1. Drinking black tea may be associated with lower mortality risk

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-0041

URLs go live when the embargo lifts

A prospective cohort study found that drinking black tea may be associated with a moderately lower mortality risk. The risk was lowest among persons drinking two or more cups of tea per day. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Tea is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide. Previous research has suggested an association between tea consumptions and lower mortality risk in populations where green tea is the most common type of tea. In contrast, published studies in populations where black tea drinking is more common are limited with inconsistent findings.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health conducted a study to evaluate the associations of tea consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality using data from the U.K. Biobank, where black tea drinking is common. They also assessed whether the associations differ by use of common tea additives (milk and sugar), tea temperature, and genetic variants affecting the rate at which people metabolize caffeine. The U.K. Biobank includes data on a half a million men and women, aged 40 to 69 years, who completed a baseline questionnaire between 2006 and 2010. Of those, 85 percent reported regularly drinking tea and of them, 89 percent reported drinking black tea. Relative to tea nondrinkers, participants who reported drinking 2 or more cups each day had 9 to 13 percent lower risk for mortality. The associations were observed regardless of whether participants also drank coffee, added milk or sugar to their tea, their preferred tea temperature, or genetic variants related to caffeine metabolism. According to the authors, their findings suggest that tea, even at higher levels of intake, can be part of a healthy diet.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at [email protected]. To speak with the corresponding author, Maki Inoue-Choi, PhD, please email Igor Ristic at [email protected] or [email protected].

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2. Physician “gun lover” offers suggestions for safer Second Amendment

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-1792

URL goes live when the embargo lifts

Michael Rose, MD, MPH, is a proud gun owner, hunter, and native North Dakotan who practices medicine in the heart of Baltimore. Dr. Rose understands how his personal and professional lives may seem at odds with one another. But in a new personal essay published in Annals of Internal Medicine, Dr. Rose draws upon an insider’s perspective to offer suggestions for more common-sense gun laws and a safer Second Amendment.

Gun ownership is a right protected by the Constitution, and nearly 30 percent of Americans own a gun. However, as previous research published in Annals has suggested, gun violence has significant health and safety impacts for owners, their family members, and the public.

Dr. Rose argues that his experience practicing medicine in Baltimore has shown him the devastating impact of America’s lack of gun regulation. While gun ownership is a right affirmed by the United States constitution and legal precedent, U.S. Supreme Court rulings maintain that gun rights can be regulated–and the history of public health shows that regulation allows for harm reduction. Dr. Rose believes that vocal gun extremists are the outliers and responsible gun owners like himself will support common sense policy suggestions, including reinstating the national ban on assault rifles, outlawing gun carrying in high-occupancy spaces, implementing of universal background checks, and improving safety training.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at [email protected]. For an interview with Michael Rose, MD, MPH, please email [email protected].

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3. Good Publication Practice (GPP) Guidelines for Company-Sponsored Biomedical Research updated for 2022

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-1460

URLs go live when the embargo lifts

The Good Publication Practice (GPP) guidelines comprised of recommendations for publishing company-sponsored biomedical research have been updated for 2022. According to the authors, these guidelines are important because they include guidance on transparency and accountability, two increasingly high priorities for company-sponsored research. The guidelines are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Created by a team of researchers for the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP), the GPP guidelines apply to publications of biomedical research conducted by or in collaboration with companies or company sponsors. Publications may include peer-reviewed or peer-oriented biomedical publications, such as manuscripts, meeting presentations, posters, and abstracts, as well as enhanced content, such as plain-language summaries. For all of those areas, the GPP guidelines provide detailed recommendations related to ethics; research and data integrity; transparency; inclusivity; and authorship, contributorship, and accountability. The 2022 GPP guidelines represent a continuation of prior work to establish and refine the concept of good publication practice. A table provides a detailed list of changes and where to find them in the document.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at [email protected]. Corresponding author, Lisa M. DeTora, PhD, MA, can be contacted directly at [email protected].

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Also new in this issue:

From Individualized Interactions to Standardized Schedules:

A History of Time Organization in U.S. Outpatient Medicine

History of Medicine

Michelle-Linh T. Nguyen, MD; Samuel V. Schotland, MA; and Joel D. Howell, MD, PhD

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-1575

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