Urban - rural differences in diet, BMI and education of men and women in Iceland

Efst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinnNiðurstöður fyrri rannsókna benda til þess að offita sé algengari meðal kvenna utan höfuðborgarsvæðis en innan, en engar sambærilegar upplýsingar eru til fyrir karla. Tilgangur þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna holdafar og mataræði íslenskra kvenna og karla eftir búsetu. Efniviður og aðferðir: Þátttakendur voru 1312 konur og karlar, 18-80 ára, valin með slembiúrtaki úr þjóðskrá, heildarsvörun 68,6%. Mataræði var kannað árin 2010 til 2011 með tvítekinni sólarhringsupprifjun og jafnframt var spurt um hæð og þyngd, auk bakgrunnsspurninga. Reiknað var líkindahlutfall (OR) þess að vera yfir kjörþyngd (líkamsþyngdarstuðull ≥25 kg/m2) út frá búsetu og menntun. Niðurstöður: Konur ≥46 ára innan höfuðborgarsvæðis voru með lægri líkamsþyngdarstuðul en konur utan höfuðborgarsvæðis (25,7 kg/m2 á móti 28,4 kg/m2p=0,007) og líkindahlutfall fyrir líkamsþyngdarstuðul ≥25 kg/m2var lægra samanborið við konur í sama aldurshópi utan höfuðborgarsvæðis, OR=0,64 (95% öryggisbil 0,41;1,0). Enginn munur var meðal karla eða yngri kvenna. Fæði fólks utan höfuðborgarsvæðis var fituríkara og hlutfall mettaðra fitusýra og transfitusýra var hærra en innan svæðis. Hlutfall mettaðra fitusýra í fæði var 15,7E% á móti 13,9E%, p<0,001 og transfitusýra 0,9E% á móti 0,7E%, p<0,001 meðal karla, sem rekja má að stórum hluta til meiri neyslu á feitum mjólkurvörum, kjöti, kexi og kökum meðal karla utan höfuðborgarsvæðisins miðað við innan. Meiri neysla á kexi, kökum, kjöti og farsvörum meðal kvenna utan höfuðborgarsvæðisins endurspeglaðist einnig í hærra hlutfalli mettaðra fitusýra, 14,8E% á móti 14,0E%, p=0,007 og transfitusýra 0,8E% á móti 0,7E%, p=0,001 borið saman við konur innan svæðis. Ályktun: Tengsl líkamsþyngdarstuðuls við búsetu eru minni en í fyrri rannsóknum. Ofþyngd (líkamsþyngdarstuðull ≥25) meðal íslenskra karla virðist óháð búsetu. Fæði fólks innan höfuðborgarsvæðis er nær ráðleggingum um mataræði en utan höfuðborgarsvæðis.Introduction: Previous Icelandic studies have reported higher prevalence of obesity among women residing outside the capital area but no comparable information is available for men. The aim of this study was to assess diet and body mass index (BMI) of adult men and women residing within and outside the capital area. Material and methods: Participants were 1312 men and women,18-80 years, from a random sample of the national registry, response rate 68.6%. Diet was assessed during years 2010 to 2011 using repeated 24-hour recall, weight and height self-reported. OR of BMI ≥25 kg/m2 was calculated according to residence and education. Results:Women ≥46 years within the capital area had lower BMI, or 25.7 kg/m2 vs 28.4 kg/m2p=0.007, and were less likely to have BMI ≥25 kg/m2, OR=0.64; CI 0.41-1.0 than those outside the area. No difference was found between the areas among men or younger women. Diets outside the capital had higher percentage of total fat compared than inside the capital. Saturated fatty acid (SFA) were 15.7E% vs 13.9E% for men, p<0.001 and 14.8E% vs 14.0E%, p=0.007 for women and trans fatty acids (TFA) were 0.9E% vs 0.7E% p<0.001 and 0.8E% vs 0.7E% p=0.001 for men and women respectively. Conclusions: Women‘s BMI is less associated with residence than in former Icelandic studies. Men‘s BMI is not associated with residence. Diets within the capital area are closer to recommended intake compared with diets outside the area

Biomarkers of the L-arginine / dimethylarginine / nitric oxide pathway in people with chronic airflow obstruction and obstructive sleep apnoea

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are common chronic diseases that are associated with chronic and intermittent hypoxemia, respectively. Patients affected by the overlap of COPD and OSA have a particularly unfavourable prognosis. The L-arginine/nitric oxide (NO) pathway plays an important role in regulating pulmonary vascular function. Asymmetric (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) interfere with NO production. Methods: We analysed the serum concentrations of ADMA, SDMA, L-arginine, L-citrulline, and L-ornithine in a large sample of the Icelandic general population together with chronic airflow obstruction (CAO), a key physiological marker of COPD that was assessed by post-bronchodilator spirometry (FEV1/FVC 0.5. SDMA was significantly higher in individuals with CAO (0.518 [0.461–0.616] vs. 0.494 [0.441–0.565] µmol/L; p = 0.005), but ADMA was not. However, ADMA was significantly associated with decreasing FEV1 percent predicted among those with CAO (p = 0.002). ADMA was 0.50 (0.44–0.56) µmol/L in MAP ≤ 0.5 versus 0.52 (0.46–0.58) µmol/L in MAP > 0.5 (p = 0.008). SDMA was 0.49 (0.44–0.56) µmol/L versus 0.51 (0.46–0.60) µmol/L, respectively (p = 0.004). The highest values for ADMA and SDMA were observed in individuals with overlap of CAO and MAP > 0.5, which was accompanied by lower L-citrulline levels. Conclusions: The plasma concentrations of ADMA and SDMA are elevated in COPD patients with concomitant intermittent hypoxaemia. This may account for impaired pulmonary NO production, enhanced pulmonary vasoconstriction, and disease progression

National nutrition surveys and dietary changes in Iceland. Economic differences in healthy eating.

Efst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinnInngangur: Landskannanir á mataræði veita ítarlegar upplýsingar um neyslu matvæla og næringarefna. Hér eru bornar saman niðurstöður úr tveimur síðustu landskönnunum, árin 2002 og 2010-2011, og könnuð tengsl hollustu fæðisins við erfiðleika fólks við að ná endum saman. Eins er lýst breytingum í hlutfallslegri skiptingu orkuefna í fæði frá 1990. Efniviður og aðferðir: Þátttakendur voru valdir með slembiúrtaki úr þjóðskrá. Lokaúrtak var 1912 manns árið 2010-2011 og 1934 árið 2002, svarhlutföll 68,6% og 70,6%. Mataræði var kannað með sólarhringsupprifjun. Samanburður á meðalneyslu var metinn með T-prófi og hollusta fæðunnar, eftir því hversu auðvelt eða erfitt þátttakendur áttu með að ná endum saman, með línulegri aðhvarfsgreiningu. Niðurstöður: Minna var borðað af brauði, kexi og kökum, smjörlíki, farsvörum og snakki og minna drukkið af nýmjólk og sykruðum gosdrykkjum árin 2010-2011 en 2002. Meira var af grófu brauði, hafragraut, ávöxtum, grænmeti og kjöti og fleiri tóku lýsi 2010-2011 en 2002, fiskneysla stóð í stað. Fituneysla minnkaði frá 1990 til 2010-2011 úr 41E% í 35E%, mettaðar fitusýrur úr 20,0E% í 14,5E% og transfitusýrur úr 2,0E% í 0,8E%. Stærstur hluti breytinganna var milli 1990 og 2002. Fólk sem átti erfitt með að ná endum saman 2010-2011 borðaði minna af grænmeti, ávöxtum og grófu brauði og drakk meira af sykruðum gosdrykkjum en hinir sem áttu auðvelt með það. Ályktun: Breytingar á mataræði þjóðarinnar frá 2002 hafa að mestu leyti verið í hollustuátt. Milli áranna 1990 og 2002 minnkaði fituneysla og hlutfall mettaðra fitusýra og transfitusýra lækkaði, en minni breytingar urðu frá 2002 til 2010-2011. Efnahagur tengist hollustu fæðis á Íslandi.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Introduction. Here we compare results on food and nutrient intake from the two most recent Icelandic national nutrition surveys from 2010/11 and 2002 and compare intake of energy giving nutrients from 1990. Finally we assess associations beween a healthy diet and difficulties people have in making ends meet. Materials and methods. Participants were selected by a random sample from the national register. Final sample was 1912 individuals in 2010/11 and 1934 in 2002, response rate 68.6% and 70.6% respectively. Diet was assessed by 24-hour recall. Results from the surveys were calculated using t-test and sssociations between a healthy diet and difficulties making ends meet by linear regression. Results. Consumption of bread, bisquits, cakes and cookies, margarine, highly processed meat products, chips, sugared soft drinks and whole milk was lower in 2010/11 than in 2002 while consumption of whole grain bread, oat meal, fruits, vegetables, meat and cod liver oil was higher. Fish intake was unchanged. Fat intake decreased from 1990 to 2010/11, from 41E% to 35E%, saturated fatty acids from 20.0E% to 14.5E% and trans-fatty acids from 2.0E% to 0.8E%. Most of the changes occurred between 1990 and 2002. People having difficulties making ends meet consumed less fruits, vegetables and whole grain bread but more soft drinks in 2010/11 than those not having difficulties. Conclusion. Dietary changes in Iceland from 2002 have mostly been toward recommended intake. Between 1990 and 2002 fat consumption decreased considerably, while less significant changes occurred from 2002 til 2010/11. Economic status is associated with healthy diet in Iceland

The Wellesley News (12-01-1966)

https://repository.wellesley.edu/wcnews/1090/thumbnail.jp

Soil carbon loss in warmed subarctic grasslands is rapid and restricted to topsoil

Global warming may lead to carbon transfers from soils to the atmosphere, yet this positive feedback to the climate system remains highly uncertain, especially in subsoils (Ilyina and Friedlingstein, 2016; Shi et al., 2018). Using natural geothermal soil warming gradients of up to +6.4 degrees C in subarctic grasslands (Sigurdsson et al., 2016), we show that soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks decline strongly and linearly with warming (-2.8 t ha(-1) degrees C-1). Comparison of SOC stock changes following medium-term (5 and 10 years) and long-term (> 50 years) warming revealed that all SOC stock reduction occurred within the first 5 years of warming, after which continued warming no longer reduced SOC stocks. This rapid equilibration of SOC observed in Andosol suggests a critical role for ecosystem adaptations to warming and could imply short-lived soil carbon-climate feedbacks. Our data further revealed that the soil C loss occurred in all aggregate size fractions and that SOC stock reduction was only visible in topsoil (0-10 cm). SOC stocks in subsoil (10-30 cm), where plant roots were absent, showed apparent conservation after > 50 years of warming. The observed depth-dependent warming responses indicate that explicit vertical resolution is a prerequisite for global models to accurately project future SOC stocks for this soil type and should be investigated for soils with other mineralogies

Demographic History of Indigenous Populations in Mesoamerica Based on mtDNA Sequence Data

The genetic characterization of Native American groups provides insights into their history and demographic events. We sequenced the mitochondrial D-loop region (control region) of 520 samples from eight Mexican indigenous groups. In addition to an analysis of the genetic diversity, structure and genetic relationship between 28 Native American populations, we applied Bayesian skyline methodology for a deeper insight into the history of Mesoamerica. AMOVA tests applying cultural, linguistic and geographic criteria were performed. MDS plots showed a central cluster of Oaxaca and Maya populations, whereas those from the North and West were located on the periphery. Demographic reconstruction indicates higher values of the effective number of breeding females (Nef) in Central Mesoamerica during the Preclassic period, whereas this pattern moves toward the Classic period for groups in the North and West. Conversely, Nef minimum values are distributed either in the Lithic period (i.e. founder effects) or in recent periods (i.e. population declines). The Mesomerican regions showed differences in population fluctuation as indicated by the maximum Inter-Generational Rate (IGRmax): i) Center-South from the lithic period until the Preclassic; ii) West from the beginning of the Preclassic period until early Classic; iii) North characterized by a wide range of temporal variation from the Lithic to the Preclassic. Our findings are consistent with the genetic variations observed between central, South and Southeast Mesoamerica and the North-West region that are related to differences in genetic drift, structure, and temporal survival strategies (agriculture versus hunter-gathering, respectively). Interestingly, although the European contact had a major negative demographic impact, we detect a previous decline in Mesoamerica that had begun a few hundred years before

The Helicobacter pylori Genome Project : insights into H. pylori population structure from analysis of a worldwide collection of complete genomes

Helicobacter pylori, a dominant member of the gastric microbiota, shares co-evolutionary history with humans. This has led to the development of genetically distinct H. pylori subpopulations associated with the geographic origin of the host and with differential gastric disease risk. Here, we provide insights into H. pylori population structure as a part of the Helicobacter pylori Genome Project (HpGP), a multi-disciplinary initiative aimed at elucidating H. pylori pathogenesis and identifying new therapeutic targets. We collected 1011 well-characterized clinical strains from 50 countries and generated high-quality genome sequences. We analysed core genome diversity and population structure of the HpGP dataset and 255 worldwide reference genomes to outline the ancestral contribution to Eurasian, African, and American populations. We found evidence of substantial contribution of population hpNorthAsia and subpopulation hspUral in Northern European H. pylori. The genomes of H. pylori isolated from northern and southern Indigenous Americans differed in that bacteria isolated in northern Indigenous communities were more similar to North Asian H. pylori while the southern had higher relatedness to hpEastAsia. Notably, we also found a highly clonal yet geographically dispersed North American subpopulation, which is negative for the cag pathogenicity island, and present in 7% of sequenced US genomes. We expect the HpGP dataset and the corresponding strains to become a major asset for H. pylori genomics

Distress and coping in cancer patients: feasibility of the Icelandic version of BSI 18 and the WOC-CA questionnaires.

The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of two instruments within an Icelandic context, the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI 18) and the Ways of Coping Inventory – Cancer Version (WOC-CA) with specific focus on gender and type of treatment and coping techniques among cancer patients during time of treatment. The sample consisted of 40 cancer patients in three oncology outpatient clinics in Iceland, 53% were women and 47% men. The majority of the participants belonged to the age group 51–70. Cronbach alpha, means, confidence intervals and standard deviations were used for analysis as well as Mann–Whitney U-test for testing differences between genders in relation to psychological distress and coping. Anxiety was the factor causing the greatest distress, mainly reported by patients receiving chemotherapy. More women experienced depression than men, women (18.4%), men (8.3%). Distancing was the most frequently reported coping strategy, and men seemed to focus on the positive side more often than women did (P < 0.01). Although the results should be approached with caution, as the sample size was small, they do provide support for the strength of the measurements. Also the findings indicate that gender differences should be taken into account

The relation of fatness to insulin is independent of fitness in 9- but not 15-yr-olds

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldPURPOSE: To explore the relationship between varying aerobic fitness (fitness), fatness, and fasting insulin levels in healthy children. METHODS: A population-based sample of 9-yr-old (9YO, 47 boys, 56 girls) and 15-yr-old (15YO, 53 boys, 51 girls) Icelandic children. Body fatness was evaluated via body mass index, waist circumference adjusted for height (waist adj), and sum of four skinfolds. Fitness was assessed with a graded maximal cycle ergometer test. Fasting insulin was measured using an ECLIA. RESULTS: Fasting insulin correlated to all fatness measures (9YO, r = 0.43-0.46, P < 0.001; 15YO, r = 0.30-0.37, P < 0.003) and fitness (9YO, r = -0.29, P = 0.003; 15YO, r = -0.32, P = 0.001). Adjustment for fitness did not affect the relations between fatness and fasting insulin in 9YO (r = 0.33-0.37, P < 0.001); however, only waist adj remained significantly related to fasting insulin (r = 0.24, P = 0.016) in 15YO. Children in the upper half of fitness and fatness split on the median did not differ in fasting insulin from children in the upper half of fitness but lower half of fatness. Fatness was related to fasting insulin in 9YO (r = 0.51-0.54, P = 0.001) and 15YO (r = 0.31-0.35, P = 0.011-0.028) in the lower half of fitness, but no association was observed in the upper half of fitness in either group. CONCLUSION: Fatness has a greater association with fasting insulin than fitness, especially among 9YO; however, fitness attenuates the adverse relation of fatness to fasting insulin in 15YO but does not change it in 9YO. In both age groups, being fitter and fatter does not result in greater fasting insulin than being fitter and leaner, and fatness is primarily associated with fasting insulin in lower-fit children

Genome-wide data substantiate Holocene gene flow from India to Australia

The Australian continent holds some of the earliest archaeological evidence for the expansion of modern humans out of Africa, with initial occupation at least 40,000 y ago. It is commonly assumed that Australia remained largely isolated following initial colonization, but the genetic history of Australians has not been explored in detail to address this issue. Here, we analyze large-scale genotyping data from aboriginal Australians, New Guineans, island Southeast Asians and Indians. We find an ancient association between Australia, New Guinea, and the Mamanwa (a Negrito group from the Philippines), with divergence times for these groups estimated at 36,000 y ago, and supporting the view that these populations represent the descendants of an early "southern route" migration out of Africa, whereas other populations in the region arrived later by a separate dispersal. We also detect a signal indicative of substantial gene flow between the Indian populations and Australia well before European contact, contrary to the prevailing view that there was no contact between Australia and the rest of the world. We estimate this gene flow to have occurred during the Holocene, 4,230 y ago. This is also approximately when changes in tool technology, food processing, and the dingo appear in the Australian archaeological record, suggesting that these may be related to the migration from India