Effects of dietary fibre intake during adolescence on the components of the metabolic syndrome at the age of 36 years: the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is increasing, especially in young individuals. Most of the previous studies that have investigated the association between dietary fibre intake and the metabolic syndrome are cross-sectional or of short duration, and their results are inconsistent. The present study investigated whether dietary fibre intake during adolescence has a protective effect on developing the metabolic syndrome as an adult. METHODS: Data on dietary intake and metabolic syndrome components were derived from a healthy sample of 174 men and 194 women who were followed-up from the age of 13 years onwards in the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study. Data were analysed with use of generalised estimating equations and linear regression analyses. RESULTS: The mean dietary fibre intake was 9.9 g/4.0 MJ (1000 kcal) during adolescence and 10.8 g/4.0 MJ (1000 kcal) at age 36 years. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome at age 36 years was 10.1%. No differences were found in the time-course of dietary fibre intake between subjects with and those without the metabolic syndrome or its components. Dietary fibre intake during adolescence was not related to the components of the metabolic syndrome at age 36 years, except for an inverse relationship with waist circumference, where a gram/4.0 MJ (1000 kcal) higher fibre intake was associated with a 0.44 cm smaller waist circumference (P = 0.03, 95% CI -0.85 to -0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The present study found no association between dietary fibre intake and the metabolic syndrome in young adults. High fibre intake, however, was inversely associated with waist circumference.

Concurrent validity of the PAM accelerometer relative to the MTI Actigraph using oxygen consumption as a reference.

The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent validity of the Personal Activity Monitor (PAM) accelerometer relative to the Actigraph accelerometer using oxygen consumption as a reference, and to assess the test-retest reliability of the PAM. Thirty-two fit, normal weight adults (aged 21-54) performed two activities, treadmill walking and stair walking, while wearing the PAM, the Actigraph and the Cosmed K4b(2). Correlation coefficients and agreement in absolute energy expenditure (EE) levels between PAM, Actigraph and Cosmed were calculated. The test-retest reliability was examined among 296 PAM's using a laboratory shaker. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV) were determined. Correlations for treadmill walking and stair walking, respectively, were r(2)=0.95 and r(2)=0.65 for PAM with Actigraph, r(2)=0.82 and r(2)=0.93 for PAM with VO(2) and r(2)=0.64 and 0.74 for Actigraph with VO(2). Both the PAM and Actigraph underestimated EE during treadmill and stair walking by a substantial amount. The test-retest reliability of the PAM was high [ICC=0.80; 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.28;0.92) and intra-CV=1.5%]. The PAM and Actigraph accelerometer are comparable in assessing bodily movement during treadmill and stair walking. The PAM is a valid device to rank subjects in EE and can be useful in collecting objective data to monitor habitual physical activity.

Coffee consumption is not related to the metabolic syndrome at the age of 36 years: the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Coffee consumption has been postulated to decrease the risk of diabetes mellitus type II. The long-term effects of coffee consumption on the metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components are unknown. This study investigated the relationship of long-term coffee consumption between the age of 27 and 36 years with the prevalence of the MS at the age of 36 years. SUBJECT/METHODS: Data on coffee consumption and the MS components were derived from a healthy sample of 174 men and 194 women followed up from the age of 27 years onwards. Data analysis was performed with the use of generalized estimating equations and regression analysis. RESULTS: At the age of 36 years, the prevalence of the MS was 10.1%. The growth of coffee consumption did not differ significantly between subjects with or without the MS or its components. Regression analyses showed that one cup day(-1) higher coffee consumption was related to 0.11 mm Hg lower mean arterial blood pressure (P=0.03), 0.02 mg 100 ml(-1) higher triglyceride level (P=0.57), 0.04 mg 100 ml(-1) higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (P=0.35), 0.09% higher HbA(1c) (P=0.12) and 0.02 cm larger waist circumference (P=0.57). After adjustment for physical activity, energy intake, smoking behaviour and alcohol consumption, none of the relationships between coffee consumption and the MS or its components was significant. CONCLUSIONS: Coffee consumption is not associated with the MS or its components in a healthy sample followed up for 9 years.

Meta-analysis of the relationship between alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease and mortality in type 2 diabetic patients.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This systematic review examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. Meta-analyses could only be performed for total mortality, mortality from CHD, and CHD incidence, because the availability of articles on other complications was too limited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A PubMed search through to September 2005 was performed and the reference lists of relevant articles examined. Among the relevant articles there were six cohort studies reporting on the risk of total mortality and/or fatal and/or incident CHD in alcohol non-consumers and in at least two groups of alcohol consumers. RESULTS: Statistical pooling showed lower risks in alcohol consumers than in non-consumers (the reference category). The relative risk (RR) of total mortality was 0.64 (95% CI 0.49-0.82) in the <6 g/day category. In the higher alcohol consumption categories (6 to <18, and > or =18 g/day), the RRs of total mortality were not significant. Risks of fatal and total CHD were significantly lower in all three categories of alcohol consumers (<6, 6 to <18 and > or =18 g/day) than in non-consumers, with RRs ranging from 0.34 to 0.75. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: This meta-analysis shows that, as with findings in the general population, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of mortality and CHD in type 2 diabetic populations.

The relation between calcium intake and body composition in a Dutch population: The Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

To investigate whether dietary calcium intake is related to body mass index and the sum of four skinfolds among subjects in the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study (the Netherlands), the authors followed a cohort of men and women from age 13 years in 1977 to age 36 years in 2000. Longitudinal linear regression analyses were performed with generalized estimating equations in continuous and categorical models, with adjustment for possible confounders. Results showed that calcium intake during adolescence is a weak predictor of calcium intake in adulthood. In this population, only a slight indication was found of a weak inverse relation of calcium intake with body composition. No differences were observed between the middle (800-1,200 mg/day) and high (>1,200 mg/day) groups of calcium intake, suggesting a threshold of approximately 800 mg/day above which calcium intake has no additional beneficial effect on body composition.

Body composition and physical fitness of undernourished South African rural primary school children.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between the body composition characteristics, body mass index (BMI), sum of skinfolds (SSF), % body fat (%BF), fat-free mass (FFM) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and nine physical fitness items in undernourished rural primary school children in Ellisras, South Africa. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study consisted of 462 boys and 393 girls who were aged 7-14 y. MEASUREMENTS: Five body composition measures were assessed: BMI, SSF, %BF, FFM and WHR. Nine physical fitness test items were assessed: standing long jump, bent arm hang, sit-ups, 10 x 5 m shuttle run, 50 m sprint, 1600 m run, flamingo balance, sit and reach, plate tapping. RESULTS: BMI was highly correlated with FFM (r = 0.7, P < 0.001). In line with findings from Western countries, regression coefficients (B) showed that children with higher BMI or SSF performed worse in bent arm hang (girls, B = -0.84, P < 0.001, and B = -0.06, P = 0.02, respectively) and in 1600m run (B = 6.68, P < 0.001). BMI was significantly associated with flamingo balance (B = 0.26, P = 0.04). WHR was positively associated with bent arm hang (B = 9.37, P = 0.03), and inversely with sit and reach (B = -7.48, P = 0.01). In contrast, significant relationships were found between BMI and standing long jump (B = 0.74, P = 0.04), sit and reach (B = 0.51, P < 0.001), flamingo balance (B = 0.26, P = 0.04) and plate tapping (B = -19, P = 0.01). SSF was significantly associated with sit and reach (B = 0.04, P = 0.03). Significant inverse associations were found between FFM and bent arm hang (girls, B = -0.06, P = 0.05), 1600 m run (girls, B = -2.33, P = 0.003) and 50 m run (boys, B = -0.11, P = 0.006). FFM was significantly associated with standing long jump (boys, B = 0.99, P < 0.001; girls, B = 0.73, P < 0.001), flamingo balance (B = 0.17, P < 0.001), and with sit and reach (boys, B = 0.59, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: In the present study in undernourished children, body composition was significantly related to physical fitness, but not always in the expected direction. It is therefore important to note that in this population, BMI should not be interpreted as a measure of fatness/overweight, but rather as an indicator of muscle mass.

Effects of health information in youth and young adulthood on risk factors for chronic diseases--20-year study results from the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

In the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study (AGAHLS) biological risk factors for chronic diseases were measured on eight separate occasions over a period of 20 years in a group of apparently healthy males and females (n = 164). Data were first collected from participants at 13 years of age. At each of the eight measurements, a medical checkup was performed and participants were given information about their current health status based on their personal biological risk factor profile (cholesterol, blood pressure, body composition, and physical fitness). A comparable group (n = 113) was measured on two occasions only: at age 13 and again at age 33. It was hypothesized that the group with eight measurements would present a more favorable 20-year development of the risk factors than the group with only two measurements. In the present article the six additional measurements with personal feedback of one's health status were perceived as an "intervention," even though the AGAHLS never intended to improve the lifestyle or health of its subjects. The intervention appeared to have had a positive effect on body fat distribution and, in men, on systolic blood pressure. However, it was expected that these significant results were not true effects of the intervention, but that they were type-I errors. For the other variables, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the ratio between these two, for the sum of four skinfolds, diastolic blood pressure, neuromotor fitness, and for maximal oxygen uptake, the 20-year development did not differ between the two groups. Thus, the effects of a 20-year health measurement and information intervention begun in youth on biologic risk factors for chronic diseases were limited. The absence of clear significant findings may be due to the low contrast between the two groups, as only six intervention measurements were conducted over a period of 20 years. Another reason may be that the young and relatively healthy population under study here was not amenable to changing their fitness and health.