Role of socio-cultural factors on changes in fitness and adiposity in youth: a 6-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Optimal cardio-respiratory fitness and adiposity levels are tightly related to health in youth. We analysed changes in fitness and adiposity in young individuals from two countries, and examined the role of maternal education in these changes. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 6-year follow-up study was conducted on 483 Estonian children (9 years) and 466 Swedish children (9-10 years) and adolescents (15 years). Fitness was assessed by a maximal bike test, and total and central adiposity were indirectly estimated by skinfolds (Slaughter's equation for fat mass) and waist circumference. At follow-up, fitness and adiposity had increased in the children cohort (P ≤ 0.001), while small or no change occurred in the adolescent cohort. In the children cohort, Estonian participants had a lower increase in fitness and a higher increase in adiposity (total and central) than Swedish participants. Higher maternal education increased the odds of remaining fit (top quartile) by half and reduced the risk of remaining fat (top quartile) by half; odds ratios = 1.56 (1.00-2.43), 0.50 (0.32-0.77) and 0.61 (0.39-0.94) for fitness, total and central adiposity, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the socioeconomic situation of a country might influence key cardiovascular risk factors (fitness and adiposity), being at higher risk for a low-middle income country (Estonia) than a higher income country (Sweden). The findings stress the role of socioeconomic status, particularly maternal education, in the maintenance of healthy fitness and adiposity levels from childhood into later life. Preventive efforts have to be taken from early age.

High MAPK p38 activity and low level of IL-10 in intermittent claudication as opposed to stable angina.

AIM: The aim of the present pilot study was to relate the activity of MAPK p38 with the levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in a small cohort of patients with either stable angina (N=5) or intermittent claudication (N=5) compared to healthy controls (N=10). METHODS: The activity of MAPK p38 was determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, isolated from whole blood by western blot using phospho-specific anti-MAPK p38 antibodies. Cytokine levels of 11 pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were determined from the serum using flow cytometry. RESULTS: We found a significant elevation of the MAPK p38 activity in the intermittent claudication group (P=0.0027) compared with the healthy control group whereas the stable angina group showed similar MAPK p38 activity as the healthy control group. The IL-10 level in serum found in the stable angina group was significantly higher compared with both the healthy control group (P=0.0116) and the intermittent claudication group (P=0.0317). CONCLUSION: Our results imply that there is a casual relationship between increased levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-4 and the activity of the MAPK p38. Possibly has IL-10 a protective role that down-regulates the activity of MAPK p38 and thereby further inflammatory processes in stable angina patients.

Cardiovascular fitness modifies the associations between physical activity and abdominal adiposity in children and adolescents: the European Youth Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between physical activity (PA) and abdominal adiposity, as measured by waist circumference, in children and adolescents, and to test whether cardiovascular fitness (CVF) modifies these associations. METHODS: PA components were measured by accelerometry in 1075 individuals aged 9 or 15 years old. CVF was measured by a maximal cycling test. Self-reported maternal educational level, body mass index, children's birth weight and television viewing were used as confounders. RESULTS: Linear regression did not show any association between the PA variables and waist circumference, after controlling for sex, age and height. When stratifying by CVF level (low/high), time spent at vigorous PA was inversely associated with waist circumference (p < or = 0.05) in the low CVF group. Unexpectedly, in the high CVF group, the PA variables were positively associated with waist circumference (p < or = 0.05). In both groups, the results were unchanged after controlling for the confounders. CVF was inversely associated with waist circumference, after controlling for all PA variables (p < or = 0.01) and confounders (p < or = 0.01). CONCLUSION: CVF is inversely associated with abdominal adiposity and seems to modify the associations between PA and abdominal adiposity. In low-fit children and adolescents, time spent in vigorous PA seems to be the key component linked to abdominal adiposity. This finding should be considered in further development of lifestyle intervention strategies. The results found in the high-fit group need to be confirmed.