Incidence of obesity is lower in persons who consume olive oil.

We undertook a population-based cohort study in Pizarra (Spain). Anthropometric and nutritional variables were recorded for 613 persons. The type of fat used was determined by measurement of the fatty acids contained in cooking oil. Serum fatty acid was used as a biological marker of the type of fat consumed. Obesity incidence in persons who were not obese at baseline was greater in those who consumed sunflower oil (Group 1: 41.5 (95% CI, 25.4-67.8) cases per 1000 person-years) than in those who consumed olive oil or a mixture of oils (Group 2: 17.3 (95% CI, 11.6-25.8) cases per 1000 person-years). The risk of developing obesity over 6 years, adjusted for age, sex, physical activity, smoking, instruction level, energy intake and baseline BMI, was 2.3 (95% CI, 1.06-5.02) in group 1 compared with that in group 2. The increase in the prevalence of obesity in the free-living population is associated with the type of fatty acids in the diet.

Effect of long-term administration of cross-sex hormone therapy on serum and urinary uric acid in transsexual persons.

BACKGROUND: Transsexual persons afford a very suitable model to study the effect of sex steroids on uric acid metabolism. DESIGN: This was a prospective study to evaluate the uric acid levels and fractional excretion of uric acid (FEUA) in a cohort of 69 healthy transsexual persons, 22 male-to-female transsexuals (MFTs) and 47 female-to-male transsexuals (FMTs). The subjects were studied at baseline and 1 and 2 yr after starting cross-sex hormone treatment. RESULTS: The baseline levels of uric acid were higher in the MFT group. Compared with baseline, uric acid levels had fallen significantly after 1 yr of hormone therapy in the MFT group and had risen significantly in the FMT group. The baseline FEUA was greater in the FMT group. After 2 yr of cross-sex hormone therapy, the FEUA had increased in MFTs (P = 0.001) and fallen in FMTs (P = 0.004). In MFTs, the levels of uric acid at 2 yr were lower in those who had received higher doses of estrogens (P = 0.03), and the FEUA was higher (P = 0.04). The FEUA at 2 yr was associated with both the estrogen dose (P = 0.02) and the serum levels of estradiol-17beta (P =0.03). In MFTs, a correlation was found after 2 yr of therapy between the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and the serum uric acid (r = 0.59; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Serum levels of uric acid and the FEUA are altered in transsexuals as a result of cross-sex hormone therapy. The results concerning the MFT group support the hypothesis that the lower levels of uric acid in women are due to estrogen-induced increases in FEUA.

[Incidence of amputaciones of the lower extremities in the population with diabetes mellitus in Málaga (1996-1997)]. / Incidencia de amputaciones de extremidades inferiores en la población con diabetes mellitus de Málaga (1996-1997).

OBJECTIVE: To find the frequency of amputations of lower limbs (ALL) with the aim of designing a programme to prevent ALL in people with diabetes mellitus (DM). DESIGN: Retrospective observation study. SETTING: Population study in Malaga and its province. PATIENTS: The clinical records of everyone with ALL in public or subsidized hospitals in the province of Malaga between January 1 1996 and December 31 1997 were reviewed. Traumatic or tumoural ALL were excluded. Cumulative incidence, relative risk (RR) of ALL and the mortality rate of people with DM were calculated. RESULTS: 449 ALL took place during the period studied, 316 (70.3%) in people with DM and 133 (29.6%) in people not suffering DM. The incidence of ALL per 100,000 people and per year was 6.3 (CI: 4.7-7.8) in the population without DM and 136.1 (CI: 114.9-157.3) in people with DM. The RR of ALL was 21.6 (CI: 17.6-26.4) for the population with DM, with differences between men and women (16.8 vs. 36.1, respectively). Mean age of ALL was significantly greater (p < 0.05) for the population with DM (70.0 +/- 10.2 vs. 68.9 +/- 15.9 years old). Older ALL were more numerous in both women and men in the two groups studied. The mortality rate, complications and mean stay in hospital were greater in the population with DM. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the greater risk of ALL run by people with DM. The incidence of ALL in this study was less than in countries of Northern Europe, the USA and Australia, but more than in any study published before in Spain.