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The “scientific” paper that helped ignite the green coffee bean diet craze has been retracted.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 […]
September 11th, 2014
FDA Approves New Weight Loss Drug
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA announced today that it had approved Contrave, the long-awaited and much-disputed weight loss drug. Contrave is a combination of two drugs already approved for other indications: naltrexone hydrochloride, which is used to combat alcohol and opioid dependence, and bupropion, which is used to treat depression and seasonal affective disorder and as an aid to smoking cessation treatment. […]
September 8th, 2014
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: September 8th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include the PARADIGM-HF trial, sham controls in medical-device trials, the efficacy of β blockers in patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation, and more.
June 16th, 2014
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: June 16th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include statins and physical activity in older men, transitional care interventions to prevent heart-failure readmissions, and more.
July 9th, 2013
Look AHEAD: More Questions Than Answers
Kasia Lipska, MD, MHS
Reflecting on the LOOK AHEAD trial, an endocrinologist asks some important questions: Should we hold lifestyle interventions to the same high standards of scrutiny as pharmacological interventions? Don’t we already have enough evidence about the impact of lifestyle interventions to implement them in care?
June 24th, 2013
Large NIH Trial Finds No Cardiovascular Benefits for Weight Loss and Exercise in Type 2 Diabetics
Larry Husten, PHD
A large NIH-sponsored trial has found that an intensive lifestyle intervention was no better than standard care in reducing cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes. The results of the Look AHEAD trial were presented today at the American Diabetes Association meeting and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. A total of 5,145 people with type 2 […]
February 9th, 2013
A Cardiologist Tests an Activity Tracker
Shengshou Hu, M.D.
Looking to lose a few pounds, Wes Fisher tries out a new physical activity tracking device and shares his experience.
October 22nd, 2012
NIH Trial of Lifestyle Intervention for Type 2 Diabetes Stopped for Futility After 11 Years
Larry Husten, PHD
The NIH today announced the early termination of a large randomized trial testing a lifestyle intervention approach to weight loss in type 2 diabetics. More than 5,000 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized to participate in an intensive lifestyle intervention program or a traditional program of diabetes support and education in Look AHEAD (Action for Health […]
July 9th, 2012
AHA and ADA Cautiously Endorse Non-Nutritive Sweeteners
Larry Husten, PHD
In a newly released scientific statement, the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association offer a cautious endorsement of the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in the diet. But the statement notes that the products are not “magic bullets” and that there is no strong evidence demonstrating their beneficial effects. Sugar in the diet has been linked […]
NEJM Journal Watch — Recent Cardiology Articles- 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?
- Are Angiographically-Derived Coronary Physiology Measurements Ready for Use in the Cath Lab?