Coffee consumption during pregnancy — what the gynecologist should know? Review of the literature and clinical studies

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. The impact of coffee consumption on human health has been the subject of many clinical studies and meta-analyses. Taking into account the results of these studies, it can be concluded that coffee has a number of health benefits in terms of the population, including the reduction of the risk of death from any cause. From a clinical point of view, the safety of coffee consumption in a specific subpopulation of pregnant women is important. A large percentage of women continue to consume this drink during pregnancy, while a significant proportion of them exceed the permissible daily dose of caffeine (≤ 200 mg). During pregnancy, the metabolism of caffeine slows down significantly, which prolongs its action and penetrates into the body of the fetus. These biochemical observations have become the driving force behind numerous clinical studies assessing the impact of coffee consumption during pregnancy on its course, complications and the health of the newborn. This review article summarizes the current knowledge of these important issues

Curcumin-The Nutraceutical With Pleiotropic Effects? Which Cardiometabolic Subjects Might Benefit the Most?

Despite continuous advances in pharmacotherapy, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains the world's leading killer. Atherosclerosis relates not only to an increased level of cholesterol, but involves the development of atherosclerotic plaques, which are formed as a result of processes including inflammation and oxidative stress. Therefore, in addition to the classical risk factors for ASCVD (such as type 2 diabetes, overweight, obesity, hypertension and metabolic syndrome), residual risk factors such as inflammation and oxidative stress should also be reduced. The most important intervention in ASCVD is prevention, which includes promoting a healthy diet based on products of natural origin. Curcumin, which is often present in the diet, has been demonstrate to confer several benefits to health. It has been shown in numerous clinical trials that curcumin exhibited anti-diabetic, lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as promoting weight loss. All this means that curcumin has a comprehensive impact on the most important risk factors of ASCVD and may be a beneficial support in the treatment of these diseases. Recently, it has also been shown that curcumin may have a beneficial effect on the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection and might be helpful in the prevention of long-COVID complications. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the safety and efficacy of curcumin in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic diseases

The association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality : a meta-analysis

Aims: There is good evidence showing that inactivity and walking minimal steps/day increase the risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease and general ill-health. The optimal number of steps and their role in health is, however, still unclear. Therefore, in this meta-analysis, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between step count and all-cause mortality and CV mortality. Methods and results: We systematically searched relevant electronic databases from inception until 12 June 2022. The main endpoints were all-cause mortality and CV mortality. An inverse-variance weighted random-effects model was used to calculate the number of steps/day and mortality. Seventeen cohort studies with a total of 226 889 participants (generally healthy or patients at CV risk) with a median follow-up 7.1 years were included in the meta-analysis. A 1000-step increment was associated with a 15% decreased risk of all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.81-0.91; P &lt; 0.001], while a 500-step increment was associated with a 7% decrease in CV mortality (HR 0.93; 95% CI 0.91-0.95; P &lt; 0.001). Compared with the reference quartile with median steps/day 3967 (2500-6675), the Quartile 1 (Q1, median steps: 5537), Quartile 2 (Q2, median steps 7370), and Quartile 3 (Q3, median steps 11 529) were associated with lower risk for all-cause mortality (48, 55, and 67%, respectively; P &lt; 0.05, for all). Similarly, compared with the lowest quartile of steps/day used as reference [median steps 2337, interquartile range 1596-4000), higher quartiles of steps/day (Q1 = 3982, Q2 = 6661, and Q3 = 10 413) were linearly associated with a reduced risk of CV mortality (16, 49, and 77%; P &lt; 0.05, for all). Using a restricted cubic splines model, we observed a nonlinear dose-response association between step count and all-cause and CV mortality (Pnonlineraly &lt; 0.001, for both) with a progressively lower risk of mortality with an increased step count. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrates a significant inverse association between daily step count and all-cause mortality and CV mortality with more the better over the cut-off point of 3967 steps/day for all-cause mortality and only 2337 steps for CV mortality.The results of the meta-analysis were presented during the Annual Congress of the American Heart Association 2022—Moderated Poster Session entitled: Exercise and Physical Activity in Secondary Prevention of ASCVD and Heart Failure (5 November 2022).</p