October 21st, 2014
Study Behind the Green Coffee Bean Diet Craze Retracted
Larry Husten, PHD
The “scientific” paper that helped ignite the green coffee bean diet craze has been retracted. The details of the retraction and the full background of the story were fully reported by Ivan Oransky on Retraction Watch. The paper, published in Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy, purported to report the substantial weight loss findings of a randomized, […]
October 15th, 2014
Another Diet Myth Exploded: Gradual Weight Loss No Better Than Rapid Weight Loss
Larry Husten, PHD
Once again, a popular weight loss myth has been exploded. It has been widely believed that weight loss, which is nearly always difficult to maintain, is even less likely to be sustained if it’s the product of a rapid weight-loss regimen. This belief is even enshrined in current guidelines. Now a study published in The […]
October 14th, 2014
Inappropriate Cardiac Stress Tests May Cost Half a Billion Dollars a Year
Larry Husten, PHD
Inappropriate cardiac stress tests may cost the U.S. healthcare system as much as half a billion dollars each year, according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Joseph Ladapo and colleagues set out to analyze long-term trends in the use of cardiac stress testing in the U.S. Using data from national surveys, they found […]
October 13th, 2014
Medicare Reimbursement for Lung Cancer Screening Provokes Debate
Larry Husten, PHD
Although 160,000 people in the U.S. die each year from lung cancer, accounting for more than a quarter of all cancer deaths, screening for lung cancer remains controversial. Based on results from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) in 2011, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a B recommendation in favor of low-dose […]
October 6th, 2014
Nissen Urges Prompt Revision of Cardiovascular Guidelines
Larry Husten, PHD
Sparked by a new study that once again finds serious flaws in the cardiovascular risk calculator at the heart of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association cardiovascular guidelines, Steve Nissen states that “the ACC and AHA should promptly revise the guidelines to address the criticisms offered by independent authorities.” The CV risk calculator is a […]
October 1st, 2014
Case: Testosterone Replacement Therapy and CV Risk
Seth D Bilazarian, MD, Anna Catino, MD and James Fang, MD
A 47-year-old man presents to the hospital reporting 4 days of chest pain that occurs during treadmill exercise, left-arm and jaw discomfort, and shortness of breath with diaphoresis. His medical history is noteworthy only for orthopedic surgeries and use of testosterone replacement therapy for reportedly low testosterone syndrome. He does not smoke and drinks alcohol only occasionally. He […]
September 30th, 2014
Genetic Analysis Fails to Support Vitamin D to Prevent Diabetes
Larry Husten, PHD
A vitamin D pill can’t substitute for a healthy diet and sunshine, a new genetic study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology suggests. In recent years many people have been seduced by observational studies that found low levels of vitamin D in people who developed type 2 diabetes. The new study instead suggests that the association […]
September 18th, 2014
FDA Approves New Once-Weekly GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Type 2 Diabetes
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA said today that it had approved dulaglutide, Lilly’s once-weekly injection to control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. The drug will be marketed under the brand name of Trulicity. The FDA said that the safety and efficacy of dulaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, had been studied in 3,342 type 2 diabetics. The drug […]
September 15th, 2014
Cheaper Generic Statins Beat Brand-Name Statins in Adherence and Outcomes
Larry Husten, PHD
A large observational study finds that people who received a prescription for a generic statin were more likely to take their pills than people who received a prescription for a brand-name statin. This increased adherence appeared to lead to a small but significant improvement in outcomes. In a paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine, Joshua Gagne […]
September 15th, 2014
No Endorsement for Routine ECG Screening of Young People
Larry Husten, PHD
In a new scientific statement the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology do not recommend the routine initial use of ECGs to screen young people for underlying congenital or genetic heart disease. More aggressive screening for heart disease in young people is often advocated in response to pressure resulting from the rare but […]
NEJM Journal Watch — Recent Cardiology Articles- Strategies and Criteria for the Diagnosis and Management of Myocarditis
- Sex-Based Disparity in CABG Outcomes: Are We Moving Toward Parity?
- Can Genetic and Social Risk Scores Improve Cardiac Risk Prediction?
- Extensive Ablation vs. Pulmonary Vein Isolation in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
- Can a Novel Stent Design Improve Long-Term Outcomes of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention?