Associations between adiposity measures and 25-hydroxyvitamin D among police officers.

OBJECTIVE: Studies show that serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), a biomarker for vitamin D status, are lower in persons with higher adiposity levels and that police officers have been found to have a high prevalence of obesity. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between several adiposity measures and 25(OH)D, and also compare those measures to determine the best one that predicts insufficiency of 25(OH)D (<20 ng/mL) among police officers in the Northeast area of the United States. METHODS: Participants were 281 police officers (71.5% men) from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress Study (2011-2016). Associations of body mass index (BMI), abdominal height (AbHt), waist circumference (WC), WC-to-height ratio (WCHtR), percent body fat (PBF), and fat mass index (FMI) with 25(OH)D were obtained using multiple regression models after adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, season, multivitamin supplement use, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The area under the curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the predictive ability of each adiposity measure to identify insufficient 25(OH)D concentrations. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30) was 50.7% in men and 21.3% in women. Mean levels of 25(OH)D were 32.4 ng/mL in men and 34.4 ng/mL in women. After adjustment for covariates, PBF and FMI among men were inversely associated with 25(OH)D: PBF (ß ± SE = -2.40 ± 1.01, P = .018); FMI (-2.21 ± 0.93, .018). Among women, no adiposity measure was associated with 25(OH)D. PBF was the best predictor of insufficient 25(OH)D concentrations regardless of gender (AUC = 0.878). CONCLUSION: Adiposity measures were inversely associated with 25(OH)D, but differed between female and male officers.

Antioxidants and pulmonary function among police officers.

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations of dietary antioxidant intake and pulmonary function. METHODS: Antioxidant data (vitamins A, C, D, E, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids) were abstracted from food frequency questionnaires. Pulmonary function was measured using American Thoracic Society criteria. We used analysis of variance to investigate associations. RESULTS: Among 79 police officers (57% male), forced vital capacity was positively and significantly associated with vitamin A after adjustment for age, gender, height, race, smoking status, and pack-years of smoking, and with magnesium after adjustment for those risk factors plus total calories, all supplement use, and abdominal height. Among current/former smokers only, mean levels of all pulmonary function measures were significantly associated with vitamin E; smoking status significantly modified these relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Increased intake of vitamin A, vitamin E (among current/former smokers only), and magnesium was associated with better pulmonary function.

Silicosis in lymph nodes: the canary in the miner?

OBJECTIVES: To investigate evidence that lymph node silicosis can precede parenchymal silicosis. METHODS: The study population was comprised of 264 deceased male uranium miners for whom two or more of four pathologists agreed on the presence or absence of silicosis in lymph nodes and lung parenchyma. We had work histories and silica exposure estimates. RESULTS: Twenty percent of the miners had lymph node silicosis only, 4% had parenchymal silicosis only, and 39% had both. Silica exposure was lower for miners with lymph node silicosis only than for those with both lymph node and parenchymal silicosis. Lymph node silicosis was associated with parenchymal silicosis after adjustment for silica exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are consistent with silicosis potentially occurring in lymph nodes before the parenchyma. Lymph node damage could impair silica clearance and increase the risk for parenchymal silicosis.