Changes in body weight and body composition during the menstrual cycle.

OBJECTIVES: The general perception is that menstrual cycle is a factor related to body weight and body composition fluctuations in women. The lack of a standardized methodology of the so far conducted studies has led to controversial results. The aim of the current study is to identify if there are any changes in body weight and body composition during the menstrual cycle. METHODS: In the current study measurements of body weight, circumferences, skinfolds and body composition with bioelectrical impedance analysis were conducted twice per week in 42 women during their menstrual cycle. RESULTS: Body weight was found to be statistically significantly higher during menstruation compared to the first week of the menstrual cycle by 0.450 kg, which could be attributed to a statistically significant increase of 0.474 kg observed in extracellular water. No other statistically significant changes were observed regarding body composition. CONCLUSIONS: An increase of approximately 0.5 kg was observed during women's menstrual cycle, mostly due to extracellular fluid retention at menstruation days. These findings could be taken into account to interpret body weight and composition periodic fluctuations in women of reproductive age.

Ageotypes revisited: The brain and central nervous system dysfunction as a major nutritional and lifestyle target for healthy aging.

Undeniably, biological age can significantly differ between individuals of similar chronological age. Longitudinal, deep multi-omic profiling has recently enabled the identification of individuals with distinct aging phenotypes, termed 'ageotypes'. This effort has provided a plethora of data and new insights into the diverse molecular mechanisms presumed to drive aging. Translational opportunities stemming from this knowledge continue to evolve, providing an opportunity for the provision of nutritional interventions aiming to decelerate the aging process. In this framework, the contemporary ageotypes classification was revisited via in silico analyses, with the brain and nervous system being identified as the primary targets of age-related biomolecules, acting through inflammatory and metabolic pathways. Nutritional and lifestyle factors affecting these pathways in the brain and central nervous system that could help guide personalized recommendations for the attainment of healthy aging are discussed.

Genetically Guided Mediterranean Diet for the Personalized Nutritional Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

The current consensus for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is that high-quality diets and adherence to a healthy lifestyle provide significant health benefits. Remarkably, however, there is little agreement on the proportions of macronutrients in the diet that should be recommended to people suffering from pre-diabetes or T2DM. We herein discuss emerging evidence that underscores the importance of gene-diet interactions in the improvement of glycemic biomarkers in T2DM. We propose that we can achieve better glycemic control in T2DM patients by coupling Mediterranean diets to genetic information as a predictor for optimal diet macronutrient composition in a personalized manner. We provide evidence to support this concept by presenting a case study of a T2DM patient who achieved rapid glycemic control when adhered to a personalized, genetically-guided Mediterranean Diet.

Development and validation of a bioelectrical impedance prediction equation estimating fat free mass in Greek - Caucasian adult population.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Excessive body fat accumulation is associated with adverse health effects; therefore its accurate and reliable assessment is of great significance. The aim of the study was to develop and validate an easy and applicable equation, based on bioelectrical impedance analysis, estimating fat free mass in Greek general population and compare it with those of the literature. METHODS: Anthropometric and bioelectrical impedance parameters were obtained from 694 Greek adults (429 women and 265 men) so as to develop and validate the equation, using DXA as reference method. The validation and the reliability of the equation were examined with Bland-Altman analysis and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The developed prediction equation was FFM (kg) = 12.299 + (0.164 * Weight (kg)) + (7.287 * Gender (0:female, 1:male)) - (0.116 * Resistance (ohm)/Height (m)2) + (0.365 * Reactance (ohm)/Height (m)2) + (21.570 * Height (m)) (R2 = 0.944, p < 0.0001). Regarding the current population, the current equation presented the lowest bias (-0.069 kg, p = 0.707) and the highest ICC (0.985) compared to those of the literature. CONCLUSION: The current prediction equation was found to be valid and reliable in a representative sample of the Caucasian Greek general population and its utilization for body composition assessment could be an alternative of using labor-intensive, expensive and time-consuming reference methods.

Development and validation of two anthropometric models estimating abdominal fat percentage in Greek adult women and men.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Abdominal obesity is associated with adverse health implications. However, the assessment of abdominal adiposity is either indirect, like in the case of waist circumference measurement, or difficult in daily clinical practice, like in the case of using reference methods such as computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, etc. The aim of the current study was to develop and validate, using DXA as reference method, two easy and simple to use protocols, that estimate abdominal fat mass percentage (%AFM) in Greek females and males respectively, based on simple anthropometric measurements. METHODS: Circumferences and skinfolds were obtained from 709 Caucasian adults (437 women and 272 men) in order to develop and validate the two equations. The validation and the reliability of the equations were examined with Bland-Altman analysis and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The equations were: for females, %AFM = -121,368 - (17,322 × Height(m)) + (76,452 × log Abdominal Circumference(cm)) + (18,341 × log Suprailiac Skinfold(mm)) + (8802 × log Abdominal Skinfold(mm)), for males, %AFM = -174,117 - (15,247 × Height(m))+ (104,503 × log Abdominal Circumference(cm)) + (9907 × log Suprailiac Skinfold(mm)) + (7971 × log Abdominal Skinfold(mm)). The equations had no significant bias (0,203% and 0,406%, respectively), acceptable limits of agreement (±9.358% and ±8.780%, respectively) and high reliability (0,940 and 0,957, respectively). CONCLUSION: Both equations were found to be valid and reliable for Greek population. Therefore, the utilization of these equations for abdominal fat assessment could be an alternative of labor-intensive, expensive and time-consuming reference methods.

Development and validation of two equations based on anthropometry, estimating body fat for the Greek adult population.

OBJECTIVE: To validate anthropometric equations in the current literature predicting body fat percentage (%BF) in the Greek population, to develop and validate two anthropometric equations estimating %BF, and to compare them with the retrieved equations. METHODS: Anthropometric data from 642 Greek adults were incorporated. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used as reference method. The comparison with other equations was made using Bland-Altman analysis, intraclass correlation coefficient, and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Nine of the thirty-one retrieved equations had no statistically significant bias. However, all of them had wide limits of agreement (±8.3 to ±16%BF). The equations accrued were: BF% = -0.615-10.948 × sex + 0.321 × waist circumference + 0.502 × hips circumference-0.39 × forearm circumference - 19.768 × height (m) and BF% = -27.787-5.515 × sex-8.419 × height + 0.145 × waist circumference + 0.270 × hips circumference + 7.509 × log of thigh skinfold + 20.090 × log of sum of skinfolds (bicep + tricep + suprailiac + subscapular)-0.445 × forearm circumference. Bland-Altman's reliability analysis showed no significant bias of -0.058 and -0.148%BF and limits of agreement ±8.100 and ±6.056%BF; the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.955 and 0.976; and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient was 0.914 and 0.951, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Literature equations performed moderately on this study's population. Therefore, two equations were designed and validated. The first one was simple and easily applicable, with measures obtained from a measuring tape, and the second one more complicated yet more accurate and reliable. Both were found to be reliable for the assessment of body composition in the Greek population.

Estimation of abdominal fat mass: validity of abdominal bioelectrical impedance analysis and a new model based on anthropometry compared with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.

OBJECTIVE: Since abdominal adiposity has been associated with increased risk for chronic diseases, valid and low cost methods to estimate it are needed for clinical and research purposes. The aim of the current study was to develop and validate, using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as reference method, a model that estimates abdominal fat mass percentage (AFM%) in white postmenopausal women based on simple and easy-to-apply anthropometric measurements. An additional aim was to validate an abdominal bioelectrical impedance analyzer (ViScan) for estimating waist circumference (WC) and AFM% in this group. METHODS: Ninety-one postmenopausal women (mean age, 61.5 y) with body mass index ranging from 20.9 to 42 kg/m2 were randomly divided into one training set (n = 60) and one testing set (n = 31) to develop and validate a model based on anthropometric measurements estimating abdominal fat mass. Furthermore, in all 91 participants, ViScan estimations of WC and AFM% were validated against tape measurement and DXA results. RESULTS: The model developed was AFM% = 4.496 + (0.318 × WC) + 0.342 × suprailiac skinfold (r = 0.834, P < 0.0001). The model had no significant bias (0.25%) and ± 7.5% limits of agreement. ViScan significantly overestimated WC by 7.04 cm and estimated AFM% with no significant bias (-0.13%) and ± 7.6% limits of agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Both the model and ViScan are equally valid against DXA in estimating AFM%. However, ViScan is not valid in estimating WC in white postmenopausal women.