Meta-Analysis Finds Ketogenic Diet Doesn’t Help Control High Blood Pressure

Posted on June 20, 2024 | Comments Off on Meta-Analysis Finds Ketogenic Diet Doesn’t Help Control High Blood Pressure
Not bad

From an April, 2024, Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases issue:

Abstract

Aims

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are major causes of mortality around the world. High blood pressure (BP) or hypertension is one of the most significant predisposing factors to CVDs. Ketogenic diets (KDs) have been the center of attention for their possible health benefits. The aim of this analysis is to study the impact of KDs on BP through the existing literature.

Data synthesis

We investigated the impact of KDs on systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP) conducted in the format of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Four online databases (PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar) were searched from inception up to November 2022. Subgroup analyses were carried out to find the sources of heterogeneities.

Twenty-three RCTs with 1664 participants were identified. KDs did not exert any significant impacts on SBP (WMD: −0.87 mmHg, 95% CI: −2.05, 0.31) nor DBP (WMD: −0.11 mmHg, 95% CI -1.14, 0.93). Subgroup analyses did not reveal any further information. Also, non-linear dose-response analysis could not detect any associations between the percentage of calorie intake from fat in the KD format and BP levels.

Conclusion

KDs do not seem to be effective in improving BP. Nonetheless, further investigations are recommended to examine the proportion of fat intake needed to induce favorable clinical impacts.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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New Drug Rezdiffra for Liver Disease

Posted on June 17, 2024 | Comments Off on New Drug Rezdiffra for Liver Disease
Stages of liver damage. Healthy, fatty, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis

DiabetesDaily informed me of a new drug available for treatment of a liver disease that affects “up to 20% of people with diabetes. But by no means is the disease limited to diabetics (er, “people with diabetes”). The disease is MASH: metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, something else I’d never heard of. (Shouldn’t the acronym be MDASH?) The drug is resmetirom, sold in the U.S. as Rezdiffra. Click for the FDA announcement. MASH can lead to liver scarring (fibrosis), which then qualifies the patient for resmetirom. The DiabetesDaily article is well-written and includes alternatives to this new drug.

I’ve long been aware of NASH: non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. THIS is the liver disease target according to the FDA announcement, which states “Rezdiffra is a partial activator of a thyroid hormone receptor; activation of this receptor by Rezdiffra in the liver reduces liver fat accumulation.” Furthermore:

The most common side effects of Rezdiffra included diarrhea and nausea. Rezdiffra comes with certain warnings and precautions, such as drug-induced liver toxicity and gallbladder-related side effects. 

There may be potential significant interaction of this new drug with others, particularly statin cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Color me skeptical. If only because the drug was on the “accelerated approval pathway.” But I’ll keep an open mind.

I’m not sure, but it appears that candidates for the drug will need a liver biopsy showing fibrosis (scarring).

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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…Listen to the Father’s Voice

Posted on June 17, 2024 | Comments Off on …Listen to the Father’s Voice

Not quite what you were expecting, was it?

Wishing a glorious Father’s Day to all you dads!

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I Told You So: Mediterranean Diet Prevents Cardiovascular Disease

Posted on June 12, 2024 | Comments Off on I Told You So: Mediterranean Diet Prevents Cardiovascular Disease
Branzino, aka European Bass, live in Mediterranean waters

Yet another epidemiologic study supports the contention that the Mediterranean diet reduces cardiovascular disease. The higher the adherence to the Medi diet, the less cardiovascular disease over the next 20 years. I scanned the report down to the Discussion section and, surprisingly, didn’t catch their definition of cardiovascular disease. It usually refers to heart attacks, strokes, angina, congestive heart failure, and hypertension. Some would include aneurysms. The study at hand was done in Greece. You can read the whole thing.

Regarding the fish above…. I was eating at a fancy French restaurant in Pensacola, FL, about 30 years ago and a table mate ordered fish (du poisson?). When it arrived with head ON, she immediately demanded it be taken back to the kitchen for removal of the head!

Abstract

Background and aims

Only few studies have assessed longitudinal dietary trends in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We aimed to evaluate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet, both baseline and longitudinal, and 20-year CVD incidence.

Methods and results

This was a prospective study among 1988 Greek adults (50% men, age: 45 ± 14years). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated at baseline and 10 years through the MedDietScore, based on which longitudinal Mediterranean diet trajectories were identified. CVD incidence was recorded at 20 years. Each one-unit increase in baseline MedDietScore was associated with an 8% reduction in 20-year CVD incidence. Compared to subjects in the lowest tertile of baseline MedDietScore, those in the highest exhibited a 44% lower 20-year CVD risk (relative risk: 0.56, 95% confidence interval: 0.32, 0.97) adjusted for age, sex, baseline body mass index, smoking, physical activity, presence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, and family history of CVD; further adjustment for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, uric acid and estimated glomerular filtration rate attenuated this association. Results were similar in models adjusted for longitudinal changes in body weight, physical activity and smoking, and 10-year medical status. Mediterranean diet trajectory analysis revealed that 24.7%, 8.6%, 45.8% and 20.9% of participants longitudinally sustained a low adherence, moved closer, moved away or sustained a high adherence, respectively; among those, the corresponding CVD incidence was 63.3%, 65.5%, 28.1% and 9.4% (p-value<0.001).

Conclusion

The Mediterranean diet offers long-term protection against CVD, part of which is mediated by inflammation, uricemia and renal function.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: The study is in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Disease: “Mediterranean diet trajectories and 20-year incidence of cardiovascular disease: The ATTICA cohort study (2002–2022),” published in January 2024.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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Posted in Coronary Heart Disease, Heart Disease, Longevity

Larry Johnson on Today’s Russia

Posted on June 11, 2024 | Comments Off on Larry Johnson on Today’s Russia

Lately I’ve been reading and watching Larry Johnson. For example:

A large number of Americans still think that Russia is the Soviet Union, that the country is a crumbling wreck and the people are atheists and miserable. Boy, are they wrong. I received the following note this morning from a friend who exemplifies this mistaken prejudice. He wrote:

“I have been in Russia a few years ago before any wars, and the standard of living even for well educated people remains quite low. So, they may have a bigger better economy than we all know, but it is not translating to a much better life for its citizens compared to the EU or America. Relative to what it was before Putin it is very much better, but compared to the west or Japan it is still far behind. What will 500,000+ dead and wounded and 100,000 more fleeing and a very low birth rate in a rapidly declining demographic, do for the economy. Nothing good.”

Wrong, wrong, wrong!!!! Although I have only visited the two largest cities in Russia — Moscow in the winter and St. Petersburg on the cusp of summer — I can report that the average Russian appears to be living as well, if not better, than their counterparts in the United States or Japan. Especially when it comes to quality of life. Unlike the big cities in the United States, you can stroll along the streets and boulevards of Moscow or St. Petersburg without worrying about getting mugged or stumbling over some homeless addict sprawled on the sidewalk. The streets are clean. No used needles or face masks. Try explaining to Russians a “poop” map. They cannot grasp the concept.

With the threat of nuclear war higher than it’s ever been in my lifetime (and I was alive during the Cuban missile crisis), I’ve been thinking more about Russia. Unlike most of our national (U.S.) politicians, I don’t hate Russia or the Russian people. (Same goes for China.)The more I learn about Russians, the more I like and admire them.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men?

Posted on May 7, 2024 | Comments Off on Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men?

Jim Goad is one of my favorite living cultural commentators. On par with a young P. J. O’Rourke, who died in 2022 at age 74. Last year Goad wrote a thoughtful and thought-provoking article on why women outlive men. A sample:

This disparity is not exclusive to the United States. In fact, it’s worse elsewhere. Worldwide, women outlive men by an average of seven years. According to a 2001 report, the only five countries on Earth where men outlived women were the flea-bitten open-air latrines we call Afghanistan, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. But a report from 2017 says there’s no longer any country on the planet where men outlive women.

It wasn’t always this way.

According to data from developed countries, men lived longer than women throughout most of the 1800s, only for the longevity stats to tip in favor of females during the 1890s — an advantage that women have held ever since. Women are supposedly more vulnerable than men to infectious diseases, but once male scientists got a grip on the microbes and brought those pesky critters to heel, women started living longer than men.

As far as I know, women have never thanked men for it.

+ + +

For another example of Goad’s work, check out his valentine, Why I Never Gave Up On Women.

  Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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Nomad Capitalist Ranks Ireland Among the Four Most Free Countries

Posted on May 7, 2024 | Comments Off on Nomad Capitalist Ranks Ireland Among the Four Most Free Countries

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ANFSCD: Who Do You Trust?

Posted on April 12, 2024 | Comments Off on ANFSCD: Who Do You Trust?

I’m increasingly distrustful of the mainstream (aka legacy) media. Ownership of it is in the hands of surprisingly few people. This makes reported news susceptible to manipulation by folks that have an agenda that may be at odds with your desire for “just the facts.”

In 1976, when the U.S had only three or four national over-the-air TV stations and no Internet, 72% of Americans trusted mass media. A Gallup poll found that in 2023, only 32% of Americans had a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of trust in the mass media. A larger percentage—39%—had “none at all.” In view of AI or CGI-generated imaging, it’s getting hard to believe anything you don’t see with your own eyes.

Most of the mainstream media (aka legacy media) consumed in the U.S. originates from a handful of companies. From a 2021 essay by Helen Johnson:

In 1983 there were 50 dominant media corporations. Today there are five. These five conglomerates own about 90 percent of the media in the United States, including newspapers, magazines, book publishers, motion picture studios and radio and television stations. As of 2020, the five media giants are AT&T (Time Warner, CNN, HBO), Comcast (NBC Universal, Telemundo, Universal Pictures), Disney (ABC, ESPN, Pixar, Marvel Studios), News Corp (Fox News, Wall Street Journal, New York Post) and ViacomCBS (CBS, Paramount Pictures).

Alternative Media for Your Consideration (not for local news, sports, weather)

By no means do I endorse or agree with everything you see or hear at these sites.

  • Tucker Carlson on X (news, opinion, politics, interviews)
  • RamzPaul on Rumble (news, cultural commentary, nationalism)
  • The Dan Bongino Show on Rumble (politics, news, opinion)
  • Michael Farris’ podcast “Coffee and a Mike” (interviews)
  • “Redacted” with Natali and Clayton Morris on Rumble (news, cultural commentary)
  • Jeffrey Prather’s “The Prather Point” on Rumble (preparedness, Deep State exposure, communitarianism)
  • The Epoch Times (U.S. and international news, lifestyle, health, Falun Gong)
  • The Unz Review (cultural commentary, economics, literature, politics, conspiracy)
  • Catherine Austin Fitts at Solari.com (for personal finance and investing, banking, government)
  • RT at RT.com (news and commentary from a Russian viewpoint)
  • O’Keefe Media Group (citizen journalism, expose wrongdoing)
  • Democracy Now! at http://www.democracynow.org or on YouTube (independent global news)
  • Paul Craig Roberts at paulcraigroberts.org (opinion, politics, cultural decay)
  • Al Jazeera at aljazeera.com (international news organization based in Qatar)
  • Lew Rockwell at LewRockwell.com (news and opinion)
  • Alex Jones at Infowars.com (news, opinion, health, politics, economics, conspiracy, vitamins)
  • Vox Popoli at voxday.net (philosophy, economics, politics, books, Arktoons, socio-sexual hierarchy, Christianity, classic literature)
  • Russell Brand on Rumble.com (news, social commentary, iconoclasm, politics)
  • Glenn Greenwald on Rumble.com (mostly politics)
  • Stew Peters Network on Rumble.com (social commentary, news)
  • Karl Denninger, The Market Ticker at market-ticker.org (finance and politics)
  • The Joe Rogan Experience at Spotify.com (long-form interviews with comics, entertainers, politicians, scientists, etc.
  • The Chris Hedges Report at The Real News Network (TheRealNews.com) or YouTube, or ChrisHedges.substack.com (wide-ranging interviews, essays)
  • The Real News Network at TheRealNews.com (journalism “advancing the cause of a more just, equal, and livable planet”);
  • Elijah Schaffer’s “Slightly Offensive” channel at Rumble.com (social commentary, interviews)
  • Censored.tv (Comedy and cultural commentary; some free content, much behind paywall)
  • Louder With Crowder podcast (Steven Crowder: comedy, news, politics)
  • Judging Freedom (Andrew Napolitano) on YouTube (law and politics)
  • The Jimmy Dore Show on Rumble.com (comedy, news, politics)
  • Timcast IRL (Tim Pool) podcast or YouTube (news, politics, culture)
  • Matt Taibbi at http://www.racket.news and the podcast America This Week (news, opinion, cancel culture, culture war)

I’d like to know if you agree or disagree with these choices, or if you’d add any.

Paul Craig Roberts writes that most folk in the West don’t have an accurate view of many historical events because honest journalism is suppressed by the mainstream media. He implies that most of us have no factual understanding of the following events:

  • The assassination of President John F. Kennedy
  • The Gulf of Tonkin incident
  • The 1964 Civil Rights Act
  • The Soviet Collapse
  • 9/11
  • Saddam Hussein’s “weapons of mass destruction”
  • The overthrow and murder of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
  • The Maidan Revolution of 2014
  • The Ukrainian-Russian conflict
  • The Israeli genocide of Palestine
  • The 2020 US presidential election
  • The current legal charges against Trump

Off the top of my head, I would add:

  • Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry in to WWII
  • The attack on the U.S.S. Liberty
  • The truth about Abraham Lincoln

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: ANFSCD = And Now For Something Completely Different

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High Intensity Exercise May Be Uniquely Beneficial to the Brain

Posted on April 2, 2024 | Comments Off on High Intensity Exercise May Be Uniquely Beneficial to the Brain

…at least according to Dr Rhonda Patrick. I’d never heard of her before and don’t know her credentials.

You know what else is good for the brain? The Mediterranean diet.

Not Dr Patrick

I’m linking this video here in hopes of digging deeper in the future. You can read about her at what I assume is one of her websites.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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Posted in Alzheimer Disease, Dementia

ANFSCD: Is the Past a Future Country?

Posted on April 1, 2024 | Comments Off on ANFSCD: Is the Past a Future Country?
A spiteful mutant

This post has nothing to do with weight management, Mediterranean diet, or fitness. If that’s why you dropped by, merrily move along. You won’t hurt my feelings. Or better yet, check out the topics in the right-side column.

Over at Unz.com, Bernard M. Smith has reviewed a book, The Past is a Future Country: The Coming Conservative Demographic Revolution, by Edward Dutton & J.O.A. Rayner-Hilles. If you have above average intelligence and are dismayed at the Western cultural degradation of the last 60 years, you may enjoy this review (and book) and it may cheer you up. The central thesis of the book seems to be that:

…..religious and traditionally conservative people outbreed irreligious and liberal people. Similarly, the very stupid and impulsive likewise outbreed irreligious and liberal people. Eventually there must be a political and social reckoning for these facts. This is a book that does what it can to tease all that it can from that reality while filling in the details of why societies and civilizations move as they do.

From the book directly:


There will be a ‘Great Escape’, whereby intelligent, conservative people flee apocalyptic chaos to establish refuges of civilization in which they weather the storm of the Dark Age. Those exiled will be conservative, middle class, and white (defined very broadly), set against ‘post-liberal’ areas of mixed ethnic minorities, with some white admixture. Today, the Woke will continue to induce guilt in the white or otherwise ‘privileged’ middle-class population, but tomorrow the underclass will be the frightening majority of the Western population, and too vast in size, and offensive in character, to sustain further sympathy. Lower IQ whites, reluctant or unable to move due to the associations between low IQ and conservatism and between high IQ and migration, will simply merge into the majority non-white populations; dissolving away into extinction like the Neanderthals.

Back to Mr. Bernard:

It is strange to think of religiosity as a positive evolutionary trait but that is the argument. In fact, upon reflection, it makes perfect sense. The West became great because it was all of these — it was composed of pious, virtuous, and intelligent people who were tribally conscious. Without thinking of it in Darwinian terms, they were people who venerated the past (their ancestors) and made provision for the future (their children) — and the only people they did not think of were themselves. Today, it is all inverted: our age mocks the past, makes no provision for the future (because they have no children), and thinks only of themselves (as the narcissistic people that they are). In a few words, we are irreverent presentists.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the “spiteful mutants” theory of societal deterioration. Professor Dutton came up with that.

This is just here for my possible future reference. I’m tempted to get the book.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: ANFSCD = And Now For Something Completely Different

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