Geographic differences in the associations between impaired glucose regulation and cardiovascular risk factors among young adults.

AIMS: To assess geographic differences in the association between BMI, blood pressure and lipid levels with impaired glucose regulation among young adults from various geographical regions. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study including data from 6987 participants aged ≤ 30 years from India, Singapore, Australia, Greenland, Kenya and Tanzania. Impaired glucose regulation was determined by the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. For each geographical region, BMI, blood pressure and lipids were examined and compared between participants with normal glucose tolerance and those with impaired glucose regulation. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the association between risk factors and impaired glucose regulation. RESULTS: Indian and East African people had a higher prevalence of impaired glucose regulation compared with participants from other regions, despite their lower BMI. Compared with the other regions, blood pressure was lower among Indian and Singaporean people but higher in those from Greenland. Greenlanders had the highest, while Indian and East-African people, had the lowest level of HDL cholesterol. BMI was positively associated with impaired glucose regulation in all regions, and there were no statistically significant geographic differences. In the Indian, Singaporean and Australian participants, there was a positive association between blood pressure and impaired glucose regulation. Triglycerides were positively associated with and HDL cholesterol had no association with impaired glucose regulation in all geographical regions. CONCLUSIONS: Higher BMI and triglyceride levels were positively associated with prevalent impaired glucose regulation in all geographical regions. There were geographic differences in the association between impaired glucose regulation and blood pressure and lipids, probably reflecting environmental and genetic factors.

Intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study in Japanese men and women.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common condition, in which abnormal amounts of triglycerides accumulate in hepatocytes and is closely related to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Dietary fats contribute 15% of fat accumulation in the liver and regulate hepatic lipid metabolism. The supplementation of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) improves NAFLD. The aim of this study is to assess the cross-sectional association between dietary n-3 PUFAs and NAFLD in Japanese men and women. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Participants were middle-aged, apparently healthy, 296 men and 496 women, who did not drink alcohol and who participated in a general health check-up program. Dietary information from the previous month was obtained by the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. NAFLD was diagnosed if abdominal ultrasonography revealed the presence of fatty liver. RESULTS: The prevalence of NAFLD was 45.3% in men and 17.5% in women. In comparison with the first tertile, multivariate adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the presence of NAFLD in the second and third tertiles for men taking eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were 0.59 (0.31-1.14) and 0.45 (0.23-0.90), respectively, (P for linear trend=0.024), and the multivariate adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the presence of NAFLD in the second and third tertiles for men taking EPA+docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were 0.44 (0.23-0.86) and 0.48 (0.24-0.95), respectively, (P for linear trend=0.035). However, there was no significant relation between NAFLD and each of these nutrients in women. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary EPA and EPA+DHA may be independent and preventive nutrients for NAFLD in Japanese men.

Estudio sobre la prevalencia de la lactancia materna en los centros de salud del Val Miñor / Study on the prevalence of breastfeeding in the health centres of Val Miñor

Introducción: la leche materna cubre las necesidades alimenticias del lactante hasta los seis meses de vida, no precisando en este periodo ningún otro aporte suplementario si no hay contraindicación al respecto. No obstante, y a pesar de que la mayoría de las madres cuando deja el hospital ofrece a sus hijos lactancia materna, estos índices bajan de forma alarmante en los siguientes meses de vida del recién nacido. Los objetivos principales han sido elevar la prevalenciade lactancia materna en el Val Miñor (Pontevedra), así como determinar en qué momento se introduce la lactancia artificial. Material y métodos: esta investigación presenta un diseño descriptivo pre-test/post-testsin grupo de control. Fueron entrevistadas todas las madres que acudían a la consulta de Pediatría de los centros de salud del Val Miñor en marzo de 2007 y 2008 (n = 358 y n = 407, respectivamente), sobre qué tipo de alimentación ofrecían a sus hijos. Entre estas dos fechas sellevó a cabo una campaña de información y sensibilización sobre los beneficios de la lactancia materna. Resultados: los resultados ofrecen una evidente mejoría en los índices de lactancia materna, alcanzándose unos índices del 79,2%, 54,5% y 22,2% en las madres entrevistadas en 2008 con hijos de 1 mes, 3-4 meses y 6 meses respectivamente. Conclusiones: los resultados obtenidos están en concordancia con los encontrados por otros autores y muestran una inquietante disminución en los índices de lactancia materna a medida que el niño va creciendo (AU)

Introduction: breast milk covers the nutritional needs of the infant during the first six months of life, making unnecessary any other supplementary food unless any contraindication exists. Nevertheless, although most mothers when discharged from hospital offer their babies breast milk, the rates drop dramatically in the next months of life. The main objectives of this study have been to raise breastfeeding prevalence in Val Miñor (Pontevedra), as well as to assesin what moment is formula milk introduced. Material and methods: this research has a descriptive pre-test/post-test design without acontrol group. All mothers attending the pediatric offices of Val Miñor health centres in March2007 and 2008 (n = 358 and n = 407 respectively) were interviewed on what kind of food they gave their children. A campaign of information and sensitization on the benefits of breastfeeding was implemented between these two dates. Results: the results show a clear improvement in breastfeeding rates reaching 79.2%,54.5% and 22.2% in interviewed mothers of children one, three to four and six months old respectively. Conclusions: the obtained results are in line with other authors’ and show a worrying dropin breastfeeding rates as the infant grows (AU)