Is it smoking or related lifestyle variables that increase metabolic syndrome risk?

Metabolic syndrome is considered as mainly caused by a deleterious lifestyle (sedentarity and diet). That smoking contributes to metabolic syndrome had been suggested by several small studies and a meta-analysis. The interesting study by Slagter et al. published in BMC Medicine is the first very large study confirming this association in both genders, in all classes of body mass index, and in a dose-related manner. Surprisingly, smoking is even associated with increased abdominal fat. Rather than a direct causal effect of smoking, the reason for these associations is most probably the frequent presence of other lifestyle components in smokers. For example, physical inactivity and alcohol drinking are known to be more often present in smokers and could completely explain the observations of the Slagter et al. study. Unfortunately, these factors, already not properly checked in the first studies, were not assessed at all in the present one. However, as it is still on-going, we hope that other lifestyle factors will be included in future publications. Please see related research: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/195

Do statins increase and Mediterranean diet decrease the risk of breast cancer?

BACKGROUND: Physical exercise and healthy dietary habits are recommended to prevent breast cancer. DISCUSSION: Increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids associated with decreased omega-6 - resulting in higher omega-3 to omega-6 ratio compared with Western-type diet - is inversely associated with breast cancer risk. The modernized Mediterranean diet with high omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, high fiber and polyphenol intake, and consumption of low-glycemic index foods reduces overall cancer risk and specifically breast cancer risk. It has been suggested that consuming no more than one alcoholic drink per day, preferably wine, is preferable. Eliminating environmental contaminants, including endocrine disruptors, and favoring organic foods to increase polyphenol intake and the omega-3 to omega-6 ratios were also shown to be beneficial. Cholesterol-lowering statins may decrease antitumor defenses; are toxic for the mitochondria; decrease the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio; increase body mass index, insulin resistance and diabetic risk; and have been associated with an increased breast cancer risk. SUMMARY: Therefore, as well as making lifestyle changes to decrease breast cancer risk, we argue that physicians should carefully consider (and often avoid) therapies that may increase breast cancer or diabetes risk in high-risk women and women who wish to decrease their breast cancer risk

Acute influence of cigarette smoke in platelets, catecholamines and neurophysins in the normal conditions of daily life

Cigarette smoking is firmly linked to the occurrence of acute coronary events. In twenty-two healthy volunteers in normal conditions of daily life we studied the acute influence of smoking on the following parameters: beta-thromboglobulin, thromboxane B2, epinephrine, norepinephrine, estrogen-stimulated neurophysin, and nicotine-stimulated-neurophysin. Our results show that in our population and following our protocol, smoking did not induce platelet activation, thromboxane formation, catecholamine release or estrogen-stimulated-neurophysin secretion. However, smoking did provoke a significant increase of nicotine-stimulated-neurophysin (p<0.05) which reflects vasopressin increase and which might explain the high incidence of ischaemic accidents in cigarette smoking via the vasoactive properties of vasopressi

Definitions and potential health benefits of the Mediterranean diet: views from experts around the world

The Mediterranean diet has been linked to a number of health benefits, including reduced mortality risk and lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. Definitions of the Mediterranean diet vary across some settings, and scores are increasingly being employed to define Mediterranean diet adherence in epidemiological studies. Some components of the Mediterranean diet overlap with other healthy dietary patterns, whereas other aspects are unique to the Mediterranean diet. In this forum article, we asked clinicians and researchers with an interest in the effect of diet on health to describe what constitutes a Mediterranean diet in different geographical settings, and how we can study the health benefits of this dietary pattern

Diet, exercise and dementia: The potential impact of a Mediterranean diet pattern and physical activity on cognitive health in a UK population

Diet and physical activity play key roles in maintaining health and preventing or delaying disease. The global prevalence of dementia, an umbrella term describing a set of symptoms which affect cognitive function, is set to rise dramatically by 2050, with current drug treatments inadequate. Diet and physical activity are modifiable factors in dementia, influencing both disease risk and pathophysiology. It has been known since the 1950s that a Mediterranean diet has positive health benefits. Over the past 25 years, a causal link has been shown between consumption of a Mediterranean diet and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly in Mediterranean countries. There have also been indications that a Mediterranean diet and increased physical activity can improve cognitive health and delay the onset of dementia. However, causative demonstrations of these effects, as well as the feasibility of implementing such lifestyle changes in a non‐Mediterranean population, are lacking. The new MedEx‐UK programme will attempt to address both these points

Blood lipids among young children in Europe : results from the European IDEFICS study

BACKGROUND: Measurement of cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) fractions in blood has become standard practice in the early detection of atherosclerotic disease pathways. Considerable attention is given nowadays to the presence of these risk factors in children and to start preventive campaigns early in life. In this context, it is imperative to have valid comparative frameworks for interpretation of lipid levels. The aim of this study is to present sex-and age-specific reference values on blood lipid levels in European children aged 2.0-10.9 years. METHODS: Fasting blood was obtained via either venipuncture or capillary sampling. In 13 579 European non-obese children (50.3% boys), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), TG and TC/HDL-C ratio levels were measured with a point-of-care analyser (Cholestech). Sex- and age-specific reference values were computed with the GAMLSS method with the statistical software R. RESULTS: Reference curves and 1st, 3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 97th and 99th percentile values are presented. HDL-C showed a positive trend with age, from 2 years onwards, but was relatively stable above the age of 7. For LDL-C and TC, linear but small age-related trends were seen. The TC/HDL-C values showed a gradual negative trend from the age of 2 up to 6 and were relatively stable afterwards. For TG, no age trend was found (P = 0.285). Boys had higher mean HDL-C values than girls (1.414 vs 1.368 mmol l(-1)), and lower TC, LDL-C, TC/HDL-C and TG values (3.981 vs 4.087 mmol l(-1); 2.297 vs 2.435 mmol l(-1); 2.84 vs 3.01mmol l(-1); and 0.509 vs 0.542 mmol l(-1), respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These new and recent references could serve as a European orientation of blood lipid values in children in the context of standard medical practice and for the purpose of public health screening

Replacement of dietary saturated fat with unsaturated fats increases numbers of circulating endothelial progenitor cells and decreases number of microparticles: findings from the randomized, controlled DIVAS study

Background Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and microparticles (MP) are emerging novel markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, which could potentially be modified by dietary fat. We have previously shown that replacing dietary saturated fat (SFA) with monounsaturated (MUFA) or n-6 polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) improved lipid biomarkers, blood pressure and markers of endothelial activation, but their effects on circulating EPCs and MPs are unclear. Objective The Dietary Intervention and VAScular function (DIVAS) study investigated the replacement of 9.5-9.6% total energy (%TE) SFA with MUFA or n-6 PUFA for 16 weeks on EPC and MP numbers in UK adults with moderate CVD risk. Design In this randomized, controlled, single-blind, parallel group dietary intervention, men and women aged 21-60 y (n=190) with moderate CVD risk (≥50% above the population mean) consumed one of three 16-week isoenergetic diets. Target compositions for total fat, SFA, MUFA and n-6 PUFA (%TE) were: SFA-rich diet (36:17:11:4, n=64), MUFA-rich diet (36:9:19:4, n=62) and n-6 PUFA-rich diet (36:9:13:10, n=66). Circulating EPC, endothelial MP (EMP) and platelet MP (PMP) numbers were analysed by flow cytometry. Dietary intake, vascular function and other cardio-metabolic risk factors were determined at baseline. Results Relative to the SFA-rich diet, MUFA and n-6 PUFA-rich diets decreased EMP (-47.3%, -44.9%) and PMP numbers (-36.8%, -39.1%) (overall diet effects P<0.01). The MUFA-rich diet increased EPC numbers (+28.4%; P=0.023). Additional analyses using stepwise regression models identified the augmentation index (measuring arterial stiffness determined by pulse wave analysis) as an independent predictor of baseline EPC and MP numbers. Conclusions Replacing 9.5-9.6%TE dietary SFA with MUFA increased EPC numbers and replacement with either MUFA or n-6 PUFA decreased MP numbers, suggesting beneficial effects on endothelial repair and maintenance. Further studies are warranted to determine the mechanisms underlying the favourable effects on EPC and MP numbers following SFA replacement

Modelling of metal matrix syntactic foams - Description of the compressive stress-strain curves

This paper deals with the mathematical description of metal matrix syntactic foams (MMSFs). MMSFs are advanced materials having promising application fields in aviation, transport and automotive industry, in civil engineering and in many other industrial fields. They are porous materials having low density and relatively high compression strength especial compared to ´conventional´ metallic foams. The characterization of MMSFs is continuously developing but the mathematical description of the compressive stress - strain curves is still missing partially. However these formulas are needed to numerically model the non-linear response and energy absorption of the MMSFs in case of compressive loading. According to this the aim of this paper is to give a full, but relatively simple method to handle the compressive stress - strain curves

Human longevity and common variations in the LMNA gene: a meta‐analysis

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/92016/1/j.1474-9726.2012.00808.x.pd