Whole grains and adiposity

This study examined associations of whole-grain intake with body weight and adiposity in two nationally representative samples of British adults. Generally it is believed that whole grains may reduce overweight.

A total of 2064 adults aged 16–64 years in 1986–1987, 1599 adults aged 19–64 years in 2000–2001. Whole-grain intake (g day^-1 and 16-g amounts) was estimated from consumption of all foods with >10, >25 or >51% whole-grain content, using 7-day weighed dietary records. Body weight, body mass index (BMI) and, in 2000–2001, waist circumference (WC) were measured.

For each survey, associations of whole-grain intake with body weight and anthropometric indices were examined in men and women separately, before and after adjustment for age, occupational social class, smoking habit, region, season.

In 1986–1987, whole-grain intake was inversely associated with percentage of men classified using BMI as obese (P=0.008, trend), independent of other factors. However, intake was not associated with body weight or prevalence of overweight. No corresponding associations were observed among women. In 2000–2001, whole-grain intake was not associated with body weight, BMI or WC.

 Two national surveys of British adults, with detailed quantitative estimates of whole-grain intake, provide little evidence of an association of whole-grain intake with body weight or measures of adiposity.

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Oxford league table of analgesics in acute pain

This league table was constructed for analgesics in acute pain. Information was from systematic reviews of randomised, double-blind, single-dose studies in patients with moderate to severe pain. For each review the outcome was identical - that is at least 50% pain relief over 4-6 hours. The pain measurements were standardised, and have been validated.

Effective relief can be achieved with oral non-opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Analgesic efficacy is expressed as the NNT, the number of patients who need to receive the active drug for one to achieve at least 50% relief of pain compared with placebo over a 4-6 hour treatment period. The most effective drugs have a low NNT of just over 2. This means that for every two patients who receive the drug one patient will get at least 50% relief because of the treatment (the other patient may or may not obtain relief but it does not reach the 50% level).

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Cancer and the pill

In 2005, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified combined oral contraceptives as carcinogenic because of a significant association with cervical cancer.

The report's authors challenged researchers to find out how long the risk lasted once women stopped taking their pills. A meta-analysis of about 85% of the known research on this topic finds that the excess risk decays relatively quickly, has disappeared completely within 10 years (relative risk of invasive cancer 1.65 for current users, falling to 1.05 after 10 years), and is confined to women who used combined oral contraceptives for at least five years.

Do hormonal contraceptives really cause cervical cancer?

It is hard to say for certain. Hormonal contraceptives may interact with human papillomaviruses to increase the likelihood that infection persists or to cause premalignant changes in the cervix.

But it is also possible that these associations are simply the result of residual confounding. Women who use hormonal contraceptives have more sex than women who don't (although the researchers did their best to adjust for this), and they are less likely to use barrier methods—such as condoms—that protect against infection with human papillomaviruses.

Women shouldn't let fear of cervical cancer stop them from taking effective hormonal contraceptives, the comment concludes.

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