Association between adherence to the EAT-Lancet sustainable reference diet and cardiovascular health among European adolescents: the HELENA study.

BACKGROUND: The EAT-Lancet Commission proposed a global reference diet to promote healthy diets within planetary boundaries. Studies evaluating the associations between the reference diet with health outcomes among adolescents are scarce. Thus, our aim was to assess the association between adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet and cardiovascular health among European adolescents. METHODS: Data from the HELENA study were used. Usual dietary intake was assessed using two 24-h dietary recalls and adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet was assessed using the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI), a 16-component index that ranges from 0 to 150 points. Cardiovascular health was assessed through the seven-component Ideal Cardiovascular Health (ICH) score: never smoked, eutrophic body mass index, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, healthy dietary pattern, low blood pressure, low fasting plasma glucose, and low total cholesterol. Total ICH score was categorized into ideal (5-7) and non-ideal (0-4). RESULTS: A 10-point increment in the PHDI was associated with a lower probability of a non-ideal ICH status (OR 0.84, [95% CI: 0.75, 0.94]) among European adolescents, after adjusting for age, sex, socio-economic status, and total energy intake. Furthermore, a 10-point increment in the PHDI was associated with lower probability of high blood pressure (OR: 0.87 [0.79, 0.96]) and a lower probability of high blood cholesterol (OR: 0.88 [0.78, 0.99]). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that a higher PHDI may be associated with a better cardiovascular health status among European adolescents.

The body mass index increases the genetic risk scores' ability to predict risk of hepatic damage in European adolescents: The HELENA study.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic disorders are often complex and multifactorial, modulated by genetic and environmental determinants. During the last years, the hepatic disease has been progressively established from early stages in life. The use of genetic risk scores (GRS) to predict the genetic susceptibility to a particular phenotype among youth has gained interest in recent years. Moreover, the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) blood biomarker is often considered as hepatic screening tool, in combination with imaging techniques. The aim of the present study was to develop an ALT-specific GRS to help in the evaluation of hepatic damage risk in European adolescents. METHODS: A total of 972 adolescents (51.3% females), aged 12.5-17.5 years, from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence study were included in the analyses. The sample incorporated adolescents in all body mass index (BMI) categories and was divided considering healthy/unhealthy ALT levels, using sex-specific cut-off points. From 1212 a priori ALT-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) extracted from candidate gene selection, a first screening of 234 SNPs univariately associated was established, selecting seven significant SNPs (p < .05) in the multivariate model. An unweighted GRS (uGRS) was developed by summing the number of reference alleles, and a weighted GRS (wGRS), by multiplying each allele to its estimated coefficient. RESULTS: The uGRS and wGRS were significantly associated with ALT (p < .001). The area under curve was obtained integrating BMI as clinical factor, improving the predictive ability for uGRS (.7039) and wGRS (.7035), using 10-fold internal cross-validation. CONCLUSIONS: Considering BMI status, both GRSs could contribute as complementary tools to help in the early diagnosis of hepatic damage risk in European adolescents.

Inflammation and insulin resistance according to body composition in European adolescents: the HELENA study / Inflamación y resistencia a la insulina según composición corporal en adolescentes europeos: el estudio HELENA

Introduction: Inflammation is related to insulin resistance in adults, especially on those individuals with high levels of body composition. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between a set of inflammatory biomarkers and insulin resistance by levels of body composition in a sample of European adolescents. Material and methods: Nine hundred and sixty-two adolescents (442 boys and 520 girls) from nine European countries met the inclusion criteria of having measurements for the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) and a set of inflammation-related biomarkers: C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL-6), complement factors C3 and C4 and selected cell adhesion molecules. Body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI) and waist circumference (WC) were categorized using tertiles. To assess the associations stratifying by body composition indexes, ANOVA and linear regression models were performed. Results: Mean biomarkers' concentrations differed across BMI, FMI and WC tertiles (p < 0.05) by sex. In both sexes, insulin, HOMA, CRP, C3 and C4 were significantly different between categories (p < 0.001), always showing the highest mean concentration in the upper category of BMI, FMI and WC. The most consistent finding was an association between insulin resistance and C3 concentrations (p < 0.05), in the adolescents in the highest tertile of BMI, FMI and WC, except in the case of FMI in girls. Conclusion: Inflammatory and glucose metabolism markers differed by tertiles of body composition, being usually higher in the highest tertile. C3 complement factor was associated with insulin resistance in adolescents, especially those with high total and abdominal adiposity (AU)

Introducción: la inflamación está relacionada con la resistencia a la insulina en adultos, especialmente en individuos con altos valores de composición corporal. Objetivos: valorar la relación entre diferentes marcadores inflamatorios y la resistencia a la insulina según valores de composición corporal en adolescentes europeos. Material y métodos: novecientos sesenta y dos adolescentes (442 chicos y 520 chicas) de nueve países europeos cumplían el criterio de inclusión de tener medidos la evaluación del modelo de homeostasis (HOMA) y diferentes marcadores inflamatorios: proteína C-reactiva (PCR), factor de necrosis tumoral alfa (TNF-α), interleukina (IL-6), factores de complemento C3 y C4 y moléculas de adhesión. El índice de masa corporal (IMC), el índice de masa grasa (IMG) y la circunferencia de cintura (CC) se categorizaron en tertiles. Para valorar las asociaciones por índices de composición corporal se realizó ANOVA y regresión. Resultados: las concentraciones de los marcadores diferían entre los tertiles de IMC, IMG y CC (p < 0,05), por sexo. En ambos sexos, insulina, HOMA, PCR, C3 y C4 fueron significativamente diferentes entre categorías (p < 0,001), presentando la mayor concentración en la categoría superior de IMC, IMG y CC. El resultado más consistente para los adolescentes del tertil superior de IMC, IMG y CC fue la asociación entre resistencia a la insulina y concentraciones de C3 (p < 0,05), excepto para IMG en chicas. Conclusión: los marcadores del metabolismo inflamatorio y de la glucosa diferían según tertiles de composición corporal, siendo mayores en el tertil superior. El C3 se asoció con resistencia a la insulina en adolescentes, especialmente en aquellos con adiposidad total y abdominal (AU)

Associations between parental educational/occupational levels and cognitive performance in Spanish adolescents: The AVENA study / Asociaciones entre el nivel educativo/profesional de los padres y rendimiento cognitivo en adolescentes españoles: el estudio AVENA

We examined the associations between parental educational/occupational levels and cognitive performance in Spanish adolescents. Cognitive performance was measured by a validated Scholar Aptitudes test in 2,162 participants. Parental educational and occupational levels were positively associated with all specific cognitive abilities and the overall score (p<001 to .04). The odds ratios of having a high cognitive performance (top quartile) in adolescents with high parental educational level were 1.6 to 1.7 times higher than for those with a low parental educational level. Similarly, the odds ratios were 1.9 to 2.4 times higher for adolescents with high parental occupational level. These findings suggest an association between parental educational/occupational levels and cognitive performance in Spanish adolescents and support the parents' role in the creation of a stimulating intellectual environment (AU)

Se examinaron las asociaciones entre el nivel educativo/profesional de los padres y el rendimiento cognitivo de adolescentes españoles. El rendimiento cognitivo se midió mediante un test validado de inteligencia en 2.162 participantes. El nivel educativo y profesional de los padres se asoció positivamente con todas las habilidades cognitivas específicas y la puntuación total (p<0,001 a 0,04). La probabilidad de que los adolescentes tuvieran un alto rendimiento cognitivo (cuartil superior) y padres con nivel educativo alto fue de 1,6 a 1,7 veces superior al de aquellos con padres de bajo nivel educativo. Del mismo modo, las probabilidades fueron de 1,9 a 2,4 veces mayor para los adolescentes con padres de nivel profesional alto. Estos resultados sugieren una asociación entre la educación/profesión de los padres y los niveles de rendimiento cognitivo en adolescentes y confirman el papel que desempeñan los padres en la creación de un entorno intelectual estimulante (AU)

Associations between parental educational/occupational levels and cognitive performance in Spanish adolescents: the AVENA study.

We examined the associations between parental educational/occupational levels and cognitive performance in Spanish adolescents. Cognitive performance was measured by a validated Scholar Aptitudes test in 2,162 participants. Parental educational and occupational levels were positively associated with all specific cognitive abilities and the overall score (p<001 to .04). The odds ratios of having a high cognitive performance (top quartile) in adolescents with high parental educational level were 1.6 to 1.7 times higher than for those with a low parental educational level. Similarly, the odds ratios were 1.9 to 2.4 times higher for adolescents with high parental occupational level. These findings suggest an association between parental educational/occupational levels and cognitive performance in Spanish adolescents and support the parents' role in the creation of a stimulating intellectual environment.

Effects of hydroxytyrosol-enriched sunflower oil consumption on CVD risk factors.

Inclusion of biophenols in traditional foods transforms them into functional foods that may help to decrease CVD risk. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the consumption of hydroxytyrosol-enriched sunflower oil (HSO) improves certain CVD biomarker values. A total of twenty-two healthy volunteers participated in a cross-over study involving two 3-week periods, separated by a 2-week washout period, in which volunteers consumed 800-1275 µg/d [corrected] of either HSO (45-50 mg/d of hydroxytyrosol) or non-enriched (control) sunflower oil. Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, arylesterase activity, oxidised LDL and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1) levels were measured in the plasma obtained at the beginning and at the end of each treatment period. The HSO group displayed a significantly higher level (P < 0·01) of arylesterase activity and significantly lower levels of oxidised LDL and sVCAM-1 (both P < 0·05) than the control group. These results suggest that HSO may help prevent CVD.