Inflammatory diet and preclinical cardiovascular phenotypes in 11–12 year-olds and mid-life adults: A cross-sectional population-based study

Background and aims: Pro-inflammatory diet may be a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We examine associations of two inflammatory diet scores with preclinical cardiovascular phenotypes at two life course stages.Methods: Participants: 1771 children (49% girls) aged 11–12 years and 1793 parents (87% mothers, mean age 43.7 (standard deviation 5.2) years) in the Child Health CheckPoint Study. Measures: 23 items in the Australian National Secondary Students' Diet and Activity (NaSSDA) survey were used to derive two inflammatory diet scores based on: 1) published evidence of associations with C-reactive protein (literature-derived score), and 2) empirical associations with CheckPoint's inflammatory biomarker (glycoprotein acetyls, GlycA-derived score). Cardiovascular phenotypes assessed vascular structure (carotid intima-media thickness, retinal vessel calibre) and function (pulse wave velocity, blood pressure). Analyses: Linear regression models were conducted, adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic position and child pubertal status, plus a sensitivity analysis also including BMI (z-score for children).Results: In adults, both inflammatory diet scores showed small associations with adverse cardiovascular function and microvascular structure. Per standard deviation higher GlycA-derived diet score, pulse wave velocity was 0.17  m/s faster (95% CI 0.11 to 0.22), mean arterial pressure was 1.85  mmHg (1.34–2.37) higher, and retinal arteriolar calibre was 1.29 μm narrower (−2.10 to −0.49). Adding BMI to models attenuated associations towards null. There was little evidence of associations in children.Conclusions: Our findings support cumulative adverse effects of a pro-inflammatory diet on preclinical cardiovascular phenotypes across the life course. Associations evident by mid-life were not present in childhood, when preventive measures should be instituted.</p

Are Banking Systems in East Asia Stronger?

亚洲危机是由银行系统脆弱、宏观经济政策不佳和巨大冲击共同造成的，银行脆弱的主要共同因素如下：1. 银行风险管理程序不佳和监管松懈；2. 国有银行治理不足，私人部门体系被分割和缺乏竞争力；3. 银行资本和不良贷款准备不足；4. 刚性汇率政策导致忽视汇率风险；5. 银行提供的金融数据错误引导和削弱市场约束。因此危机将关注焦点指向加强体系的需求，本文将考察这一方面到底取得了多大的进展。译者单位：南开大学经济学院（300071