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PubMed1990

Women and coronary artery disease. Gender confers no immunity.

Although women are, in general, at less risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) than men, they have some unique risk factors, especially if they are postmenopausal or diabetic. Cigarette smoking carries increased hazards for women because it is often accompanied by oral contraceptive use, a combination that promotes thrombogenesis. Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, a high waist-hip ratio of body fat distribution, and certain psychosocial factors, while they pose risks for both men and women, have aspects that are unique to women. Clinicians need to identify the gender-related aspects of CAD and intervene aggressively to minimize the special risks to their women patients.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2006

Anthropometric correlates of intragastric pressure.

OBJECTIVE: Obesity may increase intra-abdominal pressure on the stomach leading to an increase in intragastric pressure, which in turn induces lower esophageal sphincter relaxation, with subsequent reflux. However, the association between anthropometric measures of total body as well as abdominal obesity and intragastric pressure has not been examined. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study included consecutive patients undergoing manometry at an open access Reflux Center. Standardized measurements of body-weight, height, and waist and hip circumference were prospectively obtained. To assess the intragastric pressure, the perfusion port levels of the catheter were verified to be at the same vertical height (0 mmHg) inside the patient as they were outside the patient during calibration. Correlation between gastric pressure and anthropometric measures was calculated and adjusted for demographic features and presenting symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 322 patients (67% women) with a mean age of 52.5 years were enrolled. The mean values for weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were 77.2 kg, 168 cm, and 27.5 kg/m2, respectively (range 16.0-52.0, median 27.0). The mean intragastric pressure was 2.9 cm H2O (SD: 1.7). There was a weak, positive correlation between gastric pressure and both BMI (r=0.11, p=0.05) and waist circumference (r=0.11, p=0.06). The associations between gastric pressure and both BMI and waist circumference were relatively unaffected by adjusting for several variables including age, indications for manometry, race, and gender in a multivariable linear regression model. For each unit increase in BMI, there was approximately a 10% increase in intragastric pressure. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of consecutive patients with wide-ranging BMI values, there was a weak, positive correlation between intragastric pressure and both BMI and waist circumference. This indicates that obesity operates to increase the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) at least partly by increasing intragastric pressure.

Body Fat Distribution↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Anthropometry of 5-19-year-old Tongan children with special interest in the high prevalence of obesity among adolescent girls.

BACKGROUND: Despite much concern about adult obesity among Pacific Islanders, childhood obesity has seldom been investigated. AIM: Based on the anthropometry of Tongan children aged 5-19 years, this study aims to elucidate age and sex differences in obesity prevalence calculated from BMI and its relation to body fat estimated by skinfold thicknesses. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 895 students, aged 5-19 years, in the most modernized island and a remote island, were measured for stature, body weight, circumferences at waist, hip and mid-upper arm, and skinfold thicknesses at biceps, triceps and subscapular. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was calculated using the reference data of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity of Tongan adolescent girls defined by the IOTF and CDC references was 19.4% and 22.8%, respectively, being considerably higher than that of not only juvenile girls but also adolescent boys. Among adolescents, the girls' BMI was positively correlated with fat mass whereas in boys it was not. The sex difference in adolescents was parallel to that in adults, being attributable to gender differences in daily behavioural patterns. CONCLUSIONS: Among Tongan adolescents, obesity prevalence in girls was much higher than in boys, in association with fat accumulation in the former.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Obesity.

Over the past 20 years, obesity has represented a significant focus of research conducted in Clinical Research Centers (CRCs) in the United States. This review will focus on the progress in our understanding of the disease that CRC-based research has produced; therefore, the reference list is not exhaustive and consists primarily of CRC-based research. Obesity is defined as an excess of body fat as measured by triceps skinfold thickness. The time of onset of obesity is an important factor; for example, early onset is associated with an increase in the number of fat cells. Weight loss reduces the size but not the number of fat cells. Type II diabetes mellitus is a common complication in obese adults; this condition has been related to fat cell size and, in women, to predominantly upper-body fat distribution. Pregnant obese women and their babies are at risk for a number of problems. Abnormalities commonly found in obese persons include increased plasma lipid levels, hyperinsulinism, increased cholesterol synthesis, high frequency of gallstones, and hypertension. Under a variety of experimental conditions, the only difference in the response of obese and normal weight subjects to food was that the obese subjects appeared to consume more, but other data suggest that the obese may have greater energy needs. Carbohydrate intake has been studied extensively. Metabolic rate increases with over-feeding, especially in response to carbohydrate. Basal metabolic rates are higher in obese adults and rise in response to overfeeding; they decrease after weight reduction. This decrease can be counteracted with sucrose, perhaps because sucrose maintains triiodothyronine levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Energy Metabolism↗

PubMed2006

Is visceral obesity the cause of the metabolic syndrome?

Despite the fact that controversy remains around the underlying pathophysiological processes leading to the development of the metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance and/or hyperinsulinemia versus abdominal obesity), there is increased recognition that abdominal obesity is the most prevalent form of the metabolic syndrome. Although it has been well established that there is a greater prevalence of chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in obese patients than among normal weight individuals, obesity is a remarkably heterogeneous condition and not every obese patient is characterized by co-morbidities. In this regard, body fat distribution, especially visceral adipose tissue accumulation, has been found to be a major correlate of a cluster of diabetogenic, atherogenic, prothrombotic and proinflammatory metabolic abnormalities referred to as the metabolic syndrome. Due to its anatomic location and peculiar metabolic, hyperlipolytic activity, the expanded visceral adipose depot is a key correlate of the altered cardiometabolic risk profile observed among individuals with a high-risk abdominal obesity phenotype. Evidence suggests that this dysmetabolic profile is predictive of a substantially increased risk of coronary heart disease even in the absence of classical risk factors. Finally, a moderate weight loss in initially abdominally obese patients is associated with a preferential mobilization of visceral adipose tissue, which in turn leads to substantial improvements in the metabolic risk profile predictive of a reduced risk of coronary heart disease and of type 2 diabetes.

Humans↗

PubMed2006

Insulin resistance and body composition in Turner syndrome: Effect of sequential change in the route of estrogen administration.

The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of sequential change in the route of estrogen administration on body composition and insulin resistance in patients with Turner syndrome (TS) using cyclical hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). We carried out a self-controlled study of nine non-obese patients with TS, with an average age of 23 +/- 4.9 years. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), fasting glycemia, insulin tolerance (glucose disappearance constant during an insulin tolerance test, kITT) and body composition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) were studied after 1 year's use of CEE plus MPA and repeated after 1 year's use of 17beta-estradiol gel with the same schedule of MPA administration. We did not observe any difference between the oral and percutaneous HRT with regard to BMI, WHR and insulin tolerance (kITT: 4.9 +/- 1.5 vs. 5.3 +/- 1.5%/min, p = 0.8). During administration of the 17beta-estradiol gel a tendency to increased total lean mass (p = 0.054) was observed. We conclude that sequential change in the route of estrogen administration in TS patients using cyclical HRT with CEE and MPA does not affect insulin resistance, although use of percutaneous 17beta-estradiol gel seems to exert favorable changes in body composition.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Comparison of efficacy of sibutramine or orlistat versus their combination in obese women.

OBJECTIVE: Sibutramine and orlistat are currently used for weight loss. We aimed to investigate the effect of orlistat and sibutramine combination therapy in treatment of obese women. SUBJECTS AND DESIGN: Study population consisted of 89 obese women who had a body mass index > or = 30 kg/m2, were normotensive, and had normal glucose tolerance. All patients were placed on a diet which contained fat approximately 30% of total calorie intake and the diet was designed to cause an energy deficit of approximately 2.51-3.56 megajoule/day. At the first month of diet (baseline), all patients were randomly divided into three therapy groups: Diet + Orlistat (group 1; n = 30 patients), Diet + Sibutramine (group 2; n = 29 patients), Diet + Orlistat + Sibutramine (group 3; n = 30 patients). Body weight, body fat distribution and serum lipid levels were evaluated baseline and after six months in all subjects. RESULTS: Mean weight loss was 5.5 +/- 4.9 kg (p = 0.024) in group 1, 10.1 +/- 3.6 kg (p < 0.001) in group 2, 10.8 +/- 6.6 kg (p < 0.001) in group 3 after the six months. Weight loss was significantly greater in group 2 (p = 0.003) and group 3 (p = 0.002) when compared with group 1. Percentage of mean weight loss was 5.5 +/- 3.1% in group 1, 10.2 +/- 4.8% in group 2, 10.6 +/- 5.7% in group 3. Percentage of weight loss was higher in group 2 (p = 0.01) and group 3 (p = 0.009) when compared with group 1. Weight loss and percentage of weight loss were not different between group 2 and group 3. CONCLUSION: These three regimens had different results on weight loss in obese women. Combination drug therapy and sibutramine therapy were both more effective than orlistat therapy alone. However, no significant difference was noted between combination drug therapy and sibutramine treatment groups.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Glycerol as a correlate of impaired glucose tolerance: dissection of a complex system by use of a simple genetic trait.

Glycerol kinase (GK) represents the primary entry of glycerol into glucose and triglyceride metabolism. Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and hypertriglyceridemia are associated with an increased risk of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. The relationship between glycerol and the risk of IGT, however, is poorly understood. We therefore undertook the study of fasting plasma glycerol levels in a cohort of 1,056 unrelated men and women of French-Canadian descent. Family screening in the initial cohort identified 18 men from five families with severe hyperglycerolemia (values above 2.0 mmol/liter) and demonstrated an X-linked pattern of inheritance. Linkage analysis of the data from 12 microsatellite markers surrounding the Xp21.3 GK gene resulted in a peak LOD score of 3.46, centered around marker DXS8039. In addition, since all of the families originated in a population with a proven founder effect-the Saguenay Lac-St.-Jean region of Quebec-a common disease haplotype was sought. Indeed, a six-marker haplotype extending over a region of 5.5 cM was observed in all families. Resequencing of the GK gene in family members led to the discovery of a N288D missense mutation in exon 10, which resulted in the substitution of a highly conserved asparagine residue by a negatively charged aspartic acid. Although patients with the N288D mutation suffered from severe hyperglycerolemia, they were apparently otherwise healthy. The phenotypic analysis of the family members, however, showed that glycerol levels correlated with impaired glucose metabolism and body-fat distribution. We subsequently noted a substantial variation in glycerolemia in subjects of the initial cohort with normal plasma glycerol levels and demonstrated that this variance showed significant family resemblance. These results suggest a potentially important genetic connection between fasting glycerolemia and glucose homeostasis, not only in this X-linked deficiency but, potentially, in individuals within the "normal" range of plasma glycerol concentrations.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Clinical evaluation and management of metabolic and morphologic abnormalities associated with human immunodeficiency virus.

In recent years, a spectrum of metabolic and morphologic alterations has emerged among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) receiving antiretroviral treatment. Changes observed include insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, abdominal and dorsocervical fat accumulation, and fat depletion in the extremities and in the face. The health consequences of these changes are not well understood but may include increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Therefore, clinicians that treat patients with HIV need current, practical information on management strategies and interventions for patients with manifestations of HIV-associated lipodystrophy. Literature is reviewed on the health consequences of insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and alterations in body fat distribution in non-HIV populations to gain perspective on how such abnormalities might affect HIV-infected patients. We also suggest treatments and strategies to manage metabolic and morphologic changes in patients with HIV.

HIV Infections↗

PubMed2005

Body fat and other metabolic effects of atazanavir and efavirenz, each administered in combination with zidovudine plus lamivudine, in antiretroviral-naive HIV-infected patients.

BACKGROUND: Protease inhibitor treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals has been linked to the development of lipodystrophy. The effects of atazanavir on body fat distribution and related metabolic parameters were examined in antiretroviral-naive patients. METHODS: HIV-positive patients with CD4 cell counts > or = 100 cells/mm3 were randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms: (1) atazanavir, 400 mg given once daily, plus efavirenz placebo; or (2) efavirenz, 600 mg given once daily, plus atazanavir placebo; each drug was administered with fixed-dose zidovudine (300 mg) and lamivudine (150 mg) given twice daily, and patients were treated for at least 48 weeks. Fat distribution measurements (visceral adipose tissue [VAT], subcutaneous adipose tissue [SAT], and total adipose tissue [TAT], as measured by computed tomography; and appendicular fat, truncal fat, and total fat levels, as measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), metabolic measurements (cholesterol and fasting triglyceride levels), and measurements of insulin resistance (fasting glucose and fasting insulin levels) were made at baseline and at week 48 of treatment for a subgroup of 111 atazanavir recipients and 100 efavirenz recipients. RESULTS: Atazanavir and efavirenz treatments resulted in minimal to modest increases in fat accumulation, as measured by VAT, SAT, TAT, appendicular fat, truncal fat, and total fat levels; results were comparable in both arms. In addition, atazanavir was associated with none of the metabolic abnormalities seen with many other protease inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: Use of atazanavir for 48 weeks neither resulted in abnormal fat redistribution in antiretroviral-naive patients nor induced other metabolic disturbances commonly associated with HIV-related lipodystrophy. Longer-term assessments (e.g., at 96 weeks) will be important to confirm these findings.

Adiposity↗

PubMed1994

Vegetarian and other complex diets, fats, fiber, and hypertension.

Although much of the attention on diet and hypertension has centered around the rule of specific nutrients such as sodium, potassium, and alcohol, it has become evident that certain complex dietary patterns have a blood pressure-lowering effect and may help protect against the development of hypertension. It remains to be seen whether these effects on blood pressure require complex but specific combinations of nutrients or, alternatively, are due to hitherto unrecognized single nutrients with antihypertensive properties. The issues are difficult to resolve because people eat foods, not single nutrients, and there is a high degree of association between different nutrients in foods and patterns of food intake, as well as potentially confounding effects of other factors associated with eating habits such as age, body fat distribution, physical activity, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, and psychosocial stress.

Diet↗

PubMed2007

Adiponectin and adiponectin receptor gene variants in relation to resting metabolic rate, respiratory quotient, and adiposity-related phenotypes in the Quebec Family Study.

BACKGROUND: Despite adiponectin's presumed role in fatty acid oxidation and energy homeostasis, little is known about the effect of gene variants on substrate oxidation, energy expenditure, and adiposity-related phenotypes. OBJECTIVE: We examined the effects of genetic variation in adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and adiponectin receptors 1 and 2 (ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2) on resting metabolic rate, respiratory quotient (RQ), and adiposity-related phenotypes. DESIGN: We studied the associations of ADIPOQ, ADIPOR1, and ADIPOR2 polymorphisms with resting metabolic rate, RQ, and body mass index, percentage body fat, sum of 6 skinfold thicknesses, waist circumference, and total, subcutaneous, and visceral fat in 759 participants in the Québec Family Study. RESULTS: The ADIPOQ 45T-->G single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was significantly (P = 0.0002 to 0.04) associated with overall adiposity and abdominal adiposity; the rare homozygotes (G/G) had a leaner phenotype than did the carriers of the common allele. One SNP each in the putative promoter of ADIPOR1 (ie, -3882T-->C) and ADIPOR2 (ie, IVS1 -1352G-->A) was associated with RQ (P = 0.03 and 0.04, respectively), and the association was even stronger in nonobese persons (P = 0.02 and 0.003). Carriers of the common alleles (ADIPOR1 T and ADIPOR2 G alleles) had a lower RQ than did the rare homozygotes. A significant genotype-by-genotype interaction (P = 0.0002 to 0.02) was found between SNPs in the promoters of ADIPOQ (-3971A-->G) and ADIPOR1 (-3882T-->C). Subjects carrying the minor ADIPOQ allele (G allele) who were rare homozygotes (C/C) for the ADIPOR1 SNP had a higher RQ (P = 0.003) and greater overall (P < 0.03) and abdominal (P < 0.05) adiposity than did persons with other genotype combinations. CONCLUSIONS: Previous findings that the ADIPOQ 45T-->G variant contributes to overall fatness and abdominal obesity are confirmed. Moreover, variants in the promoter region of both ADIPOR genes contribute to substrate oxidation.

Adiponectin↗

PubMed2007

Waist circumference is associated with pulmonary function in normal-weight, overweight, and obese subjects.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is becoming a serious public health issue and is related to lung dysfunction. Because both weight and height are indicators of body size, body mass index (BMI) may not be an ideal index of obesity in prediction of pulmonary dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the predictability of waist circumference (WC) and BMI for pulmonary function in adults with and without excess body weight. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of 1674 adults aged > or = 18 y was conducted in a rural community. Height, weight, WC, and pulmonary function were measured. Multivariate analysis was conducted. RESULTS: WC was negatively associated with forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s, and the associations were consistent across sex, age, and BMI categories. On average, a 1-cm increase in WC was associated with a 13-mL reduction in forced vital capacity and an 11-mL reduction in forced expiratory volume in 1 s. The association between WC and pulmonary function was consistent in subjects with normal weight, overweight, and obesity. In subjects with normal weight, BMI was positively associated with forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s. CONCLUSION: WC, but not BMI, is negatively and consistently associated with pulmonary function in normal-weight, overweight, and obese subjects.

Abdominal Fat↗

PubMed2000

Twinship and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Intrauterine exposure to high levels of endogenous estrogens has been hypothesized to increase the risk of breast cancer. Because estrogens and other pregnancy hormones are substantially elevated in twin pregnancies, and possibly more so in dizygotic twin pregnancies, we evaluated the association between aspects of twin membership (i.e., belonging to a twin pair) and the risk of breast cancer. METHODS: In a cohort of 29 197 postmenopausal Iowa women with no prior diagnosis of cancer (except for nonmelanoma skin cancer), breast cancer risk factors were determined by use of a mailed questionnaire in 1986 (baseline); twin membership, sex of the twin, and zygosity were determined by use of a follow-up questionnaire in 1992. RESULTS: Within the cohort, 1.8% (n = 538) of the women reported being a twin; of these, 24% (n = 130) were monozygotic twins, 63% (n = 337) were dizygotic twins, and 13% (n = 71) did not know their zygosity. From 1986 through 1996, 1230 breast cancers in the cohort were ascertained by linkage to the Iowa Cancer Registry. Compared with singletons, women who belonged to a twin pair were at elevated risk of breast cancer (multivariate-adjusted risk ratio [RR] = 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.22-2.42), with adjustment for educational level, family history of breast cancer, height, body mass index, body fat distribution, age at menarche, age at first live birth, use of hormone replacement therapy, and alcohol use. Multivariate-adjusted risk was elevated (in comparison with singletons) if the sex of the other twin was female (RR = 1.82; 95% CI = 1.20-2.75); however, this risk was limited to female dizygotic twins (RR = 2.14; 95% CI = 1. 21-3.79), since no excess risk was evident for monozygotic twins (RR = 1.04; 95% CI = 0.43-2.50). The risk to women with a male twin was also elevated (RR = 1.49; 95% CI = 0.80-2.78) in comparison with singletons, but this estimate was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: This cohort study lends further support to the theory that there are important intrauterine influences on carcinogenesis of the breast.

Aged↗

PubMed1997

Low insulin sensitivity is associated with clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Hyperinsulinemia is associated with multiple metabolic disorders including high triglyceride level, low high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level, hypertension, and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). This metabolic constellation is also called the insulin resistance syndrome. All previous data on clustering of these risk factors are, however, based on insulin levels. Therefore, the authors examined the association of insulin sensitivity estimated by means of a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test and the minimal model with the number of metabolic disorders (dyslipidemia [high triglyceride level or low HDL cholesterol level or both], hypertension, and IGT according to the World Health Organization criteria). Of 153 nondiabetic subjects aged 53-61 years who had participated in a previous population-based study, 79 had no disorders, 55 had one disorder, 16 had two disorders, and 3 had three disorders. Insulin sensitivity index (S1) decreased with the increasing number of disorders (4.1, 3.5, 1.8, and 1.4 x 10(-4) min-1 microU-1 mL-1, in subjects with 0, 1, 2, and 3 disorders, respectively; p < 0.001 for trend). Similarly, fasting (7.5, 7.8, 15.3, and 22.0 microU/mL; p < 0.001) and 2-hour insulin levels (39.9, 49.0, 98.7, and 149.6 microU/mL; p < 0.001) increased by the increasing number of disorders. The relations of S1 and fasting and 2-hour insulin levels with multiple metabolic disorders were independent of sex, obesity, and body fat distribution. Furthermore, these associations were similar in men and women and in lean and obese subjects. The authors conclude that a clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors in nondiabetic subjects is not only associated with hyperinsulinemia but also with insulin resistance.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

PubMed1990

Precursors of essential hypertension: pulmonary function, heart rate, uric acid, serum cholesterol, and other serum chemistries.

Exploratory analyses were conducted in a nested case-control study of 1,031 incident cases of essential hypertension and 1,031 persistently normotensive controls from the Kaiser Permanente Multiphasic Health Checkup cohort in Northern California. Previous analyses have confirmed hypotheses that baseline weight, subsequent weight gain, alcohol consumption, parental history of hypertension, excessive use of salt, and centralized body fat distribution are predictive of developing hypertension. In the present study, pulmonary function tests, several serum chemistries, and heart rate were strongly predictive in univariate analyses. Adjusting for the risk factors mentioned above, forced vital capacity (p less than 0.001), serum uric acid (p = 0.003), serum cholesterol (p = 0.012), and heart rate (p = 0.014) remained independently predictive. Further adjustment for baseline blood pressure completely explained the association of heart rate with hypertension, and reduced the association with serum cholesterol to borderline significance. Forced vital capacity remained a strong, inverse predictor (odds ratio, fifth vs. first quintile = 0.22, 95% confidence interval (Cl) 0.11-0.46). Uric acid remained positively related to risk (odds ratio, fifth vs. first quintile = 2.19, 95% Cl 1.20-3.98). Although neither association is presently understood, both forced vital capacity and serum uric acid are closely linked to development of hypertension and may be markers of susceptibility or intermediate steps in pathways leading to hypertension.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Obesity in black women.

The marked excess of obesity among black women in the United States poses several interesting questions which provide the framework for this review: Is the apparent high prevalence of obesity in black women a valid finding? If so, does it show the expected disease and disease risk associations? Can the contributory genetic and environmental variables be identified? Regarding the validity issue, the high prevalence of obesity in black women seems to be neither artifactual nor primarily an indirect effect of socioeconomic status. On the issue of racial comparability of disease risks among women, the available evidence is less conclusive. Obesity appears to have qualitatively similar health consequences for black women and white women but may be less strongly related to some disease risks (for example, hypertension) in black women than in white women. Obesity risks of black women may, however, be enhanced by the presence of multiple risk factors. On the question of causes, no clear mechanism for the excess obesity in black women can be identified. There is some evidence to support hypotheses based on dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic influences. Genetic factors cannot be ruled out. Several relevant future research possibilities can be suggested. Epidemiologic studies of both genetic and environmental influences in female obesity are needed. Studies among black females might further specify patterns of body weight and body fat distribution according to degree of European admixture and developmental variables such as caloric exposure in utero and in early infancy. Studies to establish more clearly the relative risks of various health outcomes for obese black women are needed to assist in setting public health priorities. For example, what are the attributable and absolute risks of overweight or obesity compared with other risk factors that are potential intervention targets? Studies are needed to define effective means of preventing and treating obesity among black women. Effective interventions are likely to be culture-specific. Definitive comparisons of black women and white women on environmentally mediated aspects of obesity might contribute to models of obesity in the general population and might also elucidate points at which black women and white women diverge. For example, short-term prospective studies are needed to better specify the natural history of weight gain and weight loss among females of both races during critical periods such as adolescence, post partum, lactation and post lactation, and during major life stresses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms of the insulin gene with chicken early growth and fat deposition.

Growth rate, body composition, and fat deposition are important traits in chickens. Insulin plays important roles in hepatic cells, muscle cells, and adipose tissue cells. The purpose of the present study was to analyze association of the insulin (INS) gene with chicken growth and body composition traits. Using a F2 design resource population constructed with the crossing of Chinese native Xinghua chickens and White Recessive Rock chickens, the association of 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP; A+428G, C+1549T, T+3737C, and A+3971G) of INS gene with 13 growth and body composition traits was studied. The T+3737C genotypes were significantly associated with small intestine length (P = 0.0002), and the A+3971G genotypes were significantly associated with early growth (hatch weight and BW at 28 d of age) (P < 0.0001), breast angle (P = 0.0002), and small intestine length (P < 0.0001). None of the 4 SNP was significantly associated with abdominal fat pad weight (P > 0.05). The haplotypes based on the 4 SNP were also significantly associated with early growth (hatch weight and BW at 28 d of age; P < 0.0001) and breast angle (P < 0.0001) but not with small intestine length (P = 0.0505). These results suggested that variation of the insulin gene was significantly associated with chicken early growth but not with fat deposition. In addition, the data from the present study supported the inference that both the one-SNP-at-a-time and the haplotype-based approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages when association analysis of one SNP and haplotypes with chicken complex traits was conducted.

Animals↗