The Physicians' Health Study:
Going strong for 25 years!

On September 20, 1982, a computer-generated random number assigned a Florida physician to a daily combination of aspirin placebo and active beta carotene. That brief event signaled the official start of the Physicians' Health Study. Although the initial randomized trial has ended, a new trial is underway to test the balance of benefits and risks of vitamin E, vitamin C, and a multivitamin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and age-related eye disease. And thanks to the ongoing commitment of its participants, the PHS has evolved into one of the largest and longest-running observational cohort studies in America.

To read the PHS newsletter of 2008, click here. To read the PHS newsletter of 2005, click here. To read the PHS newsletter of 2004, click here.  To read the PHS newsletter of 2002, click here.   

2008

• In the Physicians' Health Study, men with healthy behaviors, including smoking abstinence, weight management, blood pressure control, and regular exercise, were more likely to live to age 90 and to have good health and function at an advanced age, report researchers in the Feburary 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
• Light-to-moderate alcohol intake increased hypertension risk among men in the Physicians' Health Study and decreased hypertension risk among women in the Women's Health Study, according to a report e-published on February 7 in Hypertension.
• Blood levels of trans isomers of oleic and linoleic acids were associated with an increased risk of nonaggressive prostate tumors in the Physicians' Health Study, according to a report in the January issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, eating 1 or more eggs per day was predictive of an increased risk of heart failure, according to a report that was e-published on January 14 in Circulation.
• Data from the Physicians' Health Study suggest that cigarette smoking may be a modest but important risk factor for the development of hypertension, according to a report e-published in the American Journal of Hypertension.
• Data from the Physicians' Health Study suggest that higher levels of cystatin C are with an increased risk of heart failure and that the association may be limited to hypertensive individuals, according to a report in the January issue of the American Heart Journal.
  
  

2007

• Intake of breakfast cereals, particularly whole-grain cereals, predicted a lower risk for type 2 diabetes in the Physicians' Health Study, report Mike Gaziano and colleagues in the December issue of Obesity.
• In the PHS, a higher body mass index (BMI) at baseline predicted an increased risk of cardiovacular disease (CVD), and knowledge of an increasing BMI over the prior 8 years did not improve the ability to predict risk of CVD. However, men whose BMI had declined over the prior 8 years were at increased risk of CVD independent of current BMI. The report is in the December issue of Preventive Medicine.
• Findings from the PHS II suggest that long-term beta-carotene supplementation may provide cognitive benefits, according to a report in the November 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
• In the PHS, increases in systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure were significantly associated with incident chronic kidney disease, report PHS researchers in an article e-published on November 5 in Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation.
• Over the past 20 years in the PHS cohort, there has been no major change in the incidence of heart failure but a lower risk of all-cause mortality after onset of heart failure, according to a report in the November issue of the American Heart Journal.
• As reported in the November issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, findings from the National Cancer Institute Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium, of which the PHS is a part, do not support the hypothesis that common variation in the CYP17 gene makes a substantial contribution to prostate or postmenopausal breast cancer susceptibility,
• Findings from the PHS suggest that the ESR (TA)n polymorphism might affect prostate cancer risk, according to a report in the November issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
• In the PHS, a higher intake of whole-grain breakfast cereals was associated with a lower risk of heart failure, according to a report in the October 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
• In an analysis from the National Cancer Institute Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium, which includes the PHS, there was little evidence for any substantial association of variation in the estrogen receptor beta gene and risk of prostate cancer. The results are in the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
• In an analysis of data from four cohort studies, including the PHS, researchers found a strong association between nonfasting plasma C-peptide and risk of pancreatic cancer. The results are in the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
• Two tightly linked polymorphisms of the estrogen receptor-beta (ESR2) gene were associated with risk of cardiovascular disease among women in the Women's Health Study but not among men in the Physicians' Health Study, according to a report in the October issue of Clinical Chemistry.
• Findings from a nested case-control study in the PHS suggest that the frequency of cancer preceding the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is decreased, according to a report in the September issue of Cancer Causes and Control.
• In the PHS, variation in the purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 12 gene (P2RY12) was not associated with incident myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke. However, the haplotype H2 predicted a lower risk of venous thromboembolism. The report was e-published on August 16 in Atherosclerosis.
• Among participants in four prospective cohort studies, including the PHS, low plasma insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 levels significantly predicted an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. The report is in the August 15 issue of Cancer Research.
• In the PHS, there was a greater incidence of ischemic stroke, but not other cardiovascular events, among men living in the southeastern U.S., compared with men living in other regions. The report is in the August issue of Stroke.
• In the PHS, two polymorphisms in the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 gene were not directly associated with prostate cancer risk. However, an interaction between one of these polymorphisms and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 was found. The results were reported in Prostate.
• Using data from four prospective cohort studies, including the PHS, researchers found no association between prediagnostic plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, IGF-2, and IGF binding protein-3 and risk of pancreatic cancer. The results are in the July 2 issue of the British Journal of Cancer.
• In the PHS, higher blood levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, mainly found in marine foods, and of linoleic acid, mainly found in nonhydrogenated vegetable oils, were associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. The report is in the July issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention.
• In the PHS, men with Parkinson's disease were less likely to develop most types of cancer than men without Parkinson's disease, according to a report in the June issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
• In the PHS, migraine was associated with an increased risk of major cardiovascular disease, which was driven by increased risk of myocardial infarction. The report is in the April 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
• The National Cancer Institute Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium, which includes data from the Physicians' Health Study, found an association between a common 8q24 variant and risk of prostate cancer, replicating results of other recent investigations. This finding is reported in the April 1 issue of Cancer Research.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, there was a strong gradient between higher body mass index (BMI) and increased risk of hypertension, even among men within the normal and mildly overweight BMI range. The report is in the April issue of the American Journal of Hypertension.
• Data from the Physicians' Health Study suggest that many U.S. men have suboptimal levels of circulating vitamin D and that low levels of two vitamin D metabolites are associated with an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer. These findings are in the March 20 issue of PLoS Medicine.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, beta carotene supplementation had no beneficial or harmful effect on the incidence of age-related maculopathy, reported PHS researchers in the March issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
• Using data from the Physicians' Health Study, investigators developed a risk prediction tool for colorectal cancer in men. The report is in the March issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, there was a consistent linear association between higher body mass index (BMI) and increased risk of mortality after accounting for several sources of bias, even among those within the "overweight" range of BMI. These findings were e-published on March 6 in the International Journal of Obesity.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, blood levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids were associated with decreased risk of colorectal cancer among men not using aspirin, researchers report in the February issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, aspirin reduced the risk of newly diagnosed adult-onset asthma, according to a report in the January 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
• As reported in the January 2 issue of Circulation, moderate alcohol consumption was predictive of a lower risk of heart failure in PHS participants.

2006

• In the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers examined whether various components of the metabolic syndrome predicted the development of colorectal cancer among men in the Physicians' Health Study. Overweight and diabetes were risk factors for colorectal cancer, whereas hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were not.
• Data from the Physicians' Health Study suggest that higher midlife insulin secretion, as measured by plasma C-peptide, may be related to decreased cognitive function, even among men without diabetes. The report appears in the December issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
• Data from the Physicians' Health Study suggest that higher mid-life insulin-like growth factor-I may be associated with better late-life cognitive function, researchers report in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, adiponectin gene variation was associated with risk of ischemic stroke independent of diabetes status, according to a report in the November issue of Clinical Chemistry.
• A single nucleotide polymorphism at codon 72 of the p53 gene (Arg72Pro) may play a role in the early stages of colorectal neoplasia and possibly in progression to invasive disease, according to an analysis that included data from the Physicians' Health Study. The report is in the October 15 issue of the International Journal of Cancer.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, systolic blood pressure was a consistent and significant predictor of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke. Adding diastolic blood pressure to prediction models did not significantly improve model fit for any stroke type. The report is in the September 12 issue of Neurology.
• Results of a replication study of five gene variants previously associated with risk of myocardial infarction were reported by PHS researchers in the September issue of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, higher plasma homocysteine levels were modestly, albeit nonsignificantly, associated with an elevated risk of incident hypertension, according to a report in the August issue of the Journal of Human Hypertension.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, there was no evidence for an association between genetic variants of arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein and risk of incident myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke. The findings are in the August issue of Stroke.
• Among men without baseline hypertension in the Physicians' Health Study, there were modest associations between polymorphisms in the phosphodiesterase 4D, cAMP-specific gene and risk of ischemic stroke. The findings are in the August issue of Stroke.
• Data from the Physicians' Health Study suggest that prostaglandin-E receptor-2 gene variation may play a role in atherothrombosis, according to a report in the August issue of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, there was no association between the complement factor H Y402H gene polymorphism with risk of incident thrombotic events, nor with baseline levels of C-reactive protein. These findings were published in the August issue of Atherosclerosis.
• In the August issue of Contemporary Clinical Trials, researchers examined the value of an Endpoints Committee versus the use of nosologists for validating causes of death in the Physicians' Health Study.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, there was an association between advanced glycosylation end product-specific receptor promoter gene haplotypes and risk of myocardial infarction or stroke. This association was independent of the presence of diabetes. The report is in the July issue of Stroke.
• Based in part on their experience in the Physicians' Health Study, researchers report that a short questionnaire for dry eye syndrome is sensitive, repeatable, and easy to administer in the setting of large epidemiologic studies. The findings are in the July issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology.
• In the PHS, regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was not associated with a substantial risk reduction of colorectal cancer after controlling for potential confounders in a time-varying fashion. This report appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
• Among PHS participants, there was an association between the Y402H variant of complement factor H and the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In contrast, genetic variation in C-reactive protein was not related to risk of AMD. These findings are in the June issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.
• As reported in the June issue of Cancer Causes and Control, O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase Leu84Phe and Ile143Val polymorphisms were not associated with risk of colorectal cancer among men in the PHS, although these genetic variants were associated with such risk among women in the Nurses' Health Study.
• In exploratory analyses of data from the PHS, researchers found that genetic variation in the beta2-adrenergic receptor and lipoprotein lipase genes were associated with risk of idiopathic venous thromboembolism. The results were published in the May 9 issue of Circulation.
• The cyclin D1 A870G polymorphism was not associated with risk of colorectal cancer among men in the PHS, although this genetic variant was associated with a modest elevation in such risk among women in the Nurses' Health Study. The findings are in the March 27 issue of the British Journal of Cancer.
• Using data from the PHS, researchers examined a panel of 92 candidate gene polymorphisms as predictors of myocardial infarction (MI). After correction for multiple comparisons, the addition of genetic information had little impact on risk prediction models for MI. The results are in the Feburary issue of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
• As reported in the January issue of Hypertension, dyslipidemia predicted the development of hypertension among PHS participants.
• In the PHS enrollment cohort, systolic blood pressure was a more consistent predictor than diastolic blood pressure of cardiovascular mortality across all ages, report PHS researchers in the January issue of the American Journal of Hypertension.

2005

• As reported in the December issue of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, PHS researchers found no association between carboxypeptidase B2 gene polymorphisms and the risk of venous thromboembolism.
• Body mass index and weight gain were inversely associated with intake of breakfast cereals, report PHS researchers in the November issue of Obesity Research.
• A paper from the Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium, a large international study designed to asses the effect of variation in genes that influence hormone production and activity on the risk of breast and prostate cancer, is in the November issue of Public Library of Science Genetics. Consortium nvestigators did not find strong associations between common variants in HSD17B1, a gene involved in the production of estrogen and testosterone, and risk of prostate cancer. Data from the Physicians' Health Study were included in the Consortium's analysis.
• In the November issue of Human Genetics, PHS researchers reported that inflammation-related gene polymorphisms interacted with cigarette smoking to influence risk of myocardial infarction.
• Using 20 years of follow-up data from the PHS, researchers examined whether factors associated with risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke also predicted venous thromboembolism (VTE). Hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking were associated with increased rates of CHD and stroke, with comparable magnitudes, but had no association wtih VTE. Conversely, higher body mass index was more strongly associated with risk of VTE than either CHD or stroke, and taller men had a higher risk of VTE but a lower risk of CHD. The findings were published on November 15 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
• In a 14-year follow-up of PHS participants, a high body mass index at baseline was associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease. These findings are in the November issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.
• PHS participants who chose to take analgesics did not have a significantly increased risk of developing hypertension compared with their counterparts who did not take analgesics, reported PHS researchers in the September 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
• In the Physicians' Health Study cohort, there was no association between common polymorphisms or haplotypes of the tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase gene and risk of myocardial infarction. These findings are in the July issue of Atherosclerosis.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, prehypertension, as defined by the seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, was not associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular death. The report is in the May-June issue of American Journal of Geriatric Cardiology.
• As reported in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, plasma lycopene levels were not associated with the risk of developing cardiovascular disease among men in the PHS.
• As reported in the May 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a decreased risk of kidney dysfunction among men in the PHS.
• As reported in the March 15 issue of Cancer Research, PHS researchers found a significant interaction between genetic variation in the superoxide dismutase gene and prediagnostic plasma antioxidant status in determining the risk of prostate cancer.
• A meta-analysis of data from 7 large population-based studies, including the Physicians' Health Study, indicates that the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) TaqIB gene polymorphism is associated with HDL-cholesterol plasma levels and, as a result, with the risk of coronary artery disease. This CETP variant does not influence the response to pravastatin therapy. These results were published on January 25 in Circulation.
• PHS researchers studied the accuracy of self-reported cholesterol level in a subsample of PHS participants. The rate of accurate reporting improved over 14 years (25% to 62%), while failing to report a cholesterol level decreased. Overweight, physical inactivity, and smoking were associated with not reporting or inaccurately reporting cholesterol level. The findings are in the January issue of the Journal of Primary Prevention.
• In the January issue of Stroke, PHS researchers reported that there was no association between a functional toll-like receptor 4 D299G gene variant and risk of incident MI or stroke.

2004

• In a 5-year follow-up of 85,078 men in the Physicians' Health Study enrollment cohort, an elevated body mass index (BMI) was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, report PHS researchers in the November issue of Annals of Epidemiology. However, among 5010 men who reported a prior history of myocardial infarction or stroke, an elevated BMI was not strongly predictive of these outcomes. The latter report appears in the November 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
• Apolipoproteins AI/CIII/AIV play important roles in the metabolism of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but it is not known whether genetic variations in the APOA1/C3/A4 gene cluster are associated with the risk of developing myocardial infarction (MI). As reported in the November issue of Atherosclerosis, PHS participants with the X1-S2 haplotype in the APOA1 XmnI and APOC3 SstI variants across the APOA1/C3/A4 gene cluster had higher triglyceride levels, but these genetic variations were not predictive of future MI.
• In the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, PHS researchers examined whether the combined use of total prostate-specific antigen and free prostate-specific antigen improved early detection of prostate cancer.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, there was no relationship between selected genetic variation in the C-reactive protein gene and risk of venous thromboembolism. These findings are in the August issue of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
• As reported in the August issue of Clinical Chemistry, high lipoprotein(a) concentration and small apolipoprotein(a) size predicted the development of angina pectoris among PHS participants.
• Higher plasma levels of carotenoids, as markers of fruit and vegetable intake, were associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke over 13 years of follow-up in the Physicians' Health Study. Published in the July issue of Stroke, these results provide support for recommendations to consume fruits and vegetables regularly to protect against cardiovascular disease.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, a threonine for alanine substitution at amino acid 23 in the eotaxin gene was associated with a doubling of risk of myocardial infarction over 13 years of follow-up. These data support the emerging hypothesis that eotaxin, a chemokine that promotes the migration and activation of eosinophils, participates in atherosclerosis. The report is in the July issue of Atherosclerosis.
• In the June issue of the American Heart Journal, PHS researchers examined predictors of change in the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol among PHS participants. Over a 14-year follow-up period, total cholesterol levels decreased by an average of 7 mg/dL, HDL cholesterol increased by 1 mg/dL, and the ratio decreased by 0.37. Although drug treatment for hyperlipidemia had the greatest favorable impact, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising also had significant beneficial effects on the ratio.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, there was no beneficial effect of 12 years of beta-carotene supplementation on the risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer among men with low baseline plasma levels of beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, or vitamin A. There was also no association between plasma levels of beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, or vitamin A and risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer. These findings are in the June issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention.
• Two Physicians' Health Study reports published in May examined factors hypothesized to affect prostate cancer risk. A history of diabetes mellitus was associated with reduced prostate cancer risk, report PHS researchers in the May 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. A low plasma selenium level was predictive of an increased prostate cancer risk, report PHS researchers in the May 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
• As reported in the May 15 issue of Statistics in Medicine, PHS researchers conducted tree and spline-based association analyses of gene-gene interaction models for ishemic stroke using data from the Physicians' Health Study.
• Using data from the Physicians' Health Study, PHS researchers demonstrate the importance of statistical model validation when examining complex genetic interactions as predictors of health outcomes. Their report appears in BMC Bioinformatics.
• In the April 7 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, PHS researchers report that an increased level of plasma C-peptide, an indicator of insulin production, was predictive of an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer.
• In the Physicians' Health Study, light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduction in risk of total and cardiovascular mortality among men with hypertension. These findings are in the March 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
• In a 12-year follow-up of Physicians' Health Study participants, PHS researchers found little evidence that the alcohol dehydrogenase type 3 gene gamma1-gamma2 polymorphism is associated with future risk of stroke. Their report is in the February issue of Stroke.
• PHS researchers examined whether a variety of candidate gene polymorphisms related to inflammation, thrombosis, and lipid metabolism predicted the development of ischemic stroke during a 13-year follow-up of Physicians' Health Study participants. Two polymorphisms - one in the P-selectin gene and the other in the interleukin-4 gene -- were independent predictors of thromboembolic stroke. These results have been published in the February 15 issue of Human Molecular Genetics.

2003

• Using nearly 12 years of follow-up data from the Physicians' Health Study, PHS researchers report that total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides did not predict risk of ischemic stroke. Men in the top quartile of the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (TC:HDL-C) did have a somewhat higher risk of ischemic stroke than men in the lowest quartile, but the relationship between the TC:HDL-C ratio and ischemic stroke risk was not linear. The findings appear in Stroke.
• As reported in the November issue of Hypertension, data from the Physicians' Health Study provide evidence that substantial gains in life expectancy can be achieved through blood pressure lowering. These gains are due to the reduction in cardiovascular events.
• As shown by the Physicians' Health Study and other clinical trials, aspirin use reduces the risk of having a first heart attack. Now, new analyses from the Physicians' Health Study suggest that regular use (but not intermittent use) of other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may inhibit the cardioprotective benefit of aspirin. The findings appear in the September 9 issue of Circulation.
• In the August issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, PHS researchers report that occasional to moderate use of aspirin, acetaminophen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) does not appear to increase the risk of kidney dysfunction.
• In the August 19 issue of Circulation, PHS researchers examined whether higher blood levels of five major carotenoids (alpha- and beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and beta-cryptoxanthin), retinol, and alpha- and gamma-tocopherol reduced the risk of myocardial infarction. No protective effects were observed in the sample as a whole. Among current and former smokers, however, a high blood level of beta-carotene did appear to reduce myocardial infarction risk.
• A report from the Physicians' Health Study suggests that high cholesterol levels may lead to kidney damage. Writing in the August issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, PHS researchers found that men with elevated levels of LDL cholesterol or low levels of HDL cholesterol were at increased risk of kidney dysfunction, as measured by elevated creatinine levels and reduced creatine clearance.
• Data from the Physicians' Health Study suggest that light-to-moderate alcohol intake may decrease the risk of cardiovascular death in men with a history of stroke. The report appears in the May 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
• In the May issue of Stroke, PHS researchers examined smoking as a predictor of hemorrhagic stroke. Compared with never smokers, current smokers had twice the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and three times the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Never smokers and past smokers had similar rates of ICH and SAH. These results provide yet another reason to quit smoking.
• In the May 1 issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, PHS researchers found that men with a particular genetic polymorphism -- an alanine for proline substitution in the PPAR-gamma gene -- had a reduced risk of myocardial infarction. These findings suggest that new therapies targeting the PPAR-gamma gene may be useful in the prevention or treatment of heart disease.
• Results from the Physicians' Health Study, published in the March issue of Archives of Opthalmology, indicate no overall benefit or harm of 12 years of beta-carotene supplementation on cataract or cataract extraction. Among smokers, however, beta-carotene appeared to reduce cataract risk by about 25%.
• Eating whole-grain cereals may reduce total and cardiovascular mortality, suggests a 5.5-year follow-up of men in Physicians' Health Study. No protective effect was observed for refined-grain cereals, however. The report is in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• Data from the Physicians' Health Study suggest that apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype is not predictive of future risk of myocardial infarction. These findings are in the February issue of Atherosclerosis.

2002

• In the December issue of Controlled Clinical Trials, PHS researchers compare the mortality experience of Physicians' Health Study participants and nonparticipants.
• Excess weight has long been linked with coronary heart disease. Data from the PHS suggests that obesity also doubles a man's risk of stroke. The study appeared in the December 9, 2002, Archives of Internal Medicine.
• Although migraine headaches have been linked to an increased risk of stroke, it is not known whether such headaches are also harbingers of coronary heart disease (CHD). Data from the Physicians' Health Study and the Women's Health Study indicate that migraine does not predict the occurrence of subsequent CHD in either women or men. This report appeared in the September issue of Headache.
• High levels of soluble cellular adhesion molecules have been linked to the development of occlusive coronary events in otherwise healthy individuals. Now, using data from the Physicians' Health Study, three PHS researchers show that elevated levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) are also independently associated with the development of accelerated arteriosclerosis in such individuals, even in the absence of acute coronary occlusion. Their report appears in the August 13 issue of Circulation.
• Writing in the June 4 Circulation, PHS researchers show that a high plasma level of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, was associated with a significantly elevated risk of sudden cardiac death in apparently healthy men followed for an average of 17 years.

2001

• The latest report from the Physicians' Health Study, appearing in the October American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that overdoing dairy products and calcium intake may increase the risk of prostate cancer.
• A research brief from the Physicians' Health Study in the September 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that drinking high-fat milk may increase the risk of colon cancer while drinking low-fat milk may decrease it.
• While some studies have suggested that the use of aspirin may decrease the risk of macular degeneration, a report in the August Archives of Ophthalmology from the Physicians' Health Study found no such link.
• Data from the Physicians' Health Study and the Women's Health Study demonstrate the impact of parental history of myocardial infarction on risk of MI in men and women. The report appeared in the July 24 Circulation.
• Data from the Physicians' Health Study show that regular use of acetaminophen, aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs does not increase the risk of kidney disease, as has been shown in other smaller studies. The report appeared in the July 18 issue of JAMA.
• A head-to-head test of the ability of 11 different biomarkers to predict the development of peripheral arterial disease in the Physicians' Health Study found that the two most effective were the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL and the level of C-reactive protein. The study appeared in the May 16 JAMA.
• A report from the Physicians' Health Study in the February 22 New England Journal of Medicine not only lends further support to the idea that moderate drinking reduces the risk of heart disease but suggests how it might do so.
• Men in the Physicians' Health Study who ate at least 2.5 servings of carotenoid-rich vegetables a day were about 30% less likely to develop coronary heart disease over 12 years of follow-up as men who ate less than 1 serving a day, report PHS investigators in the February International Journal of Epidemiology.
• A report from the Physicians' Health Study questions previous findings that men with periodontal disease are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those without inflamed or infected gums. It appears in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
• A report from the Physicians' Health Study in the January 22 Archives of Internal Medicine details the substantial increase in risk of dying from any cause or from coronary heart disease among men with diabetes.

2000

• Cataract, once thought to be an inevitable consequence of aging, may also be associated with lifestyle-related factors such as overweight or a high waist-to-hip ratio, according to a report from the Physicians' Health Study in the December American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• In the November 9th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, PHS investigators tackle an exercise-related paradox -- that vigorous exercise may both trigger cardiac arrest or sudden death and diminish this risk.
• Among men in the Physicians' Health Study, current smokers were almost twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as nonsmokers, according to a report in the November issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
• Data on alcohol consumption from the Physicians' Health Study show that among men with initially low alcohol consumption (1 drink per week), a moderate increase in alcohol consumption lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease. This benefit of increasing intake didn't extend to men who were already moderate drinkers, though. The report appears in the September 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
• Men who smoke are more likely to develop a cataract than men who don't. Quitting smoking reduces this risk but not down to the level of never smokers, according to a Physicians' Health Study report in the August 9 JAMA.
• For men, developing a cataract isn't associated with an increase in mortality, according to a report from the Physicians' Health Study in Ophthalmic Epidemiology.
• A report from the Physicians' Health Study in the August Journal of the American College of Cardiology, shows that soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 is not associated with risk of myocardial infarction. This contrasts with previous working showing an association between intercellular vascular adhesion molecule-1 and MI.
• A number of studies show that having one alcoholic drink a day reduces the risk of heart disease. PHS investigators report in the August 1 Circulation that this benefit can be extended to men with diabetes, who are often warned not to drink alcohol at all.
• Changes in diastolic blood pressure over a two-year period can add important information about cardiovascular risk, according to a Physicians' Health Study report in the July 18 Circulation.
• More evidence that smoking is bad for you comes from the latest study from the Physicians' Health Study. A report in the July 19 Journal of the National Cancer Institute indicates that cigarette smoking increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in the US.
• A report in the July issue of the International Journal of Cancer suggests that cigarette smoking is not linked with the development of prostate cancer in the PHS.
• A study published in the April 18 Circulation shows that among healthy men in the Physicians' Health Study, increased levels of interleukin-6, a substance that plays a key role in inflammation, are associated with increased risk of heart attack.
• The April 10 Archives of Internal Medicine carries two articles from the PHS. One is a look at long-term aspirin use and cardiovascular disease among PHS participants. The other is examines the association between alcohol consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Interested in learning more about teh rationale and design of Physicians' Health Study-II? The trial's design paper is now in print! Check out "Design of Physicians' Health Study II -- A Randomized Trial of Beta-Carotene, Vitamins E and C, and Multivitamins, in Prevention of Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, and Eye Disease, and Review of Results of Completed Trials" by William Christen and colleagues in the February 2000 Annals of Epidemiology. Click here for the abstract.
• Twelve years of supplementation with beta-carotene did not influence the development of a first nonmelanoma skin cancer, according to a report in the February Archives of Dermatology.
• Male pattern baldness in men appears to be a marker for increased risk of coronary heart disease, especially among men with hypertension or high cholesterol levels in the Physicians' Health Study. The report appeared in the January 24 Archives of Internal Medicine.