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A review of epidemiological studies on the intake of oats and oat-based products and its effect on the risk of chronic disease and deaths was performed. Seven studies were identified of cancer risk (two each on prostate and colorectal cancer, and one each on pancreatic, breast and endometrial cancer), and one study on overall mortality. With the exception of a case-control study of pancreatic cancer, all studies were of cohort design: five studies were based on a single cohort from Denmark. The results of most cohort studies suggest a weak protective effect of a high intake of oats on cancer risk (relative risks in the order of 0·9). Potential limitations of the studies are dietary exposure misclassification, low statistical power because of limited exposure contrast and residual confounding. Despite the evidence from experimental and mechanistic studies of a protective effect of oats intake on CVD and diabetes, no epidemiological studies have been conducted on these conditions. Copyright © 2014 The Authors.

Because of the overweight/obesity epidemic and attendant increase in risk of chronic disease worldwide, there is a pressing need to identify effective weight loss strategies. Current recommendations for weight loss advocate a reduced-calorie dietary pattern (lower in total fat) in conjunction with regular physical activity and behavior change. This combined approach is important for long-term adherence and weight maintenance. Several large-scale clinical trials implementing different reduced-calorie dietary patterns have shown that 4 to 10 kg of weight is typically lost. The different hypocaloric dietary patterns shown to be effective include reduced-fat diets (10%–30% of calories from fat), a Mediterranean-style diet, and diets that are reduced in energy density. The weight loss achieved is accompanied by beneficial changes in cardiovascular disease risk, including the lipid and lipoprotein profile and blood pressure. This article summarizes our current understanding of effective weight loss programs.

High consumption of whole-grain food such as oats is associated with a reduced risk of CVD and type 2 diabetes. The present study aimed to systematically review the literature describing long-term intervention studies that investigated the effects of oats or oat bran on CVD risk factors. The literature search was conducted using Embase, Medline and the Cochrane library, which identified 654 potential articles. Seventy-six articles describing sixty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies lacked statistical power to detect a significant effect of oats on any of the risk factors considered: 59 % of studies had less than thirty subjects in the oat intervention group. Out of sixty-four studies that assessed systemic lipid markers, thirty-seven (58 %) and thirty-four (49 %) showed a significant reduction in total cholesterol (2-19 % reduction) and LDL-cholesterol (4-23 % reduction) respectively, mostly in hypercholesterolaemic subjects. Few studies (three and five, respectively) described significant effects on HDL-cholesterol and TAG concentrations. Only three out of twenty-five studies found a reduction in blood pressure after oat consumption. None of the few studies that measured markers of insulin sensitivity and inflammation found any effect after long-term oat consumption. Long-term dietary intake of oats or oat bran has a beneficial effect on blood cholesterol. However, there is no evidence that it favourably modulates insulin sensitivity. It is still unclear whether increased oat consumption significantly affects other risk markers for CVD risk, and comprehensive, adequately powered and controlled intervention trials are required to address this question. Copyright © 2014 The Authors.

The objective of this Executive Summary is to provide a synopsis of the research findings presented at the American Heart Association conference “Dietary Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Health—Dietary Recommendations for Fatty Acids: Is There Ample Evidence?” held on June 5–6, 2000, in Reston, Va. The conference was held to summarize the current understanding of the effects of fatty acids on risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, as well as to identify gaps in our knowledge base that need to be addressed. There is great interest in learning more about the biological effects of the individual fatty acids, their role in chronic disease risk, and their underlying mechanisms of action. As research advances are made, there is always the need to question how new findings may be translated into practice. There is a long history of research providing the basis for the modification of existing dietary guidelines. Research findings have been used to verify intake criteria and are considered along with practical issues of implementation to establish new guidelines. A substantive body of consistent evidence sufficient to defend a dietary recommendation or a change in existing dietary guidance is essential. The conference highlighted the progress that has been made in understanding the biological effects of fatty acids and also addressed the need to learn more about how different fatty acids affect the risk of chronic disease, within the context of refining dietary guidance to further enhance health. As study designs have become increasingly rigorous, a number of megatrends have emerged from the data.1 2 There is increased emphasis on identifying the type of fat that best correlates with disease end points. The classic studies of Keys et al3 and Hegsted et al4 have shown that saturated fatty acids (ie, those with a carbon chain length of C12:0 …