Modifiable Lifestyle Behaviors Are Associated With Metabolic Syndrome in a Taiwanese Population.

PURPOSE: To explore associations between metabolic syndrome and modifiable lifestyle behaviors among the adult population in Taiwan. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from a nationally representative sample that participated in the 2005-2008 Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan. The sample (2,337 participants older than 19 years) provided data on demographic characteristics, modifiable lifestyle behaviors, anthropometric measurements, and blood chemistry panel. METHODS: These data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, univariate logistic regression, and multivariate logistic regression to determine factors associated with metabolic syndrome. FINDINGS: Metabolic syndrome had a prevalence of 25.2%, and this prevalence increased with age. In univariate regression analysis, metabolic syndrome was associated with age, living with family members, educational level, and modifiable lifestyle behaviors (smoking, drinking, betel quid chewing, and physical activity). Individuals with a smoking history and currently chewing betel quid had the highest risk for metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: The risk for metabolic syndrome might be reduced by public health campaigns to encourage people to quit smoking cigarettes and chewing betel quid. Implementing more modifiable lifestyle behaviors in daily life will decrease metabolic syndrome in Taiwan. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Considering that betel quid chewing and tobacco smoking interact to adversely affect metabolic syndrome risk, public health campaigns against both behaviors seem to be a cost-effective and efficient health promotion strategy to reduce the prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome.

Chair-sitting exercise intervention does not improve respiratory muscle function in mechanically ventilated intensive care unit patients.

BACKGROUND: Chair-sitting may allow for more readily activated scalene, sternocleidomastoid, and parasternal intercostal muscles, and may raise and enlarge the upper thoracic cage, thereby allowing the thoracic cage to be more easily compressed. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of chair-sitting during exercise training on respiratory muscle function in mechanically ventilated patients. METHODS: We randomized 16 patients to a control group and 18 patients to a chair-sitting group. The patients in the chair-sitting group were transferred by 2 intensive care unit nurses from bed to armchair and rested for at least 30 min, based on the individual patient's tolerance. We measured heart rate, blood pressure, S(pO(2)), and respiratory rate. In the treatment group, before transferring the patient from bed to armchair, and 30 min after the completion of chair-sitting we measured respiratory muscle function variables, including the ratio of respiratory rate (f) to tidal volume (V(T)), S(pO(2)), maximum inspiratory pressure (P(Imax)) and maximum expiratory pressure (P(Emax)). In the control patients we took those same measurements while the patient was in semirecumbent position, before and after treatments, for at least 6 days or until the patient was discharged from the intensive care unit or died. RESULTS: The 2 groups did not significantly differ in age, sex, or clinical outcomes. Respiratory rate, V(T), f/V(T), S(pO(2)), P(Imax), and P(Emax) were not significantly better in the chair-sitting group. The study period significantly improved respiratory rate, V(T), P(Imax), and P(Emax) (all P < .001), but not f/V(T). CONCLUSIONS: Six days of chair-sitting exercise training did not significantly improve respiratory muscle function in mechanically ventilated patients.

Associations Between Unhealthy Lifestyle Behaviors and Metabolic Syndrome by Gender in Young Adults.

OBJECTIVE: Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, betel-quid chewing, insufficient exercise, and inadequate sleep are significantly correlated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). To further understand this relationship, this study examined the main effect of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and their interaction on MetS by gender in young adults. METHOD: A cross-sectional study involving 694 young adults from a national survey was performed in which demographic characteristics, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, anthropometric measurements, and blood chemistry panels were collected during face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: The prevalence of MetS among young adults was 17.4% and was greater in males than females (19.0% vs. 7.8%). The unhealthy lifestyle-behavior risk factors associated with MetS included smoking (odds ratio [ OR] = 4.53) and physical activity ( OR = 0.51) among males and betel-quid chewing ( OR = 8.90) and less sleep ( OR = 0.08) among females. Significant interaction effects were observed between the abovementioned behaviors and gender for the risk of developing MetS. CONCLUSION: These results can guide health-care providers in reducing MetS risk by encouraging young adult males to reduce or quit cigarette smoking and maintain optimum levels of physical activity and young adult females to quit chewing betel quid and obtain appropriate amounts of sleep.

The Role of MTHFR Genotype in Colorectal Cancer Susceptibility in Taiwan.

AIM: To evaluate the contribution of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotype to the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this hospital-based case-control study, the role of MTHFR C677T (rs1801133) and A1298C (rs1801131) genotypes in determining CRC risk were investigated among 362 patients with CRC and an equal number of age- and gender-matched healthy individuals. RESULTS: The percentages of CC, CT and TT genotypes for MTHFR rs1801133 were 64.1%, 29.8% and 6.1% in the CRC group and 51.1%, 37.0% and 11.9% in the control group, respectively (p for trend=0.0006). Analysis of the allelic frequency distribution showed that the variant T allele of MTHFR rs1801133 conferred a lower CRC susceptibility than did the wild-type C allele (odds ratio(OR)=0.66, 95% confidence interval(CI)=0.52-0.84, p=4.32×10-5). For the gene-lifestyle interaction, there were obvious protective effects of MTHFR rs1801133 T allele on the risk of CRC among non-smokers, ever smokers and non-alcohol drinkers, but not drinkers. CONCLUSION: MTHFR rs1801133 T allele serves as a predictive marker for CRC risk and future studies with larger samples and functional evaluation are warranted to validate the current findings.