A Dietary Program for Weight Loss - Assignment Example

How long (how many weeks) was the study (including baseline and treatment)? Do the authors provide evidence from other research to justify the length of this study?The baseline/screening period for the study was one week and the treatment period lasted for 12 weeks. The authors had provided evidence from other research, not to justify the length of the study, but to justify the hypothesis that whole-grain RTE cereals can reduce the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults with overweight and obesity.

The shreds of evidence provided include those of Saltzman and colleagues who conduct the same study for six weeks and an incited study that reduced cholesterol levels from baseline for two weeks (Maki, et al, 2010, 212). Identify 3 exclusion criteria for participation in this study (Methods section). For each of the criteria that you chose, why do you think they needed to be excluded? Do you feel that these exclusion criteria affected the study’s validity (positively or negatively)?

There are several exclusion criteria in the study but I chose the participants who use weight loss medications within 2 months before screening or supplements, programs, or meal replacement products within 2 weeks before screening because with these interventions, researcher cannot determine whether the whole-grain RTE cereal is effective in reducing LDL or it is the medications, supplements, programs, or meal replacements taken; participants with known sensitivity to any of the ingredients in the study are also excluded because attrition to the study is likely to happen due to discomforts and harm that it may cause to the participants (for instance, people with celiac disease are excluded in the study because they have sensitivity to oats); lastly, participants who used thyroid hormones (except stable dose replacement therapy) or systemic corticosteroids (Maki, et al, 2010, 206) must also be included due to possibility of attrition and danger to the patient as fiber-rich food are contraindicated to people with these conditions.

I feel that these exclusion criteria will affect the study’s validity positively as it will intend to measure what it is supposed to measure by minimizing attrition and extraneous variables. 6. Do the results of this study have applicability in practice? Please justify your answer.The study has applicability in practice as it proved that whole-grain RTE cereal is more effective in reducing low-density lipoprotein in obese participants than the dietary program alone. With these, the risks associated with obesity such as cardiovascular diseases, are likely to prevent and diet quality is improved because of favorable intakes of vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, and potassium (Maki, et al, 2010, 213).7. At the end of the article, a conflict of interest statement was included.

When you read this statement, does it change your assessment of the study’s reliability?The researchers noted a conflict of interest in terms of expected weight loss; wherein, researchers predicted only 1.4 mg/dL (0.04 mmol/L) reduction in LDL cholesterol but the actual reduction observed was larger (6.3 mg/dL or 0.16 mmol/L) (Maki, et al, 2010, 213). These suggest that despite exclusion criteria, there might still other factors that had contributed to reduced LDL cholesterol levels. I think that the study’s reliability would be affected as a future endeavor using the same criteria will not guarantee to produce the same results unless unknown factors are ruled out in the study.

*What is something in this journal article that you don’t understand? The professor will use your responses to this question to guide upcoming class lecture material. I don’t completely understand the MITT analysis. Analyzing the definition, randomization is paramount than the protocol, deviations, and attritions. If these were ignored and still included samples in the study, using this analysis, how are data (including from those who withdraw from treatment after randomization) measured?