Medical Bulletin 27/October/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Physical Activity vs Sedentary Time in Reducing Mortality Risk

A new study published in the journal Heart has found that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is more important than sedentary time in reducing mortality risk. The study, involved data from over 11,000 participants in four prospective cohort studies.

The researchers found that people who accumulated more than 12 hours of sedentary time per day had a higher risk of death, but only among those who accumulated less than 22 minutes of MVPA per day. Higher levels of MVPA were associated with a lower risk of death, regardless of sedentary time.

Reference: Sagelv EH, Hopstock LA, Morseth B, et alDevice-measured physical activity, sedentary time, and risk of all-cause mortality: an individual participant data analysis of four prospective cohort studiesBritish Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 24 October 2023. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106568

Do higher triglyceride levels protect against dementia? New study sheds light.

A new study has found that older adults with higher triglyceride levels may have a lower risk of dementia and slower cognitive decline over time. The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, involved data from over 18,000 participants in the ASPREE clinical trial and 68,000 participants in the UK Biobank.

The researchers found that people with higher triglyceride levels were less likely to develop dementia, even after adjusting for other risk factors such as age, sex, education, and cardiovascular disease. They also found that people with higher triglyceride levels had a slower decline in global, composite cognition, and memory over time.

Reference: Association Between Triglycerides and Risk of Dementia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study Zhen Zhou, Joanne Ryan, Andrew M Tonkin, Sophia Zoungas, Paul Lacaze, Rory Wolfe, Suzanne G Orchard, Anne M Murray, John J Mcneil, Chenglong Yu, Gerald F Watts, Sultana Monira Hussain, Lawrence J Beilin, Michael Ernst, Nigel Stocks, Robyn L Woods, Chao Zhu, Christopher Reid, Raj C Shah, Trevor T Chong, Ajay Sood, Kerry M Sheets, Mark Nelson

Neurology Oct 2023, 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207923; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207923

Is heated yoga effective in reducing depression? Findings from new study

A new study has found that heated yoga is an effective treatment for moderate-to-severe depression. The study, which was published in the The Journal Of Clinical Psychiatry, involved 80 participants who were randomized to either a heated yoga intervention or a waitlist control group. The heated yoga intervention consisted of attending heated yoga classes at least twice per week for 8 weeks. The waitlist control group did not receive any intervention.

The primary intervention efficacy outcome variable was change in the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology—Clinician Rated (IDS-CR) score from baseline to post-intervention (week 8).

Reference: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Community-Delivered Heated Hatha Yoga for Moderate-to-Severe Depression, Maren B. Nyer et al, The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, October 23, 2023