Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2 . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3�6 . Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55 of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017�and more than 80 in some low- and middle-income regions�was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing�and in some countries reversal�of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories. © 2019, The Author(s)

Changes in anatomy and root cell ultrastructure of soybean genotypes under manganese stress Alterações anatômicas e ultraestruturais em genótipos de soja pela desordem nutricional em manganês

The deleterious effects of both Mn deficiency and excess on the development of plants have been evaluated with regard to aspects of shoot anatomy, ultrastructure and biochemistry, focusing mainly on the manifestation of visual symptoms. However, there is little information in the literature on changes in the root system in response to Mn supply. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Mn doses (0.5, 2.0 and 200.0 &#956;mol L-1) in a nutrient solution on the anatomy of leaves and roots of the Glycine max (L.) cultivars Santa Rosa, IAC-15 and IAC-Foscarin 31. Visual deficiency symptoms were first observed in Santa Rosa and IAC-15, which were also the only cultivars where Mn-toxicity symptoms were observed. Only in IAC-15, a high Mn supply led to root diameter thickening, but without alteration in cells of the bark, epidermis, exodermis and endodermis. The degree of disorganization of the xylem vessels, in particular the metaxylem, differed in the cultivars. Quantity and shape of the palisade parenchyma cells were influenced by both Mn deficiency and toxicity. A reduction in the number of chloroplasts was observed in the three Mn-deficient genotypes. The anatomical alterations in IAC-15 due to nutritional stress were greater, as expressed in extensive root cell cytoplasm disorganization and increased vacuolation at high Mn doses. The degree of changes in the anatomical and ultrastructural organization of roots and leaves of the soybean genotypes studied differed, suggesting the existence of tolerance mechanisms to different intensities of Mn deficiency or excess.<br>Os efeitos negativos provocados não apenas pela deficiência mas também pela toxidez de Mn no desenvolvimento das plantas têm sido avaliados considerando-se os aspectos anatômicos, de ultraestrutura e bioquímicos da parte aérea particularmente, onde os sintomas visuais são manifestados. Entretanto, há escassez na literatura de informações que abordem o sistema radicular. Os objetivos do presente estudo foram avaliar os efeitos do fornecimento de doses de Mn (0,5, 2,0 e 200,0 &#956;mol L-1), em solução nutritiva, na anatomia e ultraestrutura de folhas e de raízes dos cultivares de Glycine max (L.): Santa Rosa, IAC-15 e IAC-Foscarin 31. Os sintomas visuais de deficiência foram observados primeiramente em Santa Rosa e IAC-15, os únicos a exibirem sintomas de toxidez. As doses de Mn promoveram espessamento do diâmetro radicular somente em IAC-15, porém sem alteração nas células do córtex, da epiderme, exoderme e endoderme. Os cultivares mostraram distintos graus de organização dos vasos de xilema, particularmente nos elementos de metaxilema. O número e a conformação das células dos mesofilos paliçádicos foram alterados pelas condições de deficiência e toxidez. Houve redução na quantidade de cloroplastos, nos três genótipos, somente na condição de deficiência. O genótipo IAC-15 apresentou maiores alterações devido ao estresse nutricional, como separação do protoplasma da parede celular radicular e incremento de células vacuoladas na mais alta dose. Os genótipos apresentaram diferentes graus de alterações anatômicas e ultraestruturais das folhas e raízes, sugerindo a operação de mecanismos de tolerância à deficiência ou à toxidez de intensidade diversa