Effect of tocotrienols enriched canola oil on glycemic control and oxidative status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial

Background: Tocotrienols have been shown to improve glycemic control and redox balance in an animal study, but their effects on patients with diabetes are unknown. The study aimed to investigate whether tocotrienols improves glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and oxidative stress in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Materials and Methods: This study was a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. A total of 50 patients, aged 35-60 years, with T2DM treated by noninsulin hypoglycemic drugs were randomly assigned to receive either 15 mL/day tocotrienols (200 mg) enriched canola oil (n = 25) or pure canola oil (n = 25) for 8 weeks. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), fasting insulin, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were determined before and after the intervention. The data were compared between and within groups, before and after the intervention. Results: Baseline characteristics of participants including age, sex, physical activity, disease duration, and type of drug consumption were not significantly different between the two groups. In tocotrienol enriched canola oil, FBS (mean percent change: �15.4 vs. 3.9; P = 0.006) and MDA (median percent change: �35.6 vs. 16.3; P = 0.003) were significantly reduced while TAC was significantly increased (median percent change: 21.4 vs. 2.3; P = 0.001) compared to pure canola oil. At the end of the study, patients who treated with tocotrienols had lower FBS (P = 0.023) and MDA (P = 0.044) compared to the pure canola oil group. However, tocotrienols had no effect on insulin concentrations and HOMA-IR. Conclusion: Tocotrienols can improve FBS concentrations and modifies redox balance in T2DM patients with poor glycemic control and can be considered in combination with hypoglycemic drugs to better control of T2DM. © 2015 Journal of Research in Medical Sciences

The association between empirical dietary inflammatory pattern and metabolic phenotypes in overweight/obese adults

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate whether diet-induced inflammation assessed by Empirical DietaryInflammatory Pattern (EDIP) is associated with odds of unhealthy metabolic phenotype and components of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods: This cross-sectional study included 403 overweight/obese individuals recruited from employees of two pharmaceutical companies in Iran. The weighted intake of 15 food groups was summed to construct EDIP and metabolic phenotypes were defined based on MetS criteria. Results: After adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and marital status, the odds of unhealthy phenotype increased significantly from quartile 1 to quartile 4 (P-trend = 0.013). However, the association became non-significant after adjusting for energy intake. Compared to those in the lowest quartile, individuals with higher EDIP scores had higher odds of high fasting blood sugar (FBS) (P-trend = 0.031) and low HDL-C (P-trend = 0.036) after adjusting for all covariates. By adding energy intake into the model, an inverse association was observed between EDIP, waist circumference (WC), and odds of high WC. Conclusions: A higher pro-inflammatory diet was associated with higher odds of unhealthy phenotype, high FBS, and low-HDL-C in overweight/obese individuals. However, the association with unhealthy phenotype seems to be dependent on the energy intake. © 2018, International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism

The association between empirical dietary inflammatory pattern and metabolic phenotypes in overweight/obese adults

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate whether diet-induced inflammation assessed by Empirical DietaryInflammatory Pattern (EDIP) is associated with odds of unhealthy metabolic phenotype and components of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods: This cross-sectional study included 403 overweight/obese individuals recruited from employees of two pharmaceutical companies in Iran. The weighted intake of 15 food groups was summed to construct EDIP and metabolic phenotypes were defined based on MetS criteria. Results: After adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and marital status, the odds of unhealthy phenotype increased significantly from quartile 1 to quartile 4 (P-trend = 0.013). However, the association became non-significant after adjusting for energy intake. Compared to those in the lowest quartile, individuals with higher EDIP scores had higher odds of high fasting blood sugar (FBS) (P-trend = 0.031) and low HDL-C (P-trend = 0.036) after adjusting for all covariates. By adding energy intake into the model, an inverse association was observed between EDIP, waist circumference (WC), and odds of high WC. Conclusions: A higher pro-inflammatory diet was associated with higher odds of unhealthy phenotype, high FBS, and low-HDL-C in overweight/obese individuals. However, the association with unhealthy phenotype seems to be dependent on the energy intake. © 2018, International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism

Association of the insulinemic potential of diet and lifestyle with risk of diabetes incident in Tehranian adults: a population based cohort study

Background: We aimed to assess the associations between insulinemic potential of diet and lifestyle and the risk of diabetes incident, using four empirical indices including the empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH), the empirical dietary index for insulin resistance (EDIR), empirical lifestyle index for hyperinsulinemia (ELIH), and empirical lifestyle index for insulin resistance (ELIR). Methods: A total of 3734 individuals, aged � 20 years old, who were free of diabetes at baseline (2008�2011), were followed for 6.2 years (2015�2018) to ascertain incident diabetes. The food frequency questionnaire was used to collect dietary intakes at baseline. Odds ratio (OR) of diabetes were calculated across quartiles of EDIH, EDIR, ELIH, and ELIR using logistic regression, which controlled for confounding factors. Results: The mean ± SD age and BMI of individuals (45.1 male) were 40.9 ± 12.0 years and 27.1 ± 4.1 kg/m2, respectively. At the end of follow-up, 253 (6.8 ) diabetes cases were identified. In the multivariable-adjusted model, individuals in the highest quartile of EDIR (1.58;95 CI:1.03�2.44, P for trend = 0.025), ELIH (1.89;95 CI:1.20�2.97, P for trend = 0.004), and ELIR (1.74; 95 CI:1.11�2.72, P for trend = 0.031) had increased the risk of diabetes. However, no significant associations were found between the score of EDIH and diabetes incident. Conclusions: Higher adherence to EDIR, ELIH, and ELIR scores were associated with increased risk of diabetes, while no significant association was found between EDIH score and diabetes incident. © 2021, The Author(s)

Dietary and lifestyle inflammatory scores and risk of incident diabetes: a prospective cohort among participants of Tehran lipid and glucose study

Background: Inflammation is a precursor of chronic disease, which is affected by lifestyle and dietary habits. Recently empirical dietary inflammatory patterns (EDIP), dietary inflammation scores (DIS), and lifestyle inflammation scores (LIS) were developed to indicate lifestyle and dietary contributions in systemic inflammation. The current study aimed to investigate the associations between these indices and the incidence of diabetes among Tehranian adults. Methods: A total of 4624 individuals, aged 20�75 years, who were free of diabetes at baseline (2008�2011), were followed for 5.71 years (2014�2017) to ascertain incident diabetes. Dietary intakes were collected at baseline using the food frequency questionnaire. The hazard ratio (HR) of diabetes was calculated by Cox proportional hazards regression across quartiles of EDIP, DIS, and LIS, adjusted for potential confounders. Results: The mean ± SD for the age and BMI of the study population (45.1 male) were 40.8 ± 12.7 years and 27.1 ± 4.1 Kg.m2, respectively. At the end of the follow-up, 329 (7.1) diabetes cases were identified. In the multivariable-adjusted model, individuals in the highest compared to the lowest quartile of EDIP (HR = 0.83; 95CI:0.59�1.15, p for trend = 0.286), and LIS (HR = 2.41; 95CI:1.61�3.60, P for trend < 0.001) had increased risk of diabetes. However, no significant associations were found between the score of DIS and diabetes incidents (HR = 0.83; 95CI:0.59�1.15, p for trend = 0.286). Conclusion: Greater adherence to EDIP and LIS scores was associated with a higher risk of diabetes, while no significant association was found between the DIS score and diabetes incident. © 2021, The Author(s)

Acute mental health presentations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: A number of community based surveys have identified an increase in psychological symptoms and distress but there has been no examination of symptoms at the more severe end of the mental health spectrum. // Aims: We aimed to analyse numbers and types of psychiatric presentations to inform planning for future demand on mental health services in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. // Method: We analysed electronic data between January and April 2020 for 2534 patients referred to acute psychiatric services, and tested for differences in patient demographics, symptom severity and use of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA), before and after lockdown. We used interrupted time-series analyses to compare trends in emergency department and psychiatric presentations until December 2020. // Results: There were 22% fewer psychiatric presentations the first week and 48% fewer emergency department presentations in the first month after lockdown initiated. A higher proportion of patients were detained under the MHA (22.2 v. 16.1%) and Mental Capacity Act 2005 (2.2 v. 1.1%) (χ2(2) = 16.3, P < 0.0001), and they experienced a longer duration of symptoms before seeking help from mental health services (χ2(3) = 18.6, P < 0.0001). A higher proportion of patients presented with psychotic symptoms (23.3 v. 17.0%) or delirium (7.0 v. 3.6%), and fewer had self-harm behaviour (43.8 v. 52.0%, χ2(7) = 28.7, P < 0.0001). A higher proportion were admitted to psychiatric in-patient units (22.2 v. 18.3%) (χ2(6) = 42.8, P < 0.0001) after lockdown. // Conclusions: UK lockdown resulted in fewer psychiatric presentations, but those who presented were more likely to have severe symptoms, be detained under the MHA and be admitted to hospital. Psychiatric services should ensure provision of care for these patients as well as planning for those affected by future COVID-19 waves

Dairy consumption and cardiometabolic diseases: systematic review and updated meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies

Purpose of Review Dairy products contain both beneficial and harmful nutrients in relation to cardiometabolic diseases. Here, we provide the latest scientific evidence regarding the relationship between dairy products and cardiometabolic diseases by reviewing the literature and updating meta-analyses of observational studies. Recent Findings We updated our previous meta-analyses of cohort studies on type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke with nine studies and confirmed previous results. Total dairy and low-fat dairy (per 200 g/d) were inversely associated with a 3–4% lower risk of diabetes. Yogurt was non-linearly inversely associatedwith diabetes (RR = 0.86, 95%CI: 0.83–0.90 at 80 g/ d). Total dairy and milk were not associated with CHD (RR~1.0). An increment of 200 g of daily milk intake was associated with an 8% lower risk of stroke. Summary The latest scientific evidence confirmed neutral or beneficial associations between dairy products and risk of cardiometabolic diseases

Tongue lesions in psoriasis: a controlled study

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to study tongue lesions and their significance in psoriatic patients. METHODS: The oral mucosa was examined in 200 psoriatic patients presenting to Razi Hospital in Tehran, Iran, and 200 matched controls. RESULTS: Fissured tongue (FT) and benign migratory glossitis (BMG) were the two most frequent findings. FT was seen more frequently in psoriatic patients (n = 66, 33%) than the control group (n = 19, 9.5%) [odds ratio (OR): 4.69; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.61–8.52] (p-value < 0.0001). BMG, too, was significantly more frequent in psoriatic patients (28 cases, 14%) than the control group (12 cases, 6%) (OR: 2.55; 95% CI: 1.20–5.50) (p-value < 0.012). In 11 patients (5.5%), FT and BMG coexisted. FT was more frequent in pustular psoriasis (7 cases, 53.8%) than erythemato-squamous types (56 cases, 30.4%). On the other hand, the frequency of BMG increased with the severity of psoriasis in plaque-type psoriasis assessed by psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score. CONCLUSIONS: Nonspecific tongue lesions are frequently observed in psoriasis. Further studies are recommended to substantiate the clinical significance of these seemingly nonspecific findings in suspected psoriatic cases