Unsupervised Learning Analysis of Triglycerides, Inflammation, Cholesterol, and the Risks of Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes in the Women's Health Study.

Background: Traditional cardiovascular risk assessment entails investigator-defined exposure levels and individual risk markers in multivariable analysis. We sought to determine whether an alternative unbiased learning analysis might provide further insights into vascular risk.

Methods: We conducted an unsupervised learning (k-means cluster) analysis in the Women's Health Study (N=26 443) using baseline levels of triglycerides, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to form novel exposures.

C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk among women with no standard modifiable risk factors: evaluating the 'SMuRF-less but inflamed'.

Background And Aims: Interventions in preventive cardiology traditionally focus on four standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs): hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, and smoking. Yet, a substantial proportion of incident cardiovascular events accrues for individuals with none of these factors, particularly among women for whom cardiovascular disease remains under-detected and under-treated. The utility of the inflammatory biomarker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) was evaluated to detect cardiovascular risk in SMuRF-less women participating in the prospective NIH-funded Women's Health Study.

Polygenic prediction of body mass index and obesity through the life course and across ancestries.

Polygenic scores (PGSs) for body mass index (BMI) may guide early prevention and targeted treatment of obesity. Using genetic data from up to 5.1 million people (4.

Identification of individuals who benefit from omega-3 fatty acid supplementation to prevent coronary heart disease: a machine-learning analysis of the VITAL.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated benefits of marine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 FA) supplementation for the prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, it has not been clear which individuals benefit the most from supplementation. We sought to develop an omega-3 effect score to stratify individuals according to their expected benefit from supplementation.

Circulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and liver cancer risk: a nested case-control analysis of individual participant data from 12 prospective cohorts.

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been associated with numerous deleterious health outcomes including liver damage. However, whether exposure to PFAS is associated with liver cancer risk remains unclear.

Methods: We conducted a matched nested case-control study among 12 prospective cohort studies located in the United States.

Use of the Brain Care Score to Estimate the Risk of Incident Cerebrovascular Events in Middle-Aged Women.

Background And Objectives: In the United States, stroke is the third leading cause of death among women, with 1 in 5 women aged 55 to 75 years expected to experience a stroke. The Brain Care Score (BCS) is an evidence-based tool designed to motivate lifestyle changes, with higher scores associated with reduced risk of stroke, dementia, and depression. We aim to measure the association of the BCS and incident cerebrovascular events (CVEs), including stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA), in the Women's Health Study (WHS).

Pre-Pandemic Physical Activity and Early COVID-19 Pandemic Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults.

Pre-pandemic physical activity (PA) levels may be associated with a lower risk of experiencing depressive symptoms in the context of psychosocial resilience during a global crisis. To investigate the association between self-reported pre-pandemic PA levels and the risk of experiencing depressive symptoms during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in older U.S.

Vitamin D supplementation vs. placebo and incident type 2 diabetes in an ancillary study of the randomized Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial.

Observational and experimental evidence suggests that vitamin D plays a role in type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, prior randomized supplementation trials are limited to high-risk patients with prediabetes. Here we aim to evaluate whether vitamin D supplementation reduces risk of T2D in a general population of older US adults.

A Bayesian analysis of the VITAL trial: effects of ω-3 fatty acid supplementation on cardiovascular events.

Background: Effects of ω-3 fatty acids (FAs) supplementation on cardiovascular outcomes have been investigated in several randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) is the largest trial that tested the effect of ω-3 FA supplementation (840 mg/d of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in 1.2:1) in a primary prevention population in the United States, with nonsignificant results (P > 0.

Potato Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in a Harmonized Analysis of Seven Prospective Cohorts.

: While previous study results have suggested an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes with potato consumption, limited and inconsistent results are available on the association of potato consumption with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and hypertension (HTN). We assessed the associations of (i) total potato consumption with the risk of CVD and HTN as the primary aim and (ii) fried potatoes and combined baked, boiled, and mashed potatoes with the risk of CVD and HTN as the secondary aim. : We conducted a meta-analysis using data from seven cohorts for CVD ( = 110,063) and five cohorts for HTN ( = 67,146).

Vitamin D Supplementation, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease and Asthma Exacerbations, and Lung Function Decline.

Background: It remains unclear whether supplementation with vitamin D reduces risk of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) or asthma, major contributors to the world-wide burden of disease.

Objectives: To compare effects of vitamin D with placebo supplementation for the prespecified primary endpoints 1) acute exacerbations of COPD and 2) decline in pulmonary function measures of airflow obstruction. Prespecified secondary endpoints included asthma exacerbations and control.

Effect of daily alcohol intake on sex hormone levels among postmenopausal breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitor therapy: a randomized controlled crossover pilot study.

Background: Alcohol intake is associated with a higher risk of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer (BC), presumably through its confirmed ability to increase sex hormone levels. Whether consuming alcohol within the recommended limit of one serving per day increases sex hormone levels among postmenopausal women taking aromatase inhibitors (AI) to inhibit estrogen production remains unknown. Therefore, we compared sex hormone levels following white wine to levels following white grape juice among ER + BC survivors taking AIs.

Biomarkers of glucose-insulin homeostasis and incident type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease: results from the Vitamin D and Omega-3 trial.

Background: Dysglycemia and insulin resistance increase type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, yet associations with specific glucose-insulin homeostatic biomarkers have been inconsistent. Vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) may improve insulin resistance. We sought to examine the association between baseline levels of insulin, C-peptide, HbA1c, and a novel insulin resistance score (IRS) with incident cardiometabolic diseases, and whether randomized vitamin D or n-3 FA modify these associations.

Associations of Everyday Discrimination With Insomnia and Short Sleep Duration Among Older Women.

Background: Discrimination may contribute to sleep health disparities among women, yet limited research has investigated the association between discrimination and insomnia with short sleep.

Methods And Results: Among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of women (N=25 920; mean age, 72.2±6.

Potato Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Harmonized Analysis of 7 Prospective Cohorts.

Background: Data on the relation of potato consumption with risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) are limited and inconsistent. It is unclear whether the plant-based diet index (PDI), which is a novel and comprehensive tool to assess overall dietary pattern, modifies the association of potato intake with T2D.

Objectives: We examined the association of total, combined baked, boiled, and mashed potatoes and fried potatoes with risk of T2D and test the interaction between PDI score and potato consumption on T2D risk.

Inflammation, Cholesterol, Lipoprotein(a), and 30-Year Cardiovascular Outcomes in Women.

Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a) levels contribute to 5-year and 10-year predictions of cardiovascular risk and represent distinct pathways for pharmacologic intervention. More information about the usefulness of these biomarkers for predicting cardiovascular risk over longer periods of time in women is needed because early-life intervention represents an important risk-reduction method.

Methods: We measured high-sensitivity CRP, LDL cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a) levels at baseline in 27,939 initially healthy U.

Migraine and Risk of Parkinson Disease in Women: A Cohort Study.

Background And Objectives: Migraine and Parkinson disease (PD) are common neurologic disorders, which are hypothesized to share some pathophysiologic mechanisms. However, data on the association between migraine and risk of developing PD are sparse. We estimate the effect of migraine, migraine subtypes, and migraine episode frequency on the risk of developing PD in middle-aged and older women.

Associations of Vitamin D-Related Biomarkers With Hypertension and the Renin-Angiotensin System in Men and Women.

Background: Vitamin D may prevent the development of hypertension through down-regulation of renin-angiotensin system. However, epidemiologic studies assessing the interrelation of vitamin D-related biomarkers with hypertension are sparse.

Methods: We examined the prospective associations between vitamin D-related biomarkers and the risk of hypertension in a nested case-control study.

The Effect of Randomized Beta-Carotene Supplementation on CKD in Men.

Introduction: Beta-carotene (BC) protects the body against free radicals that may damage the kidney and lead to the development of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Previous studies in animal models have demonstrated a potential protective effect of 30 mg/kg BC supplementation on renal ischemia or reperfusion injury and subsequently improved kidney function. The extension of these findings to humans, however, remains unclear.

Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Risk of All-Cause Mortality in Women.

Importance: Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality, but data on underlying molecular mechanisms over long follow-up are limited.

Objectives: To investigate Mediterranean diet adherence and risk of all-cause mortality and to examine the relative contribution of cardiometabolic factors to this risk reduction.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study included initially healthy women from the Women's Health Study, who had provided blood samples, biomarker measurements, and dietary information.