Plasma Glutathione and Prodromal Parkinson's Disease Probability.

BACKGROUND: A decrease in glutathione (GSH) levels is considered one of the earliest biochemical changes in Parkinson's disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: The authors explored the potential role of plasma GSH as a risk/susceptibility biomarker for prodromal PD (pPD) by examining its longitudinal associations with pPD probability trajectories. METHODS: A total of 405 community-dwelling participants (median age [interquartile range] = 73.2 [7.41] years) without clinical features of parkinsonism were followed for a mean (standard deviation) of 3.0 (0.9) years. RESULTS: A 1 µmol/L increase in plasma GSH was associated with 0.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1%-0.7%; P = 0.017) less increase in pPD probability for 1 year of follow-up. Compared with participants in the lowest GSH tertile, participants in the highest GSH tertile had a 12.9% (95% CI, 22.4%-2.2%; P = 0.020) slower rate of increase of pPD probability for 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Plasma GSH was associated with pPD probability trajectories; therefore, it might assist in the identification of individuals who are likely to reach the threshold for pPD diagnosis more rapidly. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Development and reliability of questionnaires for the assessment of diet and physical activity behaviors in a multi-country sample in Europe the Feel4Diabetes Study.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of diet and physical activity and their determinants still remains a demanding task, especially when the objective is to evaluate the efficacy of lifestyle interventions. In the context of the Feel4Diabetes study (a European community based intervention study in families with school aged children and at high risk of developing diabetes), we aimed to develop questionnaires for the assessment of food-frequency and eating behaviors, and physical activity and sedentary behaviors in both parents and school-aged children and a questionnaire for overall family's energy balance-related behaviors. METHODS: Questionnaires were developed to be used in 6 countries under standardized harmonization procedures and included questions regarding not only food intake and physical activity, but also questions of their determinants. A reliability study was conducted in 191 pairs of parents and their children (N = 191). Parents completed the questionnaires on two occasions, within a 1-2 week interval. Reliability was tested by the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) of test-retest. RESULTS: Most of the questions in all questionnaires had excellent reliability, assessed as an ICC of > 0.810. Mean ICCs for food-frequency and eating behaviors questionnaires were 0.838 and 0.787, and for physical activity and sedentary behaviors questionnaires were 0.734 and 0.793, in adults and children respectively. Mean ICC for overall family's energy balance-related behaviors and their determinants was 0.659. CONCLUSION: The developed questionnaires showed acceptable reliability and may be valuable tools in the assessment of children's and parents' behaviors related to diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior and overall energy balance in school- and community-based interventions.

Mediterranean Lifestyle in Relation to Cognitive Health: Results from the HELIAD Study.

Many lifestyle factors have been linked to cognitive function but little is known about their combined effect. An overall lifestyle pattern for people living in the Mediterranean basin has been proposed, including diet, but also physical activity, sleep and daily living activities with social/intellectual aspects. We aimed to examine the associations between a combination of these lifestyle factors and detailed cognitive performance. A total of 1716 participants from the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Ageing and Diet (HELIAD), a population-based study of participants ≥65 years, were included in this analysis. Lifestyle factors were evaluated using standard, validated questionnaires and a Total Lifestyle Index (TLI) was constructed. Cognitive outcomes included mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis, a composite z-score (either continuous or with a threshold at the 25th percentile) and z-scores for five cognitive domains. A higher TLI was associated with 65% reduced odds for MCI in the non-demented individuals and 43% reduced odds for low global cognition when MCI participants were excluded, a risk reduction equivalent to 9 and 2.7 fewer years of ageing, respectively. Each lifestyle factor was differentially associated with domain-specific cognitive performance. Our results suggest that a TLI, more so than single lifestyle parameters, may be related to cognitive performance.

Weight loss maintenance in relation to locus of control: The MedWeight study.

Locus of control, i.e. the degree of an individual's belief on the control of his/her life, has been related to many health outcomes, including weight loss in overweight/obese individuals. No information is available on the impact of locus of control in maintaining weight loss. We aimed to investigate the effect of locus of control in weight loss maintenance and explore potential associations with lifestyle factors. Study participants included 239 individuals (41% males) who had lost at least 10% of body weight in the past and either maintained the loss (maintainers: weight maintenance of at least 10% of initial weight) or regained it (regainers). Locus of control was defined by a relevant multi-dimensional scale; participants were categorised to internals and externals, based on "internal" and "others" sub-scales. A significant interaction was found between locus of control and weight loss maintenance status (p < 0.001), with internals being more likely to be maintainers. Regainers had a more external orientation, compared to maintainers. Weight loss methods differ between groups, with internals reporting loosing weight by themselves more frequently, while externals reporting loosing weight mainly with the aid of an expert. Weight cycling of 2-3 kg in a typical year was reported more frequently in internals. Total and vigorous physical activity, as well as total hobbies score were associated with an internal profile, while sedentary activities with an external profile. No differences were found in dietary intake between internals and externals. Our results suggest that weight loss maintenance is associated with an internal locus of control. Individualised treatment, according to locus of control, may increase weight loss maintenance rates in former overweight/obese individuals.

Mediterranean diet and other lifestyle factors in relation to 20-year all-cause mortality: a cohort study in an Italian population.

The aim of the present analysis was to evaluate the association of the Mediterranean diet (MeDi), smoking habits and physical activity with all-cause mortality in an Italian population during a 20-year follow-up study. A total of 1693 subjects aged 40-74 who enrolled in the study in 1991-5 were asked about dietary and other lifestyle information at baseline. Adherence to the MeDi was evaluated by the Mediterranean dietary score (MedDietScore). A healthy lifestyle score was computed by assigning 1 point each for a medium or high adherence to the MedDietScore, non-smoking and physical activity. Cox models were used to assess the associations between lifestyle factors and healthy lifestyle scores and all-cause mortality, adjusting for potential confounders. The final sample included 974 subjects with complete data and without chronic disease at baseline. During a median of 17·4 years of follow-up, 193 people died. Subjects with high adherence to the MedDietScore (hazard ratio (HR) 0·62, 95 % CI 0·43, 0·89)), non-smokers (HR 0·71, 95 % CI 0·51, 0·98) and physically active subjects (HR 0·55, 95 % CI 0·36, 0·82) were at low risk of death. Each point increase in the MedDietScore was associated with a significant 5 % reduction of death risk. Subjects with 1, 2 or 3 healthy lifestyle behaviours had a significantly 39, 56, and 73 % reduced risk of death, respectively. A high adherence to MeDi, non-smoking and physical activity were strongly associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality in healthy subjects after long-term follow-up. This reduction was even stronger when the healthy lifestyle behaviours were combined.

Physical activity status and acute coronary syndromes survival The GREECS (Greek Study of Acute Coronary Syndromes) study.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the association between physical activity levels and the clinical outcome at presentation, as well as the 30-day prognosis of hospitalized patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). BACKGROUND: Regular physical activity has been associated with decreased risk of coronary heart disease. However, less is known about the effects of life-long physical activity on ACS prognosis. METHODS: From October 2003 to September 2004, a sample of 6 hospitals located in urban and rural Greek regions were selected, and almost all of their ACS patients were enrolled into the study (2,172 patients were included in the study; 76% men and 24% women). Logistic regression models were applied to evaluate the effect of physical activity status (as assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire) on in-hospital mortality and the 30-day outcome of cardiovascular events (death or rehospitalization due to cardiovascular disease). RESULTS: An inverse association was observed between the level of physical activity and troponin I levels at presentation (p = 0.01). Moreover, after taking into account various potential confounders, physical activity was associated with a 0.56-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32 to 0.90) lower odds of in-hospital mortality and a 0.80-fold (95% CI 0.50 to 0.99) lower odds of cardiovascular events within the first month after discharge. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, physical activity is associated with a reduced severity of ACS, reduced in-hospital mortality rates, and improved short-term prognosis.

Physical activity, obesity status, and glycemic control: The ATTICA study.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the relationship of physical activity and obesity with glycemic control and insulin resistance. METHODS: A randomized, population-based, cross-sectional health and nutrition survey was conducted in the province of Athens, Greece. Subjects included 1514 men and 1528 women without evidence of cardiovascular or other chronic disease. Participants were classified as inactive, minimally active, or health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) active based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by the homeostatic model (HOMA), and overweight or obesity was assessed according to BMI (BMI >or= 25). Related social, biological, and lifestyle factors were also recorded and used as potential confounders. RESULTS: Five hundred sixty-five (37.3%) men and 493 (32.3%) women were classified as physically active. From the 1058 (34.8%) subjects who were classified as active, 306 (10.1%) met the criteria for HEPA active, and the rest were minimally active. HEPA active and minimally active subjects smoked less and had lower BMI, waist, and waist-to-hip ratio. Lean and overweight or obese subjects with sedentary lifestyle had greater levels of glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance [corrected] However, overweight or obese volunteers with physical activity levels classified as HEPA had similar levels of glucose and insulin sensitivity, with lower insulin than lean inactive individuals. Linear regression analysis between HOMA and physical activity, taking into consideration several social and biological factors, showed that physical activity (MET x min x wk(-1)), age, BMI, and total energy intake are important predictors of HOMA, whereas other factors such as waist circumference did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Our data show that physical activity is a significant factor on insulin sensitivity, whereas increased physical activity may ameliorate the well-known effects of obesity on insulin sensitivity.