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'Fat but fit' people may still be at risk of heart disease
Conclusion This large, valuable study confirms that – as has long been thought – an increased BMI is linked with an increased risk of heart disease. It shows that people with an obese BMI had a higher risk of heart disease, even if they didn't have other risk factors like high cholesterol and high blood pressure, proving that body fat is an independent risk factor. That said, this study does have some limitations. For example, definitions of being metabolically unhealthy aren't entirely consistent with other definitions of metabolic syndrome. This was also only assessed at the start of the study, and risk factors may...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 15, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Obesity Source Type: news

Short bursts of intense exercise 'as good' as endurance training
Conclusion The idea that a 10-minute workout could have the same benefits as spending 45 minutes in the gym is tempting. The researchers found it may improve specific markers of health, in one group of young men. However, this is a small study in a specific population, and we don't know whether it would have comparable effects in older people or women. Also, we don't know the long-term effects of this type of training programme on people's health. Studies that look at the effects of an intervention, whether it's exercise, diet or medicine, on health measures such as insulin resistance and oxygen uptake, can only give us a...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 28, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Heart/lungs Diabetes Source Type: news

Benefits of statins 'outweigh diabetes risk'
ConclusionThe results of these updated meta-analyses indicate that statin use is associated with a 12% increase in risk of type 2 diabetes and also weight gain of half a pound over the course of four years. This confirms the findings of the previous meta-analysis of the effect on diabetes, and adds new findings for weight.The main meta-analyses in this study attempted to address how statins might have this effect. They found that people who have genetic variations in the gene encoding the protein HMGCR that is targeted by statins, have lower LDL (bad) cholesterol but also increased levels of insulin, blood sugar, body weig...
Source: NHS News Feed - September 24, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Heart/lungs Medication Source Type: news

Wine and chocolate may not 'beat diabetes'
This study does not give the green light to drink red wine above the recommended levels or to consume chocolate often – any potential benefits of diabetes prevention are likely to be overshadowed by the already known risks of excessive sugar, fat and alcohol consumption, including liver disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer.   Links To The Headlines Chocolate And Red Wine 'Can Beat Diabetes'. Sky News, January 20 2014 Chocolate and red wine can help stave off diabetes: High levels of antioxidants can regulate blood glucose levels. Daily Mail, January 20 2014 Red wine 'protects against diabetes' - and cho...
Source: NHS News Feed - January 20, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Food/diet Source Type: news

Study may bust myth of 'fat and fit' healthy obesity
Conclusion This meta-analysis provides further evidence about the known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and mortality. What this study adds is the indication that people who are metabolically unhealthy regardless of their weight are at increased risk. However, interestingly, no increase in risk was seen for the category of people who are metabolically healthy though overweight. A strength of this meta-analysis is the large sample size. However, the results should be interpreted with caution as: The studies did not use the same criteria for assessing metabolic status. The studies did not use the same criteri...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 4, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Lifestyle/exercise Obesity Source Type: news

Can DIY and gardening help you live longer?
Conclusion This study found that in a population-based sample of older adults (aged 60), high levels of non-exercise physical activity, or ‘an active daily life’ was associated with better levels of cardiovascular risk factors. When followed over time, it was found an active daily life was associated with approximately 30% reduced risk of both a cardiovascular event (stroke, angina, heart attack) and death from any cause. These associations were seen after adjusting for regular exercise, and for a number of other factors that could explain the association seen (confounders). This study was a cross-sectional and cohort...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 29, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Can sleeping too much cause chronic diseases?
Conclusion This 2010 survey data from middle aged and older adults from 14 US states suggests an association between shorter and longer than optimal sleep duration and three chronic diseases. The optimal amount of sleep recommended varies by different organisations, but tends to be either seven to eight or seven to nine hours a night for an adult. However, though the study benefits from its large sample size of over 50,000 adults it has significant limitations. Cross sectional study design Most importantly, the cross sectional study design which has assessed sleep duration and disease presence at the same time cannot prov...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 4, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Heart/lungs Diabetes Source Type: news

Diabetes drugs may be linked to pancreatic cancer
Conclusion This article presents important concerns that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists and dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors could potentially increase the risk of inflammation and cancerous changes in the pancreas. The agencies that regulate medicines in Europe and the USA are aware of these issues, and told the BMJ that their analyses show increased reporting of pancreatic cancer among people taking these types of drugs. However, the agencies note that it has not been established whether these drugs directly cause the adverse effects seen in the pancreas. Both agencies are reviewing emerging eviden...
Source: NHS News Feed - June 10, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Diabetes QA articles Source Type: news

No evidence Nordic diet prevents heart disease
Conclusion This was a well-designed randomised controlled trial that took place across several Nordic locations. The study took careful clinical measures of elements of metabolic syndrome at several points during the trial, and used food diaries at regular intervals to check compliance to the assigned diet. However, it provides no reliable proof that the ‘healthy’ Nordic diet is any better than the ‘average’ Nordic diet at improving components of metabolic syndrome and, in turn, no proof that it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Importantly, this study found no significant results for its main aim (which...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 31, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Lifestyle/exercise Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Mediterranean diet cuts heart and stroke risk
Conclusion The results of this randomised controlled trial appear to confirm previous studies that there are benefits to following a Mediterranean diet. The trial has many strengths, including its large size, long period of follow-up, thorough assessment of medical outcomes (including reviewing medical records and having contact with the family doctor), and careful attempts to assess whether the diets were being followed. As this is a randomised controlled trial, it should also balance out other health and lifestyle differences between the groups that may influence cardiovascular risk. This avoids the limitations of m...
Source: NHS News Feed - February 26, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Heart/lungs Source Type: news