Association of Coffee Consumption and Its Types According to Addition of Sugar and Creamer with Metabolic Syndrome Incidence in a Korean Population from the Health Examinees (HEXA) Study.

Coffee is widely consumed worldwide, and numerous studies indicate that coffee consumption may potentially affect the development of chronic diseases. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) may constitute a risk factor for chronic diseases. We aimed to prospectively evaluate the association between coffee consumption and MetS incidence. All participants were selected from the Health Examinees study. MetS was defined by the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the relationship between coffee consumption and MetS incidence. In comparison with non-consumers, male moderate consumers (≤3 cups/day) showed a lower risk for low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (≤1 cup/day, hazard ratio (HR): 0.445, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.254-0.780; 1-3 cups/day, HR: 0.507, 95% CI: 0.299-0.859) and high fasting blood glucose (FPG) (≤1 cup/day, HR: 0.694, 95% CI: 0.538-0.895; 1-3 cups/day, HR: 0.763, 95% CI: 0.598-0.972). Male 3-in-1 coffee (coffee with sugar and creamer) consumers also showed a lower risk for low HDL-C (HR: 0.423, 95% CI: 0.218-0.824) and high FPG (HR: 0.659, 95% CI: 0.497-0.874). These findings indicate a negative association between moderate coffee consumption and low HDL-C and high FPG among Korean male adults.

Association between the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and coffee consumption among Korean adults: results from the Health Examinees study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the frequency and quantity of coffee consumption and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Health Examinees study. A total of 130 420 participants (43 682 men and 86 738 women) were included in our study. Coffee consumption was categorized into 5 categories (0, <1, 1, 2-3, and ≥4 cups/day). We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervalS (CIs) using multivariate logistic regression. In this study population, the prevalence of MetS was 12 701 (29.1%) in men and 21 338 (24.6%) in women. High coffee consumption (≥4 cups/day) was associated with a lower prevalence of MetS compared with non-coffee consumers (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.70-0.90, p for trend <0.0001 in men; OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.62-0.78, p for trend <0.0001 in women). The multivariable-adjusted ORs for high fasting glucose decreased with increasing levels of coffee consumption in men (OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.54-0.67, p for trend <0.0001) and women (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.63-0.79, p for trend <0.0001). For women, the multivariable-adjusted ORs for hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.75-0.93, p for trend = 0.0007) decreased with increasing levels of coffee consumption. We found that coffee consumption was inversely associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Korean men and women. Our study warrants further prospective cohort studies.

Oily Fish Consumption and the Risk of Dyslipidemia in Korean Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study Based on the Health Examinees Gem (HEXA-G) Study.

Despite the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil on cardiovascular diseases, limited information is available regarding the effects of oily fish in the diet on the risk of dyslipidemia. This study aimed to investigate the association between oily fish consumption and the incidence of dyslipidemia among Korean adults included in the Health Examinees Gem (HEXA-G) cohort during 5 years of follow-up. In total, 20,670 participants (5710 men and 14,960 women) were included in this study. The average intake of oily fish including dark meat fish, such as mackerel, pacific saury, and Spanish mackerel, and eel, was estimated using food frequency questionnaires. Oily fish consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of hypertriglyceridemia in both men (Relative risk (RR) comparing extreme quintiles = 0.75; 95% CI 0.60-0.95; P for trend = 0.0121) and women (RR comparing extreme quintiles = 0.81; 95% CI 0.69-0.96; P for trend = 0.0110) after adjusting for potential confounders. In conclusion, increased consumption of oily fish was significantly associated with a lower risk of hypertriglyceridemia in the general Korean population. Future randomized clinical trials or prospective studies are required to confirm these findings in the Korean or other Asian populations.

Association between family history of diabetes and clusters of adherence to healthy behaviors: cross-sectional results from the Health Examinees-Gem (HEXA-G) study.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated whether individuals with affected family member adhered to healthy behaviours. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a cross-sectional study of participants selected from health examinees who underwent the national health check-up programme of Korea in 39 centres between 2004 and 2013. PARTICIPANTS: The baseline data of 128 520 participants enrolled in the Health Examinees-Gem study were used for analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Associations of family history of diabetes with adherence to regular exercise, healthy diet and body composition, and clusters of healthy behaviours were evaluated while adjusting for potential confounders selected by a directed acyclic graph. RESULTS: Participants with a family history of diabetes were more likely to adhere to a regular exercise regimen (OR=1.12, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.18 for men and OR=1.10, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.14 for women) and healthy diet (OR=1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.12 for men and OR=1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.12 for women) but were less likely to have a normal body composition (OR=0.83, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.87 for men and OR=0.83, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.86 for women). These associations were strengthened when the affected family members were siblings, the number of affected members was increased or the age at diagnosis of the affected member was younger than 50 years. In men and women, having a normal body composition is important in determining the cluster of behaviours, and those with a family history of diabetes were less likely to adhere to the normal body composition cluster. CONCLUSIONS: The group with high risk of diabetes showed healthy behaviors, but they did not have a normal body composition. Policies and campaigns targeting integrated health behaviors will be needed to reduce the burden of diseases and improve public health.

[Acute health effects of the Hebei oil spill on the residents of Taean, Korea].

OBJECTIVES: On December 7, 2007, the Hebei Spirit oil tanker spilled out 12,547 kl of crude oil on the Yellow Sea 10 km away from the cost of Taean Province, Korea. As the coastline has been contaminated, local residents have been exposed to crude oil. Because the residents were showing many symptoms, we investigated the acute health effects of this oil spill on them. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study consisting of the heavy and moderately oil soaked area in Taean and the lightly oil soaked area in Seocheon. Ten seashore villages were selected from each area, and 10 male and female adults were selected from each village. We interviewed the subjects using a structured questionnaire on the characteristics of residents, the cleanup activities, the perception of oil hazard, depression and anxiety, and the physical symptoms. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The logistic regression model was adjusted for age, gender, education, smoking, the perception of oil hazard and anxiousness. RESULTS: The more highly contaminated the area, the more likely it was for residents to be engaged in cleanup activities and have a greater chance of exposure to oil. The indexes of anxiety and depression were higher in the heavy and moderately oil soaked areas. The increased risks of headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, tingling of limb, hot flushing, sore throat, cough, runny nose, shortness of breath, itchy skin, rash, and sore eyes were significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that exposure to crude oil is associated with various acute physical symptoms. Long-term investigation is required to monitor the residents' health.