August Top 10: Vitamin D intake, ending physician burnout, gut microbiome
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Healio Gastroenterology presents the following report on the top 10 peer-tested stories from August.
Coverage included vitamin D’s link to the risk for colorectal cancer, presentations from the Ending Physician Burnout Global Summit, the microbiome’s impact on psychiatric disorders and more.
Higher vitamin D intake may decrease risk for CRC
Higher intake of vitamin D correlated with a decreased risk for early-onset colorectal cancer and CRC precursors among a cohort of young women, according to research published in Gastroenterology.
“Despite a decline in the overall incidence of CRC in many countries, including the U.S., the incidence of CRC in younger adults has been rising. ... Because a substantial proportion of early-onset CRC patients do not have a family history of CRC or known hereditary syndrome, recent changes in lifestyle factors and dietary patterns are hypothesized to contribute to the increasing incidence of early-onset CRC,” Hanseul Kim, PhD, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and colleagues wrote. “Vitamin D intake represents a possible factor that may contribute to the recent increase in early-onset CRC incidence.” READ MORE.
Recognizing perfectionism, praising accomplishments reduces charting stress
The keys to reducing stress associated with charting is recognizing maladaptive perfectionism, focusing on accomplishments and ‘only handling it once,’ according to a speaker at the Ending Physician Burnout Global Summit.
“I don’t think I have to tell you all of the impact of the electronic health record and what a large contributor the EMR is in the epidemic of burnout,” Gail Gazelle, MD, MCC, founding member of the Harvard Institute of Coaching, said. “What I find as a coach is that many physicians expend a lot of energy on things that they cannot control and with the electronic health record, sadly, what we can control is miniscule. What I want for each of you is to mobilize your energy toward the things that you can control and not dissipate your precious energy stores on the things that you can't.” READ MORE.
Q&A: Determining the gut microbiome’s impact on psychiatric disorders
Recent research has supported the theory of a connection between the gut and brain.
Bacteria in the gut can impact mood, postpartum conditions, autism and stress. Patients with psychiatric disorders including depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia compared with those without these conditions have significantly different gut microbiomes. READ MORE.
Frequent drinking vs. quantity of alcohol consumption increases risk for GI cancer
Frequent drinking and not the amount of alcohol consumed per occasion was a more significant risk factor for incident gastrointestinal cancers, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
“In the present study, most moderate and heavy drinkers were men, and only 10.8% of moderate drinkers and 5.5% of heavy drinkers were women,” Jung Eun Yoo, MD, PhD, department of family medicine, Healthcare System Gangnam Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, and colleagues wrote. “Therefore, it is possible that the association of alcohol consumption with cancer risk in women was underestimated and appeared to be less prominent than in men. In general, current guidelines on alcohol consumption specify only mean levels of consumption (eg, mean number of units consumed in 1 week). The American Cancer Society recommends that people who drink alcohol limit their intake to no more than two units per day for men and one drink a day for women, and the European Code Against Cancer recommends limiting or cutting out alcohol consumption. In addition to amount per occasion, our study provides a rationale for an emphasis on the frequency of drinking to prevent cancer. Alcohol users who have a glass of wine or beer during dinner every day may develop more cancer than people who occasionally consume several drinks.” READ MORE.
Psyllium reduces dietary fiber-induced gas production in IBS-D, IBS-C
Psyllium reduced inulin-induced colonic gas production among patients with Rome IV criteria irritable bowel syndrome, according to research published in Gut.
“The connection between intestinal gas and gut symptoms is complex as signaling from gut to brain is influenced by many factors in patients with IBS. Although cross-sectional studies of unselected patients with IBS have not shown excessive intestinal gas compared with healthy controls, increases in gas have been related to symptom induction,” David Gunn, Nottingham Research Center, and colleagues wrote. “Inulin-type fructans worsen some symptoms in IBS particularly when given at higher doses. ... Alternative approaches to control of colonic fermentation in IBS are therefore being actively pursued.” READ MORE.
Gut microbiota underdeveloped in children with autism spectrum disorder
Novel bacterial markers predicted autism spectrum disorder in children and showed persistent underdevelopment of the gut microbiota among these children, according to data published in Gut.
“The gut microbiota has been suggested to play a role in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We postulate that children with ASD harbor an altered developmental profile of the gut microbiota distinct from that of typically developing (TD) children,” Yating Wan, PhD, from the Center for Gut Microbiota Research, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China, and colleagues wrote. “Here, we aimed to characterize compositional and functional alterations in gut microbiome in association with age in children with ASD and to identify novel fecal bacterial markers for predicting ASD.” READ MORE.
Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus subtilis effective in functional dyspepsia treatment
Spore-forming probiotics were safe and effective in the treatment of patients with functional dyspepsia, according to research published in the Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
“First-line therapy for functional dyspepsia is acid suppression with [proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs)]. ... Previous studies suggested efficacy of probiotics for PPI-related side effects and uninvestigated dyspeptic symptoms, which could be caused by an altered small intestinal microbiome,” Lucas Wauters, MD, University Hospitals Leuven, and colleagues wrote. “Despite beneficial effects of Bacillus coagulans and Bacillus subtilis strains on gut permeability and inflammation in in vitro models, clinical trials on the effect of spore-forming probiotics are absent in human disorders with similar alterations, including functional dyspepsia.” READ MORE.
WHO releases global guidance for HBV, HCV elimination
WHO released the first-ever global guidance for countries seeking validated hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus elimination.
“The 2016 WHO Global Health Sector Strategy (GHSS) on viral hepatitis provided a roadmap for the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health problem by 2030,” Philippa Easterbrook, MD, global hepatitis and HIV department for WHO, and colleagues wrote. “The 2020 Sustainable Development Goals and GHSS target of reducing the incidence of hepatitis B has been met. However, most other global 2020 targets have been missed, and accelerated action is needed to reach elimination.” READ MORE.
Building ‘digital real estate’ increases your value, diversifies experience
Personal branding and building ‘digital real estate’ offers the ability to showcase your expertise, diversify your experience and increase your value, according to speakers at the Ending Physician Burnout Global Summit.
“Social media and the online digital space are a solution for burnt out health care professionals in things like personal branding,” Dana Corriel, MD, board certified internist, said. “Personal branding can, when done correctly, increase your worth offline when you build up content that showcases that you're an expert in something – you can come to the negotiating table and know that you're worth more.” READ MORE.
Maternal obesity, weight gain increase risk for CRC among adult offspring
In utero events such as maternal obesity and weight gain increased the risk for colorectal cancer development among adult offspring, according to research published in Gut.
“Like many, we have been alarmed by the rapid increase in CRC in young adults. We previously noted that CRC has increased across generations in the U.S. starting with Generation X (approximately birth years 1965-1980). This observation suggests that factors or events in early life likely play a role,” Caitlin C. Murphy, PhD, MPH, associate professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, told Healio Gastroenterology. “The Child Health and Development Studies provided an unprecedented opportunity to study the link between early life and CRC, and among persons born exactly when rates of CRC started to increase.” READ MORE.
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