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Liu H, Zhu J, Gao R, Ding L, Yang Y, Zhao W, Cui X, Lu W, Wang J, Li Y. Estimating effects of whole grain consumption on type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease: a burden of proof study. Nutr J 2024; 23:49. [PMID: 38741117 DOI: 10.1186/s12937-024-00957-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies on whole grain consumption had inconsistent findings and lacked quantitative assessments of evidence quality. Therefore, we aimed to summarize updated findings using the Burden of Proof analysis (BPRF) to investigate the relationship of whole grain consumption on type 2 diabetes (T2D), colorectal cancer (CRC), stroke, and ischemic heart disease (IHD). METHODS We conducted a literature search in the Medline and Web of Science up to June 12, 2023, to identify related cohort studies and systematic reviews. The mean RR (relative risk) curve and uncertainty intervals (UIs), BPRF function, risk-outcome score (ROS), and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL) were estimated to evaluate the level of four risk-outcome pairs. RESULTS In total, 27 prospective cohorts were included in our analysis. Consuming whole grain at the range of TMREL (118.5-148.1 g per day) was associated with lower risks: T2D (declined by 37.3%, 95% UI: 5.8 to 59.5), CRC (declined by 17.3%, 6.5 to 27.7), stroke (declined by 21.8%, 7.3 to 35.1), and IHD (declined by 36.9%, 7.1 to 58.0). For all outcomes except stroke, we observed a non-linear, monotonic decrease as whole grain consumption increased; For stroke, it followed a J-shaped curve (the greatest decline in the risk of stroke at consuming 100 g whole grain for a day). The relationships between whole grain consumption and four diseases are all two-star pairs (ROS: 0.087, 0.068, 0.062, 0.095 for T2D, CRC, stroke, and IHD, respectively). CONCLUSION Consuming 100 g of whole grains per day offers broad protective benefits. However, exceeding this threshold may diminish the protective effects against stroke. Our findings endorse replacing refined grains with whole grains as the main source of daily carbohydrates. REGISTRY AND REGISTRY NUMBER FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS OR META-ANALYSES: We have registered our research in PROSPERO, and the identifier of our meta-analyses is CRD42023447345.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houpu Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, 481 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, 310053, China
| | - Jiahao Zhu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, 481 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, 310053, China
| | - Rui Gao
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, 481 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, 310053, China
| | - Lilu Ding
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, 481 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, 310053, China
| | - Ye Yang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, 481 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, 310053, China
| | - Wenxia Zhao
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, 481 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, 310053, China
| | - Xiaonan Cui
- Department of Radiology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Wenli Lu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, 481 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, 310053, China.
| | - Yingjun Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, 481 Binwen Road, Hangzhou, 310053, China.
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Stadelmaier J, Beyerbach J, Roux I, Harms L, Eble J, Nikolakopoulou A, Schwingshackl L. Evaluating agreement between evidence from randomised controlled trials and cohort studies in nutrition: a meta-research replication study. Eur J Epidemiol 2024; 39:363-378. [PMID: 38177572 PMCID: PMC11101378 DOI: 10.1007/s10654-023-01058-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
This meta-research study aims to evaluate the agreement of effect estimates between bodies of evidence (BoE) from RCTs and cohort studies included in the same nutrition evidence synthesis, to identify factors associated with disagreement, and to replicate the findings of a previous study. We searched Medline, Epistemonikos and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for nutrition systematic reviews that included both RCTs and cohort studies for the same patient-relevant outcome or intermediate-disease marker. We rated similarity of PI/ECO (population, intervention/exposure, comparison, outcome) between BoE from RCTs and cohort studies. Agreement of effect estimates across BoE was analysed by pooling ratio of risk ratios (RRR) for binary outcomes and difference of standardised mean differences (DSMD) for continuous outcomes. We performed subgroup and sensitivity analyses to explore determinants associated with disagreements. We included 82 BoE-pairs from 51 systematic reviews. For binary outcomes, the RRR was 1.04 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.99 to 1.10, I2 = 59%, τ2 = 0.02, prediction interval (PI) 0.77 to 1.41). For continuous outcomes, the pooled DSMD was - 0.09 (95% CI - 0.26 to 0.09, PI - 0.55 to 0.38). Subgroup analyses yielded that differences in type of intake/exposure were drivers towards disagreement. We replicated the findings of a previous study, where on average RCTs and cohort studies had similar effect estimates. Disagreement and wide prediction intervals were mainly driven by PI/ECO-dissimilarities. More research is needed to explore other potentially influencing factors (e.g. risk of bias) on the disagreement between effect estimates of both BoE.Trial registration: CRD42021278908.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Stadelmaier
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Jessica Beyerbach
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Isabelle Roux
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Louisa Harms
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Julian Eble
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Adriani Nikolakopoulou
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Schwingshackl
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Wallach JD, Gautam A, Ramachandran R, Ross JS. Association of health benefits and harms of Christmas dessert ingredients in recipes from The Great British Bake Off: umbrella review of umbrella reviews of meta-analyses of observational studies. BMJ 2023; 383:e077166. [PMID: 38123175 DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the health benefits and harms of various ingredients in Christmas desserts from The Great British Bake Off. DESIGN Umbrella review of umbrella reviews of meta-analyses of observational studies. DATA SOURCES The Great British Bake Off website, Embase, Medline, and Scopus. INCLUSION CRITERIA Umbrella reviews of meta-analyses of observational studies evaluating the associations between Christmas dessert ingredients and the risk of death or disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Proportion of protective and harmful summary associations between ingredient groups from The Great British Bake Off Christmas dessert recipes and the risk of death or disease. RESULTS 48 recipes for Christmas desserts (ie, cakes, biscuits, pastries, and puddings and desserts) were provided on The Great British Bake Off website with 178 unique ingredients that were collapsed into 17 overarching ingredient groups. A literature search identified 7008 titles and abstracts, of which 46 eligible umbrella reviews reported 363 unique summary associations between the ingredient groups and risk of death or disease. Of these summary associations, 149 (41%) were significant, including 110 (74%) that estimated that the ingredient groups reduced the risk of death or disease and 39 (26%) that increased the risk. The most common ingredient groups associated with a reduced risk of death or disease were fruit (44/110, 40%), coffee (17/110, 16%), and nuts (14/110, 13%), whereas alcohol (20/39, 51%) and sugar (5/39, 13%) were the most common ingredient groups associated with increased risk of death or disease. CONCLUSIONS Recipes for Christmas desserts from The Great British Bake Off often use ingredient groups that are associated with reductions, rather than increases, in the risk of death or disease. This Christmas, if concerns about the limitations of observational nutrition research are set aside, you can have your cake and eat it too.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Wallach
- 1Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- 2South Forsyth High School, Cumming, GA, USA
- 3Section of General Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- 4Yale Collaboration for Regulatory Rigor, Integrity, and Transparency, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- 5Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Anant Gautam
- 1Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- 2South Forsyth High School, Cumming, GA, USA
- 3Section of General Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- 4Yale Collaboration for Regulatory Rigor, Integrity, and Transparency, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- 5Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Reshma Ramachandran
- 1Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- 2South Forsyth High School, Cumming, GA, USA
- 3Section of General Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- 4Yale Collaboration for Regulatory Rigor, Integrity, and Transparency, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- 5Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Joseph S Ross
- 1Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- 2South Forsyth High School, Cumming, GA, USA
- 3Section of General Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- 4Yale Collaboration for Regulatory Rigor, Integrity, and Transparency, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- 5Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
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Antwi J. Precision Nutrition to Improve Risk Factors of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. Curr Nutr Rep 2023; 12:679-694. [PMID: 37610590 PMCID: PMC10766837 DOI: 10.1007/s13668-023-00491-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Existing dietary and lifestyle interventions and recommendations, to improve the risk factors of obesity and type 2 diabetes with the target to mitigate this double global epidemic, have produced inconsistent results due to interpersonal variabilities in response to these conventional approaches, and inaccuracies in dietary assessment methods. Precision nutrition, an emerging strategy, tailors an individual's key characteristics such as diet, phenotype, genotype, metabolic biomarkers, and gut microbiome for personalized dietary recommendations to optimize dietary response and health. Precision nutrition is suggested to be an alternative and potentially more effective strategy to improve dietary intake and prevention of obesity and chronic diseases. The purpose of this narrative review is to synthesize the current research and examine the state of the science regarding the effect of precision nutrition in improving the risk factors of obesity and type 2 diabetes. RECENT FINDINGS The results of the research review indicate to a large extent significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of precision nutrition in improving the risk factors of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Deeper insights and further rigorous research into the diet-phenotype-genotype and interactions of other components of precision nutrition may enable this innovative approach to be adapted in health care and public health to the special needs of individuals. Precision nutrition provides the strategy to make individualized dietary recommendations by integrating genetic, phenotypic, nutritional, lifestyle, medical, social, and other pertinent characteristics about individuals, as a means to address the challenges of generalized dietary recommendations. The evidence presented in this review shows that precision nutrition markedly improves risk factors of obesity and type 2 diabetes, particularly behavior change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Antwi
- Department of Agriculture, Nutrition and Human Ecology, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, USA.
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Halkjelsvik T, Bere E. The effect of free school fruit on academic performance: a nationwide quasi-experiment. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20815. [PMID: 38012241 PMCID: PMC10682398 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48095-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In past research, higher intake of fruit has been associated with better academic achievement. In Norway, the government required lower secondary schools to provide fruit to their pupils from 2007 to 2014. The present study assessed whether this policy improved academic performance. In addition to secondary schools, the policy covered schools with combined elementary and lower secondary education, but not ordinary elementary schools. This differentiation, in combination with administrative data on test scores before, during, and after the law was enforced, created a nationwide quasi-experiment. Population register data on parents' sociodemographic characteristics allowed for targeted analyses on a subsample of boys with low sociodemographic status. In analyses of 5th grade tests, the free fruit policy coincided with a slight decline in test scores among eligible compared to non-eligible pupils in the subsample (B = - 0.18, 95%CI[- 0.35, - 0.01]) and entire population (B = - 0.14, 95%CI[- 0.24, - 0.05]). Exploratory analyses of exam data in 10th grade yielded similar results, and sensitivity tests either failed to detect any effect or demonstrated a negative tendency. In a Western country with low levels of food insecurity, a policy that required schools to provide free fruit to pupils did not appear to improve academic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torleif Halkjelsvik
- Centre for Evaluation of Public Health Measures, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Folkehelseinstituttet, Skøyen, Postboks 222, 0213, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Elling Bere
- Centre for Evaluation of Public Health Measures, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Folkehelseinstituttet, Skøyen, Postboks 222, 0213, Oslo, Norway.
- Department of Health and Inequalities, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
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Nankumbi J, Grant F, Sibeko L, Mercado E, O'Neil K, Cordeiro LS. Effects of Food-Based Approaches on Vitamin A Status of Women and Children: A Systematic Review. Adv Nutr 2023; 14:1436-1452. [PMID: 37634852 PMCID: PMC10721510 DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) increases risk for morbidity and mortality. Food-based approaches offer one strategy to improve vitamin A status. This systematic review assessed evidence of the effects of food-based approaches on the vitamin A status of women and children under 5 y. VAD was defined as clinical ocular symptoms, such as loss of vision, and/or retinol plasma or serum concentration <0.70 μmol/L. Searches on food-based approaches to improve vitamin A status were conducted for the period 2011-2022 on PubMed, CINHAL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using PRISMA guidelines. English-language publications were included. Case studies, unpublished dissertations, and non-peer-reviewed studies were excluded. This review comprises 24 of 27,322 identified studies; 23 included studies focused on provitamin A carotenoids. There were 17,214 participants across the 24 studies with sample sizes ranging from 8 to 3571 individuals. Intervention studies spanned from 3 wk to 2 y. Fifteen (63%) studies were randomized control trials, 7 were cross-sectional, and 2 were longitudinal studies. Most studies (N = 21) used biochemical measurements, for example, serum retinol, to assess vitamin A status; other studies used clinical symptoms (for example, xerophtalmia) or dietary intake. Thirteen (54%) studies reported a statistically significant effect of food-based interventions (N = 8) or an association of diet (N = 5) on vitamin A status. This systematic review indicated that some food-based interventions improved vitamin A status, thus offering a safe and effective delivery mechanism for vitamin A. There appeared to be significant association between vitamin A status and consumption of foods with high concentrations of preformed vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids. Differences across studies in regard to the period of evaluation, food approaches used, and statistical power may explain the lack of effectiveness of food-based approaches on vitamin A status in some studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce Nankumbi
- Department of Nutrition, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | | | - Lindiwe Sibeko
- Department of Nutrition, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Evelyn Mercado
- Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Kristina O'Neil
- Department of Nutrition, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Lorraine S Cordeiro
- Department of Nutrition, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States.
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Ocagli H, Berti G, Rango D, Norbiato F, Chiaruttini MV, Lorenzoni G, Gregori D. Association of Vegetarian and Vegan Diets with Cardiovascular Health: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies and Randomized Trials. Nutrients 2023; 15:4103. [PMID: 37836394 PMCID: PMC10574056 DOI: 10.3390/nu15194103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are leading global causes of mortality. Unhealthy diets have been linked to an increased risk of CVD, while plant-based diets have shown potential protective effects. This umbrella review summarizes the evidence on the association between vegetarian diets and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. METHODS PubMed, Scopus, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Web of Science were consulted. Meta-analyses grouped by author and outcome were performed. The heterogeneity was evaluated using I2 statistics. RESULTS There was a 41.2% risk reduction for cerebrovascular disease. CVD incidence had a 29% reduced risk. CVD mortality had a 13.8% risk reduction, while IHD incidence had a 24.1% reduction, but with high heterogeneity. IHD mortality showed a significant 32.1% risk reduction. Ischemic stroke had a significant 32.9% risk reduction across six studies. Stroke incidence showed a significant 39.1% risk reduction in a single study. There was a non-significant 11.6% risk reduction for stroke mortality with moderate heterogeneity. CONCLUSION Healthier diets are associated with reduced risks of cerebrovascular disease, CVD incidence, IHD mortality, and ischemic stroke. However, evidence quality and consistency vary, emphasizing the need for more research. Policymakers and healthcare professionals should prioritize promoting healthy diets for CVD prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Dario Gregori
- Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences, and Public Health, University of Padova, via Loredan 18, 35121 Padova, Italy; (H.O.); (G.B.); (D.R.); (F.N.); (M.V.C.); (G.L.)
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Flanagan A, Bradfield J, Kohlmeier M, Ray S. Need for a nutrition-specific scientific paradigm for research quality improvement. BMJ Nutr Prev Health 2023; 6:383-391. [PMID: 38618553 PMCID: PMC11009547 DOI: 10.1136/bmjnph-2023-000650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Nutrition science has been criticised for its methodology, apparently contradictory findings and generating controversy rather than consensus. However, while certain critiques of the field are valid and informative for developing a more cogent science, there are also unique considerations for the study of diet and nutrition that are either overlooked or omitted in these discourses. The ongoing critical discourse on the utility of nutrition sciences occurs at a time when the burden of non-communicable cardiometabolic disease continues to rise in the population. Nutrition science, along with other disciplinary fields, is tasked with producing a translational evidence-base fit for the purpose of improving population and individual health and reducing disease risk. Thus, an exploration of the unique methodological and epistemic considerations for nutrition research is important for nutrition researchers, students and practitioners, to further develop an improved scientific discipline for nutrition. This paper will expand on some of the challenges facing nutrition research, discussing methodological facets of nutritional epidemiology, randomised controlled trials and meta-analysis, and how these considerations may be applied to improve research methodology. A pragmatic research paradigm for nutrition science is also proposed, which places methodology at its centre, allowing for questions over both how we obtain knowledge and research design as the method to produce that knowledge to be connected, providing the field of nutrition research with a framework within which to capture the full complexity of nutrition and diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Flanagan
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK
- NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health, St John’s Innovation Centre, NNEdPro, Cambridge, UK
| | - James Bradfield
- NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health, St John’s Innovation Centre, NNEdPro, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Martin Kohlmeier
- NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health, St John’s Innovation Centre, NNEdPro, Cambridge, UK
- School of Medicine, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sumantra Ray
- NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health, St John’s Innovation Centre, NNEdPro, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University at Coleraine, Coleraine, UK
- Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Rigutto-Farebrother J, Ahles S, Cade J, Murphy KJ, Plat J, Schwingshackl L, Roche HM, Shyam S, Lachat C, Minihane AM, Weaver C. Perspectives on the application of CONSORT guidelines to randomised controlled trials in nutrition. Eur J Nutr 2023:10.1007/s00394-023-03137-5. [PMID: 37099211 DOI: 10.1007/s00394-023-03137-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Reporting guidelines facilitate quality and completeness in research reporting. The CONsolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement is widely applied to dietary and nutrition trials but has no extension specific to nutrition. Evidence suggests poor reporting in nutrition research. The Federation of European Nutrition Societies led an initiative to make recommendations for a nutrition extension to the CONSORT statement towards a more robust reporting of the evidence base. METHODS An international working group was formed of nutrition researchers from 14 institutions in 12 different countries and on five continents. Using meetings over a period of one year, we interrogated the CONSORT statement specifically for its application to report nutrition trials. RESULTS We provide a total of 28 new nutrition-specific recommendations or emphasised recommendations for the reporting of the introduction (three), methods (twelve), results (five) and discussion (eight). We also added two additional recommendations that were not allocated under the standard CONSORT headings. CONCLUSION We identify a need to provide guidance in addition to CONSORT to improve the quality and consistency of the reporting and propose key considerations for further development of formal guidelines for the reporting of nutrition trials. Readers are encouraged to engage in this process, provide comments and conduct specific studies to inform further work on the development of reporting guidelines for nutrition trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Rigutto-Farebrother
- Human Nutrition Laboratory, Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- Laboratory for Nutrition and Metabolic Epigenetics, Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, LFV E14.1, Schmelzbergstrasse 7, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, USA.
| | - Sanne Ahles
- Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- BioActor BV, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Janet Cade
- Nutritional Epidemiology Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Karen J Murphy
- Clinical and Health Sciences, Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Jogchum Plat
- Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Lukas Schwingshackl
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Helen M Roche
- Nutrigenomics Research Group, UCD Conway Institute, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Sangeetha Shyam
- Centre for Translational Research, Institute for Research, Development, and Innovation (IRDI), International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Reus, Spain
| | - Carl Lachat
- Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anne-Marie Minihane
- Nutrition and Preventive Medicine, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich, UK
- Norwich Institute of Healthy Ageing, UEA, Norwich, UK
| | - Connie Weaver
- School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
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Sobiecki JG, Imamura F, Davis CR, Sharp SJ, Koulman A, Hodgson JM, Guevara M, Schulze MB, Zheng JS, Agnoli C, Bonet C, Colorado-Yohar SM, Fagherazzi G, Franks PW, Gundersen TE, Jannasch F, Kaaks R, Katzke V, Molina-Montes E, Nilsson PM, Palli D, Panico S, Papier K, Rolandsson O, Sacerdote C, Tjønneland A, Tong TYN, van der Schouw YT, Danesh J, Butterworth AS, Riboli E, Murphy KJ, Wareham NJ, Forouhi NG. A nutritional biomarker score of the Mediterranean diet and incident type 2 diabetes: Integrated analysis of data from the MedLey randomised controlled trial and the EPIC-InterAct case-cohort study. PLoS Med 2023; 20:e1004221. [PMID: 37104291 PMCID: PMC10138823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Self-reported adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been modestly inversely associated with incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in cohort studies. There is uncertainty about the validity and magnitude of this association due to subjective reporting of diet. The association has not been evaluated using an objectively measured biomarker of the Mediterranean diet. METHODS AND FINDINGS We derived a biomarker score based on 5 circulating carotenoids and 24 fatty acids that discriminated between the Mediterranean or habitual diet arms of a parallel design, 6-month partial-feeding randomised controlled trial (RCT) conducted between 2013 and 2014, the MedLey trial (128 participants out of 166 randomised). We applied this biomarker score in an observational study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-InterAct case-cohort study, to assess the association of the score with T2D incidence over an average of 9.7 years of follow-up since the baseline (1991 to 1998). We included 22,202 participants, of whom 9,453 were T2D cases, with relevant biomarkers from an original case-cohort of 27,779 participants sampled from a cohort of 340,234 people. As a secondary measure of the Mediterranean diet, we used a score estimated from dietary-self report. Within the trial, the biomarker score discriminated well between the 2 arms; the cross-validated C-statistic was 0.88 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82 to 0.94). The score was inversely associated with incident T2D in EPIC-InterAct: the hazard ratio (HR) per standard deviation of the score was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.65 to 0.77) following adjustment for sociodemographic, lifestyle and medical factors, and adiposity. In comparison, the HR per standard deviation of the self-reported Mediterranean diet was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.86 to 0.95). Assuming the score was causally associated with T2D, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet in Western European adults by 10 percentiles of the score was estimated to reduce the incidence of T2D by 11% (95% CI: 7% to 14%). The study limitations included potential measurement error in nutritional biomarkers, unclear specificity of the biomarker score to the Mediterranean diet, and possible residual confounding. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that objectively assessed adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower risk of T2D and that even modestly higher adherence may have the potential to reduce the population burden of T2D meaningfully. TRIAL REGISTRATION Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12613000602729 https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=363860.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub G. Sobiecki
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Fumiaki Imamura
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Courtney R. Davis
- Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity, UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Stephen J. Sharp
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Albert Koulman
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory, National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan M. Hodgson
- Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia
- Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Marcela Guevara
- Navarra Public Health Institute, Pamplona, Spain
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Matthias B. Schulze
- Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich-Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute of Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam, Nuthetal, Germany
| | - Ju-Sheng Zheng
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translation Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Claudia Agnoli
- Epidemiology and Prevention Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Catalina Bonet
- Unit of Nutrition and Cancer, Catalan Institute of Oncology—ICO, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Nutrition and Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute—IDIBELL, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sandra M. Colorado-Yohar
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Epidemiology, Murcia Regional Health Council, IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain
- Research Group on Demography and Health, National Faculty of Public Health, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Guy Fagherazzi
- Deep Digital Phenotyping Research Unit, Department of Precision Health, Luxembourg Insitute of Health, Strassen, Luxembourg
- Center of Epidemiology and Population Health UMR 1018, Inserm, Paris South—Paris Saclay University, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, France
| | - Paul W. Franks
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | | | - Franziska Jannasch
- Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich-Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Rudolf Kaaks
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Verena Katzke
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Esther Molina-Montes
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INYTA) ‘José Mataix’, Biomedical Research Centre, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | - Domenico Palli
- Cancer Risk Factors and Life-Style Epidemiology Unit, Institute for Cancer Research, Prevention and Clinical Network—ISPRO, Florence, Italy
| | - Salvatore Panico
- Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Keren Papier
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Olov Rolandsson
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Family Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Carlotta Sacerdote
- Unit of Cancer Epidemiology, Città della Salute e della Scienza University-Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Anne Tjønneland
- Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tammy Y. N. Tong
- Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Yvonne T. van der Schouw
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - John Danesh
- BHF Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- British Heart Foundation Cambridge Centre of Excellence, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Human Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Health Data Research UK Cambridge, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Adam S. Butterworth
- BHF Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Elio Riboli
- School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Karen J. Murphy
- Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity, UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Nicholas J. Wareham
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Nita G. Forouhi
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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11
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Silva F, Rodrigues Amorim Adegboye A, Lachat C, Curioni C, Gomes F, Collins GS, Kac G, de Beyer JA, Cook J, Ismail LC, Page M, Khandpur N, Lamb S, Hopewell S, Kirtley S, Durão S, Vorland CJ, Schlussel MM. Completeness of Reporting in Diet- and Nutrition-Related Randomized Controlled Trials and Systematic Reviews With Meta-Analysis: Protocol for 2 Independent Meta-Research Studies. JMIR Res Protoc 2023; 12:e43537. [PMID: 36951931 PMCID: PMC10131600 DOI: 10.2196/43537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Journal articles describing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews with meta-analysis of RCTs are not optimally reported and often miss crucial details. This poor reporting makes assessing these studies' risk of bias or reproducing their results difficult. However, the reporting quality of diet- and nutrition-related RCTs and meta-analyses has not been explored. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess the reporting completeness and identify the main reporting limitations of diet- and nutrition-related RCTs and meta-analyses of RCTs, estimate the frequency of reproducible research practices among these RCTs, and estimate the frequency of distorted presentation or spin among these meta-analyses. METHODS Two independent meta-research studies will be conducted using articles published in PubMed-indexed journals. The first will include a sample of diet- and nutrition-related RCTs; the second will include a sample of systematic reviews with meta-analysis of diet- and nutrition-related RCTs. A validated search strategy will be used to identify RCTs of nutritional interventions and an adapted strategy to identify meta-analyses in PubMed. We will search for RCTs and meta-analyses indexed in 1 calendar year and randomly select 100 RCTs (June 2021 to June 2022) and 100 meta-analyses (July 2021 to July 2022). Two reviewers will independently screen the titles and abstracts of records yielded by the searches, then read the full texts to confirm their eligibility. The general features of these published RCTs and meta-analyses will be extracted into a research electronic data capture database (REDCap; Vanderbilt University). The completeness of reporting of each RCT will be assessed using the items in the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials), its extensions, and the TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication) statements. Information about practices that promote research transparency and reproducibility, such as the publication of protocols and statistical analysis plans will be collected. There will be an assessment of the completeness of reporting of each meta-analysis using the items in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement and collection of information about spin in the abstracts and full-texts. The results will be presented as descriptive statistics in diagrams or tables. These 2 meta-research studies are registered in the Open Science Framework. RESULTS The literature search for the first meta-research retrieved 20,030 records and 2182 were potentially eligible. The literature search for the second meta-research retrieved 10,918 records and 850 were potentially eligible. Among them, random samples of 100 RCTs and 100 meta-analyses were selected for data extraction. Data extraction is currently in progress, and completion is expected by the beginning of 2023. CONCLUSIONS Our meta-research studies will summarize the main limitation on reporting completeness of nutrition- or diet-related RCTs and meta-analyses and provide comprehensive information regarding the particularities in the reporting of intervention studies in the nutrition field. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/43537.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flávia Silva
- Nutrition Department, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre - UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | | | - Carl Lachat
- Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Cintia Curioni
- Department of Nutrition in Public Health, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabio Gomes
- Pan-American Health Organization, World Health Organization, Washington, WA, United States
| | - Gary S Collins
- UK EQUATOR Centre, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Gilberto Kac
- Nutritional Epidemiology Observatory, Department of Social and Applied Nutrition, Institute of Nutrition Josué de Castro, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jennifer Anne de Beyer
- UK EQUATOR Centre, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Cook
- Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Leila Cheikh Ismail
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Matthew Page
- Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Neha Khandpur
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Sarah Lamb
- College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Sally Hopewell
- Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Shona Kirtley
- UK EQUATOR Centre, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Solange Durão
- Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Colby J Vorland
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Michael M Schlussel
- UK EQUATOR Centre, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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12
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Cramer T. Impact of dietary carbohydrate restriction on the pathobiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The gut-liver axis and beyond. Semin Immunol 2023; 66:101736. [PMID: 36857893 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2023.101736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite decades of fiercely competitive research and colossal financial investments, the majority of patients with advanced solid cancers cannot be treated with curative intent. To improve this situation, conceptually novel treatment approaches are urgently needed. Cancer is increasingly appreciated as a systemic disease and numerous organismal factors are functionally linked to neoplastic growth, e.g. systemic metabolic dysregulation, chronic inflammation, intestinal dysbiosis and disrupted circadian rhythms. It is tempting to hypothesize that interventions targeting these processes could be of significant account for cancer patients. One important driver of tumor-supporting systemic derangements is inordinate consumption of simple and highly processed carbohydrates. This dietary pattern is causally linked to hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, chronic inflammation and intestinal dysbiosis, begging the pertinent question whether the adoption of dietary carbohydrate restriction can be beneficial for patients with cancer. This review summarizes the published data on the role of dietary carbohydrate restriction in the pathogenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), the most frequent type of primary liver cancer. In addition to outlining the functional interplay between diet, the intestinal microbiome and immunity, the review underscores the importance of bile acids as interconnectors between the intestinal microbiota and immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten Cramer
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, RWTH University Hospital, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; NUTRIM - School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
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13
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Silva FM, Adegboye ARA, Curioni C, Gomes FS, Collins GS, Kac G, A De Beyer J, Cook JA, Cheikh Ismail L, Page MJ, Khandpur N, Lamb S, Hopewell S, Kirtley S, Durão S, Vorland CJ, M Schlussel M. Protocol for a meta-research study of protocols for diet or nutrition-related trials published in indexed journals: general aspects of study design, rationale and reporting limitations. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e064744. [PMID: 36572499 PMCID: PMC9806013 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) reporting guideline establishes a minimum set of items to be reported in any randomised controlled trial (RCT) protocol. The Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) reporting guideline was developed to improve the reporting of interventions in RCT protocols and results papers. Reporting completeness in protocols of diet or nutrition-related RCTs has not been systematically investigated. We aim to identify published protocols of diet or nutrition-related RCTs, assess their reporting completeness and identify the main reporting limitations remaining in this field. METHODS AND ANALYSIS We will conduct a meta-research study of RCT protocols published in journals indexed in at least one of six selected databases between 2012 and 2022. We have run a search in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Global Health using a search strategy designed to identify protocols of diet or nutrition-related RCTs. Two reviewers will independently screen the titles and abstracts of records yielded by the search in Rayyan. The full texts will then be read to confirm protocol eligibility. We will collect general study features (publication information, types of participants, interventions, comparators, outcomes and study design) of all eligible published protocols in this contemporary sample. We will assess reporting completeness in a randomly selected sample of them and identify their main reporting limitations. We will compare this subsample with the items in the SPIRIT and TIDieR statements. For all data collection, we will use data extraction forms in REDCap. This protocol is registered on the Open Science Framework (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/YWEVS). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION This study will undertake a secondary analysis of published data and does not require ethical approval. The results will be disseminated through journals and conferences targeting stakeholders involved in nutrition research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amanda Rodrigues Amorim Adegboye
- Centre for Healthcare Research, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
- Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
| | - Cintia Curioni
- Nutrition Institute, UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabio S Gomes
- Pan American Health Organization, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Gary Stephen Collins
- UK EQUATOR Centre, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Reumathology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Gilberto Kac
- Josué de Castro Nutrition Institute, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jennifer A De Beyer
- UK EQUATOR Centre, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Reumathology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jonathan Alistair Cook
- Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumathology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Leila Cheikh Ismail
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE
- Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Matthew J Page
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Neha Khandpur
- Centre for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health, Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, USP, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sarah Lamb
- College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Sally Hopewell
- Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumathology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Shona Kirtley
- UK EQUATOR Centre, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Reumathology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Solange Durão
- Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Colby J Vorland
- Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University School of Public Health - Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Michael M Schlussel
- UK EQUATOR Centre, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Reumathology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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14
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Gkiouras K, Choleva ME, Verrou A, Goulis DG, Bogdanos DP, Grammatikopoulou MG. A Meta-Epidemiological Study of Positive Results in Clinical Nutrition Research: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Statistically Significant Findings. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14235164. [PMID: 36501193 PMCID: PMC9738552 DOI: 10.3390/nu14235164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Positive (statistically significant) findings are easily produced in nutrition research when specific aspects of the research design and analysis are not accounted for. To address this issue, recently, a pledge was made to reform nutrition research and improve scientific trust on the science, encompass research transparency and achieve reproducibility. The aim of the present meta-epidemiological study was to evaluate the statistical significance status of research items published in three academic journals, all with a focus on clinical nutrition science and assessing certain methodological/transparency issues. All research items were published between the years 2015 and 2019. Study design, primary and secondary findings, sample size and age group, funding sources, positivist findings, the existence of a published research protocol and the adjustment of nutrients/dietary indexes to the energy intake (EI) of participants, were extracted for each study. Out of 2127 studies in total, those with positive findings consisted of the majority, in all three journals. Most studies had a published research protocol, however, this was mainly due to the randomized controlled trials and not to the evidence-synthesis studies. No differences were found in the distribution of positive findings according to the existence/inexistence of a published research protocol. In the pooled sample of studies, positive findings differed according to study design and more significant findings were reported by researchers failing to report any funding source. The majority of items published in the three journals (65.9%) failed to account for the EI of participants. The present results indicate that there is still room for the improvement of nutrition research in terms of design, analyses and reporting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Gkiouras
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41110 Larissa, Greece
| | - Maria-Eleftheria Choleva
- Department of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, International Hellenic University, Alexander Campus, 57400 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Aikaterini Verrou
- Department of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, International Hellenic University, Alexander Campus, 57400 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitrios G. Goulis
- Unit of Reproductive Endocrinology, 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitrios P. Bogdanos
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41110 Larissa, Greece
| | - Maria G. Grammatikopoulou
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41110 Larissa, Greece
- Correspondence:
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15
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Impact of Dietary Fats on Cardiovascular Disease with a Specific Focus on Omega-3 Fatty Acids. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11226652. [PMID: 36431129 PMCID: PMC9698774 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11226652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Dietary habits have major implications as causes of death globally, particularly in terms of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, but to precisely define the role of the single components of diet in terms of cardiovascular risk is not an easy task, since current epidemiological cohorts do not include sufficient information regarding all the confounding factors typical of nutritional associations. As an example, complex and multifactorial are the possible nutritional or detrimental effects of dietary fats, due to the huge variety of lipid metabolites originating from either the enzymatic or non-enzymatic oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol and phospholipids. The area of research that has allowed the benefit/risk profile of a dietary supplement to be tested with controlled studies is that of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids have showed a potential therapeutic role only in secondary cardiovascular prevention, while controlled studies in primary prevention have consistently produced neutral results. Despite some favorable evidence in patients with chronic heart failure; a treatment with n-3 PUFA in this clinical context is presently overlooked. The potential risk of atrial fibrillation, especially when n-3 PUFA are used in high doses, is still under scrutiny.
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16
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Bizzozero-Peroni B, Godoy-Cumillaf A, Fernández-Rodríguez R, Rodríguez-Gutiérrez E, Jiménez-López E, Giakoni-Ramírez F, Duclos-Bastías D, Mesas AE. Mediterranean Diet Interventions for Depressive Symptoms in Adults with Depressive Disorders: A Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph192114437. [PMID: 36361317 PMCID: PMC9654522 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The associations between Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence and depression levels have been synthesized from observational studies. However, a systematic review with meta-analysis including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on this relationship in adults with depressive disorders remains lacking. This protocol was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis for Protocols statement. MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane CENTRAL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases will be systematically searched to identify studies published from database inception up to 30 September 2022. The inclusion criteria will comprise RCTs reporting pre-post changes in depression status (symptoms or remission) after a MD intervention compared to a control condition in adults over 18 years with depressive disorders. Pooled effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals will be calculated using the DerSimonian random-effects model. This study protocol determines the methodological approach for the systematic review and meta-analysis that will summarize the available evidence on the efficacy of MD interventions on depressive symptoms in adults with depressive disorders. The findings from this review may have implications for public mental health programs. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication, conference presentation, and infographics. No ethical approval will be required since only published data will be used. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022341895.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni
- Health and Social Research Center, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 16071 Cuenca, Spain
- Instituto Superior de Educación Física, Universidad de la República, Rivera 40000, Uruguay
| | - Andrés Godoy-Cumillaf
- Grupo de Investigación en Educación Física, Salud y Calidad de Vida, Facultad de Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Temuco 4780000, Chile
| | | | | | - Estela Jiménez-López
- Health and Social Research Center, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 16071 Cuenca, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Virgen de La Luz, 16002 Cuenca, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28003 Madrid, Spain
| | - Frano Giakoni-Ramírez
- Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Las Condes, Santiago 7550000, Chile
| | - Daniel Duclos-Bastías
- Escuela de Educación Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile
| | - Arthur Eumann Mesas
- Health and Social Research Center, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 16071 Cuenca, Spain
- Postgraduate Program in Public Health, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina 86057-970, Brazil
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17
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Han D, Zulewska J, Xiong K, Yang Z. Synergy between oligosaccharides and probiotics: From metabolic properties to beneficial effects. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2022; 64:4078-4100. [PMID: 36315042 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2139218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Synbiotic is defined as the dietary mixture that comprises both probiotic microorganisms and prebiotic substrates. The concept has been steadily gaining attention owing to the rising recognition of probiotic, prebiotics, and gut health. Among prebiotic substances, oligosaccharides demonstrated considerable health beneficial effects in varieties of food products and their combination with probiotics have been subjected to full range of evaluations. This review delineated the landscape of studies using microbial cultures, cell lines, animal model, and human subjects to explore the functional properties and host impacts of these combinations. Overall, the results suggested that these combinations possess respective metabolic properties that could facilitate beneficial activities therefore could be employed as dietary interventions for human health improvement and therapeutic purposes. However, uncertainties, such as applicational practicalities, underutilized analytical tools, contradictory results in studies, unclear mechanisms, and legislation hurdles, still challenges the broad utilization of these combinations. Future studies to address these issues may not only advance current knowledge on probiotic-prebiotic-host interrelationship but also promote respective applications in food and nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Han
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, Beijing Engineering and Technology Research Center of Food Additives, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Food Bioengineering (China National Light Industry), College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Justyna Zulewska
- Department of Dairy Science and Quality Management, Faculty of Food Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Ke Xiong
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, Beijing Engineering and Technology Research Center of Food Additives, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhennai Yang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, Beijing Engineering and Technology Research Center of Food Additives, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
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18
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Neumann M, Wirtz MA, Lutz G, Ernesti A, Edelhäuser F. Why context matters when changing the diet: A narrative review of placebo, nocebo, and psychosocial context effects and implications for outcome research and nutrition counselling. Front Nutr 2022; 9:937065. [PMID: 36386910 PMCID: PMC9650541 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.937065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Placebo (PE) and nocebo effects (NE) have been subjects of systematic research in medicine and psychotherapy for many decades to distinguish between the (specific) pharmacological effect of medication and the (unspecific) effect of the context. Despite this significant research, the awareness, operationalisation, and reflection of the multiplicity of PE, NE, and psychosocial context effects (PSCE) is currently limited when researching outcomes of diet changes in studies without randomisation and placebo control. This neglection is critical as it could systematically influence outcomes by moderating and mediating them and thus reducing the validity and evidence base of these studies. Therefore, we performed a (non-systematic) narrative review (NR) on the following objectives: (1) present a concise overview about the relevance of PE, NE, and PSCE in medicine and nutrition research; (2) review the current state of research on reflecting context effects when studying diet changes; (3) provide useful theoretical foundations via consideration and integration of micro- and macro context effects; (4) operationalise as hypotheses the potential PE, NE, and PSCE which are specific for researching diet changes; and (5) derive their impact for future research as well as for nutrition counselling. The electronic search in this NR for objective (2) identified N = 5 publications and for objective (4) we found N = 61 articles retrieved in the first round of search, additional references were identified by a manual and snowball search among the cited references resulting finally in N = 37. This NR offers a synoptical basis to foster awareness and operationalisation of a variety of PE, NE, and PSCE. Interdisciplinary research teams should monitor these factors using, e.g., qualitative, mixed-method studies, process evaluation, item bank approaches, moderator and mediator analysis that might reveal substantially new insights, and outcomes of relevance to science and nutrition counselling. Nevertheless, the present NR has several limitations, especially as it is non-systematic, because it is a very heterogeneous field of research, in which the topic we are investigating is usually regarded as marginal and subordinate. Therefore, future research should conduct systematic reviews and particularly theory-based primary studies (experimental research) on hypotheses of PE, NE, and PSCE in outcome research in diet changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Neumann
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Integrated Curriculum for Anthroposophic Medicine (ICURAM) and Institute of Integrative Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
| | | | - Gabriele Lutz
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke, Herdecke, Germany
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
| | - Alina Ernesti
- Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
| | - Friedrich Edelhäuser
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Integrated Curriculum for Anthroposophic Medicine (ICURAM) and Institute of Integrative Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
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19
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Bröckelmann N, Stadelmaier J, Harms L, Kubiak C, Beyerbach J, Wolkewitz M, Meerpohl JJ, Schwingshackl L. An empirical evaluation of the impact scenario of pooling bodies of evidence from randomized controlled trials and cohort studies in medical research. BMC Med 2022; 20:355. [PMID: 36274131 PMCID: PMC9590141 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-022-02559-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies are the most common study design types used to assess treatment effects of medical interventions. We aimed to hypothetically pool bodies of evidence (BoE) from RCTs with matched BoE from cohort studies included in the same systematic review. METHODS BoE derived from systematic reviews of RCTs and cohort studies published in the 13 medical journals with the highest impact factor were considered. We re-analyzed effect estimates of the included systematic reviews by pooling BoE from RCTs with BoE from cohort studies using random and common effects models. We evaluated statistical heterogeneity, 95% prediction intervals, weight of BoE from RCTs to the pooled estimate, and whether integration of BoE from cohort studies modified the conclusion from BoE of RCTs. RESULTS Overall, 118 BoE-pairs based on 653 RCTs and 804 cohort studies were pooled. By pooling BoE from RCTs and cohort studies with a random effects model, for 61 (51.7%) out of 118 BoE-pairs, the 95% confidence interval (CI) excludes no effect. By pooling BoE from RCTs and cohort studies, the median I2 was 48%, and the median contributed percentage weight of RCTs to the pooled estimates was 40%. The direction of effect between BoE from RCTs and pooled effect estimates was mainly concordant (79.7%). The integration of BoE from cohort studies modified the conclusion (by examining the 95% CI) from BoE of RCTs in 32 (27%) of the 118 BoE-pairs, but the direction of effect was mainly concordant (88%). CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide insights for the potential impact of pooling both BoE in systematic reviews. In medical research, it is often important to rely on both evidence of RCTs and cohort studies to get a whole picture of an investigated intervention-disease association. A decision for or against pooling different study designs should also always take into account, for example, PI/ECO similarity, risk of bias, coherence of effect estimates, and also the trustworthiness of the evidence. Overall, there is a need for more research on the influence of those issues on potential pooling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Bröckelmann
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Julia Stadelmaier
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Louisa Harms
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Charlotte Kubiak
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jessica Beyerbach
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Martin Wolkewitz
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jörg J Meerpohl
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Schwingshackl
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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20
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Bennett DA, Du H. An Overview of Methods and Exemplars of the Use of Mendelian Randomisation in Nutritional Research. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14163408. [PMID: 36014914 PMCID: PMC9412324 DOI: 10.3390/nu14163408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: It is crucial to elucidate the causal relevance of nutritional exposures (such as dietary patterns, food intake, macronutrients intake, circulating micronutrients), or biomarkers in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in order to find effective strategies for NCD prevention. Classical observational studies have found evidence of associations between nutritional exposures and NCD development, but such studies are prone to confounding and other biases. This has direct relevance for translation research, as using unreliable evidence can lead to the failure of trials of nutritional interventions. Facilitated by the availability of large-scale genetic data, Mendelian randomization studies are increasingly used to ascertain the causal relevance of nutritional exposures and biomarkers for many NCDs. Methods: A narrative overview was conducted in order to demonstrate and describe the utility of Mendelian randomization studies, for individuals with little prior knowledge engaged in nutritional epidemiological research. Results: We provide an overview, rationale and basic description of the methods, as well as strengths and limitations of Mendelian randomization studies. We give selected examples from the contemporary nutritional literature where Mendelian randomization has provided useful evidence on the potential causal relevance of nutritional exposures. Conclusions: The selected exemplars demonstrate the importance of well-conducted Mendelian randomization studies as a robust tool to prioritize nutritional exposures for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derrick A. Bennett
- Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU), Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK
- Medical Research Council Population Health Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +44-1865-743949; Fax: +44-1865-743985
| | - Huaidong Du
- Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU), Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK
- Medical Research Council Population Health Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK
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21
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Reducing postoperative fasting times by implementing a food service in the Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Clin Nutr ESPEN 2022; 51:280-287. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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22
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Orsso CE, Montes-Ibarra M, Findlay M, van der Meij BS, de van der Schueren MAE, Landi F, Laviano A, Prado CM. Mapping ongoing nutrition intervention trials in muscle, sarcopenia, and cachexia: a scoping review of future research. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2022; 13:1442-1459. [PMID: 35301816 PMCID: PMC9178172 DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.12954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscle loss alone, or in the context of sarcopenia or cachexia, is a prevalent condition and a predictor of negative outcomes in aging and disease. As adequate nutrition is essential for muscle maintenance, a growing number of studies has been conducted to explore the role of specific nutrients on muscle mass or function. Nonetheless, more research is needed to guide evidence-based recommendations. This scoping review aimed to compile and document ongoing clinical trials investigating nutrition interventions as a strategy to prevent or treat low muscle mass or function (strength and physical performance), sarcopenia, or cachexia. ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were searched up to 21 April 2021 for planned and ongoing trials. Randomized controlled trials with ≥20 participants per arm were included based on intent to explore the effects of nutrition interventions on muscle-related outcomes (i.e. muscle mass or strength, physical performance, or muscle synthesis rate) in both clinical and non-clinical conditions (i.e. aging). Two reviewers independently screened records for eligibility, and a descriptive synthesis of trials characteristics was conducted. A total of 113 trials were included in the review. Most trials (69.0%) enroll adults with clinical conditions, such as cancer (19.5%), obesity and metabolic diseases (16.8%), and musculoskeletal diseases (10.7%). The effects of nutrition interventions on age-related muscle loss are explored in 31% of trials. Although nutrition interventions of varied types were identified, food supplements alone (48.7%) or combined with dietary advice (11.5%) are most frequently reported. Protein (17.7%), amino acids (10.6%), and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB, 6.2%) are the top three food supplements' nutrients under investigation. Primary outcome of most trials (54.9%) consists of measures of muscle mass alone or in combination with muscle strength and/or performance (as either primary or secondary outcomes). Muscle strength and physical performance are primary outcomes of 38% and 31.9% of the trials, respectively. These measurements were obtained using a variety of techniques. Only a few trials evaluate muscle synthesis rate either as a primary or secondary outcome (5.3%). Several nutrition studies focusing on muscle, sarcopenia, and cachexia are underway and can inform future research in this area. Although many trials have similar type of interventions, methodological heterogeneity may challenge study comparisons, and future meta-analyses aiming to provide evidence-based recommendations. Upcoming research in this area may benefit from guidelines for the assessment of therapeutic effects of nutrition interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila E Orsso
- Human Nutrition Research Unit, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Montserrat Montes-Ibarra
- Human Nutrition Research Unit, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Merran Findlay
- Cancer Services, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Barbara S van der Meij
- Bond University Nutrition and Dietetics Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.,Department of Dietetics and Foodservices, Mater Health Services, Mater Hospital, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Lifestyle, School of Allied Health, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marian A E de van der Schueren
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Lifestyle, School of Allied Health, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Francesco Landi
- Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopaedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.,Geriatric Department, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario 'Agostino Gemelli' IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Laviano
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla M Prado
- Human Nutrition Research Unit, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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23
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Russo S, Bonassi S. Prospects and Pitfalls of Machine Learning in Nutritional Epidemiology. Nutrients 2022; 14:1705. [PMID: 35565673 PMCID: PMC9105182 DOI: 10.3390/nu14091705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Nutritional epidemiology employs observational data to discover associations between diet and disease risk. However, existing analytic methods of dietary data are often sub-optimal, with limited incorporation and analysis of the correlations between the studied variables and nonlinear behaviours in the data. Machine learning (ML) is an area of artificial intelligence that has the potential to improve modelling of nonlinear associations and confounding which are found in nutritional data. These opportunities notwithstanding, the applications of ML in nutritional epidemiology must be approached cautiously to safeguard the scientific quality of the results and provide accurate interpretations. Given the complex scenario around ML, judicious application of such tools is necessary to offer nutritional epidemiology a novel analytical resource for dietary measurement and assessment and a tool to model the complexity of dietary intake and its relation to health. This work describes the applications of ML in nutritional epidemiology and provides guidelines to avoid common pitfalls encountered in applying predictive statistical models to nutritional data. Furthermore, it helps unfamiliar readers better assess the significance of their results and provides new possible future directions in the field of ML in nutritional epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Russo
- EcoVision Lab, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Group, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Bonassi
- Department of Human Sciences and Quality of Life Promotion, San Raffaele University, 00166 Rome, Italy;
- Unit of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Roma, 00163 Rome, Italy
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24
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Zeraatkar D, Kohut A, Bhasin A, Morassut RE, Churchill I, Gupta A, Lawson D, Miroshnychenko A, Sirotich E, Aryal K, Azab M, Beyene J, de Souza RJ. Assessments of risk of bias in systematic reviews of observational nutritional epidemiologic studies are often not appropriate or comprehensive: a methodological study. BMJ Nutr Prev Health 2021; 4:487-500. [PMID: 35028518 PMCID: PMC8718856 DOI: 10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An essential component of systematic reviews is the assessment of risk of bias. To date, there has been no investigation of how reviews of non-randomised studies of nutritional exposures (called 'nutritional epidemiologic studies') assess risk of bias. OBJECTIVE To describe methods for the assessment of risk of bias in reviews of nutritional epidemiologic studies. METHODS We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Jan 2018-Aug 2019) and sampled 150 systematic reviews of nutritional epidemiologic studies. RESULTS Most reviews (n=131/150; 87.3%) attempted to assess risk of bias. Commonly used tools neglected to address all important sources of bias, such as selective reporting (n=25/28; 89.3%), and frequently included constructs unrelated to risk of bias, such as reporting (n=14/28; 50.0%). Most reviews (n=66/101; 65.3%) did not incorporate risk of bias in the synthesis. While more than half of reviews considered biases due to confounding and misclassification of the exposure in their interpretation of findings, other biases, such as selective reporting, were rarely considered (n=1/150; 0.7%). CONCLUSION Reviews of nutritional epidemiologic studies have important limitations in their assessment of risk of bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dena Zeraatkar
- Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alana Kohut
- McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Arrti Bhasin
- Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rita E Morassut
- Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Isabella Churchill
- Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Arnav Gupta
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daeria Lawson
- Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anna Miroshnychenko
- Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily Sirotich
- Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Komal Aryal
- Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Maria Azab
- McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joseph Beyene
- Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Russell J de Souza
- Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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25
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BROWN ANDREWW, ASLIBEKYAN STELLA, BIER DENNIS, DA SILVA RAFAELFERREIRA, HOOVER ADAM, KLURFELD DAVIDM, LOKEN ERIC, MAYO-WILSON EVAN, MENACHEMI NIR, PAVELA GREG, QUINN PATRICKD, SCHOELLER DALE, TEKWE CARMEN, VALDEZ DANNY, VORLAND COLBYJ, WHIGHAM LEAHD, ALLISON DAVIDB. Toward more rigorous and informative nutritional epidemiology: The rational space between dismissal and defense of the status quo. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2021; 63:3150-3167. [PMID: 34678079 PMCID: PMC9023609 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1985427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
To date, nutritional epidemiology has relied heavily on relatively weak methods including simple observational designs and substandard measurements. Despite low internal validity and other sources of bias, claims of causality are made commonly in this literature. Nutritional epidemiology investigations can be improved through greater scientific rigor and adherence to scientific reporting commensurate with research methods used. Some commentators advocate jettisoning nutritional epidemiology entirely, perhaps believing improvements are impossible. Still others support only normative refinements. But neither abolition nor minor tweaks are appropriate. Nutritional epidemiology, in its present state, offers utility, yet also needs marked, reformational renovation. Changing the status quo will require ongoing, unflinching scrutiny of research questions, practices, and reporting-and a willingness to admit that "good enough" is no longer good enough. As such, a workshop entitled "Toward more rigorous and informative nutritional epidemiology: the rational space between dismissal and defense of the status quo" was held from July 15 to August 14, 2020. This virtual symposium focused on: (1) Stronger Designs, (2) Stronger Measurement, (3) Stronger Analyses, and (4) Stronger Execution and Reporting. Participants from several leading academic institutions explored existing, evolving, and new better practices, tools, and techniques to collaboratively advance specific recommendations for strengthening nutritional epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- ANDREW W. BROWN
- Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | | | - DENNIS BIER
- Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - ADAM HOOVER
- Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | - DAVID M. KLURFELD
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, USA
| | - ERIC LOKEN
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - EVAN MAYO-WILSON
- Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - NIR MENACHEMI
- Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - GREG PAVELA
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - PATRICK D. QUINN
- Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - DALE SCHOELLER
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Biotechnology Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - CARMEN TEKWE
- Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - DANNY VALDEZ
- Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - COLBY J. VORLAND
- Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - LEAH D. WHIGHAM
- University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - DAVID B. ALLISON
- Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
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26
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Kelly SE, Greene-Finestone LS, Yetley EA, Benkhedda K, Brooks SPJ, Wells GA, MacFarlane AJ. NUQUEST-NUtrition QUality Evaluation Strengthening Tools: development of tools for the evaluation of risk of bias in nutrition studies. Am J Clin Nutr 2021; 115:256-271. [PMID: 34605544 PMCID: PMC8755056 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dietary exposure assessments are a critical issue in evaluating human nutrition studies; however, nutrition-specific criteria are not consistently included in existing bias assessment tools. OBJECTIVES Our objective was to develop a set of risk of bias (RoB) tools that integrated nutrition-specific criteria into validated generic assessment tools to address RoB issues, including those specific to dietary exposure assessment. METHODS The Nutrition QUality Evaluation Strengthening Tools (NUQUEST) development and validation process included 8 steps. The first steps identified 1) a development strategy; 2) generic assessment tools with demonstrated validity; and 3) nutrition-specific appraisal issues. This was followed by 4) generation of nutrition-specific items and 5) development of guidance to aid users of NUQUEST. The final steps used established ratings of selected studies and feedback from independent raters to 6) assess reliability and validity; 7) assess formatting and usability; and 8) finalize NUQUEST. RESULTS NUQUEST is based on the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network checklists for randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies. Using a purposive sample of 45 studies representing the 3 study designs, interrater reliability was high (Cohen's κ: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.93) across all tools and at least moderate for individual tools (range: 0.57-1.00). The use of a worksheet improved usability and consistency of overall interrater agreement across all study designs (40% without worksheet, 80%-100% with worksheet). When compared to published ratings, NUQUEST ratings for evaluated studies demonstrated high concurrent validity (93% perfect or near-perfect agreement). Where there was disagreement, the nutrition-specific component was a contributing factor in discerning exposure methodological issues. CONCLUSIONS NUQUEST integrates nutrition-specific criteria with generic criteria from assessment tools with demonstrated reliability and validity. NUQUEST represents a consistent and transparent approach for evaluating RoB issues related to dietary exposure assessment commonly encountered in human nutrition studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon E Kelly
- Cardiovascular Research Methods Centre, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Karima Benkhedda
- Bureau of Nutritional Sciences, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephen P J Brooks
- Bureau of Nutritional Sciences, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - George A Wells
- Cardiovascular Research Methods Centre, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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27
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Schwingshackl L, Balduzzi S, Beyerbach J, Bröckelmann N, Werner SS, Zähringer J, Nagavci B, Meerpohl JJ. Evaluating agreement between bodies of evidence from randomised controlled trials and cohort studies in nutrition research: meta-epidemiological study. BMJ 2021; 374:n1864. [PMID: 34526355 PMCID: PMC8441535 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.n1864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the agreement between diet-disease effect estimates of bodies of evidence from randomised controlled trials and those from cohort studies in nutrition research, and to investigate potential factors for disagreement. DESIGN Meta-epidemiological study. DATA SOURCES Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Medline. REVIEW METHODS Population, intervention or exposure, comparator, outcome (PI/ECO) elements from a body of evidence from cohort studies (BoE(CS)) were matched with corresponding elements of a body of evidence from randomised controlled trials (BoE(RCT)). Pooled ratio of risk ratios or difference of mean differences across all diet-disease outcome pairs were calculated. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore factors for disagreement. Heterogeneity was assessed through I2 and τ2. Prediction intervals were calculated to assess the range of possible values for the difference in the results between evidence from randomised controlled trials and evidence from cohort studies in future comparisons. RESULTS 97 diet-disease outcome pairs (that is, matched BoE(RCT) and BoE(CS)) were identified overall. For binary outcomes, the pooled ratio of risk ratios comparing estimates from BoE(RCT) with BoE(CS) was 1.09 (95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.14; I2=68%; τ2=0.021; 95% prediction interval 0.81 to 1.46). The prediction interval indicated that the difference could be much more substantial, in either direction. We further explored heterogeneity and found that PI/ECO dissimilarities, especially for the comparisons of dietary supplements in randomised controlled trials and nutrient status in cohort studies, explained most of the differences. When the type of intake or exposure between both types of evidence was identical, the estimates were similar. For continuous outcomes, small differences were observed between randomised controlled trials and cohort studies. CONCLUSION On average, the difference in pooled results between estimates from BoE(RCT) and BoE(CS) was small. But wide prediction intervals and some substantial statistical heterogeneity in cohort studies indicate that important differences or potential bias in individual comparisons or studies cannot be excluded. Observed differences were mainly driven by dissimilarities in population, intervention or exposure, comparator, and outcome. These findings could help researchers further understand the integration of such evidence into prospective nutrition evidence syntheses and improve evidence based dietary guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Schwingshackl
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sara Balduzzi
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jessica Beyerbach
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nils Bröckelmann
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sarah S Werner
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jasmin Zähringer
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Blin Nagavci
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Joerg J Meerpohl
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Centre - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
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28
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Fardet A, Lebredonchel L, Rock E. Empirico-inductive and/or hypothetico-deductive methods in food science and nutrition research: which one to favor for a better global health? Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2021; 63:2480-2493. [PMID: 34494476 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1976101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Scientific research generally follows two main methods: empirico-inductive (EI), gathering scattered, real-world qualitative/quantitative data to elaborate holistic theories, and the hypothetico-deductive (HD) approach, testing the validity of hypothesized theory in specific conditions, generally according to reductionist methodologies or designs, with the risk of over simplifying the initial complexity empirically perceived in its holistic view. However, in current food and nutrition research, new hypotheses are often elaborated from reductionist data obtained with the HD approach, and aggregated to form (ultra)reductionist theories, with no application of EI observations, limiting the applicability of these hypotheses in real life. This trend and the application of the EI method are illustrated as regards with the global health issue through the examples of food classifications/scoring, clinical studies, the definition of a sustainable diet, the "matrix effect"-related hypothesis, the concept of healthy core metabolism, and obesity prevention within the perspective of social sciences. To be efficient for producing food and nutritional data appropriable by the society, it finally appears that not only both approaches are necessary, starting with the EI method then the HD one, but also a back and forth between the two, this being not always realized, potentially leading to confusion and misunderstanding in society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Fardet
- INRAE, Université Clermont Auvergne, UNH, Unité de Nutrition Humaine, CRNH Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Louis Lebredonchel
- CERREV - Centre de Recherche Risques & Vulnérabilités - EA 3918 Université de Caen Normandie MRSH, Caen Cedex 5, France
| | - Edmond Rock
- INRAE, Université Clermont Auvergne, UNH, Unité de Nutrition Humaine, CRNH Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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29
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Chiu YH, Chavarro JE, Dickerman BA, Manson JE, Mukamal KJ, Rexrode KM, Rimm EB, Hernán MA. Estimating the effect of nutritional interventions using observational data: the American Heart Association's 2020 Dietary Goals and mortality. Am J Clin Nutr 2021; 114:690-703. [PMID: 34041538 PMCID: PMC8326054 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Because randomized trials of sustained dietary changes are sometimes impractical for long-term outcomes, the explicit emulation of a (hypothetical) target trial using observational data may be an important tool for nutritional epidemiology. OBJECTIVES We describe a methodological approach that aims to emulate a target trial of dietary interventions sustained over many years using data from observational cohort studies. METHODS We estimated the 20-y risk of all-cause mortality under the sustained implementation of the food-based goals of the American Heart Association (AHA) 2020 using data from 3 prospective observational studies of US men [Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS)] and women [Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II)]. We applied the parametric g-formula to estimate the 20-y mortality risk under a dietary intervention and under no dietary intervention. RESULTS There were 165,411 participants who met the eligibility criteria. The mean age at baseline was 57.4 y (range, 43-82 y) in the HPFS, 52.4 y (range, 39-66 y) in the NHS, and 40.2 y (range, 30-50 y) in the NHS II. During 20 y of follow-up, 13,241 participants died. The estimated 20-y mortality risks under a dietary intervention versus no intervention were 21.9% compared with 25.8%, respectively, in the HPFS (risk difference, -3.9%; 95% CI: -4.9% to -3.2%); 10.0% compared with 12.6%, respectively, in the NHS (risk difference, -2.6%; 95% CI: -3.1% to -1.8%); and 2.1% compared with 2.5%, respectively, in the NHS II (risk difference, -0.35%; 95% CI: -0.56% to -0.09%). The corresponding risk ratios were 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81-0.88) in the HPFS, 0.79 (95% CI: 0.75-0.85) in the NHS, and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78-0.96) in the NHS II. CONCLUSIONS We estimated that adherence to the food-based AHA 2020 Dietary Goals starting in midlife may reduce the 20-y risk of mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Han Chiu
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Mongan Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jorge E Chavarro
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Barbra A Dickerman
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - JoAnn E Manson
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth J Mukamal
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of General Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn M Rexrode
- Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eric B Rimm
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Miguel A Hernán
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Boston, MA, USA
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30
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Brauer P, Royall D, Rodrigues A. Use of the Healthy Eating Index in Intervention Studies for Cardiometabolic Risk Conditions: A Systematic Review. Adv Nutr 2021; 12:1317-1331. [PMID: 33460430 PMCID: PMC8321868 DOI: 10.1093/advances/nmaa167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Researchers and counselors need diet-assessment tools that characterize diet at baseline and over time in diet counseling and coaching interventions. Among possible tools, the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is of interest in cardiometabolic treatment as it has undergone significant validation and development. The objective of this study was to systematically review relevant intervention studies using the HEI and its adaptations to examine whether diet interventions improve diet quality as measured by the HEI and the magnitude of change in included diet-quality scores following dietary intervention. Two databases [Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and PubMed] were searched for articles published from January 1995 to December 2019. The review included intervention studies in adults presenting with overweight/obesity and obesity-related chronic disease (metabolic syndrome, diabetes, prediabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia) who received education or counseling, and the HEI was evaluated from baseline to follow-up (US or Canadian version) or Alternate HEI. Study quality was assessed using Cochrane risk of bias for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or Cochrane Risk of Bias for Nonrandomized interventions (ROBINS-I). A total of 25 studies were included: 15 RCTs, 3 quasi-experimental studies, and 7 pre-post studies. Eight different versions of the HEI were used. Results demonstrated that diet quality assessed by HEI and its adaptations improved to a clinically relevant degree, especially in studies where multiple food behaviors/food-behavior goals were the focus and where an intensive, long-term intervention was compared with a no-treatment control group. There was wide variation in magnitude of change in included diet-quality indicators. Use of the HEI and its adaptations and other diet-quality tools is promising for better characterization of diet-counseling interventions and results when multiple food behaviors are a focus. Additional development is encouraged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Brauer
- Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dawna Royall
- Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ariellia Rodrigues
- Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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31
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Mirmiran P, Bahadoran Z, Gaeini Z. Common Limitations and Challenges of Dietary Clinical Trials for Translation into Clinical Practices. Int J Endocrinol Metab 2021; 19:e108170. [PMID: 34567133 PMCID: PMC8453651 DOI: 10.5812/ijem.108170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The progressive development of clinical and public health nutrition has long relied on dietary clinical trials (DCTs), investigating the causal relationship between diet and multiple risk factors of non-communicable and chronic diseases. DCTs are also hallmarks for establishing dietary requirements and promoting overall nutritional health among the population. Despite their critical importance in translation into public health strategies and practices, DCTs have several limitations and challenges for study design, implementation and finding interpretation. The complex nature of nutrition interventions, collinearity between diet components, multi-target effects of the interventions, diverse dietary behaviors, and food culture are the most challenging issues. Furthermore, baseline exposure and dietary status, appropriate control groups, blinding, randomization, and poor adherence undermine the effectiveness of DCTs in translation into practices. Disruptive factors will be minimized if researchers are committed to following good clinical practice (GCP) standards available for common designs of clinical trials. Planning DCTs, however, needs careful considerations for hypothesis generation, study design development, the definition of primary and secondary outcome measures, and target population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parvin Mirmiran
- Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Bahadoran
- Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Corresponding Author: Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P. O. Box: 1985717413, Tehran, Iran. Tel: +98-2122432500,
| | - Zahra Gaeini
- Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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32
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Pan B, Ge L, Lai H, Wang Q, Wang Q, Zhang Q, Yin M, Li S, Tian J, Yang K, Wang J. Association of soft drink and 100% fruit juice consumption with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular diseases mortality, and cancer mortality: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2021; 62:8908-8919. [PMID: 34121531 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1937040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs), and 100% fruit juices are frequently consumed and have been documented that they could lead to serious disease burden. However, inconsistent evidence on the association between SSBs, ASBs, and 100% fruit juices consumption and mortality have been presented. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and PsycINFO were systematically searched. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis and dose-response meta-analysis to assess the association and calculated the pooled hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval. And we evaluated the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Thirteen studies with 1,539,127 participants proved eligible. An SSB-consumption increase per 250 mL/day was associated with a 4% greater risk of all-cause mortality (5 more per 1000 persons; low certainty) and 8% greater risk of cardiovascular disease mortality (3 more per 1000 persons; low certainty). ASB-consumption increase per 250 mL/day demonstrated a 4% greater risk of all-cause mortality (5 more per 1000 persons; low certainty) and 4% greater risk of cardiovascular disease mortality (2 more per 1000 persons; low certainty). The association of SSBs and ASBs with cancer mortality was not significant, with a very low certainty of evidence. There was evidence of a linear dose-response association between SSB intake and cancer mortality, as well as between ASB intake and all-cause mortality and cancer mortality. We observed a non-linear dose-response association between ASB intake and CVD mortality and SSB intake and all-cause and CVD mortality. Low certainty of evidence demonstrated that per 250 mL/day consumption increase in SSBs and ASBs had a small impact on all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality but not on cancer mortality. The association of 100% fruit juice consumption with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality was uncertain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Pan
- Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Long Ge
- Evidence-Based Social Science Research Center, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Honghao Lai
- Evidence-Based Social Science Research Center, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Evidence-Based Social Science Research Center, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Evidence-Based Social Science Research Center, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Evidence-Based Nursing Center, School of Nursing, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Min Yin
- The Second Physical Examination Center of The First Hospital, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Sheng Li
- The First People's Hospital of Lanzhou City, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jinhui Tian
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Evidence Based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
| | - Kehu Yang
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Evidence Based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
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33
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Morgenstern JD, Rosella LC, Costa AP, de Souza RJ, Anderson LN. Perspective: Big Data and Machine Learning Could Help Advance Nutritional Epidemiology. Adv Nutr 2021; 12:621-631. [PMID: 33606879 PMCID: PMC8166570 DOI: 10.1093/advances/nmaa183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The field of nutritional epidemiology faces challenges posed by measurement error, diet as a complex exposure, and residual confounding. The objective of this perspective article is to highlight how developments in big data and machine learning can help address these challenges. New methods of collecting 24-h dietary recalls and recording diet could enable larger samples and more repeated measures to increase statistical power and measurement precision. In addition, use of machine learning to automatically classify pictures of food could become a useful complimentary method to help improve precision and validity of dietary measurements. Diet is complex due to thousands of different foods that are consumed in varying proportions, fluctuating quantities over time, and differing combinations. Current dietary pattern methods may not integrate sufficient dietary variation, and most traditional modeling approaches have limited incorporation of interactions and nonlinearity. Machine learning could help better model diet as a complex exposure with nonadditive and nonlinear associations. Last, novel big data sources could help avoid unmeasured confounding by offering more covariates, including both omics and features derived from unstructured data with machine learning methods. These opportunities notwithstanding, application of big data and machine learning must be approached cautiously to ensure quality of dietary measurements, avoid overfitting, and confirm accurate interpretations. Greater use of machine learning and big data would also require substantial investments in training, collaborations, and computing infrastructure. Overall, we propose that judicious application of big data and machine learning in nutrition science could offer new means of dietary measurement, more tools to model the complexity of diet and its relations with diseases, and additional potential ways of addressing confounding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Morgenstern
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Laura C Rosella
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Vector Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew P Costa
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Russell J de Souza
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Laura N Anderson
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Anderson CAM, Delker E, Ix JH. Sodium and Health Outcomes: Ascertaining Valid Estimates in Research Studies. Curr Atheroscler Rep 2021; 23:35. [PMID: 33977380 PMCID: PMC8113303 DOI: 10.1007/s11883-021-00909-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The dietary reference intake (DRI) for sodium has been highly debated with persuasive and elegant arguments made for both population sodium reduction and for maintenance of the status quo. After the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) report was published, controversy ensued, and by Congressional mandate, the sodium DRIs were updated in 2019. The 2019 DRIs defined adequate intake (AI) levels by age-sex groups that are largely consistent with the DRIs for sodium that were published in 2005. Given the overall similarities between the 2005 and 2019 DRIs, one may wonder how the recently published research on sodium and health outcomes was considered in determining the DRIs, particularly, the recent studies from very large observational cohort studies. We aim to address this concern and outline the major threats to ascertaining valid estimates of the relationship between dietary sodium and health outcomes in observational cohort studies. We use tools from modern epidemiology to demonstrate how unexpected and inconsistent findings in these relationships may emerge. We use directed acyclic graphs to illustrate specific examples in which biases may occur. RECENT FINDINGS We identified the following key threats to internal validity: poorly defined target intervention, poorly measured sodium exposure, unmeasured or residual confounding, reverse causality, and selection bias. Researchers should consider these threats to internal validity while developing research questions and throughout the research process. For the DRIs to inform real-world interventions relating to sodium reduction, it is recommended that more specific research questions be asked that can clearly define potential interventions of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl A. M. Anderson
- University of California San Diego School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0628, La Jolla, CA 92093-0628 USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Nephology and Hypertension, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0628, La Jolla, CA 92093-0628 USA
| | - Erin Delker
- University of California San Diego School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0628, La Jolla, CA 92093-0628 USA
| | - Joachim H. Ix
- University of California San Diego School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0628, La Jolla, CA 92093-0628 USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Nephology and Hypertension, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0628, La Jolla, CA 92093-0628 USA
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35
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Zeraatkar D, Bhasin A, Morassut RE, Churchill I, Gupta A, Lawson DO, Miroshnychenko A, Sirotich E, Aryal K, Mikhail D, Khan TA, Ha V, Sievenpiper JL, Hanna SE, Beyene J, de Souza RJ. Characteristics and quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational nutritional epidemiology: a cross-sectional study. Am J Clin Nutr 2021; 113:1578-1592. [PMID: 33740039 PMCID: PMC8243916 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dietary recommendations and policies should be guided by rigorous systematic reviews. Reviews that are of poor methodological quality may be ineffective or misleading. Most of the evidence in nutrition comes from nonrandomized studies of nutritional exposures (usually referred to as nutritional epidemiology studies), but to date methodological evaluations of the quality of systematic reviews of such studies have been sparse and inconsistent. OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate the quality of recently published systematic reviews and meta-analyses of nutritional epidemiology studies and to propose guidance addressing major limitations. METHODS We searched MEDLINE (January 2018-August 2019), EMBASE (January 2018-August 2019), and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (January 2018-February 2019) for systematic reviews of nutritional epidemiology studies. We included a random sample of 150 reviews. RESULTS Most reviews were published by authors from Asia (n = 49; 32.7%) or Europe (n = 43; 28.7%) and investigated foods or beverages (n = 60; 40.0%) and cancer morbidity and mortality (n = 54; 36%). Reviews often had important limitations: less than one-quarter (n = 30; 20.0%) reported preregistration of a protocol and almost one-third (n = 42; 28.0%) did not report a replicable search strategy. Suboptimal practices and errors in the synthesis of results were common: one-quarter of meta-analyses (n = 30; 26.1%) selected the meta-analytic model based on statistical indicators of heterogeneity and almost half of meta-analyses (n = 50; 43.5%) did not consider dose-response associations even when it was appropriate to do so. Only 16 (10.7%) reviews used an established system to evaluate the certainty of evidence. CONCLUSIONS Systematic reviews of nutritional epidemiology studies often have serious limitations. Authors can improve future reviews by involving statisticians, methodologists, and researchers with substantive knowledge in the specific area of nutrition being studied and using a rigorous and transparent system to evaluate the certainty of evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dena Zeraatkar
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada,Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Arrti Bhasin
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rita E Morassut
- Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western
University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Isabella Churchill
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Arnav Gupta
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daeria O Lawson
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anna Miroshnychenko
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily Sirotich
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Komal Aryal
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Mikhail
- Faculty of Science, McMaster University,
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tauseef A Khan
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Department of Medicine,
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada,3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, Clinical
Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre, Division of Endocrinology
& Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vanessa Ha
- School of Medicine, Queen's University,
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - John L Sievenpiper
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Department of Medicine,
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada,3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, Clinical
Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre, Division of Endocrinology
& Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Steven E Hanna
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joseph Beyene
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Russo GL, Siani A, Fogliano V, Geleijnse JM, Giacco R, Giampaoli S, Iacoviello L, Kromhout D, Lionetti L, Naska A, Pellegrini N, Riccardi G, Sofi F, Vitale M, Strazzullo P. The Mediterranean diet from past to future: Key concepts from the second "Ancel Keys" International Seminar. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2021; 31:717-732. [PMID: 33558092 DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2020.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The year 2020 celebrated the tenth anniversary of the recognition of the Mediterranean Diet as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee. This event represented a milestone in the history of nutrition, as the Mediterranean diet was the first traditional food practice to receive such award. Since then, a lot has been discussed not only on the beneficial aspects of the Mediterranean diet, but also on its complex role as a lifestyle model that includes a set of skills, knowledge and intercultural dialogue. This process ended up with the recognition in 2019 of Mediterranean diet as a possibly universal model of healthy diet from the EAT-Lancet Commission. These concepts were widely debated at the 2019 "Ancel Keys" International Seminar, held in Ascea (Italy) (for more information see: www.mediterraneandietseminar.org) with the aim to stimulate interest and awareness of a young group of participants on the current problems inherent to the effective implementation of the Mediterranean diet. The present article collects the contributions of several lecturers at the Seminar on key issues such as methodological and experimental approach, sustainability, molecular aspects in disease prevention, future exploitation, without neglecting a historical view of the Seven Countries Study. From the Seminar conclusions emerged a still vibrant and modern role of Mediterranean diet. The years to come will see national and international efforts to reduce the barriers that limit adherence to Mediterranean diet in order to plan for multi-factorial and targeted interventions that would guide our populations to a sustainable healthy living.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gian Luigi Russo
- Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy.
| | - Alfonso Siani
- Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Fogliano
- Food Quality Design Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Johanna M Geleijnse
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Rosalba Giacco
- Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy; Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Giampaoli
- Former director of the Department of Cardiovascular, Endocrine-metabolic Diseases and Aging, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Licia Iacoviello
- Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy; Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Daan Kromhout
- Department of Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Lillà Lionetti
- Department of Chemistry and Biology "Adolfo Zambelli", University of Salerno, Fisciano (Salerno), Italy
| | - Androniki Naska
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - Nicoletta Pellegrini
- Food Quality Design Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Gabriele Riccardi
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Sofi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Marilena Vitale
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Pasquale Strazzullo
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
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Grammatikopoulou MG, Nigdelis MP, Theodoridis X, Gkiouras K, Tranidou A, Papamitsou T, Bogdanos DP, Goulis DG. How fragile are Mediterranean diet interventions? A research-on-research study of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Nutr Prev Health 2021; 4:115-131. [PMID: 34308119 PMCID: PMC8258081 DOI: 10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a traditional regional dietary pattern and a healthy diet recommended for the primary and secondary prevention of various diseases and health conditions. Results from the higher level of primary evidence, namely randomised controlled trials (RCTs), are often used to produce dietary recommendations; however, the robustness of RCTs with MD interventions is unknown. METHODS A systematic search was conducted and all MD RCTs with dichotomous primary outcomes were extracted from PubMed. The fragility (FI) and the reverse fragility index (RFI) were calculated for the trials with significant and non-significant comparisons, respectively. RESULTS Out of 27 RCTs of parallel design, the majority failed to present a significant primary outcome, exhibiting an FI equal to 0. The median FI of the significant comparisons was 5, ranging between 1 and 39. More than half of the comparisons had an FI <5, indicating that the addition of 1-4 events to the treatment arm eliminated the statistical significance. For the comparisons with an FI=0, the RFI ranged between 1 and 29 (Median RFI: 7). When the included RCTs were stratified according to masking, the use of a composite primary endpoint, sample size, outcome category, or dietary adherence assessment method, no differences were exhibited in the FI and RFI between groups, except for the RFI among different compliance assessment methods. CONCLUSIONS In essence, the present study shows that even in the top tiers of evidence hierarchy, research on the MD may lack robustness, setting concerns for the formulation of nutrition recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Grammatikopoulou
- Unit of Reproductive Endocrinology, 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
- Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
- Nutritional Sciences & Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Meletios P Nigdelis
- Unit of Reproductive Endocrinology, 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
| | - Xenophon Theodoridis
- Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
- Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Gkiouras
- Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
- Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
| | - Antigoni Tranidou
- Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Hippokration General Hospital of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
| | - Theodora Papamitsou
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
| | - Dimitrios P Bogdanos
- Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
- Division of Transplantation, Immunology and Mucosal Biology, MRC Centre for Transplantation, School of Medical Education, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Dimitrios G Goulis
- Unit of Reproductive Endocrinology, 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
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Anderson AS, Renehan AG, Saxton JM, Bell J, Cade J, Cross AJ, King A, Riboli E, Sniehotta F, Treweek S, Martin RM. Cancer prevention through weight control-where are we in 2020? Br J Cancer 2021; 124:1049-1056. [PMID: 33235315 PMCID: PMC7960959 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-020-01154-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing data from epidemiological studies highlight the association between excess body fat and cancer incidence, but good indicative evidence demonstrates that intentional weight loss, as well as increasing physical activity, offers much promise as a cost-effective approach for reducing the cancer burden. However, clear gaps remain in our understanding of how changes in body fat or levels of physical activity are mechanistically linked to cancer, and the magnitude of their impact on cancer risk. It is important to investigate the causal link between programmes that successfully achieve short-term modest weight loss followed by weight-loss maintenance and cancer incidence. The longer-term impact of weight loss and duration of overweight and obesity on risk reduction also need to be fully considered in trial design. These gaps in knowledge need to be urgently addressed to expedite the development and implementation of future cancer-control strategies. Comprehensive approaches to trial design, Mendelian randomisation studies and data-linkage opportunities offer real possibilities to tackle current research gaps. In this paper, we set out the case for why non-pharmacological weight-management trials are urgently needed to support cancer-risk reduction and help control the growing global burden of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie S Anderson
- Centre for Research into Cancer Prevention and Screening, Division of Population Health & Genomics. Level 7, Mailbox 7, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK.
| | - Andrew G Renehan
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health University of Manchester, Wilmslow Rd, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
| | - John M Saxton
- Department of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Room 259, Northumberland Building, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Joshua Bell
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Janet Cade
- Nutritional Epidemiology Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition, G11, Stead House, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Amanda J Cross
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Angela King
- NIHR Cancer and Nutrition Collaboration, Level E and Pathology Block (mailpoint 123), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Elio Riboli
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Falko Sniehotta
- Policy Research Unit Behavioural Science, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Baddiley-Clark Building, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, UK
| | - Shaun Treweek
- Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, Room 306, 3rd Floor, Health Sciences Building, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Richard M Martin
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
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Rogler G, Scharl M, Spalinger M, Yilmaz B, Zaugg M, Hersberger M, Schreiner P, Biedermann L, Herfarth H. Diet and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: What Quality Standards Should Be Applied in Clinical and Laboratory Studies? Mol Nutr Food Res 2021; 65:e2000514. [PMID: 33433954 DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.202000514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Many patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) follow restrictive diets, as many respective recommendations circulate. Efforts are made to evaluate and summarize the published information, for example, in a recent consensus manuscript by the International Organization for the Study of IBD (IOIBD). However, the standards that should be applied to make claims about dietary effects are poorly defined. In this manuscript, the scientific basis of recommendations for nutritional interventions in IBD is analyzed. Epidemiological evidence on diet in IBD is always biased by numerous factors, and the number of robust dietary intervention studies is limited due to methodological difficulties. Therefore, animal models are used to test hypotheses with respect to dietary factors and intestinal inflammation. Naturally, animal models have limitations, and knowledge of key characteristics of colitis animal models is crucial to understand their advantages and disadvantages. In recent years the important role of the microbiota for IBD and dietary factors has been discovered. Microbiota data are added to many publications on IBD and nutrition. The quality of those data varies largely. Subsequently, quality standards for microbiota analyses also are discussed. Finally, quality requirements to be applied on recommendations for dietary changes in patients with IBD are suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Rogler
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Michael Scharl
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Marianne Spalinger
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Bahtiyar Yilmaz
- Maurice Müller Laboratories, Department for Biomedical Research, University Clinic of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, 3010, Switzerland
| | - Michael Zaugg
- Department of Pharmacology and Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2G3, Canada
| | - Martin Hersberger
- Division of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, 8032, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Schreiner
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Luc Biedermann
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Hans Herfarth
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7080, USA
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40
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Lewis JR, Voortman T, Ioannidis JP. Evaluating and Strengthening the Evidence for Nutritional Bone Research: Ready to Break New Ground? J Bone Miner Res 2021; 36:219-226. [PMID: 33503301 DOI: 10.1002/jbmr.4236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
A healthy diet is essential to attain genetically determined peak bone mass and maintain optimal skeletal health across the adult lifespan. Despite the importance of nutrition for bone health, many of the nutritional requirements of the skeleton across the lifespan remain underexplored, poorly understood, or controversial. With increasingly aging populations, combined with rapidly changing diets and lifestyles globally, one anticipates large increases in the prevalence of osteoporosis and incidence of osteoporotic fractures. Robust, transparent, and reproducible nutrition research is a cornerstone for developing reliable public health recommendations to prevent osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. However, nutrition research is often criticized or ignored by healthcare professionals due to the overemphasis of weak science, conflicting, confusing or implausible findings, industry interests, common misconceptions, and strong opinions. Conversely, spurious research findings are often overemphasized or misconstrued by the media or prominent figures especially via social media, potentially leading to confusion and a lack of trust by the general public. Recently, reforms of the broader discipline of nutrition science have been suggested and promoted, leading to new tools and recommendations to attempt to address these issues. In this perspective, we provide a brief overview of what has been achieved in the field on nutrition and bone health, focusing on osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. We discuss what we view as some of the challenges, including inherent difficulties in assessing diet and its change, disentangling complex interactions between dietary components and between diet and other factors, selection of bone-related outcomes for nutrition studies, obtaining evidence with more unbiased designs, and perhaps most importantly, ensuring the trust of the public and healthcare professionals. This perspective also provides specific recommendations and highlights new developments and future opportunities for scientists studying nutrition and bone health. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua R Lewis
- Institute for Nutrition Research, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia.,Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,Centre for Kidney Research, Children's Hospital at Westmead, School of Public Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Trudy Voortman
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - John Pa Ioannidis
- Department of Medicine, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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41
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Leeming ER, Louca P, Gibson R, Menni C, Spector TD, Le Roy CI. The complexities of the diet-microbiome relationship: advances and perspectives. Genome Med 2021; 13:10. [PMID: 33472701 PMCID: PMC7819159 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-020-00813-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Personalised dietary modulation of the gut microbiota may be key to disease management. Current investigations provide a broad understanding of the impact of diet on the composition and activity of the gut microbiota, yet detailed knowledge in applying diet as an actionable tool remains limited. Further to the relative novelty of the field, approaches are yet to be standardised and extremely heterogeneous research outcomes have ensued. This may be related to confounders associated with complexities in capturing an accurate representation of both diet and the gut microbiota. This review discusses the intricacies and current methodologies of diet-microbial relations, the implications and limitations of these investigative approaches, and future considerations that may assist in accelerating applications. New investigations should consider improved collection of dietary data, further characterisation of mechanistic interactions, and an increased focus on -omic technologies such as metabolomics to describe the bacterial and metabolic activity of food degradation, together with its crosstalk with the host. Furthermore, clinical evidence with health outcomes is required before therapeutic dietary strategies for microbial amelioration can be made. The potential to reach detailed understanding of diet-microbiota relations may depend on re-evaluation, progression, and unification of research methodologies, which consider the complexities of these interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Leeming
- The Department of Twin Research, St Thomas' Hospital, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Panayiotis Louca
- The Department of Twin Research, St Thomas' Hospital, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Rachel Gibson
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Cristina Menni
- The Department of Twin Research, St Thomas' Hospital, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Tim D Spector
- The Department of Twin Research, St Thomas' Hospital, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Caroline I Le Roy
- The Department of Twin Research, St Thomas' Hospital, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
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Liu Y, Li N, Yan N, Pan XF, Li Q, Micha R, Mozaffarian D, Huffman MD, Wang Y, Neal B, Tian M, Zhao Y, Wu JHY. Protocol for a randomized controlled trial to test the acceptability and adherence to 6-months of walnut supplementation in Chinese adults at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Nutr J 2021; 20:3. [PMID: 33407490 PMCID: PMC7789667 DOI: 10.1186/s12937-020-00660-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Consumption of nuts improves cardio-metabolic risk factors in clinical trials and relates to lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in prospective observational studies. However, there has not been an adequately powered randomized controlled trial to test if nuts supplementation actually reduces incident CVD. In order to establish the feasibility of such a trial, the current study aimed to assess the acceptability and adherence to long-term nut supplementation amongst individuals at high CVD risk in China. Methods This protocol described a 6-month trial performed in Ningxia Province in China among participants with a history of CVD or older age (female ≥65 years, male ≥60 years) with multiple CVD risk factors. Participants were randomized to control (received non-edible gift), low dose walnut (30 g/d), or high dose walnut (60 g/d) groups in a 1:1:1 ratio. Walnuts were provided at no cost to participants and could be consumed according to personal preferences. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 2 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. The primary outcome was fasting plasma alpha linolenic acid (ALA) levels used as an indicator of walnut consumption. Secondary outcomes included self-reported walnut intake from the 24 h dietary recalls. The target sample size of 210 provided 90% statistical power with two-sided alpha of 0.05 to detect a mean difference of 0.12% (as percent of total fatty acid) in plasma ALA between randomized groups. Results Two hundred and ten participants were recruited and randomized during October 2019. Mean age of participants was 65 years (SD = 7.3), 47% were females, and 94% had a history of CVD at baseline. Across the three study groups, participants had similar baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. Discussion This trial will quantify acceptability and adherence to long-term walnut supplementation in a Chinese population at high risk of CVD. The findings will support the design of a future large trial to test the effect of walnut supplementation for CVD prevention. Trial registration NCT04037943 Protocol version: v3.0 August 14 2019 Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12937-020-00660-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yishu Liu
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,The George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Nan Li
- Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Ni Yan
- Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Xiong-Fei Pan
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Qiang Li
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Renata Micha
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dariush Mozaffarian
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark D Huffman
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yanfang Wang
- Peking University Clinical Research Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Bruce Neal
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Maoyi Tian
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,The George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Zhao
- Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China.
| | - Jason H Y Wu
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Risk. Evidence, Lack of Evidence, and Diligence. Nutrients 2020; 12:nu12123782. [PMID: 33317164 PMCID: PMC7764656 DOI: 10.3390/nu12123782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the most controversial areas of nutrition research relates to fats, particularly essential fatty acids, in the context of cardiovascular disease risk. A critical feature of dietary fatty acids is that they incorporate into the plasma membrane, modifying fluidity and key physiological functions. Importantly, they can reshape the bioavailability of eicosanoids and other lipid mediators, which direct cellular responses to external stimuli, such as inflammation and chronic stress conditions. This paper provides an overview of the most recent evidence, as well as historical controversies, linking fat consumption with human health and disease. We underscore current pitfalls in the area of fatty acid research and critically frame fatty acid intake in the larger context of diet and behavior. We conclude that fundamental research on fatty acids and lipids is appropriate in certain areas, but the rigor and reproducibility are lacking in others. The pros and cons are highlighted throughout the review, seeking to guide future research on the important area of nutrition, fat intake, and cardiovascular disease risk.
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Luque de Castro M, Quiles-Zafra R. Lipidomics: An omics discipline with a key role in nutrition. Talanta 2020; 219:121197. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Thomas-Odenthal F, Molero P, van der Does W, Molendijk M. Impact of review method on the conclusions of clinical reviews: A systematic review on dietary interventions in depression as a case in point. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0238131. [PMID: 32936801 PMCID: PMC7494108 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The recommendations of experts who write review articles are a critical determinant of the adaptation of new treatments by clinicians. Several types of reviews exist (narrative, systematic, meta-analytic), and some of these are more vulnerable to researcher bias than others. Recently, the interest in nutritional interventions in psychiatry has increased and many experts, who are often active researchers on this topic, have come to strong conclusions about the benefits of a healthy diet on depression. In a young and active field of study, we aimed to investigate whether the strength of an author’s conclusion is associated with the type of review article they wrote. Methods Systematic searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Google Scholar for narrative reviews and systematic reviews with and without meta-analyses on the effects of diet on depression (final search date: May 30th, 2020). Conclusions were extracted from the abstract and discussion section and rated as strong, moderate, or weak by independent raters who were blind to study type. A benchmark on legitimate conclusion strength was based on a GRADE assessment of the highest level of evidence. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42020141372. Findings 24 narrative reviews, 12 systematic reviews, and 14 meta-analyses were included. In the abstract, 33% of narrative reviews and 8% of systematic reviews came to strong conclusions, whereas no meta-analysis did. Narrative reviews were 8.94 (95% CI: 2.17, 36.84) times more likely to report stronger conclusions in the abstract than systematic reviews with and without meta-analyses. These findings were similar for conclusions in the discussion section. Narrative reviews used 45.6% fewer input studies and were more likely to be written by authors with potential conflicts of interest. A study limitation is the subjective nature of the conclusion classification system despite high inter-rater agreements and its confirmation outside of the review team. Conclusions We have shown that narrative reviews come to stronger conclusions about the benefits of a healthy diet on depression despite inconclusive evidence. This finding empirically underscores the importance of a systematic method for summarizing the evidence of a field of study. Journal editors may want to reconsider publishing narrative reviews before meta-analytic reviews are available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Thomas-Odenthal
- Clinical Psychology Department, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- * E-mail: (FTO); (MM)
| | - Patricio Molero
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Willem van der Does
- Clinical Psychology Department, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden University Treatment and Expertise Center LUBEC, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition LIBC, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marc Molendijk
- Clinical Psychology Department, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition LIBC, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- * E-mail: (FTO); (MM)
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Basu S, Gardner CD, White JS, Rigdon J, Carroll MM, Akers M, Seligman HK. Effects Of Alternative Food Voucher Delivery Strategies On Nutrition Among Low-Income Adults. Health Aff (Millwood) 2020; 38:577-584. [PMID: 30933599 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Nutrition assistance programs are the subject of ongoing policy debates. Two proposals remain uninformed by existing evidence: whether restricting benefits to allow only fruit and vegetable purchases improves overall dietary intake, and whether more frequent distribution of benefits (weekly versus monthly) induces more fruit and vegetable consumption and less purchasing of calorie-dense foods. In a community-based trial, we randomly assigned participants to receive food vouchers that differed in what foods could be purchased (fruit and vegetables only or any foods) and in distribution schedule (in weekly or monthly installments, holding total monthly value constant). The use of vouchers for fruit and vegetables only did not yield significantly greater improvements than the unrestricted voucher did in terms of fruit and vegetable consumption or Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score. Weekly vouchers also failed to yield significantly greater improvements than monthly vouchers did. Proposed policies to make assistance more restricted or more frequent, while holding benefit value constant, might not improve nutrition among low-income Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Basu
- Sanjay Basu ( ) is an assistant professor of medicine in the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research and the Center for Population Health Sciences, both in the Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, in California
| | - Christopher D Gardner
- Christopher D. Gardner is a professor of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine
| | - Justin S White
- Justin S. White is an assistant professor at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
| | - Joseph Rigdon
- Joseph Rigdon is a senior biostatistician in the Quantitative Sciences Unit at the Stanford University School of Medicine
| | - Mandy M Carroll
- Mandy M. Carroll is a study coordinator in the Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
| | - Melissa Akers
- Melissa Akers is a study coordinator in the Division of General Internal Medicine at UCSF
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Wine's Phenolic Compounds and Health: A Pythagorean View. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25184105. [PMID: 32911765 PMCID: PMC7570485 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25184105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In support of the J curve that describes the association between wine consumption and all-cause mortality, researchers and the lay press often advocate the health benefits of (poly)phenol consumption via red wine intake and cite the vast amount of in vitro literature that would corroborate the hypothesis. Other researchers dismiss such evidence and call for total abstention. In this review, we take a skeptical, Pythagorean stance and we critically try to move the debate forward by pointing the readers to the many pitfalls of red wine (poly)phenol research, which we arbitrarily treat as if they were pharmacological agents. We conclude that, after 30 years of dedicated research and despite the considerable expenditure, we still lack solid, "pharmacological", human evidence to confirm wine (poly)phenols' biological actions. Future research will eventually clarify their activities and will back the current recommendations of responsibly drinking moderate amounts of wine with meals.
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Dobersek U, Wy G, Adkins J, Altmeyer S, Krout K, Lavie CJ, Archer E. Meat and mental health: a systematic review of meat abstention and depression, anxiety, and related phenomena. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2020; 61:622-635. [PMID: 32308009 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1741505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Objective: To examine the relation between the consumption or avoidance of meat and psychological health and well-being.Methods: A systematic search of online databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, Medline, and Cochrane Library) was conducted for primary research examining psychological health in meat-consumers and meat-abstainers. Inclusion criteria were the provision of a clear distinction between meat-consumers and meat-abstainers, and data on factors related to psychological health. Studies examining meat consumption as a continuous or multi-level variable were excluded. Summary data were compiled, and qualitative analyses of methodologic rigor were conducted. The main outcome was the disparity in the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and related conditions in meat-consumers versus meat-abstainers. Secondary outcomes included mood and self-harm behaviors.Results: Eighteen studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria; representing 160,257 participants (85,843 females and 73,232 males) with 149,559 meat-consumers and 8584 meat-abstainers (11 to 96 years) from multiple geographic regions. Analysis of methodologic rigor revealed that the studies ranged from low to severe risk of bias with high to very low confidence in results. Eleven of the 18 studies demonstrated that meat-abstention was associated with poorer psychological health, four studies were equivocal, and three showed that meat-abstainers had better outcomes. The most rigorous studies demonstrated that the prevalence or risk of depression and/or anxiety were significantly greater in participants who avoided meat consumption.Conclusion: Studies examining the relation between the consumption or avoidance of meat and psychological health varied substantially in methodologic rigor, validity of interpretation, and confidence in results. The majority of studies, and especially the higher quality studies, showed that those who avoided meat consumption had significantly higher rates or risk of depression, anxiety, and/or self-harm behaviors. There was mixed evidence for temporal relations, but study designs and a lack of rigor precluded inferences of causal relations. Our study does not support meat avoidance as a strategy to benefit psychological health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urska Dobersek
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USA
| | - Gabrielle Wy
- Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Joshua Adkins
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USA
| | - Sydney Altmeyer
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USA
| | - Kaitlin Krout
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USA
| | - Carl J Lavie
- John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinical School, The University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Edward Archer
- Research and Development, EvolvingFX, Jupiter, Florida, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena V Kuklina
- Division of Reproductive Health National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta GA
| | - Sohyun Park
- Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta GA
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Ennezat PV, Guerbaai RA, Le Jemtel TH. Upholding trust in therapeutic trials and evidence-based medicine: need for full disclosure of data, crowdsourcing data analysis and independent review? BMJ Evid Based Med 2020; 26:bmjebm-2019-111242. [PMID: 32102873 DOI: 10.1136/bmjebm-2019-111242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Thierry H Le Jemtel
- Department of Cardiology, Tulane University School of Medicine; Tulane University Heart and Vascular Institute, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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