Favorable fatty acid composition in adipose tissue in healthy Iraqi- compared to Swedish-born men - a pilot study using MRI assessment.

Middle Eastern immigrants are at high-risk for insulin resistance. Fatty acid composition (FAC) plays an important role in the development of insulin resistance but has not been investigated in people of Middle Eastern ancestry. Here, the aim was to assess the FAC in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT and SAT) in healthy Iraqi- and Swedish-born men using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method.This case-control study included 23 Iraqi- and 15 Swedish-born middle-aged men, without cardiometabolic disease. Using multi-echo MRI of the abdomen, the fractions of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (fSFA, fMUFA, and fPUFA) were estimated in VAT and SAT. SAT was further analyzed in deep and superficial compartments (dSAT and sSAT).In all depots, fPUFA was significantly higher and fSFA significantly lower in Iraqi men, independently of age and BMI. In both Iraqi- and Swedish-born men, higher fPUFA and lower fMUFA were found in sSAT vs. dSAT. Among Iraqi men only, higher fPUFA and lower fMUFA were found in SAT vs. VAT.Iraqi-born men presented a more favorable abdominal FAC compared to Swedish-born men. This MRI method also revealed different FACs in different abdominal depots. Our results may reflect a beneficial FAC in Middle Eastern immigrants.

Cardiovascular risk assessment in South and Middle-East Asians living in the Western countries.

Nearly a quarter of the world population lives in the South Asian region (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives). Due to rapid demographic and epidemiological transition in these countries, the burden of non-communicable diseases is growing, which is a serious public health concern. Particularly, the prevalence of pre-diabetes, diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increasing. South Asians living in the West have also substantially higher risk of CVD and mortality compared with white Europeans and Americans. Further, as a result of global displacement over the past three decades, Middle-Eastern immigrants now represent the largest group of non-European immigrants in Northern Europe. This vulnerable population has been less studied. Hence, the aim of the present review was to address cardiovascular risk assessment in South Asians (primarily people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh), and Middle-East Asians living in Western countries compared with whites (Caucasians) and present results from some major intervention studies. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed to identify major cardiovascular health studies of South Asian and Middle-Eastern populations living in the West, relevant for this review. Results indicated an increased risk of CVD. In conclusion, both South Asian and Middle-Eastern populations living in the West carry significantly higher risk of diabetes and CVD compared with native white Europeans. Lifestyle interventions have been shown to have beneficial effects in terms of reduction in the risk of diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity, weight loss as well as better glycemic and lipid control.

Understanding the complexity of socioeconomic disparities in type 2 diabetes risk: a study of 4.3 million people in Sweden.

Objective: Investigating demographic and socioeconomic factors as intersecting rather than as separate dimensions may improve our understanding of the heterogeneous distribution of type 2 diabetes in the population. However, this complexity has scarcely been investigated and we still do not know the accuracy of these factors for predicting type 2 diabetes. Improved understanding of the demographic and socioeconomic disparities predicting type 2 diabetes risk in the population would contribute to more precise and effective public health interventions. Research design and methods: We analyzed the risk of type 2 diabetes among 4 334 030 individuals aged 40-84 years who by 2010 had resided in Sweden for at least 5 years. We stratified the study population into 120 strata defined by categories of age, gender, income, education, and immigration status. We calculated measures of absolute risk (prevalence) and relative risk (prevalence ratio), and quantified the discriminatory accuracy of the information for predicting type 2 diabetes in the population. Results: The distribution of type 2 diabetes risk in the population was highly heterogeneous. For instance, immigrated men aged 70-79 years with low educational achievement and low income had a risk around 32 times higher than native women aged 40-49 years with high income and high educational achievement (ie, 17.6% vs 0.5%). The discriminatory accuracy of the information was acceptable. Conclusion: A more detailed, intersectional mapping of socioeconomic and demographic distribution of type 2 diabetes can assist in public health management aiming to reduce the prevalence of the disease.

Valuing a Lifestyle Intervention for Middle Eastern Immigrants at Risk of Diabetes.

Willingness-to-pay (WTP) techniques are increasingly being used in the healthcare sector for assessing the value of interventions. The objective of this study was to estimate WTP and its predictors in a randomized controlled trial of a lifestyle intervention exclusively targeting Middle Eastern immigrants living in Malmö, Sweden, who are at high risk of type 2 diabetes. We used the contingent valuation method to evaluate WTP. The questionnaire was designed following the payment-scale approach, and administered at the end of the trial, giving an ex-post perspective. We performed logistic regression and linear regression techniques to identify the factors associated with zero WTP value and positive WTP values. The intervention group had significantly higher average WTP than the control group (216 SEK vs. 127 SEK; p = 0.035; 1 U.S.$ = 8.52 SEK, 2015 price year) per month. The regression models demonstrated that being in the intervention group, acculturation, and self-employment were significant factors associated with positive WTP values. Male participants and lower-educated participants had a significantly higher likelihood of zero WTP. In this era of increased migration, our findings can help policy makers to take informed decisions to implement lifestyle interventions for immigrant populations.

Haemoglobin A1c as a screening tool for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes in populations of Swedish and Middle-East ancestry.

AIMS: To explore and compare sensitivity and specificity for HbA1c ≥48mmol/mol as a predictor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in two populations with different ethnicity and to examine the predictive value of two levels of HbA1c (≥42mmol/mol, ≥39mmol/mol) for prediabetes in these populations. METHODS: Four cohorts were examined with an oral glucose tolerance test. (1) The MEDIM Study (n=1991 individuals of Swedish and Iraqi ancestry); (2) The Skaraborg Project (n=1327 individuals of Swedish ancestry); (3) The 4-D study (n=424 individuals of Swedish, Iraqi and Turkish ancestry); (4) The Flemingsberg study (n=212 participants of Turkish ancestry). RESULTS: HbA1c ≥48mmol/mol had a sensitivity for T2DM of 31% and 25% respectively in individuals of Middle-East and Swedish ancestry. The positive and negative predictive value was high in both populations (70.3, 96.4 and 96.2, 97.6 respectively). Using HbA1c ≥42mmol/mol and ≥39mmol/mol as a predictor for prediabetes gave a sensitivity of 17% and 36% in individuals of Middle-East and 15% and 34% in individuals of Swedish ancestry. CONCLUSIONS: Even if HbA1c ≥48mmol/mol is a valuable diagnostic tool, it is a blunt and insensitive tool for screening and would exclude most people with T2DM, independent of ancestry and age. HbA1c is an inefficient way to detect individuals with prediabetes.

A culturally adapted lifestyle intervention addressing a Middle Eastern immigrant population at risk of diabetes, the MEDIM (impact of Migration and Ethnicity on Diabetes In Malmö): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that lifestyle interventions are effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes in high-risk patients. However, research on the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in high-risk immigrant populations with different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds is scarce. The aim was to design a culturally adapted lifestyle intervention for an immigrant population and to evaluate its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. METHODS/DESIGN: In this randomized controlled trial, 308 participants (born in Iraq, living in Malmö, Sweden and at high risk of type 2 diabetes) will be allocated to either a culturally adapted intervention or a control group. The intervention will consist of 10 group counseling sessions focusing on diet, physical activity and behavioral change over 6 months, and the offer of exercise sessions. Cultural adaptation includes gender-specific exercise sessions, and counseling by a health coach community member. The control group will receive the information about healthy lifestyle habits provided by the primary health care center. The primary outcome is change in fasting glucose level. Secondary outcomes are changes in body mass index, insulin sensitivity, physical activity, food habits and health-related quality of life. Measurements will be taken at baseline, after 3 and 6 months. Data will be analyzed by the intention-to-treat approach. The cost-effectiveness during the trial period and over the longer term will be assessed by simulation modeling from patient, health care and societal perspectives. DISCUSSION: This study will provide a basis to measure the effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention designed for immigrants from the Middle East in terms of improvement in glucose metabolism, and will also assess its cost-effectiveness. Results from this trial may help health care providers and policy makers to adapt and implement lifestyle interventions suitable for this population group that can be conducted in the community. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01420198.

Neighborhood deprivation and inequities in coronary heart disease among patients with diabetes mellitus: a multilevel study of 334,000 patients.

We used multilevel models to investigate whether the odds of coronary heart disease (CHD) is higher in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) living in deprived neighborhoods versus those living in wealthy neighborhoods. The Swedish nationwide prescription register was used to identify 334,000 patients aged 30 years and older with DM. The OR of CHD was significantly higher among patients with DM living in deprived neighborhoods than among patients with DM living in wealthy neighborhoods. These findings are useful for clinicians working in deprived neighborhoods. Future research could focus on how to reduce inequities in CHD among patients with DM.