Dietary supplements (DS) are widely used to address nutritional deficiencies and promote health, yet their indiscriminate use often leads to reduced efficacy, adverse effects, and safety concerns. Biomarker-driven approaches have emerged as a promising strategy to optimize DS prescriptions, ensuring precision and reducing risks associated with generic recommendations. This narrative review synthesizes findings from key studies on biomarker-guided dietary supplementation and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in biomarker analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmerging evidence suggests that personalized dietary supplement regimens can significantly influence lipid metabolism and cardiovascular risk. The efficacy of AI-guided dietary supplement prescriptions, compared with standard physician-guided prescriptions, remains underexplored. In a randomized, parallel-group pilot study, 70 patients aged 40-75 years with LDL-C levels between 70 and 190 mg/dL were enrolled.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExploring the link between genetic polymorphisms in folate metabolism genes (MTHFR, MTR, and MTRR) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), this study evaluates the effect of B vitamin supplements (methylfolate, pyridoxal-5'-phosphate, and methylcobalamin) on homocysteine and lipid levels, potentially guiding personalized CVD risk management. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 54 patients aged 40-75 with elevated homocysteine and moderate LDL-C levels were divided based on MTHFR, MTR, and MTRR genetic polymorphisms. Over six months, they received either a combination of methylfolate, P5P, and methylcobalamin, or a placebo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to determine the impact of a fiber supplement on body weight and composition in individuals with obesity with specific genetic polymorphisms. It involved 112 adults with obesity, each with at least one minor allele in the FTO, LEP, LEPR, or MC4R polymorphism. Participants were randomized to receive either a fiber supplement (glucomannan, inulin, and psyllium) or a placebo for 180 days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmerging evidence suggests that PPARG gene polymorphisms may influence lipid metabolism and cardiovascular risk, with omega-3 fatty acids proposed to modulate these effects. This study aims to assess the effects of fish oil supplementation on cardiovascular markers among adults with PPARG gene polymorphisms in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. A cohort of 102 patients with LDL-C 70-190 mg/dL was randomized to receive either 2000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids or a placebo daily for 90 days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSince 2020, COVID-19 has caused serious mortality around the world. Given the ambiguity in establishing COVID-19 as the direct cause of death, we first investigate the effects of age and sex on all-cause mortality during 2020 and 2021 in England and Wales. Since infectious agents have their own unique age profile for death, we use a 9-year time series and several different methods to adjust single-year-of-age deaths in England and Wales during 2019 (the pre-COVID-19 base year) to a pathogen-neutral single-year-of-age baseline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogen interference is the ability of one pathogen to alter the course and clinical outcomes of infection by another. With up to 3000 species of human pathogens the potential combinations are vast. These combinations operate within further immune complexity induced by infection with multiple persistent pathogens, and by the role which the human microbiome plays in maintaining health, immune function, and resistance to infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Current guidelines recommend adequate anticoagulation for at least 3 weeks pre- and 4 weeks post-direct current cardioversion (DCCV) to reduce thrombo-embolic risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) lasting greater than 48 h. No specific recommendations exist for DCCV in patients that have undergone left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO), many of whom are ineligible for anticoagulation. This study aims to observe the efficacy and safety of DCCV post-LAAO in everyday clinical practice.
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