The Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism (NPAM) promotes the expansion and exchange of knowledge on nutrition, physical activity, obesity and diabetes.  It promotes basic research in these areas and clinical studies to develop approaches for prevention and treatment of CHD and stroke.  It also develops advisories and educational materials used by providers in all areas of cardiovascular disease. Science subcommittees include nutrition, physical activity, obesity, diabetes, and behavior change.

We look forward to seeing you March 13-16 at the Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions in San Diego, Calif. Register for EPI/NPAM today! 

Look who’s talking about nutrition, physical activity, and metabolism.

Lora E. Burke, PhD, MPH, FAAN, FAHA

Peter Wilson, MD, FAHA

Jean-Pierre Després, PhD, FAHA, FIAS

Sherita Hill Golden, MD, MHS, FAHA

Rachel Johnson, PhD, MPH, RD

Top Advances in Nutrition, Physical Activity, Metabolism & Behavior Science for 2011

1	Comparative effectiveness of weight-loss interventions in clinical practice. Appel LJ et al. Comparative Effectiveness of Weight-Loss Interventions in Clinical Practice. N Engl J Med 2011; 365: 1959-68. Abstract “This is an important study that demonstrates the success of practical strategies to control weight in overweight and obese patients using a team-based effort involving a doctor and a coach. Three arms of the study tested interventions including a website, in-person and telephone-based counseling. On average patients lost 10 lbs by 6 months and maintained weight loss. Both interventions were equally effective (in-person) and (telephone). A novel feature was that coaches with limited expertise were trained to deliver wt. loss intervention and help patients maintain wt. loss. The key to success is 1) Coaching; 2) Website with automated email reminders 3.) Physician’s participation. The coach sent by fax or email a weight progress report that included target and current status with a brief message for the physician to give to the patient. The cost was economical and scalable.”     -- Lora E. Burke, PhD, MPH, FAAN, FAHA, Chair, NPAM Council
2	Patients' knowledge of risk and protective factors for cardiovascular disease. Wartak SA et al.  Patients' Knowledge of Risk and Protective Factors for Cardiovascular Disease. American Journal of Cardiology 2011; 107(10): 1480-8. Abstract “A cross-sectional survey of patients with coronary heart disease measured their knowledge of the American Heart Association’s 7 components of ideal cardiovascular health. Results found that only one third of patients could correctly identify the components associated with good cardiovascular health, suggesting that education efforts should target lower socioeconomic classes, since they did the worst, and should focus on healthy dieting and the importance of regular physical activity.”     -- Peter Wilson, MD, FAHA, Vice-Chair, NPAM Council
3	Cardiorespiratory fitness and classification of risk of cardiovascular disease mortality. Gupta S et al. Cardiorespiratory fitness and classification of risk of cardiovascular disease mortality. Circulation. 2011 Apr 5;123(13):1377-83. Epub 2011 Mar 21. Abstract “At a time that we are looking for new markers of CVD risk and evaluating the added value of performing costly and sophisticated imaging measurements of pre-clinical atherosclerosis, this paper provides robust evidence that we should first pay attention to cardiorespiratory fitness. In this cohort of 66371 subjects without prior CVD at baseline who were followed for a median period of 16 years, a single fitness measurement could improve classification of risk for CVD mortality when added to traditional risk factors. This paper really shows the added value of considering this simple non-invasive measurement in global CVD risk assessment. The study adds to the evidence showing that a good level of cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with a lower risk of various clinical outcomes even among patients with risk factors including type 2 diabetes.”      -- Jean-Pierre Després, PhD, FAHA, FIAS, Chair, Physical Activity Committee & NPAM Specialty Conference Program Committee
4	Collaborative care for patients with depression and chronic illnesses. Katon WJ et al. Collaborative Care for Patients with Depression and Chronic Illnesses. N Engl J Med 2010;363:2611-20. Abstract “This is an important article that overlaps behavioral medicine, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. This study showed that a primary care-based behavioral intervention for patients with diabetes and depression resulted in improved glycemic, lipid, and blood pressure control. This is an important finding because individuals with co-morbid diabetes and depression have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease mortality compared to those with just either condition alone.”      -- Sherita Hill Golden, MD, MHS, FAHA, Chair, Diabetes Committee
5	Sugar-sweetened beverage, sugar intake of individuals, and their blood pressure: international study of macro/micronutrients and blood pressure. Brown IJ et al. Sugar-sweetened beverage, sugar intake of individuals, and their blood pressure: international study of macro/micronutrients and blood pressure. Hypertension 2011; 57(4): 695-701. Abstract “This article is important because it strengthened our knowledge base related to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and risk of hypertension.  This tied directly into AHA's 2020 goals and our message to reduce SSBs to no more than 36 ounces of 450 calories per week.”      -- Rachel Johnson, PhD, MPH, RD, Vice-Chair, Nutrition Committee
6	Television viewing and risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis. Grøntved A, Hu FB. Television viewing and risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2011 15;305(23):2448-55. Abstract “This meta-analysis provides convincing evidence on the harms of spending too much time watching TV, which is a very diffuse behavior at the population level. TV viewing is associated with unhealthy eating and findings from this meta-analysis of prospective studies suggest that longer duration of TV viewing time is consistently associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes, fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality.”      -- Gabriele Riccardi, MD, Member-at-Large