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Background: Although mindfulness‐based group therapies (MGTs) for depressive, anxiety or stress and adjustment disorders are promising, there is a substantial lack of knowledge regarding the long‐term improvements after such therapies in these common psychiatric disorders. Methods: Two hundred and fifteen patients were randomized in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01476371) conducted in 2012 at 16 primary healthcare centres in southern Sweden. The patients were randomized to MGT or treatment as usual (TAU) and completed four psychometric self‐rated scales after 8 weeks of treatment. Approximately 12 months after the completion of the 8‐week treatment, the same scales were repeated. Ordinal and generalized linear‐mixed models, adjusted for cluster effects, were used for the analysis. Results: For all four psychometric scales (MADRS‐S [Montgomery‐Åsberg Depression Rating Scale‐S], HADS‐D, HADS‐A [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale A and D] and PHQ‐9 [Patient Health Questionnaire‐9]) the scores at the 1‐year follow‐up were significantly improved (all P values <0.001) in both groups. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the MGT and TAU in the psychometric scores at the 1‐year follow‐up. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first RCT comparing the long‐term improvements after MGT with TAU. Although it cannot be excluded that our findings are a result of the natural course of common psychiatric disorders or other factors, they suggest a long‐term positive improvement after both MGT and TAU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A multifunctional diet (MFD) was previously shown to reduce blood lipids, CRP and blood pressure in a 4-week intervention under weight-maintenance conditions. Here, MFD effects were evaluated in an 8-week intervention with no restriction for weight changes. Methods: Healthy subjects consumed MFD (23 subjects) or a control diet (CD) devoid of the functional components (24 subjects) in a 'free-living' randomized controlled experiment. MFD included several functional concepts: low-glycemic-impact meals, antioxidant-rich foods, oily fish, viscous dietary fibers, soybean and whole barley kernel products, almonds and plant stanols. Measured outcomes were fasting blood values of lipids, glucose, insulin, GGT, CRP, HbA1c, PAI-1, GLP-1, GLP-2, body weight, blood pressure and breath hydrogen. Results: At baseline, participants were 51-72 years old, with BMI between 25 and 34 and fasting glycemia ≤ 6.1 mmol/L. Consumption of both diets resulted in similar weight loss after 8 weeks (−4 %; P < 0.001). Compared to baseline, consumption of MFD reduced total serum cholesterol (−26 %; P < 0.0001), LDL cholesterol (−35 %; P < 0.0001), triglycerides (−16 %; P < 0.05), LDL/HDL (−27 %; P < 0.0001) and ApoB/ApoA1 (−15 %; P < 0.0001). There were important net differences between diets, which remained significant after adjustment for body weight. Reduced systolic blood pressure, circulating GGT, HbA1c and insulin concentrations were observed with both MFD and CD with no difference between diets. The Reynolds cardiovascular risk score was decreased by 36 % ( P < 0.0001) with MFD. MFD increased breath hydrogen levels (120 %; P < 0.05). Conclusions: Consumption of MFD decreased blood lipids and improved several other aspects of the cardiometabolic risk profile. This effect was not dependent on weight loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]