Effects of moderate beer consumption on health and disease: A consensus document.

A large evidence-based review on the effects of a moderate consumption of beer on human health has been conducted by an international panel of experts who reached a full consensus on the present document. Low-moderate (up to 1 drink per day in women, up to 2 in men), non-bingeing beer consumption, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. This effect is similar to that of wine, at comparable alcohol amounts. Epidemiological studies suggest that moderate consumption of either beer or wine may confer greater cardiovascular protection than spirits. Although specific data on beer are not conclusive, observational studies seem to indicate that low-moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of developing neurodegenerative disease. There is no evidence that beer drinking is different from other types of alcoholic beverages in respect to risk for some cancers. Evidence consistently suggests a J-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption (including beer) and all-cause mortality, with lower risk for moderate alcohol consumers than for abstainers or heavy drinkers. Unless they are at high risk for alcohol-related cancers or alcohol dependency, there is no reason to discourage healthy adults who are already regular light-moderate beer consumers from continuing. Consumption of beer, at any dosage, is not recommended for children, adolescents, pregnant women, individuals at risk to develop alcoholism, those with cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmias, depression, liver and pancreatic diseases, or anyone engaged in actions that require concentration, skill or coordination. In conclusion, although heavy and excessive beer consumption exerts deleterious effects on the human body, with increased disease risks on many organs and is associated to significant social problems such as addiction, accidents, violence and crime, data reported in this document show evidence for no harm of moderate beer consumption for major chronic conditions and some benefit against cardiovascular disease.

Does selenium matter in cardiometabolic disorders? A short review of the evidence.

Selenium is an essential micronutrient in the human diet. It is a constituent of selenoproteins, linked to cysteine, and is involved in the defense against oxidative stress. Few studies suggested a role of selenoproteins in the prevention of chronic degenerative disorders, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, and infertility. On the other hand, concerns were raised about a possible association of selenium supplementation with increased risk of developing insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. The objective of this article is to briefly review the results of the observational (cohort and case-control) studies as well as of the randomized controlled trials of selenium supplementation and risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disorders.

Fasting glucose and treatment outcome in breast and colorectal cancer patients treated with targeted agents: results from a historic cohort.

BACKGROUND: We investigated pretreatment fasting glucose as a predictor of patients' important outcomes in breast and colorectal cancers undergoing targeted therapies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a historic cohort of 202 breast and 218 colorectal cancers treated with targeted agents from 1998 to 2009, we used the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test to estimate survival through tertiles of fasting glucose and the Cox proportional hazards model for multivariate analysis stratified by primary site of cancer and including gender, age and body mass index. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 20 months (1-128). At 60 months, 65% of patients in the lowest tertile of fasting glucose did not experiment disease progression compared with 34% in the highest tertile (P=0.001). Seventy-six percent of females in the lowest tertile showed no progression compared with 49% in the top tertiles (P=0.015). In multivariate analysis, fasting glucose was a significant predictor of time to disease progression only in breast cancer patients in the first tertile compared with the third (P=0.017). CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence of a predictive role of pretreatment fasting glucose in the development of resistance in breast cancer patients treated with targeted agents. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

Dissociative double photoionization of singly deuterated benzene molecules in the 26-33 eV energy range.

This work provides new experimental and theoretical results about the formation and dissociation of benzene dication. The experiment has been carried out by using a vacuum ultraviolet radiation from a synchrotron source together with a time-of-flight spectrometer and a position sensitive ion detector. Isotopically labeled benzene molecules with a single deuterium atom have been used in order to study the symmetric dissociation of the benzene dication, not well evident in previous experiments. A threshold of 30.1 ± 0.1 eV has been observed for this dissociation reaction. Moreover, the lifetime of the dissociation of the benzene metastable dication producing CH(3)(+) and C(5)H(3)(+) has been obtained as a function of the photon energy, by the use of a Monte Carlo trajectory analysis of the coincidence distributions. The determined lifetime is independent of the photon energy and has an average value of 0.75 ± 0.22 µs. Theoretical calculations of the energy and structure of dissociation product ions have been also performed to provide crucial information about the dynamics of the charge separation reactions following the photoionization event.

Selenium status and blood lipids: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns study.

BACKGROUND: Concern has been recently raised about possible adverse cardio-metabolic effects of high selenium status, such as increased risks of diabetes and hyperlipidaemia. However, most of the evidence comes from selenium-replete populations such as that of the United States. OBJECTIVES: To examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of serum selenium with cardiovascular risk factors in Finland where selenium levels were amongst the lowest in the world until the early 1980s before the implementation of a nationwide selenium fertilization programme. METHODS: Serum selenium was measured in 1235 young Finns aged 3-18 years at baseline in 1980 (prefertilization) and in a subgroup (N = 262) at the 6-year follow-up (1986, postfertilization). During the 27-year follow-up, serum lipids, blood pressure, body mass index and smoking were assessed five times (1980, 1983, 1986, 2001 and 2007). RESULTS: Mean (±SD) serum selenium concentrations were 74.3 ± 14.0 ng mL(-1) in 1980 and 106.6 ± 12.5 ng mL(-1) in 1986 (average increase 32.3 ng mL(-1); 95% CI: 30.3 to 34.3, P < 0.0001). In univariate and multivariable cross-sectional models in 1980 and 1986, increased serum selenium levels were consistently associated with increased total, HDL and Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. However, the average longitudinal changes in lipids were -0.20 mmol L(-1) (95% CI: -0.30 to -0.10, P < 0.0001) for total cholesterol, 0.06 mmol L(-1) (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.10, P < 0.0001) for HDL cholesterol, and -0.23 mmol L(-1) (95% CI: -0.31 to -0.14, P < 0.0001) for LDL cholesterol. Selenium measured in 1986 was not associated with lipids assessed in 2001 and 2007. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-sectional findings from the Young Finns study corroborate positive associations of selenium status with serum lipids. However, longitudinal evidence does not support the causality of this link.

Impaired fasting glucose and recurrent cardiovascular disease among survivors of a first acute myocardial infarction: evidence of a sex difference? The Western New York experience.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is little epidemiological evidence regarding the association of impaired glucose metabolism with recurrent cardiovascular events. We therefore examined potential sex differences in the effect of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) on recurrent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a community-based study of survivors of a first acute myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS AND RESULTS: This report focuses on 1226 incident MI cases (28.4% women) discharged alive from area hospitals in the Western New York Acute MI Study (1996-2004). Deaths and underlying cause of death were determined via query of the National Death Index (Plus) Retrieval Program with follow-up through December 31, 2004. Outcomes reported included fatal or non-fatal coronary heart disease (CHD) or coronary revascularization surgery and total stroke. Traditional CHD risk factors and other explanatory variables were determined by clinical examination after the first acute event. Impaired fasting glucose was defined as fasting blood glucose between 100 and 125mg/dl. During a mean follow-up of 4.5 years, there were 91 recurrent events (26.1%) in women and 173 recurrent events (19.7%) in men. After multivariable adjustment, the hazard ratios for recurrent cardiovascular events were 1.96 (95% CI: 1.15-3.16) and 2.59 (1.56-4.30) in women with IFG and with diabetes, respectively, compared to normoglycemic women. Among men, neither IFG nor diabetes was independently related to risk of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, IFG was a strong risk factor for recurrent cardiovascular events only among women. These results suggest that increased cardiovascular risk in MI survivors begins at lower glucose levels in women than men.

Selenium status and cardiometabolic health: state of the evidence.

Use of selenium enriched foods, supplements and fertilizers has increased markedly in recent years in the US and other Western countries because of the perception that the anti-oxidant properties of selenium could potentially reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. However, concern has been raised recently about possible adverse cardiometabolic effects of high selenium exposure, including an increased risk of diabetes and hyperlipidemia with high selenium intake. Hence, from a public health perspective, the relationship between selenium status and cardiometabolic health should be clarified in order to help guide consumers in their choices of nutritional supplements and enriched food products. Additional experimental evidence is needed to provide new insights into the role of selenium and of specific selenoproteins in human biology, especially to clarify the underlying mechanisms linking selenium to chronic disease endpoints. Further epidemiological studies and randomized clinical trials across populations with different selenium status should be conducted to determine the causal effect of selenium on cardiovascular disease and risk factors. Nevertheless, at the present time the widespread use of selenium supplements or other strategies that artificially increase selenium status above the level required for optimal selenoprotein activity is not justified and should not be encouraged.

Drinking habits and health in Northern Italian and American men.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate alcohol drinking habits in two male cohorts, one Italian and one American, and to investigate whether cardiovascular disease risk factors are related to different drinking patterns. Furthermore, socio-demographic characteristics were taken into account. METHODS: The Italian sample was drawn from the National Alpines Association. A dietary questionnaire was sent to the members of this association as an additional supplement to their monthly magazine. Eleven thousand one hundred and thirty-four men, 18-94 years, from Northern Italy were included in this analysis. The American sample is part of the Western New York Health Study (WNYHS) including 1927 male participants. RESULTS: In both populations, those who drank more than 4 drinks/day were the least educated and showed the highest percentage of current smokers; the highest prevalence of hypertension occurred in heavier drinkers and those who mostly drank without food. By contrast, lifetime abstainers exhibited the lowest percentage of hypertension and the highest level of serum cholesterol; in both populations the highest prevalence of diabetes was present in lighter drinkers. CONCLUSIONS: The current study shows that drinking habits are quite different in the two countries and are basically linked with socio-demographic and behavioral variables and support the notion that excess volume of alcohol consumed, and drinking without food, are associated with a higher risk of hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, particularly for Italians.

Self-rated measures of physical activity and cardiovascular risk in a sample of Southern Italian male workers: the Olivetti heart study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The number of people who are overweight, obese and/or lead a sedentary lifestyle is increasing, and numerous studies have shown that physical activity has beneficial cardiovascular effects. METHODS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between physical activity and the anthropometric, cardiovascular and metabolic variables involved in coronary risk. The study population consisted of 1075 adult men aged 25-75 years, all of whom were workers in Olivetti factories. Physical activity was assessed by means of a questionnaire and the sample was divided into two groups: those practising sport and those who said they were sedentary. RESULTS: Age-adjusted BMI was higher in the participants practising sport, whereas the values of all of the remaining variables (i.e. abdominal circumference, skinfolds, heart rate, blood pressure, serum cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, insulin and HOMA) were lower; however, the only statistically significant differences were in heart rate and blood pressure. After the subjects were classified as being normal weight, overweight or obese on the basis of BMI, the active participants tended to have lower values for all of the parameters than their sedentary counterparts in each BMI category. In a subgroup undergoing OGTT, glucose and insulin levels at T0 and T60 were significantly lower in the active participants. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm the usefulness of physical activity in preventing cardiovascular disease.

Heart rate as a risk factor in hypertensive individuals. The Italian TensioPulse Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The predictive role of heart rate as a new, independent risk factor for the development of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been investigated in recent years and many studies have demonstrated a significant and independent association between heart rate, blood pressure and cardiovascular (CV) endpoints. Various pathogenic pathways can be postulated to explain this association and the role of heart rate as a plausible risk factor. Previous studies have been limited to the examination of small samples of general populations. By contrast, our study is based on a large cohort (38,145) of hypertensive patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Italian TensioPulse Study is a detailed investigation of the relation between heart rate (HR) and other CV risk factors in a large cohort of hypertensives. A strong, positive relationship was found between heart rate and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure: r = 0.21 for SBP in both sexes, and r = 0.21 and r = 0.24 for DBP in men and women respectively. Smoking and drinking habits seem to be associated with higher heart rate, SBP and DBP values. CONCLUSIONS: These findings and the observation that more than one out of three hypertensives had a relatively high heart rate could assist in the organisation of prevention programmes. Correction of certain lifestyle factors must precede the decision to use drugs to reduce the global CVD risk.

The gas-phase photoemission beamline at Elettra.

This paper reports the present stage of commissioning of the gas-phase photoemission beamline at Elettra, Trieste. The beamline is designed for atomic and molecular science experiments with high-resolution and high-flux synchrotron radiation. It consists of an undulator source, variable-angle spherical-grating monochromator and two experimental stations. The design value of the energy range is 20 to 800 eV with a specified resolving power of over 10000. The procedure adopted for calibration of this type of monochromator is discussed. At present a resolving power up to 20000 and a range up to 900 eV have been measured. Absorption spectra taken at the argon L(II,III)-edge and at the nitrogen, oxygen and neon K-edges are as sharp as, or sharper than, any reported in the literature. The instrumental broadening is well below the natural line-width making it difficult to quantify the resolution; this problem is discussed.