Socio-economic disparities in the consumption of vegetables, fruit and energy-dense foods: the role of motive priorities

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Family history and perceived risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and depression

Background: Family history is a useful and inexpensive tool to assess risks of multifactorial diseases. Family history enables individualized disease prevention, but its effects on perceived risks of various diseases need to be understood in more detail. We examined how family history relates to perceived risk of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and depression, and whether these associations are independent of or moderated by sociodemographic factors, health behavior/weight status (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, BMI [kg/m²]), or depressive symptoms. Methods: Participants were Finnish 25−74-year-olds (N=6258) from a population-based FINRISK 2007 study. Perceived absolute lifetime risks (1–5) and first-degree family history of CVD, diabetes, cancer and depression, and health behaviors were self-reported. Weight and height were measured in a health examination. Results: Family history was most prevalent for cancer (36.7 %), least for depression (19.6 %). Perceived risk mean was highest for CVD (2.8), lowest for depression (2.0). Association between family history and perceived risk was strongest for diabetes (β=0.34, P<0.001), weakest for depression (β=0.19, P<0.001). Adjusting for sociodemographics, health behavior, and depressive symptoms did not change these associations. The association between family history and perceived risk tended to be stronger among younger than among older adults, but similar regardless of health behaviors or depressive symptoms. Discussion: Association between family history and perceived risk varies across diseases. People’s current understandings on heritability need to be acknowledged in risk communication practices. Future research should seek to identify effective strategies to combine familial and genetic risk communication in disease prevention.Peer reviewe

Genetic variation in the hTAS2R38 taste receptor and food consumption among Finnish adults

Genetic variation in bitter taste receptors, such as hTAS2R38, may affect food preferences and intake. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between bitter taste receptor haplotypes and the consumption of vegetables, fruits, berries and sweet foods among an adult Finnish population. A cross-sectional design utilizing data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns cohort from 2007, which consisted of 1,903 men and women who were 30-45 years of age from five different regions in Finland, was employed. DNA was extracted from blood samples, and hTAS2R38 polymorphisms were determined based on three SNPs (rs713598, rs1726866 and rs10246939). Food consumption was assessed with a validated food frequency questionnaire. The prevalence of the bitter taste-sensitive (PAV/PAV) haplotype was 11.3 % and that of the insensitive (AVI/AVI) haplotype was 39.5 % among this Finnish population. PAV homozygotic women consumed fewer vegetables than did the AVI homozygotic women, 269 g/day (SD 131) versus 301 g/day (SD 187), respectively, p = 0.03 (multivariate ANOVA). Furthermore, the intake of sweet foods was higher among the PAV homozygotes of both genders. Fruit and berry consumption did not differ significantly between the haplotypes in either gender. Individuals perceive foods differently, and this may influence their patterns of food consumption. This study showed that the hTAS2R38 taste receptor gene variation was associated with vegetable and sweet food consumption among adults in a Finnish population.Peer reviewe

Genetic support for the causal role of insulin in coronary heart disease

Epidemiological studies have identified several traits associated with CHD, but few of these have been shown to be causal risk factors and thus suitable targets for treatment. Our aim was to evaluate the causal role of a large set of known CHD risk factors using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instrumental variables.Peer reviewe

Association of the DBH Polymorphism rs3025343 With Smoking Cessation in a Large Population-Based Sample

Introduction: Genetic variations in DBH-gene and its surroundings have been shown to associate with smoking behavior including smoking cessation in several studies. In this study we replicate and measure the effect size for association between DBH polymorphism rs3025343 and smoking cessation in a large population-based sample while examining environmental factors that could relate to the association. Methods: We studied 11 926 adult subjects from four surveys of the National FINRISK Study. The analysis was restricted to either current or former smokers. Logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relationships of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), covariates, smoking cessation, and smoking severity (cotinine, CPD). Gene-environment interactions were tested by likelihood-ratio test. Results: The association between rs3025343 and smoking cessation (prevalence odds ratio, OR = 1.12, p = .094, 95% CI = 0.98-1.30) was replicated identically with the GWAS study of The Tobacco and Genetics Consortium (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.08-1.18). None of our tested phenotypes significantly influenced the association between rs3025343 and smoking cessation. Overall, marital status, education, depression, alcohol use, self-rated health, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) showed phenotypic associations with smoking cessation, but the association of various phenotypes with smoking cessation did not vary by genotype. Conclusions: The current study replicates the effect size for the association between rs3025343 and smoking cessation despite lack of overall significance due to smaller sample size. We could not show environmental influences on the association of rs3025343 with smoking cessation. Implications: Our study replicates the direction and strength of the association of DBH polymorphism rs3025343 with smoking cessation. We could not detect environmental influences on the strength of the association of rs3025343 with smoking cessation, but the limited power of our analysis needs to be taken into account.Peer reviewe

Metabolic profiling of alcohol consumption in 9778 young adults

Background: High alcohol consumption is a major cause of morbidity, yet alcohol is associated with both favourable and adverse effects on cardiometabolic risk markers. We aimed to characterize the associations of usual alcohol consumption with a comprehensive systemic metabolite profile in young adults. Methods: Cross-sectional associations of alcohol intake with 86 metabolic measures were assessed for 9778 individuals from three population-based cohorts from Finland (age 24-45 years, 52% women). Metabolic changes associated with change in alcohol intake during 6-year follow-up were further examined for 1466 individuals. Alcohol intake was assessed by questionnaires. Circulating lipids, fatty acids and metabolites were quantified by high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics and biochemical assays. Results: Increased alcohol intake was associated with cardiometabolic risk markers across multiple metabolic pathways, including higher lipid concentrations in HDL subclasses and smaller LDL particle size, increased proportions of monounsaturated fatty acids and decreased proportion of omega-6 fatty acids, lower concentrations of glutamine and citrate (P<0.001 for 56 metabolic measures). Many metabolic biomarkers displayed U-shaped associations with alcohol consumption. Results were coherent for men and women, consistent across the three cohorts and similar if adjusting for body mass index, smoking and physical activity. The metabolic changes accompanying change in alcohol intake during follow-up resembled the cross-sectional association pattern (R-2 = 0.83, slope = 0.7260.04). Conclusions: Alcohol consumption is associated with a complex metabolic signature, including aberrations in multiple biomarkers for elevated cardiometabolic risk. The metabolic signature tracks with long-term changes in alcohol consumption. These results elucidate the double-edged effects of alcohol on cardiovascular risk.Peer reviewe

A comparison of measured versus self-reported anthropometrics for assessing obesity in adults : a literature review

Aims: Up-to-date information on the accuracy between different anthropometric data collection methods is vital for the reliability of anthropometric data. A previous review on this matter was conducted a decade ago. Our aim was to conduct a literature review on the accuracy of self-reported height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) against measured values for assessing obesity in adults. To obtain an overview of the present situation, we included studies published after the previous review. Differences according to sex, BMI groups, and continents were also assessed. Methods: Studies published between January 2006 and April 2017 were identified from a literature search on PubMed. Results: Our search retrieved 62 publications on adult populations that showed a tendency for self-reported height to be overestimated and weight to be underestimated when compared with measured values. The findings were similar for both sexes. BMI derived from self-reported height and weight was underestimated; there was a clear tendency for underestimation of overweight (from 1.8%-points to 9.8%-points) and obesity (from 0.7%-points to 13.4%-points) prevalence by self-report. The bias was greater in overweight and obese participants than those of normal weight. Studies conducted in North America showed a greater bias, whereas the bias in Asian studies seemed to be lower than those from other continents. Conclusions: With globally rising obesity rates, accurate estimation of obesity is essential for effective public health policies to support obesity prevention. As self-report bias tends to be higher among overweight and obese individuals, measured anthropometrics provide a more reliable tool for assessing the prevalence of obesity.Peer reviewe

European Health Examination Survey - towards a sustainable monitoring system

Background: Health examination surveys (HESs), including both questionnaire and physical measurements, and in most cases also collection of biological samples, can provide objective health indicators. This information complements data from health interview surveys and administrative registers, and is important for evidence-based planning of health policies and prevention activities. HESs are valuable data sources for research. The first national HESs in Europe were conducted in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They have recently been carried out in an increasing number of countries, but there has been no joint standardization between the countries. Methods: The European Health Examination Survey Pilot Project was conducted in 2009–2012. The European Health Examination Survey Pilot Reference Centre was established and pilot surveys were conducted in 12 countries. Results: European standardized protocols for key measurements on main chronic disease risk factors (height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood lipids and fasting glucose or HbA1c) were prepared. European-level training and external quality assessment were organized. Although the level of earlier experience, infrastructures, economic status and cultural settings varied between the pilot countries, it was possible to standardize measurements of HESs across the populations. Obtaining high participation rates was challenging. Conclusion: HESs provide high-quality and representative population data to support policy decisions and research. For future national HESs, centralized coordination, training and external quality assessment are needed to ensure comparability of the results. Further studies on effects of different survey methods on comparability of the results and on recruitment and motivation of survey participants are needed.peer-reviewe

Assessing the Effect of Treatment Duration on the Association between Anti-Diabetic Medication and Cancer Risk

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Serum lipopolysaccharides predict advanced liver disease in the general population

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