New Hampshire Health News Digest

Strong statin-diabetes link seen in large study -- ScienceDaily : Veterans Affairs Research Communications Summary: In a study of nearly 26,000 beneficiaries of Tricare, the military health system, those taking statin drugs to control their cholesterol were 87 percent more likely to develop diabetes. The research confirms past findings on the link between the widely prescribed drugs and diabetes risk. But it is among the first to show the connection in a relatively healthy group of people. The study included only people who at baseline were free of heart disease, diabetes, and other severe chronic disease.

Contradictions and Cognitive Dissonance: The (Kevin) Hall Effect - The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D. : Have you seen the guy on the smart phone video popping up all over the internet saying he has disproven the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis of obesity? His name is Kevin Hall and he must be experiencing some real cognitive dissonance. Or I certainly am, given the sharp contrast between what his study results actually show and what he’s saying they show on the video. As we all know, cognitive dissonance occurs when we try to hold two opposing views in our mind at the same time, when we experience a disconnect between what we believe and what reality serves us up. And Hall certainly appears to have a disconnect.

The sugar conspiracy | Ian Leslie | Society | The Guardian : The sugar conspiracy In 1972, a British scientist sounded the alarm that sugar – and not fat – was the greatest danger to our health. But his findings were ridiculed and his reputation ruined. How did the world’s top nutrition scientists get it so wrong for so long?

Romans ate bread, had terrible health and weak bones. Why the average ancient Roman worker was dead by 30 - The Local : Indeed, historical evidence and tooth enamel analysis suggest that the lower echelons of Roman society subsisted on an extremely limited diet of poor quality, often rotting grains and stale bread. 

Stopping or reducing dietary fiber intake reduces constipation and its associated symptoms: CONCLUSION: Idiopathic constipation and its associated symptoms can be effectively reduced by stopping or even lowering the intake of dietary fiber. Background It is a widely accepted view that dietary fiber is essential for gut health and to promote bowel movements. However, most patients with chronic constipation seen by the authors were already taking high fiber diet with no improvement in their symptoms. Research frontiers The role of dietary fiber in patients with chronic constip is reevaluated. Innovations and breakthroughs The authors showed that reducing dietary fiber intake may actually improve symptoms of chronic constipation. Applications This could bring relief to millions of people suffering from chronic constipation in that reducing their dietary fiber intake may relieve their symptoms and suffering.