The Negative Impact of Routine, Dietary Pattern, and Physical Activity on Obesity and Dysglycemia During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak, has disrupted routines in education, work, exercise, and dining habits. To prevent viral spread, communal spaces including offices, schools, restaurants, and gyms have closed or drastically limited their capacity. Additionally, government-mandated lockdown orders have forced people to spend more time at home. Studies have shown that these COVID-19 restrictions have led to unhealthier eating patterns, increased sedentary behaviors, and decreased physical activity, leading to weight gain, dysglycemia, and increased metabolic risk. While strict social distancing measures have been necessary to curb the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, people have been forced to adapt by altering their daily routines. Based on existing literature, a model is proposed for intentionally creating daily routines to ensure healthy habits, minimize weight gain, and prevent worsening dysglycemia.

Dietary management of blood glucose in medical critically ill patients with overweight/obesity.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: As the obesity epidemic continues, there is a greater proportion of patients with overweight, obesity, and other forms of adiposity-based chronic disease that require intensive care. Nutrition therapy in the ICU is a vital part of critical care but can be challenging in this setting because of the increased risk of stress hyperglycemia and adverse impact of obesity- and diabetes-related complications. RECENT FINDINGS: Current guidelines favor early nutritional therapy with a hypocaloric, high-protein diet in patients with overweight/obesity. More aggressive protein intake may be useful in those with greater severity of overweight/obesity with an upper limit of 3 g/kg ideal body weight per day. Although there is no specific recommendation, choosing enteral formulas with higher fat content and slower digesting carbohydrates may assist with glucose control. Supplementation with immunonutrients is recommended, given their known benefits in obesity and in reducing inflammation, but must be done in an individualized manner. SUMMARY: Aggressive nutritional therapy is crucial in patients with overweight/obesity to support ongoing metabolic demands. Although a hypocaloric high-protein feeding strategy is a starting point, nutritional therapy should be approached in an individualized manner taking into account age, weight and BMI, basal metabolism, nutrition status, complications, and comorbidities.

Association Between Endogenous Testosterone and Cerebrovascular Disease in the ARIC Study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Epidemiological studies in men suggest a relationship between endogenous testosterone and ischemic vascular events. We hypothesized that low testosterone is independently associated with ischemic stroke and ischemic brain changes. METHODS: In 1558 male participants (mean [SD] age, 63.1 [5.6] years; body mass index, 28.2 [4.3] kg/m2) from visit 4 (1996-1998) of the ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) without cardiovascular disease, stroke, and previous testosterone therapy, we measured plasma total testosterone by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry using morning samples and divided levels into tertiles (median [25th-75th percentile], 377.6 [288.4-480.1] ng/dL). General linear models, for cross-sectional analyses, and proportional hazards regression, for time-to-event analysis, examined the association of testosterone with participant characteristics and incident stroke through 2011. Linear and logistic regression models examined the association of testosterone with percentage white matter hyperintensities and prevalent infarcts in participants (n=257) who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging at visit 5 (2011-2013). Analyses were adjusted for age, race, and ARIC center, body mass index, waist circumference, smoking status, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein. RESULTS: Lower testosterone was significantly associated with higher body mass index, greater waist circumference, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, lower high-density lipoprotein, and never smoking. After adjustment, no association of testosterone with incident stroke was found (hazard ratios [95% confidence intervals] for tertile 1 or 3 versus 2, 1.47 [0.83-2.61], 1.15 [0.62-2.14]; median follow-up, 14.1 years), nor with percentage white matter hyperintensities, cortical infarcts, or subcortical infarcts. CONCLUSIONS: After controlling for atherosclerotic risk factors, there was no association between endogenous testosterone and incident clinical stroke or ischemic brain changes in community-dwelling men.

Endogenous testosterone and its relationship to preclinical and clinical measures of cardiovascular disease in the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.

CONTEXT: Epidemiologic studies suggest that endogenous testosterone (T) levels in males may be implicated in cardiovascular disease (CVD), however further clarification is needed. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the cross-sectional relationship between endogenous plasma T and mean carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), and the longitudinal relationship with incident clinical CVD events, cardiac mortality, and all-cause mortality using male participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. DESIGN: This study involved a subset of men from visit 4 of the ARIC study. SETTING: The study was conducted in a community based cohort. PARTICIPANTS: Males who provided a morning blood sample excluding those taking androgen therapy, with prevalent coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, or heart failure (HF) (n = 1558). INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Plasma T by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and carotid IMT using high resolution B-mode ultrasound were obtained at visit 4. Incident CHD, HF, cardiac mortality, and all-cause mortality were identified by surveillance through 2010 (median 12.8 years). RESULTS: Lower T was significantly associated with higher body mass index, greater waist circumference, diabetes, hypertension, lower HDL, and never smoking (P = 0.01). T was not associated with mean cIMT in unadjusted or adjusted analyses. Following multivariable adjustment, there was no association of quartile (Q) of T with incident CHD [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.87 (95% CI = 0.60-1.26) for Q1; 0.97 (95% CI = 0.69-1.38) for Q2; 0.97 (95% CI = 0.69-1.36) for Q3 compared to reference of Q4] or for incident HF [HR = 0.77 (95% CI = 0.46-1.29) for Q1; 0.72 (95% CI = 0.43-1.21) for Q2; 0.87 (95% CI = 0.53-1.42) for Q3 compared to reference of Q4]. Similarly there was no association of Q of T with mortality or cardiac-associated mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Low male plasma T is cross-sectionally associated with key CVD risk factors, but after adjustment there was no association with mean cIMT, incident cardiac events, or mortality. Our results are reassuring that neither high nor low T levels directly predict atherosclerosis, but are a marker for other cardiovascular risk factors.

Enobosarm (GTx-024, S-22): a potential treatment for cachexia.

Muscle loss and wasting occurs with aging and in multiple disease states including cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, end-stage liver disease, end-stage renal disease and HIV. Cachexia is defined as a multifactorial syndrome that is associated with anorexia, weight loss and increased catabolism, with increased morbidity and mortality. Currently no therapy is approved for the treatment or prevention of cachexia. Different treatment options have been suggested but many have proven to be ineffective or associated with adverse events. Nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are a new class of anabolic agents that bind the androgen receptor and exhibit tissue selectivity. Enobosarm (GTx-024, S-22) is a recently developed SARM, developed by GTx, Inc. (TN, USA), which has been tested in Phase I, II and III trials with promising results in terms of improving lean body mass and measurements of physical function and power. Enobosarm has received fast track designation by the US FDA and results from the Phase III trials POWER1 and POWER2 will help determine approval for use in the prevention and treatment of muscle wasting in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. This article provides an introduction to enobosarm as a new therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of cachexia. A review of the literature was performed using search terms 'cachexia', 'sarcopenia', 'SARM', 'enobosarm' and 'GTx-024' in September 2013 using multiple databases as well as online resources.