Nutrition research
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Excess body fat is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The hypothesis of the study was that physical activity and omega-3 index, a marker of past long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids consumption, counteract the negative associations between fatness and CVD risk factors in young overweight and obese adults. A total of 324 subjects (20-40 years, body mass index [BMI], 27.5-32.5 kg/m(2), from Iceland, Spain, and Ireland) were investigated cross-sectionally. ⋯ The highest physical activity quartile had a lower fat mass (P = .005, at a given BMI), leptin (P = .008, in male participants only), and interleukin 6 (P = .021) but higher high-density lipoprotein (P = .020) than other quartiles; however, an approximate dose-response relationship could only be observed for leptin. The omega-3 index was not associated with lower low-density lipoprotein (P = .056), but docosahexaenoic acid in erythrocyte membrane was associated to it (P = .016). It is concluded that physical activity and docosahexaenoic acid diminish some of the negative health effects associated with overweight and obesity; however, body fatness remains the most important variable associated with increased CVD risk factors in young overweight and obese adults.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Flavocoxid is as effective as naproxen for managing the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee in humans: a short-term randomized, double-blind pilot study.
Flavocoxid (Limbrel), a proprietary mixture of flavonoid molecules (baicalin and catechin), was tested against a traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen, for the management of the signs and symptoms of moderate osteoarthritis (OA) in humans. Discomfort and global disease activity were used as the primary end points, and safety assessments were also taken for both treatments as a secondary endpoint. In this double-blind study, 103 subjects were randomly assigned to receive either flavocoxid [500 mg twice daily (BID)] or naproxen (500 mg BID) in a 1-month onset of action trial. ⋯ Similarly, there were no statistically detectable differences between the groups with respect to any adverse event, although there was a trend toward a higher incidence of edema and nonspecific musculoskeletal discomfort in the naproxen group. In this short-term pilot study, flavocoxid was as effective as naproxen in controlling the signs and symptoms of OA of the knee and would present a safe and effective option for those individuals on traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors. A low incidence of adverse events was reported for both groups.