Anthropometric predictors for cardiovascular risk in Indigenous women in Mexico: an inexpensive alternative in rural clinical practice.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death in Mexico. Although the use of anthropometric indicators facilitates the diagnosis of cardiovascular risk (CVR), their use is limited in rural communities with limited resources. This article evaluated and demonstrated predictive capacity of three anthropometric indexes for CVR in Indigenous women in Mexico from Matlatzinca ethnic group. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 93 Indigenous women was carried out. CVR was calculated with the Framingham risk score and used as the reference method by comparing it with waist circumference (WC), conicity index (CoI) and waist-height index (WHI). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity for each anthropometric index. RESULTS: Cut-off points (and AUC) for each anthropometric index were WHI 0.63 (0.763), CoI 1.29 (0.756) and WC 91 (0.663). CONCLUSION: In this population, WHI presented the greatest discrimination power; it was considered the best predictor of CVR because of its high sensitivity. It was demonstrated that the anthropometric indexes WC, CoI and WHI could be used in clinical practice in rural areas without sufficient resources for serological tests.

Dexamethasone Causes Hypertension in Rats Even Under Chemical Blockade of Peripheral Sympathetic Nerves.

Synthetic glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used to treat inflammatory conditions. However, chronic use of GCs can lead to hypertension. The cause of this undesired side effect remains unclear. Previously, we developed an in vivo rat model to study the mechanisms underlying hypertension induced by the chronic administration of the potent synthetic GC, dexamethasone (DEX) and found that the catecholamine biosynthetic pathway plays an important role. In the current study, we used this model to investigate the role of the adrenal medulla, renal nerves, and other peripheral sympathetic nerves in DEX-induced hypertension. After 5 days of baseline telemetric recording of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR), rats were subjected to one of the following treatments: renal denervation (RDNX), adrenal medullectomy (ADMX), 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA, 20 mg/kg, i.p.) to induce chemical sympathectomy, or a combination of ADMX and 6-OHDA. On day 11, the animals received vehicle (VEH) or DEX in drinking water for 7 days, with the latter causing an increase in MAP in control animals. ADMX and RDNX by themselves exacerbated the pressor effect of DEX. In the chemical sympathectomy group, DEX still caused a rise in MAP but the response was lower (ΔMAP of 6-OHDA/DEX < VEH/DEX, p = 0.039). However, when ΔMAP was normalized to day 10, 6-OHDA + DEX did not show any difference from VEH + DEX, certainly not an increase as observed in DEX + ADMX or RDNX groups. This indicates that sympathetic nerves do not modulate the pressor effect of DEX. TH mRNA levels increased in the adrenal medulla in both VEH/DEX (p = 0.009) and 6-OHDA/DEX (p = 0.031) groups. In the 6-OHDA group, DEX also increased plasma levels of norepinephrine (NE) (p = 0.016). Our results suggest that the activation of catecholamine synthetic pathway could be involved in the pressor response to DEX in animals even under chemical sympathectomy with 6-OHDA.

Inulin Supplementation Reduces Systolic Blood Pressure in Women with Breast Cancer Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in women, and comorbidities like hypertension and obesity diminish their quality of life and negatively affect their response to chemotherapy. Furthermore, inulin supplementation is associated with the reduction of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether inulin supplementation prevents the elevation of blood pressure in women with breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant therapy with cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin. METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind placebo controlled trial which included women with early-stage breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant therapy (n=38). Patients were randomly assigned to participate in two different groups to receive either 15 g of inulin or 15 g of placebo (maltodextrin) for 21 days. Body composition and blood pressure were evaluated before and after the supplementation period. RESULTS: Women in the inulin group showed a lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) after the supplementation (-4.21 mmHg, p<0.001). However, SBP increased in the placebo supplemented group. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) nonsignificantly decreased in the inulin group. Inulin supplementation also increased BMI (p<0.001) but reduced BFP (p=0.288). Furthermore, confounding variables, such as BMI, baseline fasting glucose, age, menopause status, vomiting, constipation, and chronic medication did not have a statistical influence over the inulin effect on SBP. CONCLUSION: Inulin supplementation reduces SBP and prevents increases in DBP in women with breast cancer. This could be an innovative nutraceutical approach to prevent hypertension present in women with this type of cancer at an early stage and may improve the quality of life of the patients and their prognostic development through chemotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial is registered with ACTRN12616001532493.

Association Between Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Stress Hormones With Cognitive Performance in Mexican Adolescents.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and stress hormones are associated with cognitive performance in Mexican adolescents. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study including 139 Mexican adolescents 10-14 years old. Participants were divided into three categories: 0, 1-2, and ≥3 CVD risk factors. These factors included: high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) <40 mg/dl; waist circumference (WC) ≥90th percentile for age and sex, systolic or diastolic blood pressure ≥90th percentile for age, sex, and height; and triacylglycerols (TGs) ≥110 mg/dl. Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C), total cholesterol, cortisol, and plasma catecholamines were measured as well. Furthermore, attention, memory, and executive functions were evaluated using a validated test for Spanish-speaking individuals (Neuropsi). Results: Adolescents in the three risk categories did not show significant differences in Neuropsi test performance tasks; however, they presented different lipid and plasma norepinephrine concentrations. TG and VLDL-C were inversely associated with memory (r = -0.19, **p < .01). Multivariate regression analysis showed consistently that TG/HDL-C ratio was inversely related to attention-memory general score (standardized ß = -0.99, t = -2.30, p = .023), memory (standardized ß = -0.83, t = -2.08, p = .039), and attention-executive functions (standardized ß = -1.02, t = -2.42, p = .017). Plasma epinephrine levels presented an inverse and weak relation to the attention-executive functions score (standardized ß = -0.18, t = -2.19, p = .030). Conclusions: Cognitive performance is not completely dependent on the accumulation of risk factors, but instead on the combination of strong predictors of CVD like waist to height ratio, TG/HDL-C, and VLDL-C. Plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine have a stronger association with cognition and CVD risk than dopamine and cortisol.

Olive oil consumption, BMI, and risk of obesity in Spanish adults.

BACKGROUND: Olive oil is an energy-dense food frequently consumed in south European countries with increasingly high obesity prevalence. Evidence of the impact of olive oil consumption on BMI and the risk of obesity is limited. We analyzed this association taking into consideration the problem of energy underreporting. METHODS: Cross-sectional data on 6,352 Spanish adults were analyzed. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Height and weight were measured. RESULTS: Higher olive oil consumption was not associated with energy compensation in the overall diet. Olive oil consumption was positively associated (p < 0.004) with BMI in non-energy-adjusted multivariate linear regression models. Statistical significance of this association disappeared after controlling for energy intake in plausible energy intake reporters. The obesity risk increased for olive oil consumption of more than 2 tablespoons/day in both plausible energy intake reporters (odds ratio 1.30 (95% CI 1.01-1.70)) and energy intake underreporters (odds ratio 3.06 (95% CI 2.15-4.35)). This association was not significant after additional adjustment for energy intake (odds ratio 1.19 (95% CI 0.91-1.56)) in plausible energy intake reporters. CONCLUSION: Olive oil intake did not affect BMI and the risk of obesity after adjustment for total energy intake in plausible energy intake reporters. The lack of energy intake compensation for olive oil consumption might explain the positive associations in models not adjusted for energy.

Are immunoglobulin concentrations associated with the body composition of adolescents?

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between serum concentrations of immunoglobulins (Ig) A, G, and M and body composition of adolescents from Mexico. Informed consent was obtained from parents and assent was obtained from the adolescents for the evaluation of 125 adolescents from the Capital city of Toluca and the adjacent semiurban county of Lerma de Villada. Height, weight, waist, and hip circumference were measured by trained personnel. Body mass index and waist:hip ratio were calculated from these measurements, whereas body fat (BF) was calculated from tricipital and subscapular skinfolds and measured by bioelectrical impedance. Serum concentrations of Ig were determined by nephelometry. Data were analyzed by independent samples t test and Pearson correlations. Subjects were mainly females (71.2%), with a mean age of 16.8 years (+/-0.8). No differences were reported in all indicators by weight or BF between gender. Female participants had higher Ig concentrations than males (IgG t = 2.24, p = 0.027; IgA t = 2.05, p = 0.043; IgM t = 4.49, p < 0.001). Positive correlations were reported for IgA and IgM with tricipital skinfold (r = 0.192, p = 0.041; and r = 0.221, p = 0.018, respectively) and for total BF by bioimpedance (r = 0.243, p = 0.009). Ig concentrations do not seem to be affected by overweight, obesity, or excessive or central BF in adolescents.

Nutrition and immunity in cancer.

The purpose of this article is to give a general overview of the effects of nutrition on the development of cancer as well as part of a therapeutic approach. There is much evidence that diet and lifestyle can alter the risk of cancer development as is the case for many other chronic diseases. This may be through a direct action on the immune system, either by enhancing or suppressing it, as well as on the development of the tumour itself, by modulating gene expression or by antioxidant activity. Protective effects can be achieved by adequate intakes of vitamins A and C, beta-carotene, selenium and n-3 fatty acids among others, while negative effects are found mainly with high intakes of n-6 and saturated fatty acids. Weight gain, obesity and lack of regular physical activity have also been associated with an increased risk of cancer. The protective effects are best observed when adequate diet and lifestyle are present together. With respect to the therapeutic role of nutrition in cancer, it has been observed that the use of pre- or post-operative enteral or parenteral nutrition may improve patients' survival rates and quality of life; however, more research is needed in this particular area. Breast, colon, rectum, prostate, stomach and lung are the types of cancer most commonly associated with diet or dietary components.