Soybean oil is associated with a near four-fold increase in the death rate in infants with parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease

This study was published in the Annals of Surgery 2009 Sep;250(3):395-402

Study title and authors:
Parenteral fish oil improves outcomes in patients with parenteral nutrition-associated liver injury.

Puder M, Valim C, Meisel JA, Le HD, de Meijer VE, Robinson EM, Zhou J, Duggan C, Gura KM.
Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. mark.puder@childrens.harvard.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19661785?dopt=AbstractPlus

This study compared the safety and efficacy between a fish oil-based intravenous lipid emulsion and a soybean oil-based intravenous lipid emulsion in the treatment of parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease.

Parenteral feeding is the intravenous administration of nutrients to patients who cannot support their nutritional needs because of intestinal failure. Prolonged parenteral feeding may lead to health complications such as: Steatosis, steatohepatitis, cholestasis, fibrosis, micronodular cirrhosis, phospholipidosis, biliary sludge and cholelithiasis.

The study included:
(i) 42 infants with short bowel syndrome who received fish oil-based intravenous lipid emulsion after they had developed cholestasis (cholestasis is a condition where bile cannot flow from the liver to the small intestine) while receiving soybean oil-based intravenous lipid emulsion. (Fish oil group).
(ii) 49 infants with short bowel syndrome and cholestasis whose who continued to receive soybean oil-based intravenous lipid emulsion only. (Soybean oil group).

The study found:
(a) Three deaths and one liver transplantation occurred in the fish oil group, compared with 12 deaths and six transplants in the soybean oil group.
(b) Among survivors not transplanted during parenteral nutrition, cholestasis reversed while receiving parenteral nutrition in 19 of 38 patients in the fish oil group versus two of 36 patients in the soybean oil group.

The study shows that soybean oil is associated with a nearly four-fold increase in the death rate compared to fish oil in infants with parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease.

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Analysis of 119 statin randomized controlled trials find that statins increase the risk of muscle problems

This study was published in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 2007 Feb;16(2):132-43

 

Study title and authors:

Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinically relevant adverse events from HMG CoA reductase inhibitor trials worldwide from 1982 to present.

McClure DL, Valuck RJ, Glanz M, Hokanson JE.

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado, Clinical Research Unit, Denver, CO 80237-8066, USA. david.l.mcclure@kp.org

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17072896

The objective of the study was to determine the association of adverse events from a systematic review and meta-analysis of statin randomized controlled trials. The study included over 86,000 participants from 119 studies.

The study found:
(a) Statin users had a 59% increased risk of rhabdomyolysis (the breakdown of muscle fibers that leads to the release of muscle fiber contents into the bloodstream and often causes kidney damage) compared to nonusers.
(b) Statin users had a 156% increased risk of myositis (inflammation of the muscles) compared to nonusers.
(c) Statin users had a 9% increased risk of myalgia (muscle pain) compared to nonusers.

This analysis of 119 statin randomized controlled trials found that statins increased the risk of muscle problems.

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Consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks is associated with obesity in children

This study was published in the Lancet 2001 Feb 17;357(9255):505-8

Study title and authors:
Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis.

Ludwig DS, Peterson KE, Gortmaker SL.
Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. david.ludwig@tch.harvard.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11229668?dopt=AbstractPlus

The study examined the relationship between the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and obesity. The study included 548 schoolchildren (average age 11.7 years) who were followed for 19 months.

The study found:
(a) For each additional serving of sugar-sweetened drink consumed, body mass index (BMI) increased by 0.24 kg/m2.
(b) For each additional serving of sugar-sweetened drink consumed, frequency of obesity increased by 60%.

The findings of the study reveal that consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks is associated with obesity in children.

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Pesticides associated to genetically modified foods found in pregnant women and their fetuses

This study was published in Reproductive Toxicology 2011 May;31(4):528-33

 

Study title and authors:

Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada.

Aris A, Leblanc S.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. aziz.aris@usherbrooke.ca

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21338670

This study evaluated the blood levels of pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in pregnant and nonpregnant women. The blood of 30 pregnant women and 39 nonpregnant women from Quebec were studied.

The study found:
(a) The herbicides glyphosate and gluphosinate were detected in nonpregnant women and not detected in pregnant women.
(b) The herbicide 3-methylphosphinicopropionic acid and the insecticide Cry1Ab toxin were detected in pregnant women, their fetuses and nonpregnant women.

Glyphosate may cause cancer, liver and kidney damage. Gluphosinate has been linked with heart failure, neurotoxicity, cancer, DNA damage, and reproductive toxicity. 3-methylphosphinicopropionic acid is derived from gluphosinate. Cry1Ab toxin is capable of causing cell death.

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Statins are associated with an approximate doubling of the risk of muscle disease

This study was published in Clinical Therapeutics 2007 Aug;29(8):1761-70

Study title and authors:
Does statin therapy initiation increase the risk for myopathy? An observational study of 32,225 diabetic and nondiabetic patients.

Nichols GA, Koro CE.
Kaiser Permanente, Center for Health Research, Portland, Oregon 97227-1098, USA. greg.nichols@kpchr.org

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17919557

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of myopathy (muscle disease) among subjects with or without diabetes, some of whom received statin treatment. the study included 32,225 subjects who were followed for nine years.

The study found:
(a) Statins users with diabetes had a 43% increased risk of myopathy compared to non-users with diabetes.
(b) Statin users without diabetes had a 143% increased risk of myopathy compared to non-users without diabetes.

The study reveals that statins are associated with an approximate doubling of the risk of muscle disease.

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High-fat diets reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia

This study was published in the Journal of Alzheimers Disease 2012;32(2):329-39

 

Study title and authors:

Relative intake of macronutrients impacts risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

Roberts RO, Roberts LA, Geda YE, Cha RH, Pankratz VS, O'Connor HM, Knopman DS, Petersen RC.

Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. roberts.rosebud@mayo.edu

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22810099

The objective of the study was to investigate the association between fat, protein & carbohydrate intake and mild cognitive impairment or dementia. The study lasted for 3.7 years and included 937 elderly people, average age 79.5 years, who had normal cognition at the start of the study.

The study found:
(a) Those who consumed the most fat had a 44% reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
(b) Those who consumed the most protein had a 21% reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
(c) Those who consumed the most carbohydrate had a 89% increased risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

The study reveals that a high-fat diet reduces the risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

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Suicide attempters have low cholesterol levels

This study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders 2012 Dec 10. pii: S0165-0327(12)00799-9

 

Study title and authors:

Plasma total cholesterol in psychiatric patients after a suicide attempt and in follow-up.

Papadopoulou A, Markianos M, Christodoulou C, Lykouras L.

Department of Psychiatry, Attikon General Hospital, Athens University Medical School, Greece. Electronic address: athanpapad@hotmail.gr.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23237826

This study investigated the association of cholesterol levels with suicide attempts. The study included 51 subjects who had been admitted to a psychiatric clinic after a suicide attempt, who were compared with normal age-matched subjects.

The study found that the suicide attempters had significantly lower cholesterol levels than the normal subjects.

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