CardioExchange Archive

April 30th, 2015

More Evidence Linking Sugared Drinks to Diabetes

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study uncovers some potentially important new details about the association between sugared drinks and diabetes. In a paper published in Diabetologia, researchers in the U.K. report on more than 10 years of followup of more than 25,000 adults. During the course of the study 847 participants went on to develop diabetes. Instead of relying on a […]

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April 6th, 2015

Weight-Loss Programs: Slim Evidence and Thin Results

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study concludes that some weight-loss programs may be slightly better than other programs but that in the long run none of the programs have been able to show a substantial weight loss over a sustained period. For even the best programs, an editorialist writes, “weight loss is modest and likely below patients’ expectations.” In […]

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March 30th, 2015

How Do You Like Them Apples?

Larry Husten, PHD

An apple a day does not appear to keep the doctor away but, a new study semi-seriously suggests, it may keep the pharmacist away. Although apples have long been considered a healthy snack, whether eating apples actually reduces healthcare use has not been assessed until now. In a paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine researchers examined […]

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February 16th, 2015

Study Tests Very Simple High-Fiber Diet

Larry Husten, PHD

Diets notoriously fail to help people lose a lot of weight. One problem is that most diets include a broad range of restrictions and guidelines that many people find difficult to follow. Another problem is that negative recommendations may have unintended consequences, such as low-fat recommendations leading to increased consumption of refined carbohydrates. Now a […]

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December 16th, 2014

No Advantage for Low-Glycemic-Index Diet

Larry Husten, PHD

In recent years the glycemic index (GI), a measure of a carbohydrate’s impact on blood sugar, has assumed a major role in discussions about diets and nutrition. Now a study suggests that by itself, within the context of an otherwise healthy diet, GI may not be an important factor in improving cardiovascular risk. In a paper […]

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December 10th, 2014

Focus on Getting Rid of Sugar, Not Salt, Say Authors

Larry Husten, PHD

Too much negative attention has been focused on salt and not enough on sugar, write two authors in Open Heart. Reviewing the extensive literature on salt and sugar, they write that the adverse effects of salt are less than the adverse effects of sugar. The evidence supporting efforts to reduce salt in the diet is […]

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December 2nd, 2014

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet Linked to Marker of Healthy Aging

Larry Husten, PHD

Following a string of recent successes and favorable publicity for the Mediterranean Diet, a a new study published in The BMJ finds that women who more closely followed a Mediterranean diet had longer telomeres, a key measure of healthy aging. The new report is based on data from 4676 women in the Nurses’ Health Study who completed food-frequency […]

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November 12th, 2014

Popular Diets Achieve Only Modest Long-Term Weight Loss

Larry Husten, PHD

Four of the most popular current weight loss diets produce at best only modest long-term benefits, a new study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes shows. The study also found few significant differences across the four diets, offering little hope that any one diet can produce a serious dent in the obesity epidemic. Mark Eisenberg and […]

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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 […]

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September 2nd, 2014

Low-Carb Diet Linked to Greater Weight Loss Than Low-Fat Diet

A low-carbohydrate diet is associated with greater weight reduction than a low-fat diet among obese adults, according to an Annals of Internal Medicine study. Roughly 150 obese adults who were otherwise healthy were randomized to eat either a low-fat (<30% fat) or low-carbohydrate (<40 g/day of digestible carbohydrates) diet. Participants were provided diet-specific handbooks with recipes […]

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