Effects of Cocoa Consumption on Cardiometabolic Risk Markers: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effect of dietary intake of cocoa on anthropometric measurements, lipid and glycemic profiles, and blood pressure levels in adults, with and without comorbidities. METHODS: The databases used were MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane, LILACS, and SciELO. The eligible studies were randomized clinical trials (RCTs) involving adults undergoing cocoa consumption (cocoa extract or ≥70% cocoa dark chocolate) for ≥4 weeks that evaluated at least one of the following markers: body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist/abdominal circumference, total cholesterol, LDL-c, triglycerides, HDL-c, blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP). RESULTS: Thirty-one studies were included, totaling 1986 participants. Cocoa consumption showed no effects on body weight, BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL-c and HbA1c. Yet, there was a reduction in total cholesterol (-8.35 mg/dL, 95% CI -14.01; -2.69 mg/dL), LDL-c (-9.47 mg/dL, 95% CI -13.75; -5.20 mg/dL), fasting blood glucose (-4.91 mg/dL, 95% CI -8.29; -1.52 mg/dL), SBP (-2.52 mmHg, 95% CI -4.17; -0.88 mmHg), and DBP (-1.58 mmHg, 95% CI -2.54; -0.62 mmHg). CONCLUSIONS: The consumption of cocoa showed protective effects on major cardiometabolic risk markers that have a clinical impact in terms of cardiovascular risk reduction.

Effect of Nuts on Anthropometric and Glycemic Indexes and Blood Pressure in Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

CONTEXT: Nut-enriched diets have a positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors, such as body mass, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose. However, studies in individuals undergoing secondary cardiovascular prevention show controversial results. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review with meta-analysis assessed the effect of nut supplementation on anthropometric, glycemic, and blood pressure indices in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, as well as the frequency of adverse events. DATA SOURCES: Six databases were used for the search-PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, BVS (Biblioteca Virtual da Saude), Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov-until February 2023, with no language restrictions. DATA EXTRACTION: The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions methodology and the PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Setting/design) strategy were used. Seven independent reviewers were involved in data extraction and resolution of disagreements. Certainty of the evidence was evaluated using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system. DATA ANALYSIS: From 5187 records identified, 6 publications containing data referring to 5 randomized clinical trials (n = 436) were included in the final analyses. The nuts evaluated were almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts, and mixed nuts, with portions that varied between 5 g and 85 g (median: 30 g/day). The intervention period varied between 6 and 12 weeks. The nuts had no effect on fasting glucose and anthropometric indices, although the certainty of the evidence for most of these outcomes was low or very low. They also had no effect on systolic (mean difference [MD]: -1.16 mmHg [95% CI, -5.68 to 3.35], I2 = 0%-moderate certainty of evidence) or diastolic (MD: 0.10 mmHg [95% CI, -2.30 to 2.51], I2 = 0%-high certainty of evidence) blood pressure. It was not possible to aggregate data on adverse events. CONCLUSION: Nut supplementation had no effect on blood pressure, fasting glucose, or anthropometric profile in the context of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020163456.

Association between Deep Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Estimated by DAAT Index and Dietary Intake in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Abstract Background: Abdominal obesity has been associated with cardiovascular disease and may be modulated by dietary intake. The deep abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (dSAT) is a body fat compartment that can be estimated by using mathematical formulas. Objectives: To evaluate the association between dSAT estimated by the Deep-Abdominal-Adipose-Tissue (DAAT) index and dietary intake in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted with patients ≥ 18 years of age admitted to a tertiary hospital. Sociodemographic, clinical, and anthropometric (body weight [kg], height [m], waist, hip and neck circumferences [cm]) data were evaluated. A food frequency questionnaire was applied to identify each patient's nutrient intake. The DAAT index was calculated according to specific formulas for men and women. Possible association between food intake and the DAAT index was evaluated by multiple linear regression. The level of significance adopted was 0.05. Results: This study evaluated 138 patients, with a mean age of 61.2±10.8 years. Prevalence of obesity was 29.4% in men and 37.7% in women. Regarding waist circumference, 83% of the women showed values considered to be very high. The DAAT index was significantly higher in men when compared to woman (P < 0.0001) and proved to be positively correlated with proteins (r= 0.22, P= 0.01) and monounsaturated fatty acid (r= 0.18, P= 0.04) intake in the entire sample. After adjustment for sex, alcohol consumption, and levels of physical activity, the DAAT index was associated with the female sex (B= −129.84, P <0.001) and a sedentary lifestyle (B= 57.99, P <0.001). Conclusion: dSAT estimated by the DAAT index was not associated with dietary intake in patients with ACS.

Calf Circumference Is a Good Predictor of Longer Hospital Stay and Nutritional Risk in Emergency Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the validity of calf circumference (CC) in identifying malnourished patients and patients at nutritional risk and determine the association between CC and clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients.Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted involving patients admitted to the emergency department of a tertiary hospital in the first 48 hours of admission. Nutritional risk was determined using Nutritional Risk Screening, malnutrition was diagnosed using subjective global assessment, and CC was manually measured. Brazilian cutoff points for CC were used to identify low muscle mass. The outcomes of interest were length of emergency care and hospital stay, occurrence of infection, and death, besides nutritional risk and malnutrition.Results: In total, 528 patients (52.76 ± 16.18 years; 54.6% females) were followed up for 9.0 (3.0-19.0) days; 39.6% of them had reduced CC values. The accuracy of CC in identifying patients at nutritional risk and malnourished patients was 67.7% and 54.1%, respectively. The cutoff value of 36.5 cm was highly accurate in identifying nutritional risk [AUC-ROC curve = 0.764 (95% CI: 0.704-0.825) for men, and AUC-ROC curve = 0.716 (95% CI: 0.659-0.774) for women]. Patients with low CC had a 1.59-fold (95% CI: 1.07-2.36) greater likelihood of a long hospital stay than patients with normal CC.Conclusions: Low CC values have satisfactory validity in identifying nutritional risk and are associated with long hospital stay.

Reduced Fat Oxidation During Exercise in Post-Menopausal Overweight-Obese Women with Higher Lipid Accumulation Product Index.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The main aim of this study was to analyze how the lipid accumulation affects the whole-body fat oxidation over a range of intensities during a submaximal incremental exercise test in post-menopausal overweight-obese women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The maximal fat oxidation (MFO), the intensity where the MFO occurs (FatMax), fat oxidation were measured over a range of intensities during a submaximal incremental exercise test through indirect calorimetry in 60 postmenopausal overweight-obese women (aged>49 years; body mass index 28.0 to 39.0 kg/m²). The metabolic profile of participants was evaluated and the LAP index was calculated (waist-58×triglycerides [mmol/L]). A cutoff point of 34.5 was adopted and participant were designed as low LAP index (n=30) or high LAP index (n=30). RESULTS: During submaximal exercise postmenopausal overweight-obese women with low LAP index showed a higher fat oxidation at 50% (0.53±0.05 vs. 0.45±0.12 g/min; p=0.01), 60% (0.40±0.06 vs. 0.31±0.16 g/min; p=0.02) and 70% (0.34±0.08 vs. 0.25±0.15 g/min; p=0.03) of VO2Peak than those with high LAP index. No significant difference was observed in carbohydrate oxidation between groups (p>0.05) during exercise. Moreover, a significant difference in absolute MFO (p=0.018), MFO relative to free fat mass (p=0.043) and FatMax (p=0.002) was identified. CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal overweight-obese women who showed unhealthy metabolic phenotype evaluated through LAP index presented low fat oxidation during a submaximal incremental exercise.