6.98%), P. falciparum/P. knowlesi (1, 2.3%), P. falciparum/P. vivax/P. ovale (1, 2.3%), P. falciparum/P. vivax/mixed infection (1, 2.3%) and P. falciparum/P. vivax/P. ovale/P. malariae (1, 2.3%).

Some studies enrolled children (20, 46.5%), adults (16, 37.2%), all age groups (6, 14%) and not specified (1, 2.3%).

Most of the studies (31, 72.1%) used only microscopy for malaria detection although microscopy/PCR (5, 11.6%), microscopy/rapid diagnostic test (RDT; 5, 11.6%) and microscopy/RDT/PCR (2, 4.65%) were also used.

An ELISA was the most common method used for IL-6 measurements (30, 69.8%), followed by a bead-based assay (13, 30.2%).

Thirty-two studies (74.4%) were high quality, whereas 11 studies were moderate qualities.
Heterogeneity of the effect estimate among the included studies was the main limitation of this analysis.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found results of the meta-analysis showed that patients with severe malaria had higher mean IL-6 levels than those with non-severe malaria [WMD = 96.63 pg/mL, 95% CI = 0.88 to 19.38 pg/mL, p = 0.04, I2 = 99.9%, 13 studies].

The investigators found that the pooled effect estimate was unchanged after the publication bias was adjusted [WMD = 96.60 pg/mL, 95% CI = 4.32 to 188.89 pg/mL, p = 0.04, 13 studies].

The investigators found results of the meta-analysis showed that patients with uncomplicated malaria had higher mean IL-6 levels than the controls [WMD = 42.86 pg/mL, 95% CI = 30.17 to 55.56 pg/mL, p 0.001, I2 = 100%, 17 studies].

The investigators found results of the meta-analysis showed no differences in the mean levels of IL-6 between patients with uncomplicated malaria and those with asymptomatic malaria [WMD = 42.07 pg/mL, 95% CI = -2.23 pg/mL to -86.37 pg/mL, p = 0.063, I2 = 99.1%, 8 studies] or between patients with asymptomatic malaria and healthy controls [WMD = 1.67 pg/mL, 95% CI = -2.73 pg/mL to -6.07 pg/mL, p = 0.45, I2 = 98.1%, 2 studies].

The investigators found subgroup analysis of continents showed no differences in IL-6 levels between patients with severe malaria and non-severe malaria for studies conducted in Africa and Asia.

The investigators found results of the meta-analysis showed that a higher mean level of IL-6 was observed in patients who died compared with the levels of those who survived [WMD = 1,399.19 pg/mL, 95% CI = 384.16 to  2,414.2 pg/mL, p = 0.007, I2 = 93.1%, 4 studies].

The investigators found meta-regression analyses of continents, malarial complications, parasitemia, age, male percentage, malaria diagnostic methods and IL-6 measurement methods showed that these co-variates did not confound the effect estimate [p > 0.05].

The investigators concluded significantly increased levels of IL-6 are observed in patients with severe malaria compared with those in patients with non-severe malaria, which indicates that IL-6 is a candidate marker for severe malaria. In addition, IL-6 might be a candidate marker for malaria infection and therefore could be used to differentiate malaria infection from other febrile diseases. Therefore, it is recommended that future studies should investigate the sensitivity and specificity of increased IL-6 levels to determine the effectiveness of measuring IL-6 levels to detect malaria infection and monitor malaria severity to improve the efficiency of malaria diagnosis and management.

Original title:
Increased interleukin-6 levels associated with malaria infection and disease severity: a systematic review and meta-analysis by Wilairatana P, Mala W, […], Kotepui M.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8993930/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on food fortification/malnutrition and malaria right here.

Objectives:
Oat supplementation interventions (OSIs) may have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, dietary background can modulate such effect. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does dietary oat supplementation lower levels of blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides) and improve anthropometric parameters (glucose level, body mass index, weight, blood pressure, waist circumference) among participants with predominantly mild metabolic disturbances?

Study design:
This review article included 74 RCTs with a total of 4,937 predominantly hypercholesterolemic, obese subjects, with mild metabolic disturbances. Of these, 59 RCTs contributed to the meta-analyses.

The majority of included RCTs (81.1%) had some concerns for risk of bias.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found oat supplementation (as oat, oat beta-glucan-rich extracts or avenanthramides), compared to control arms without oats, significantly improved levels of:
-total cholesterol (TC) [WMD = -0.42 mmol/L, 95% CI = -0.61 to -0.22];
-LDL cholesterol [WMD = -0.29 mmol/L, 95% CI = -0.37 to -0.20];
-glucose [WMD = -0.25 nmol/L, 95% CI = -0.36 to -0.14];
-body mass index [WMD = -0.13 kg/m², 95% CI = -0.26 to -0.01];
-weight [WMD = -0.94 kg, 95% CI = -1.84 to -0.05] and;
-waist circumference [WMD = -1.06 cm, 95% CI = -1.85 to -0.27].

The investigators found RCTs on inflammation and/or oxidative stress markers were scarce and with inconsistent findings.

The investigators found RCTs comparing an oat supplementation intervention to heterogeneous interventions (e.g., wheat, eggs, rice, etc.), showed lowered levels of glycated haemoglobin, diastolic blood pressure, HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B.

The investigators concluded dietary oat supplementation (as oat, oat beta-glucan-rich extracts or avenanthramides) may lower levels of blood lipids and improve anthropometric parameters among obese participants with predominantly mild metabolic disturbances, regardless of dietary background or control. May lower because the majority of included RCTs had some concerns for risk of bias. Therefore, further high-quality trials are warranted to establish the role of oat supplementation intervention on blood pressure, glucose homeostasis and inflammation markers.

Original title:
Effect of oat supplementation interventions on cardiovascular disease risk markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by Llanaj E, Dejanovic GM, […], Muka T.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34977959/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on oat consumption, overweight and cardiovascular diseases right here.

These products are suitable for persons with cardiovascular diseases.

Objectives:
Is there an association between dietary diversity (DDiv) and growth outcomes (stunting, wasting and underweight) in children aged 5 years?

Study design:
This review article included 70 cross-sectional studies, 4 longitudinal cohort studies, 5 case-control studies and 2 randomized controlled trials.

Of the studies, 45 focused on infants and 36 on children aged 5 years.
The reviewed articles had good quality and low risk of bias (scores >6).

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in infants, low dietary diversity was significantly associated with stunting, wasting and being underweight [79%, 57% and 68% of the studies, respectively].

The investigators found among children aged 5 years, the association was observed in 75%, 56% and 57% of the studies, respectively, for stunting, wasting and underweight.

The investigators concluded the findings indicate an association between low dietary diversity (DDiv) of infants and children aged 5 years with stunting. However, this association remains uncertain with wasting and being underweight.

Original title:
Association of Dietary Diversity With Growth Outcomes in Infants and Children Aged Under 5 Years: A Systematic Review by Gol RM, Kheirouri S and Alizadeh M.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35000681/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on food fortification/malnutrition right here.

Objectives:
Evidence associating diet with the incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is inconclusive. Therefore, this umbrella review article has been conducted.

What is the association between diet and renal cell carcinoma incidence?

Study design:
This umbrella review article included 22 meta-analyses with a total of 502 individual studies and 64 summary hazard ratios (HRs) for renal cell carcinoma incidence: dietary patterns or dietary quality indices (n = 6), foods (n = 13), beverages (n = 4), alcohol (n = 7), macronutrients (n =15) and micronutrients (n =19).

No meta-analyses had high methodological quality.

59% of these 502 individual studies were cohort studies (n = 298), 39% were case-control studies (n = 196) and 2% were pooled studies (n = 8).

Sixty (94%) exposures in the included meta-analyses had more than 1,000 cases or 20,000 participants.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found no dietary factors showed convincing or highly suggestive evidence of association with renal cell carcinoma incidence in the overall analysis.

The investigators found in the overall analysis that dietary intake of vegetables significantly reduced risk of renal cell carcinoma with 26% [summary HR = 0.74, 95% = 0.63 to 0.86, suggestive evidence].

The investigators found in the overall analysis that dietary intake of vitamin C significantly reduced risk of renal cell carcinoma with 23% [summary HR = 0.77, 95% = 0.66 to 0.90, suggestive evidence].

The investigators found in the overall analysis that moderate drinking significantly reduced risk of renal cell carcinoma with 23% [summary HR = 0.77, 95% = 0.70 to 0.84, convincing evidence] in Europe and North America.

The investigators found in the overall analysis that dietary intake cruciferous vegetables significantly reduced risk of renal cell carcinoma with 22% [summary HR = 0.78, 95% = 0.70 to 0.86, highly suggestive evidence] in North America.

The investigators concluded dietary intake of vegetables and vitamin C could reduce renal cell carcinoma risk. Moderate drinking might be beneficial for Europeans and North Americans and cruciferous vegetables might be beneficial to North Americans, but the results should be interpreted with caution because no meta-analyses had high methodological quality. More researches are needed in the future.

Original title:
The role of diet in renal cell carcinoma incidence: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies by Liao Z, Fang Z, […], Luo Z.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8812002/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on cancer, vegetables, vitamin C right here.

An umbrella review article is a scientific article which only includes meta-analyses (also called review articles). The results found in an umbrella review article are more reliable than found in an individual review article.

One swallow does not make a summer. A famous Dutch saying that could not be any more obvious. Just because one single scientific study about a certain topic makes certain claims, it does not necessarily mean it is true. On the other hand, a review article (a collection of scientific studies on a certain topic) of randomized, placebo-controlled double blind clinical trials (RCTs) will answer the following question:
"Do taking dietary supplements make sense?" Yes for a positive conclusion and no for a negative conclusion.

One swallow does not make a summer. A famous Dutch saying that could not be any more obvious. Just because one single scientific study about a certain topic makes certain claims, it does not necessarily mean it is true. On the other hand, a review article (a collection of scientific studies on a certain topic) of (prospective) cohort studies or case-control studies will answer the following question:
"Should I change my diet?".

Objectives:
There is currently a lack of high-quality research on the best dietary recommendations for patients with early glaucoma or at high risk for glaucoma. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does a high dietary vitamin intake reduce risk of glaucoma?

Study design:
This review article included 8 cohort studies, with a total of 262,189 patients.

There was no publication bias.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found that high-dose dietary intake of vitamins A was significantly associated with a 27% low risk of glaucoma [OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.53 to 0.76 , p 001, I2 = 49%].

The investigators found that high-dose dietary intake of vitamins B (a combination of B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12) was significantly associated with a 29% low risk of glaucoma [OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.64 to 0.80, p 0.001, I2 = 29%].

The investigators found no association between high-dose dietary intake of vitamins C, D or E and lower risk of glaucoma.

The investigators concluded that high-dose dietary intake of vitamins A and B, but not vitamins C, D or E, is associated with a low prevalence of glaucoma. Overall, middle-aged and elderly people or patients with early glaucoma should consume vitamin-rich foods rich or take additional vitamin supplements.

Original title:
Vitamin intake and glaucoma risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis by Han FF and Fu XX.             

Link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0181551222000419?via%3Dihub

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find here more information/studies about chronic diseases, vitamin A and B.
 

Objectives:
There is some evidence regarding the positive effects of ginger supplementation on metabolic profile in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, they are conflicting and therefore, this review article has been conducted. 

Does ginger supplementation improve metabolic profile (FBS, HbA1c, TC, TG, LDL, HDL, SBP and DBP) in patients with type 2 diabetes?

Study design:
This review article included 10 RCTs.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found pooled meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in fasting blood sugar (FBS) level following ginger supplementation by polling 8 effect sizes [WMD = -18.81, 95% CI = -28.70 to -8.92, I2 = 77.4%].

The investigators found pooled meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in HbA1c level following ginger supplementation by polling 7 effect sizes [WMD = -0.57, 95% CI = -0.93 to -0.20, I2 = 88.6%].

The investigators found pooled meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) following ginger supplementation by polling 5 effect sizes [WMD = -4.20, 95% CI = -7.64 to -0.77, I2 = 97%].

The investigators found pooled meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) following ginger supplementation by polling 5 effect sizes [WMD = -1.61, 95% CI = -3.04 to -0.18, I2 = 93.2%].

The investigators found pooled meta-analysis showed ginger supplementation had no significant influence on lipid profile involving triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.

The investigators concluded supplementation with ginger reduces fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes. Further large RCTs are required to shed light on this issue.

Original title:
The effect of ginger supplementation on metabolic profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by Ebrahimzadeh A, Ebrahimzadeh A, […], Milajerdi A.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35031435/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on lowering blood pressure and diabetes right here.
 

Objectives:
Does a high serum vitamin D level reduce risk of latent tuberculosis infection?

Study design:
This review article included 2 case-control studies and 3 cohort studies with a total of 1,516 subjects, comprising 117 latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) patients.
Diagnosis of LTBI in all studies was based upon QFN-GIT, IGRAs and/or TST.
2 case-control and 3 cohort studies were considered as high quality.

Between-studies heterogeneity varied from none to small for the meta-analyses with I2 values ranging from 64.5 to 75.7%. However, sensitivity analysis and visual inspection of funnel plots for checking asymmetry and publication bias weren’t done because only 2 articles were included in association of vitamin D and the risk of LTBI and 3 in association of vitamin D and the incidence of LTBI.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in a pooled analysis of 2 case-control studies with 41 LTBI cases and 142 control subjects, that relatively high serum vitamin D level was not significantly associated with a decreased risk of latent tuberculosis infection [OR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.05 to 5.65, p = 0.58, I2 = 64.5%].
Not significantly because the calculated p-value of 0.58 was larger than the p-value of 0.05.

The investigators found in a pooled analysis of 3 cohort studies involving 1,333 participants, that relatively high serum vitamin D levels did not reduce the incidence of latent tuberculosis infection [RR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.19 to 1.67, p = 0.300, I2 = 75.7%].

The investigators concluded that serum vitamin D levels are not associated with incidence of latent tuberculosis infection and relatively high serum vitamin D level is not a protective factor for latent tuberculosis infection. Further RCTs are needed to verify whether sufficient vitamin D levels and vitamin D supplementation prevents latent tuberculosis infection.

Original title:
Vitamin D and the risk of latent tuberculosis infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis by Cao Y, Wang X, […], Du J.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8772077/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on food fortification/malnutrition and vitamin D right here.

Objectives:
Does a high olive oil consumption reduce cancer risk?

Study design:
This review article included 37 case-control studies with 17,369 cases (persons with cancer) and 28,294 controls (persons without cancer) and 8 cohort studies with 12,461 incident cases among 929,771 subjects (participants).

Significant publication bias was detected via Egger’s test in the analysis on overall cancer risk [p 0.001], breast cancer [p = 0.013] and gastrointestinal cancer risk [p = 0.048].

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in pooled analysis of case-control and cohort studies that highest olive oil consumption was significantly associated with a 31% lower risk of any cancer [pooled RR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.62 to 0.77].  
Significantly means that there is an association with a 95% confidence.

The investigators found subgroup analyses showed that the protective effect of high olive oil consumption in terms of cancer risk was also significant in case-control studies [37 study arms, RR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.57 to 0.74] but not in cohort studies [8 study arms, RR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.77 to 1.05].
Furthermore, the protective association was also found in a multivariate analysis [32 study arms, RR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.65 to 0.81], a high study quality analysis [RR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.64 to 0.81], Mediterranean participants [RR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.79] and non-Mediterranean participants [RR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.34 to 0.71].

The investigators found in pooled analysis of case-control and cohort studies that highest olive oil consumption was significantly associated with a 33% lower risk of breast cancer [pooled RR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.52 to 0.86].  
Significantly because RR of 1 was not found in the 95% CI of 0.52 to 0.86. RR of 1 means no risk/association.

The investigators found subgroup analyses showed that the beneficial effect was reproducible in case-control studies [RR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.45 to 0.87] but not in cohort studies.
Furthermore, high olive oil consumption was linked to a reduced breast cancer risk in Mediterranean [RR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.49 to 0.92] and non-Mediterranean populations [RR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.07 to 0.89].

The investigators found in pooled analysis of case-control and cohort studies that highest olive oil consumption was significantly associated with a 23% lower risk of gastrointestinal cancer [pooled RR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.66 to 0.89].  
Subgroup analyses showed an inverse relationship between highest olive oil consumption and risk for esophageal cancer [RR = 0.47, 95%CI = 0.24 to 0.93] and pancreatic cancer [RR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.97].
Furthermore, significant effects were also found in case-control studies [RR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.61 to 0.85), studies within the Mediterranean area [RR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.67 to 0.88], multivariate analyses [RR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.63 to 0.90] and high quality studies [RR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.62 to 0.86].

The investigators found in pooled analysis of case-control and cohort studies that highest olive oil consumption was significantly associated with a 26% lower risk of upper aerodigestive cancer [pooled RR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.91].  
Subgroup analyses showed results remained significant for case-control studies [RR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.91], multivariate analyses [RR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.66 to 0.86] and studies of high quality [RR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.52 to 0.89].

The investigators found in pooled analysis of case-control studies that highest olive oil consumption was significantly associated with a 54% lower risk of urinary tract cancer [pooled RR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.29 to 0.72].  
Subgroup analyses showed results remained significant for studies of high quality [RR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.66].

The investigators concluded highest versus lowest olive oil consumption is associated with 31% lower cancer risk, especially for breast, overall gastrointestinal, upper aerodigestive and urinary tract cancer. Additional prospective cohort studies on various cancer types, especially in non-Mediterranean regions, as well as large randomized trials, seem desirable in order to provide further insight into the role of olive oil in preventing cancer.

Original title:
Olive oil intake and cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis by Markellos C, Ourailidou ME, […], Psaltopoulout T.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8751986/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on cancer, olive oil consumption right here.

The conclusions in scientific studies are even more reliable when they are also found in cohort studies, multivariate analyzes (studies where adjustments were made for multiple confounding factors) and high-quality studies.
 

Objectives:
Severe hypertension in pregnancy is a hypertensive crisis that requires urgent and intensive care due to its high maternal and fetal mortality. However, there is still a conflict of opinion on the recommendations of antihypertensive therapy.

What are the optimal blood pressure (BP) levels to prevent severe hypertension in pregnant women with nonsevere hypertension?

Study design:
This review article included 40 RCTs with 6,355 patients.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found blood pressure lowering treatment significantly lowered risk of severe hypertension with 54% [RR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.37 to 0.56], preeclampsia with 18% [RR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.69 to 0.98], severe preeclampsia with 62% [RR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.17 to 0.84], placental abruption with 48% [RR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.86] and preterm birth with 19% [37 weeks: RR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.71 to 0.93], while the risk of small for gestational age infants was significantly increased with 25% [RR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.54].

The investigators found an achieved systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 130 mmHg significantly reduced the risk of severe hypertension to nearly one-third compared with a systolic blood pressure of ≥140 mmHg, with a significant interaction of the blood pressure levels achieved with BP-lowering therapy.

The investigators found there was no significant interaction between the subtypes of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and blood pressure lowering treatment, except for placental abruption.

The investigators concluded blood pressure lowering treatment aimed at a systolic blood pressure 130 mmHg and accompanied by the careful monitoring of fetal growth should be recommended to prevent severe hypertension in pregnant women with nonsevere hypertension.

Original title:
Optimal blood pressure target to prevent severe hypertension in pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis by Abe M, Arima H, […], Mukoyama M.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35136186/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on food fortification/malnutrition and pregnancy right here.

Objectives:
Does a higher intake of dietary antioxidants (like vitamin C and E, β-carotene, zinc, anthocyanins, lutein) reduce risk of Parkinson's disease (PD)?

Study design:
This review article included 6 prospective cohort studies and 2 nested case-control studies (448,737 participants with 4,654 persons with Parkinson's disease) and 6 case-control studies (1,948 persons without Parkinson's disease and 1, 273 persons with Parkinson's disease).

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found comparded to the lowest dietary vitamine E intake, that the highest dietary vitamine E intake significantly reduced risk of Parkinson's disease with 16% [pooled RR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.71 to 0.99, n = 7 cohort studies].
Significantly means that there is an association with a 95% confidence.

The investigators found compared to the lowest dietary anthocyanins intake, that the highest dietary anthocyanins intake significantly reduced risk of Parkinson's disease with 24% [pooled RR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.61 to 0.96, n = 2 cohort studies].
Significantly because pooled RR of 1 was not found in the 95% CI of 0.61 to 0.96. RR of 1 means no risk/association.

The investigators found compared to the lowest dietary lutein intake, that the highest dietary lutein intake significantly increased risk of Parkinson's disease with 86% [pooled RR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.20 to 2.88, n = 3 case-control studies].

The investigators found in dose-response meta-analyses that every increment of dietary vitamin C intake with 50 mg/d significantly reduced risk of Parkinson's disease with 6% [RR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.88 to 0.99, n = 6].

The investigators found in dose-response meta-analyses that every increment of dietary vitamin E intake with 5 mg/d significantly reduced risk of Parkinson's disease with 16% [RR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.99, n = 7].

The investigators found in dose-response meta-analyses that every increment of dietary β-carotene intake with 2 mg/d significantly reduced risk of Parkinson's disease with 6% [RR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.89 to 0.99, n = 6].

The investigators found in dose-response meta-analyses that every increment of dietary zinc intake with 1 mg/d significantly reduced risk of Parkinson's disease with 35% [RR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.49 to 0.86, n = 1].

The investigators concluded that higher intake of antioxidant-rich foods reduces risk of Parkinson's disease. Future, well-designed prospective studies are needed to validate the present findings.

Original title:
Dietary Antioxidants and Risk of Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Dose-response Meta-analysis of Observational Studies by Talebi S, Ghoreishy SM, […], Mohammadi H.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35030236/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find here more information/studies about RCTs/significant and antioxidants.
 

Objectives:
Does postoperative coffee or caffeine consumption causally reduce risk of postoperative ileus (POI) in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery?

Study design:
This review article included 4 RCTs with 312 subjects.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found postoperative coffee or caffeine consumption significantly decreased the time to first bowel movement [MD = -10.36 h, 95% CI = -14.61 to -6.11], shortened the length of hospital stay [MD = -0.95 days, 95% CI = -1.57 to -0.34] and was significantly  associated with a 36%-decreased risk of the use of any laxatives after the procedure [RR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.44 to 0.92].

The investigators found the time to first flatus, time to tolerance of solid food, risk of any postoperative complication, postoperative reinsertion of a nasogastric (NG) tube and anastomotic leakage showed no statistical differences between groups.

The investigators concluded postoperative coffee or caffeine consumption causally improves bowel movement and decreases the duration of hospital stay in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. This method is safe and can prevent or treat postoperative ileus (POI).

Original title:
The effect of coffee/caffeine on postoperative ileus following elective colorectal surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by Yang TW, Wang CT, […], Tsai MC.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34993568/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on caffeine and cancer right here.

Postoperative ileus is a prolonged absence of bowel function after surgical procedures, usually abdominal surgery.

Objectives:
What is the safety of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PQ) compared to artemether-lumefantrine (AL) for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria among children in Africa?

Study design:
This review article included 18 studies involving 10,498 African children with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria.

A target dose (range) of 4 (2-10) mg/kg bw per day dihydroartemisinin and 18 (16-27) mg/kg bw per day piperaquine given once a day for 3 days for children weighing ≥25 kg.
The target doses and ranges for children weighing 25 kg are 4 (2.5-10) mg/kg bw per day dihydroartemisinin and 24 (20-32) mg/kg bw per day piperaquine once a day for 3 days.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found, compared to AL, DHA-PQ significantly increased frequency of early vomiting with 126% [RR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.46 to 3.50, I2 = 0%, participants = 7,796, studies = 10, high quality of evidence].

The investigators found, compared to AL, DHA-PQ significantly increased frequency of cough with 6% [RR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.11, I2 = 0%, participants = 8,013, studies = 13, high quality of evidence].

The investigators found, compared to AL, DHA-PQ significantly increased frequency of diarrhoea with 16% [RR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.31, I2 = 8%, participants = 6,841, studies = 11, high quality of evidence].

The investigators concluded that both drugs are well tolerated by children. There are comparable occurrences of adverse events in both treatment arms. But, early vomiting, diarrhoea and cough are common and more frequent in African children who are treated with the DHA-PQ than that of AL (high quality of evidence). All serious adverse events are consistent with malaria symptoms and judged to be unrelated to study medication. More studies comparing AL with DHA-PQ are needed to determine the comparative safety of these drugs.

Original title:
Safety of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine versus artemether-lumefantrine for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria among children in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials by Assefa DG, Zeleke ED, […], Makonnen E.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8725395/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on food fortification/malnutrition and malaria right here.

Objectives:
The associations between intake of anthocyanins and anthocyanin-rich berries and cardiovascular risks remained to be established. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Do purified anthocyanin supplements and dietary intakes of anthocyanin-rich berries reduce cardiovascular risk?

Study design:
This review article included 44 eligible RCTs consisting of 52 comparison groups and 2,353 subjects and 15 prospective cohort studies with 5,54,638 subjects (persons).

7 of the 44 RCTs were crossover trials with the rest parallel-designed.
15 of the included studies investigated the effects of purified anthocyanins, all of which were produced from berries. For the remaining anthocyanin-rich berry studies, interventions were blueberry in 13 studies, cranberry in 12 studies, bilberry in 3 studies and blackcurrant in 1 study.
The intervention durations ranged from 2 weeks to 24 months with a median of 8 weeks.
24 of the 44 RCTs were rated as high quality with the others as low to moderate quality.

The follow-up periods of 15 cohort studies ranged from 4.3 to 24 years with a median of 12 years. Most of the included cohort studies used FFQ to assess dietary anthocyanin intake and only 3 of them used dietary records.
12 of the 15 cohort studies were rated as high quality.

There was no publication bias, except for the effects of purified anthocyanins on HDL cholestrerol levels [Begg's p = 0.016].

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found pooled analysis of RCTs showed that purified anthocyanin supplements significantly reduced blood LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) concentrations [WMD = -5.43 mg/dL, 95% CI = -8.96 to -1.90 mg/dL, p = 0.003]. 

The investigators found pooled analysis of RCTs showed that purified anthocyanin supplements significantly reduced triglyceride concentrations [WMD = -6.18 mg/dL, 95% CI = -11.67 to -0.69 mg/dL, p = 0.027, I2 = 0%]. 

The investigators found pooled analysis of RCTs showed that purified anthocyanin supplements significantly increased HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) concentrations [WMD = 2.76 mg/dL, 95% CI = 1.34 to 4.18 mg/dL, p 0.001, I2 = 43.5%].
Subgroup analysis showed that the effects on HDL cholesterol concentrations were not significantly influenced by study duration, health status of subjects, anthocyanin doses, study quality and funding source.

The investigators found pooled analysis of RCTs showed that purified anthocyanin supplements significantly reduced tumor necrosis factor alpha concentrations [WMD = -1.62 pg/mL, 95% CI = -2.76 to -0.48 pg/mL, p = 0.005, I2 = 0%].

The investigators found pooled analysis of RCTs showed that purified anthocyanin supplements significantly reduced C-reactive protein concentrations [WMD = -0.028 mg/dL, 95% CI = -0.050 to -0.005 mg/dL, p = 0.014, I2 = 26%].

The investigators found pooled analysis of RCTs showed administration of anthocyanin-rich berries (blueberry, cranberry, bilberry and blackcurrant) significantly reduced blood total cholesterol concentrations [WMD = -4.48 mg/dL, 95% CI = -8.94 to -0.02 mg/dL, p = 0.049]. 

The investigators found pooled analysis of RCTs showed administration of anthocyanin-rich berries (blueberry, cranberry, bilberry and blackcurrant) significantly reduced C-reactive protein concentrations [WMD = -0.046 mg/dL, 95% CI = -0.070 to -0.022 mg/dL, p 0.001, I2 = 0%].

The investigators found pooled analysis of cohort studies showed high dietary anthocyanins intakes significantly reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) with 17% [relative risk = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.72 to 0.95, p = 0.009, I2 = 51.2%].

The investigators found pooled analysis of cohort studies showed high dietary anthocyanins intakes significantly reduced risk of total cardiovascular disease incidence with 27% [relative risk = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.55 to 0.97, p = 0.03, I2 = 76.7%].

The investigators found pooled analysis of cohort studies showed high dietary anthocyanins intakes significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular disease deaths with 9% [relative risk = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.87 to 0.96, p 0.001, I2 = 0%].

Subgroup analysis revealed that the protective roles of dietary anthocyanins against cardiovascular disease deaths was only found in women [RR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.82 to 0.96, p = 0.003, I2 = 0.0%] and not in men [RR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.79 tot 1.07, p = 0.263, I2 = 0.0%].

The investigators concluded current clinical and epidemiological evidence show the protective roles of purified anthocyanin supplements during 8 weeks and anthocyanin-rich berries (blueberry, cranberry, bilberry and blackcurrant) on cardiovascular health. These results suggest that regular consumption of either purified anthocyanins or anthocyanin-rich berries could prevent cardiovascular disease through their lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, anthocyanins and anthocyanin-rich berries should be taken into consideration when formulating cardioprotective diets in the future.

Original title:
Anthocyanins, Anthocyanin-Rich Berries, and Cardiovascular Risks: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 44 Randomized Controlled Trials and 15 Prospective Cohort Studies by Xu L, Tian Z, […], Yang Y.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8714924/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on anthocyanins, lowering cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease right here.

Objectives:
Previous studies have not fully described the relationship between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and death risks from all cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does a high HDL cholesterol level (good cholesterol) reduce all cause and cardiovascular disease mortality risk?

Study design:
This review article included 32 prospective cohort studies with a total of 369,904 participants and 33,473 total deaths (9,426 cardiovascular disease deaths or cardiovascular disease mortality).

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found compared to the lowest HDL cholesterol level, the highest HDL cholesterol level significantly reduced all cause mortality risk by 18% [RR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.73 to 0.93].
The lowest all cause mortality risk was observed at approximately 1.34 mmol/L.

The investigators found compared to the lowest HDL cholesterol level, the highest HDL cholesterol level significantly reduced cardiovascular disease mortality risk by 36% [RR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.46 to 0.89].
The lowest cardiovascular disease mortality risk was observed at approximately 1.55 mmol/L.

The investigators found every increment of HDL cholesterol level with 1 mmol/L significantly reduced all cause mortality risk by 15% [RR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.79 to 0.92].
Significant means that there is an association with a 95% confidence.

The investigators found every increment of HDL cholesterol level with 1 mmol/L significantly reduced cardiovascular disease mortality risk by 23% [RR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.69 to 0.87].

The investigators found evidence of nonlinear and negative dose-response associations of HDL cholesterol level with all cause and cardiovascular disease mortality risk [p nonlinearity 0.001].

The investigators concluded HDL cholesterol level (good cholesterol) reduces all cause and cardiovascular disease mortality risk under approximately 2.05 and 2.33 mmol/L, respectively. Optimal doses require investigation via clinical practice or high-quality research.

Original title:
A dose-response meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality by Liu L, Han M, […], Hong F.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34676492/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on cholesterol and cardiovascular disease right here.

Objectives:
Do diets rich in protein causually reduce body weight of adults with overweight or obesity? 

Study design:
This review article included 37 RCTs.
The diets were included during a mean of 32 weeks interventions, ranging from 8 to 104 weeks.

There was no publication bias.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found protein intake (ranging from 18-59 energy percentage [En%]) significantly reduced body weight by 1.6 kg [95% CI = 1.2 to 2.0 kg, I2 = 56%] compared to controls (digestible carbohydrate, fiber, fat or no supplementation (no placebo used)).
This result was also found in sensitivity analysis.

The investigators found the effect size of dietary protein in body weight management was dependent on specific phenotypes, where individuals with prediabetes had more benefit compared to individuals with normoglycemia.
Furthermore, individuals without the obesity risk allele (AA genotype) had more benefit compared to individuals with the obesity risk alleles (AG and GG genotypes).

The investigators concluded that diets rich in protein (18-59 energy percentage [En%]) during 32 weeks causally have a moderate beneficial effect on body weight management of adults with overweight or obesity.

Original title:
Are Dietary Proteins the Key to Successful Body Weight Management? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Studies Assessing Body Weight Outcomes after Interventions with Increased Dietary Protein by Hansen TT, Astrup A and Sjödin A.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8468854/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on protein consumption and overweight right here.

A diet rich in protein with 18-59 energy percentage [E%] or a diet with 18-59 En% protein means that the amounts of protein contribute 18 to 59% to the total calories (kcal) of the diet.
If the diet contains 2000 kcal, 90 grams of protein contribute 18% to this 2000 kcal.
1 gram of protein gives 4 kcal. Thus 90 grams of protein provide 360 kcal (90x4 kcal) and 360 kcal is 18% of 2000 kcal.

The most easy way to follow a diet rich in protein with 18-59 energy percentage is to choose only meals/products with 18-59 En% protein. Check here which products contain 18-59 En% protein.

However, the most practical way to follow a diet with 18-59 En% protein is, all meals/products that you eat on a daily basis should contain on average 18-59 En% protein.

To do this, use the 7-points nutritional profile app to see whether your daily diet contains 18-59 En% protein.

A high-protein diet is a diet with at least 20 En% protein.

 

Objectives:
Are high CRP levels a biomarker for the early detection and monitoring of malaria severity?

Study design:
This review article included 29 studies. All included studies reported the quantitative data of CRP in patients were published between 1989 and 2021.
Among the included studies, there were 731 cases of severe malaria, 1,600 cases of uncomplicated malaria, 1,697 cases of asymptomatic malaria and 3,658 cases of healthy/febrile controls.

The quality of the included studies was assessed using the NOS, which has a maximum total of 7 stars. 16 studies were rated 7 stars in total, while 14 studies were rated 6 stars in total as febrile patients had been used as a control group.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found in meta-analysis that mean CRP levels in patients with severe malaria were significantly higher compared with uncomplicated malaria [SMD = 1.52, 95% CI = 0.91 to 2.12, p 0.001, I2 = 95.1%].

The investigators found in meta-analysis that mean CRP levels in patients with uncomplicated malaria were significantly higher compared with asymptomatic malaria [SMD = 1.65, 95% CI = 0.67 to 2.62, p = 0.001, I2 = 96.7%].

The investigators found in meta-analysis that mean CRP levels in patients with uncomplicated malaria were significantly higher compared with febrile/healthy controls [SMD = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.37 to 3.40, p 0.001, I2 = 98.5%].

The investigators found in meta-analysis that mean CRP levels in patients with asymptomatic malaria were significantly higher compared with febrile/healthy controls [SMD = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.60 to 3.50, p 0.001, I2 = 99.2%].

The investigators concluded that high CRP levels are a biomarker for the early detection and monitoring of malaria severity.

Original title:
C-reactive protein as an early biomarker for malaria infection and monitoring of malaria severity: a meta-analysis by Wilairatana P, Mahannop P, […], Kotepui M.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8585865/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on RCTs/cohort/significantly/review article, malaria and malnutrition right here.

Objectives:
The association between vitamin C and metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been evaluated in several epidemiological studies with conflicting results. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Do dietary vitamin C intake and circulating vitamin C level reduce risk of metabolic syndrome? 

Study design:
This review article included 26 cross-sectional studies and 2 cohort studies with a total number of 110,771 participants. 23 studies were related to the dietary vitamin C level.
The sample size ranged from 143 to 27,656 persons.
The dietary vitamin C level was assessed by food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in 4 studies, a 24-h or 3-day recall in 18 studies and a 4-day record in 1 study.

No evidence of publication bias existed according to Begg's rank correlation test [p = 0.495].

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found when compared to the lowest dietary vitamin C intake, that the highest dietary vitamin C intake significantly reduced risk of metabolic syndrome with 7% [overall multivariable-adjusted RR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.88 to 0.97, p = 0.003, I2 = 54.5%, p = 0.003]. The above findings were confirmed in cross-sectional studies [RR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.87 to 0.97, p = 0.001] and 24-h or 3-day recall [RR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.86 to 0.93, p 0.001] studies.

The investigators found when compared to the lowest circulating vitamin C level, that the highest circulating vitamin C level significantly reduced risk of metabolic syndrome with 40% [overall multivariable-adjusted RR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.49 to 0.74, p 0.001, I2 = 22.7%, p = 0.249].

The investigators concluded that both the dietary and the circulating vitamin C level reduce risk of metabolic syndrome. However, due to the limitation of the available evidence, more well-designed prospective studies are still needed.

Original title:
Vitamin C and Metabolic Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies by Guo H, Ding J, [...], Zhang Y.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8531097/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on vitamin C consumption and overweight right here.

In practice, a lot of dietary vitamin C intake amounts to 200 to 300 grams of vegetables and 2-5 pieces of fruit per day. Vitamin C is found in fruit and vegetables.

A high circulating vitamin C level can be obtained through vitamin C-rich food and/or taking vitamin C supplements.

 

Objectives:
The associations between dietary carbohydrate and diverse health outcomes remain controversial and confusing. Therefore, this review article (meta-analyse) has been conducted.

What is the association between dietary carbohydrate intake and diverse health outcomes?

Study design:
This review article included 43 meta-analyses of observational research studies with 23 health outcomes, including cancer (n = 26), mortality (n = 4), metabolic diseases (n = 4), digestive system outcomes (n = 3) and other outcomes [coronary heart disease (n = 2), stroke (n = 1), Parkinson's disease (n = 1) and bone fracture (n = 2)].

This umbrella review summarized 281 individual studies with 13,164,365 participants.

33.3% studies were considered to be of high quality and 66.7% of moderate quality.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found highly suggestive evidence showed that dietary carbohydrate intake significantly increased risk of metabolic syndrome with 25% [adjusted summary odds ratio = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.15 to 1.37].

The investigators found suggestive evidence showed that dietary carbohydrate intake significantly decreased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma with 43% [adjusted summary hazard ratio = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.42 to 0.78].

The investigators found suggestive evidence showed that dietary carbohydrate intake significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality with 19% [adjusted summary hazard ratio 1.19, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.30].

The investigators concluded despite the fact that numerous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have explored the relationship between carbohydrate intake and diverse health outcomes, there is no convincing evidence of a clear role of carbohydrate intake. However, highly suggestive evidence shows carbohydrate intake is associated with higher risk of metabolic syndrome. Suggestive evidence shows carbohydrate intake is associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality and lower risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Original title:
Dietary Carbohydrate and Diverse Health Outcomes: Umbrella Review of 30 Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of 281 Observational Studies by Liu YS, Wu QJ […], Zhao YH.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8116488/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on carbohydrate consumption and obesity/overweight right here.

Objectives:
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common symptom, but prophylactic measures cannot still be carried out effectively. In addition, the efficacy of vitamin E in preventing peripheral neurotoxicity caused by chemotherapy is inconclusive. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does vitamin E supplementation decrease risk of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy?

Study design:
This review article included 8 RCTs with a total of 488 patients.
The number of participants in each arm ranged from 13 to 96.
The experimental intervention was vitamin E supplementation as an adjuvant to cisplatin, paclitaxel and other chemotherapies.
There was no publication bias.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found patients who received vitamin E supplementation of 600 mg/day had a significantly lower incidence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy of 69% [risk ratio = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.14 to 0.65, p = 0.002, I2 = 0%] than the placebo group (group without vitamin E).

The investigators found patients in the cisplatin chemotherapy group who received vitamin E supplementation had a significantly lower incidence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy of 72% [risk ratio = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.14 to 0.54, p = 0.0001, I2 = 0%]  than the placebo group.

The investigators found, moreover, vitamin E supplementation significantly decreased patients’ sural amplitude after 3 rounds of chemotherapy [MD = -2.66, 95% CI = -5.09 to -0.24, p = 0.03, I2 = 0%] in contrast with that of placebo supplementation, while no significant difference was observed when patients were treated with vitamin E after 6 rounds of chemotherapy [MD = -1.28, 95% CI = -3.11 to 0.54, p = 0.17, I2 = 40%].

The investigators found, in addition, the vitamin E-supplemented group had better improvement in the neurotoxicity score and lower incidence of reflexes and distal paraesthesias than the control group.

The investigators concluded that vitamin E supplementation of 600 mg/day decreases risk of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, particularly in the cisplatin chemotherapy group. More high-quality trials with standardized reporting of clinical outcomes about peripheral neuropathy are needed to explore the exact role of vitamin E in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Original title:
Protective Effects of Vitamin E on Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials by Miao H, Li R [...], Wen Z.

Link:
https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/515620

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on vitamin E and cancer right here.

Objectives:
With the increasing incidence of osteoporosis, vitamin K and calcium have been linked to bone mineral density (BMD) and undercarboxylated osteocalcin (UcOC) in many studies, but the results of studies of the combined effect of vitamin K and calcium on BMD and UcOC in humans have been inconsistent. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Do vitamin K and calcium supplements used in combination increase bone mineral density and decrease undercarboxylated osteocalcin level?

Study design:
This review article included 10 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a total of 1,346 patients.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found that the combination of vitamin K and calcium supplements was significantly associated with a higher lumbar spine bone mineral density [SMD = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.07 to 0.32, I2 = 46.9%, p = 0.049].
However, after applying trim and fill method (where correction was made for publication bias), the results were not statistically significant [estimate = 0.067, 95% CI = -0.044 to 0.178].

The investigators found that vitamin K and calcium supplementation led to a significant decrease in undercarboxylated osteocalcin [SMD = -1.71, 95% CI = - 2.45 to -0.96, I2 = 95.7%, p  0.01].
The results did not change after correcting publication bias [estimate = - 0.947, 95% CI = -1.211 to - 0.687].
The SMD in the sensitivity analysis was -0.82 [95% CI = - 1.10 to -0.55, I2 = 65.4%, p  0.01].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis that the combination of vitamin K2 and calcium supplements was significantly associated with a higher lumbar spine bone mineral density [SMD = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.51, I2 = 0%].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis that the combination of vitamin K and  ≤ 1000 mg/d calcium supplements was significantly associated with a higher lumbar spine bone mineral density [SMD = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.05 to 0.32, I2 = 62.3%].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis that the combination of  ≤100 µg/d vitamin K and calcium supplements was significantly associated with a higher lumbar spine bone mineral density [SMD = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.20 to 0.61, I2 = 49.9%].

The investigators found in subgroup analysis that the combination of vitamin K and calcium supplements during ≤1 year was significantly associated with a higher lumbar spine bone mineral density [SMD = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.19 to 0.57, I2 = 40%].

The investigators concluded that ≤100 µg/d vitamin K2 and ≤1000 mg/d calcium supplements used in combination are associated with a higher lumbar spine bone mineral density and a lower undercarboxylated osteocalcin level.

Original title:
The combined effect of vitamin K and calcium on bone mineral density in humans: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by Hu L, Ji J, [...], Yu B.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8515712/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on review article/RCTs/publication bias, vitamin K, calcium and increasing bone mineral density right here.

Objectives:
The efficacy of dendritic cell vaccine for newly diagnosed glioblastoma remains controversial. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does dendritic cell vaccine provide benefits for the newly diagnosed glioblastoma?

Study design:
This review article included 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found overall, compared with control group for newly diagnosed glioblastoma, dendritic cell vaccine showed no substantial effect on:
-median overall survival [SMD = 0.11, 95% CI = -0.18 to 0.41, p = 0.45];
-median progression-free survival [SMD = 0.12, 95% CI = -0.24 to 0.48, p = 0.50];
-progression-free survival rate [risk ratio = 1.29, 95% CI = 0.82 to 2.04, p = 0.27];
-overall survival rate [risk ratio = 1.29, 95% CI = 0.61 to 2.72, p = 0.50] or;
-nervous system disorders [risk ratio = 0.80, 95% CI= 0.59 to 1.08, p = 0.14].

The investigators concluded dendritic cell vaccine provides no obvious benefits for the newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Original title:
The Efficacy of Dendritic Cell Vaccine for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies by Tan L, Peng J, […], Wu Q.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34767325/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on RCTs/cohort/significantly/review article and cancer right here.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that link innate and adaptive immunity and are critical for the induction of protective immune responses against pathogens.

Glioblastoma is an aggressive type of cancer that can occur in the brain or spinal cord.

Objectives:
Leg cramps are one of the common symptoms during pregnancy. About 30%-50% of pregnant women experience leg cramps twice a week. Leg cramps may cause severe pain and sleep disturbance, hinder performance of daily activities and may lengthen the duration of pregnancy and the type of childbirth. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does oral magnesium supplementation reduce leg cramps during pregnancy?

Study design:
This review article included 4 RCTs with a total of 332 pregnant women.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found the frequency of leg cramps during pregnancy was not significantly decreased in the magnesium group compared to the control group (group without magnesium) [WMD = -0.47, 95% CI = -1.14 to 0.20, p = 0.167].

The investigators found oral magnesium supplementation did not significantly improved the recovery from leg cramps during pregnancy compared to the control group [OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.14 to 1.52, p = 0.207].

The investigators found oral magnesium supplementation had no significant side effects in the treatment group (group with magnesium) compared to the control group [OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 0.90 to 3.69, p = 0.094].

The investigators concluded that oral magnesium supplementation is not effective in the treatment of leg cramps during pregnancy.

Original title:
Effect of oral magnesium supplementation for relieving leg cramps during pregnancy: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials by Liu J, Song G, [...], Meng T.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34247796/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on review article/meta-analysis/significantly, magnesium and pregnancy right here.