Influence of Body Composition on Arterial Stiffness in Middle-Aged Adults: Healthy UAL Cross-Sectional Study

Background and objectives: Several anthropometric and body composition parameters have been linked to arterial stiffness (AS) as a biomarker of cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about which of these closely related factors is more strongly associated with AS. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship of different anthropometric and body composition parameters with AS in middle-aged adults. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 186 middle-aged participants (85 women, 101 men; age = 42.8 ± 12.6 years) evaluated as part of the Healthy UAL study, a population study conducted at the University of Almería with the main purpose of analyzing the etiology and risk factors associated with cardio-metabolic diseases. Anthropometric measures included neck, waist, and hip circumferences, as well as the waist-to-height ratio (WHtr). Bioimpedance-derived parameters included fat-free mass index (FFMI), fat mass index (FMI), and percent of body fat (%BF). AS was measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV). The relationships of interest were examined through stepwise regression analyses in which age and sex were also introduced as potential confounders. Results: Neck circumference (in the anthropometric model; R2: 0.889; β: age = 0.855, neck = 0.204) and FFMI (in the bio-impedance model; R2: 0.891; β: age = 0.906, FFMI = 0.199) emerged as significant cross-sectional predictors of AS. When all parameters were included together (both anthropometry and bio-impedance), both neck circumference and FFMI appeared again as being significantly associated with AS (R2: 0.894; β: age = 0.882, FFMI = 0.126, neck = 0.093). Conclusion: It was concluded that FFMI and neck circumference are correlated with AS regardless of potential confounders and other anthropometric and bioimpedance-derived parameters in middle-aged adults

Determination of Boundary Values of Body Mass Index (BMI) for Cardiometabolic Risk Using Waist-To-Height Ratio (WHTR) for a Cross-Section of Adult Nigerian Population in Jos, Nigeria

The measurements of body mass and height to determine the Body Mass Index (BMI) in order to classify individuals whether they are normal, pre-obese or obese may not be sufficient as a primary screening tool for Cardio-metabolic risk assessment. However, it has been established that the Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) will be of greater advantage over BMI in such risk assessments. It is widely assumed that mostly the individuals who are pre-obese and obese will be at risk for Cardio-metabolic diseases based on the BMI classification. But this may not be true as some individuals who are placed on normal category in BMI are found to be at risk based on the WHtR values which are greater than 0.5.Hence there is need to determine the boundary value of BMI for Cardio-metabolic risk using WHtR. This study concludes that for a cross-section of 200 (both male and female) adult Nigerian population of ages 20-67 years in Jos, Nigeria, the boundary value for Cardio-metabolic risk to be 24.45 Kg/m2. It was also found that the males are at a higher risk for Cardio-metabolic diseases than their female counterparts in this study population. And these boundary values fall within the normal category (18.50 – 24.99 Kg/m2 ) of BMI, suggesting that individuals of normal body mass can also be at risk for Cardio-metabolic diseases, in addition to pre-obese and obese categories on BMI classification Keywords: Body Mass Index, Waist-to-Height Ratio, Cardio-metabolic risk, boundary value

Prevention of Overweight and Obesity: How Effective is the Current Public Health Approach

Obesity is a public health problem that has become epidemic worldwide. Substantial literature has emerged to show that overweight and obesity are major causes of co-morbidities, including type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, various cancers and other health problems, which can lead to further morbidity and mortality. The related health care costs are also substantial. Therefore, a public health approach to develop population-based strategies for the prevention of excess weight gain is of great importance. However, public health intervention programs have had limited success in tackling the rising prevalence of obesity. This paper reviews the definition of overweight and obesity and the variations with age and ethnicity; health consequences and factors contributing to the development of obesity; and critically reviews the effectiveness of current public health strategies for risk factor reduction and obesity prevention

Anthropometric predictors of blood pressure in women between the ages 26–45 years

The study of 199 (26 to 45 years) women of Latvia was undertaken to study the anthropometric predictors of blood pressure between age groups. The data were collected in the years 2001–2005. The women were divided into two agegroups: I (26–35 years) and II (36–45 years) for making even sample analysis. Anthropometric variables of each woman including height, weight, waist and hip circumferences (WC, HC), and blood pressure (BP) were measured. Mean arterial blood pressure (MBP), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and body mass index (BMI) were also calculated through standard equation. The relationships between blood pressure and different anthropometric variables were determined in both age groups. The mean age of the participants was 35.18±2.85. The mean±SD systolic blood pressures were 124.25±12.81 and 131.52±17.04 mmHg while the mean diastolic blood pressures were 82.78±9.78 and 88.71±12.44 mmHg in both age groups. The mean values of systolic and diastolic blood pressures increased with age. In this study anthropometric measurements such as weight, waist and hip circumferences (WC, HC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and body mass index (BMI) indicated a strong positive relation with blood pressure in both age groups. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was not a significant predictor for systolic and diastolic blood pressures of women at the age of 26–35 years. According to this study, selected anthropometric measures were significant predictors of systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Therefore, it is important that early measurements of blood pressure, weight, waist and hip circumferences (WC, HC), and some indices become a routine in health services in order to prevent conditions or risk factors of different diseases.publishersversionPeer reviewe

A gyermek- és serdülőkori kövérség meghatározásának testzsírosság mutatóira épülő, új hazai határértékei

The increasing prevalence of obese children and adolescents emphasizes the importance of national and international standards for screening childhood obesity. The main aim of the study was to construct the Hungarian cut-off values of waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage and visceral fat area to diagnose obesity and abdominal obesity in children aged between 7 and 18 years. The distribution of obese children diagnosed by the international standards as well as by the new national standards was compared in the analysis. A group of healthy children (n: 869 boys and 881 girls, aged between 7 and 18 years) formed the sample of the present analysis. Body composition and body fat distribution of subjects was estimated body impedance analysis (Inbody 720 device, Biospace, USA) and by anthropometric methods. Nutritional status was estimated by body mass index. The international cut-off values of body fatness indicators determined for adults as well as the centile distribution of body fatness indicators by age were used to construct the critical cut-off values of obesity and abdominal obesity in the studied age-group of subadults. By considering the results of the present analysis the age- dependent 95th centiles of body fat percentage and visceral fat area were recommended for screening childhood obesity and abdominal obesity in the studied age-group in both genders

EFFECT OF EIGHT WEEKS EXERCISE ON BODY COMPOSITION AND SOME BLOOD VALUES IN WOMEN

Purpose: In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks exercise on body composition and some blood values in women. Methods: A total of 16 volunteer women with an age mean of 30,81 ± 9,44 years and an age mean of 159,44 ± 6,61 cm were participated in the study. Blood samples of the participants were taken at the health facility while they were hungry before starting the exercise program. After applying the eight-week and 3 days a week exercise program, blood samples of subjects were taken again. The results which obtained from the study were analyzed with the SPSS 23.0 package program. In the analysis of the data, independent samples t test was applied to determine the difference between the groups. Results: As a result of the analyzes, while no significant difference was found between glucose and urea, creatine, total crystallinity, pre-test and post-test values of direct crystallization (p>0,05), body weight, BMI, chest circumference, waist circumference, waist circumference / height ratio, baseline area, and uric acid were significantly different between the pretest and posttest measurements (p<0,05). Conclusion: As a result of the study, it was observed that the eight-week exercise had differences in body weight, BMI, chest circumference, waist circumference, waist circumference, and baseline region and uric acid levels. It can be said that the exercise played an important role in the formation of this difference

Cardiometabolic Index (CMI) and Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) Highlight a Higher Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Women with Severe Obesity

Recent evidence shows that simple and inexpensive anthropometric measurements can be used to identify, at an early stage, women with obesity at increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS). Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of five different indexes of adiposity and/or body composition in identifying MetS in a group of 876 women (mean age ± SD: 52.1 ± 13.8 years; body mass index (BMI): 43.6 ± 6.1 kg m−2). The following indexes were determined for each subject: waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WtHR), body mass fat index (BMFI), visceral adiposity index (VAI), and cardiometabolic index (CMI). Overall, the presence of MetS was detected in 544 patients (62%). Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate the relationships between body composition indexes and metabolic characteristics of the women. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the best predictor for each adiposity index among metabolic risk factors. The ROC analysis showed VAI (AUC = 0.84) and CMI (AUC = 0.86) showed the best performance in predicting MetS. Differences were found between the ROC area of CMI and VAI with all other indexes (p 0.92 for WHR, >0.76 for WtHR, >30.1 kg m−1 for BMFI, >1.94 for VAI, and >0.84 for CMI. In addition, VAI and CMI were the most sensitive and specific indexes compared with other indexes. In conclusion, VAI and CMI represent the most useful and reliable indexes to be used for detecting MetS in women suffering from obesity in clinical practice

Indeks Kualitas Tanah pada Lahan Pengembangan Kopi Arabika di Kabupaten Bener Meuriah Provinsi Aceh, Indonesia

Abstrak. Provinsi Aceh merupakan sentral utama produksi Kopi arabika yang dikelola secara organik. Dua kabupaten yang mengembangkan kopi arabika organik yaitu Kabupaten Aceh Tengah dan Bener Meuriah yang merupakan dataran tinggi dengan ketinggian 1500 hingga 1900 mdpl. Areal pengembangan kopi organik ini memiliki fisiografi perbukitan dengan jenis tanah yang beragam yang rentan akan terjadinya erosi, sehingga akan berpengaruh terhadap kualitas lahan dan produksi kopi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi dan pemetaan indeks kualitas tanah pada areal perkebunan kopi di Kabupaten Bener Meriah, Provinsi Aceh. Studi ini menggunakan metode survei deskriptif yaitu melalui pengamatan lapangan dan analisis laboratorium. Perhitungan indeks kualitas tanah (IKT) menggunakan kriteria Mausbach dan Seybold (1998) yang telah dimodifikasi Partoyo (2005). Parameter yang dianalisis meliputi karakteristik kimia tanah dan fisika tanah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan sangat baik (IKT = 0,80 – 1,00). Indeks kualitas tanah pada lahan pengembangan Kopi Arabika di Kabupaten Bener Meuriah, Provinsi Aceh secara umum tergolong baik walaupun nilai SQI antara satuan lahan bervariasi dari sedang hingga tinggi.Soil Quality Index on Arabica Coffee Development Land in Bener Meuriah District, Aceh Province, Indonesia Abstract. Aceh Province is the main center of arabica coffee production and is organically managed. There are two districts that develop organic Arabica coffee, namely Central Aceh and Bener Meuriah districts (altitude 1500-1900 m above sea level). This organic coffee development area has steep physiography with various soil types and is susceptible to erosion, with the result that it will affect the quality of the land and coffee production. This study aims to evaluate a soil map of soil quality index in a coffee plantation area in Bener Meriah Regency, Aceh Province. This study uses a descriptive survey method, namely by field observations and laboratory analysis. Calculation of the soil quality index (SQI) using the criteria of Mausbach and Seybold (1998) and modified by Partoyo (2005). Parameters were analyzed including soil chemical characteristics and soil physics. The results of the soil quality index showed eminent value, namely 0.80 – 1.00. In general, soil quality index on arabica coffee development land in Bener Meuriah Regency is classified as decent although the SQI value between land units varies from moderate to high.