Effects of prevention programmes on injury risk in military personnel: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Exercise programmes have been used to prevent injuries in military personnel, as they can reduce modifiable risk factors for injuries. Our aim was to review the literature to evaluate the effects of different exercise protocols on the prevention of injuries in military personnel. METHODS: A systematic literature review examined the effects of different exercise protocols on the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries in the military. Several databases were explored to find experimental studies that investigated the effects of prevention programmes on the risk of injury. We have extracted from the studies: profile of participants, sample size, study design and characteristics of the control group (CG), the type of intervention and the relative risk (RR) in the experimental group and CG, with their significance levels. For data analysis, we used the RevMan V.5.3 software. The measure of RR was investigated. The risk of publication bias was analysed with Begg's test. RESULTS: A total of 13 694 titles and studies were recovered from the databases and by manual search. After the removal of duplicate titles and studies that did not meet the eligibility criteria, 17 studies were selected. The protocols were composed of neuromuscular training, stretching, agility training or combined exercises. The meta-analysis showed that injury prevention exercise programmes reduced the risk of musculoskeletal injuries in military personnel by 14% (RR=0.86; 95% CI=0.76 to 0.98). CONCLUSION: Injury prevention exercise programmes promoted a slight reduction in the risk of musculoskeletal injuries in military personnel. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Very low. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD 42017077946.

Association between dietary fat and breast cancer in Puerto Rican postmenopausal women attending a breast cancer clinic.

OBJECTIVE: A pilot case-control study was conducted to examine the possible association between dietary fat intake and the development of postmenopausal breast cancer. BACKGROUND: Studies regarding the association between dietary fat intake and the development of breast cancer among postmenopausal women are lacking in Puerto Rico. METHODS: Eighteen cases and eighteen controls were interviewed to obtain sociodemographic information, medical history and dietary fat intake. A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire containing 67 food items was used to collect the dietary information. RESULTS: Unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) showed a non-significant positive association for total fat intake and the development of postmenopausal breast cancer (OR = 1.57; 95% CI: 0.42-5.90, p = 0.25). The same non significant positive association was found for saturated fat intake (OR = 1.57; 95% CI: 0.42-5.90, p = 0.25). Polyunsaturated fat (OR = 1.25; 95% CI: 0.34-4.64, p = 0.37) and monounsaturated fat (OR = 1.25; 95% CI: 0.34-4.64, p = 0.37) were also positively associated with postmenopausal breast cancer, although the associations were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with other case-control studies that have shown non-significant positive associations between total fat and the different components of dietary fat and postmenopausal breast cancer.

Dietary fat and breast cancer: a brief update on current knowledge.

Descriptive epidemiologic data suggest a relationship between consumption of high fat diets and breast cancer; although these data can be potentially confounded by other causative exposures. Results of published case-control and cohort studies are inconclusive. Nevertheless, dietary fat significantly affects mammary tumorigenesis in mice and rats in laboratory experiments. We will review current epidemiologic and animal studies, explain the possible mechanisms of how dietary fat may affect breast cancer, and provide preliminary dietary recommendations.

Folate supplementation and neural tube defects: a review of a public health issue.

Folate deficiency is one of today's most common vitamin deficiencies in women. Women who consume a low level of folate during pregnancy are at risk for poor pregnancy outcomes including neural tube defects (NTD). However, other factors such as heredity, social class, maternal age, birth order, maternal diet, length of time between pregnancies, maternal zinc deficiency, use of anticonvulsant drugs, abnormal homocysteine metabolism and the use of oral contraceptives, have also been implicated as causes of NTD. Animal studies have shown that fetuses are highly dependent on the folate status of the mother. In addition, several retrospective and prospective human studies have provided evidence that folate lowers the incidence of NTD.