Selenium and Health: An Update on the Situation in the Middle East and North Africa.

Selenium (Se) is an important trace element that should be present in the diet of all age groups to provide an adequate intake. Se is incorporated in 25 known selenoproteins, which mediate the biological effects of Se including, immune response regulation, maintenance of thyroid function, antioxidant defense, and anti-inflammatory actions. A balanced intake of Se is critical to achieve health benefits because depending on its status, Se has been found to play physiological roles or contribute to the pathophysiology of various diseases including, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders. Se status and intake are very important to be known for a specific population as the levels of Se are highly variable among different populations and regions. In the Middle East and North African (MENA) region, very little is known about the status of Se. Studies available show that Se status is widely variable with some countries being deficient, some over sufficient, and some sufficient. This variability was apparent even within the same country between regions. In this review, we summarized the key roles of Se in health and disease and discussed the available data on Se status and intake among countries of the MENA region

Prevalence and Predictors of Insulin Resistance in Non-Obese Healthy Young Females in Qatar

The state of Qatar suffers from diabetes epidemic due to obesity-associated metabolic syndrome. However, the prevalence of insulin resistance prior to obesity, which could play an important role in the high prevalence of diabetes, has not yet been described. This study aims to compare the prevalence of insulin resistance in apparently healthy non-obese and obese participants from Qatar and identify the predictors of insulin resistance in different body massindex(BMI)-groups. In this cross-sectional study, 150 young healthy females from Qatar were dichotomized into four groups (underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese) based on their BMI. Anthropometric measures as well as fasting plasma levels of lipids, adipokines, blood glucose and insulin were recorded. The prevalence of insulin resistance as per homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was estimated and differences between insulin sensitive and insulin resistant were compared. Linear models were used to identify predictors of insulin resistance in every BMI group. Prevalence of insulin resistance in non-obese healthy females from Qatar ranges between 7% and 37%and increases with BMI. Overall, predictors of insulin resistance in the Qatari population are triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio and free fat mass but vary according to the BMI group. The main predictors were triglycerides in normal weight, triglycerides/HDL in overweight and triglycerides/HDL and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in obese individuals. The high prevalence of insulin resistance in non-obese Qataris may partially explain diabetes epidemic. Larger studies are warranted to confirm these findings and identify underlying causes for insulin resistance in non-obese individuals in Qatar, aiming at targeted intervention before diabetes onsetThis project was funded by Qatar University (grant number QUST-CAS-FALL-14\15-35). The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library

Age and gender specific cut-off points for body fat parameters among adults in Qatar

© 2020 The Author(s). Background: Excessive body fat is the leading cause of many metabolic disorders. Therefore, assessing levels of body fat associated with risk of disease in specific populations is crucial. The present study aimed to identify optimal cut-off values of body fat composition including total body fat, body fat percentage, visceral fat, and trunk fat, in order to predict metabolic risk in the Qatari population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on Qatar Biobank data of 2407 Qatari adults (1269 male and 1138 female) aged 21-70 years old. Individuals' height, weight and body fat percentage were obtained. Blood test data including lipid profile, blood glucose and HbA1c data were also obtained. The area under the curve was calculated using ROC analysis to obtain the body fat percentage associated with risk of disease. Results: The cut-off points for total fat for those aged < 40 were 34.0 kg, and for those aged ≥40 were 30.7 kg and 35.6 kg in men and women, respectively. The cut-off for body fat percent for those aged < 40 were 35.1 and 45.1%, and for those aged ≥40 were 34.8 and 46.3% in men and women, respectively. The cut-off points for trunk fat percent for those aged < 40 were 19.5 and 22.4%, and for those aged ≥40 were 21.6 and 23.4% in men and women, respectively. The cut-off points for visceral fat percent for those aged < 40 were 1.4 and 1.0%, and for those aged ≥40 were 1.9 and 1.4% in men and women, respectively. Conclusion: This study established Qatari adult-specific cut-off values of body fat for different age and gender groups.This research is funded by Qatar University. J.A. Tur is funded by CIBEROBN (CB12/03/30038), Instituto de salud Carlos III, Spain and European Regional Development Fun

Potential Nutrigenomic Approaches to Reduce the High Incidence of Obesity in Qatar

Obesity prevalence has been growing exponentially over the last few decades, with a high impact in high-income countries, like Qatar. Several approaches are attempting to understand the causes of this phenomenon however more important is what to do to reverse the trends. Obesity is widely studied, mostly in Europe and the Unites States, and a number of studies have demonstrate the role of specific gene patterns, transcriptome and proteome pathways, and gut microbiome strains. The Omics sciences have a great potential to investigate the determinants of non-communicable diseases, such as obesity. Nutritional genomics sciences apply all the Omics approaches to address nutrition-related diseases, investigating the interaction between genes and diet. To date, few data are available from nutrigenomic studies conducted in Middle East and particularly in Qatar to help the design of targeted interventions. The high incidence of obesity and the peculiar genetic make-up of the Qatari population provide opportunities for exploring nutrigenomic approaches to help addressing the problem

Joint Associations of Activity Energy Expenditure and Sedentary Behaviors with Adolescent's Obesity and Dietary Habits

PURPOSE: Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors are thought to be independent entities and differently associate with adverse health outcomes. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the joint associations of physical activity and sedentary behaviors with obesity indices and dietary habits among adolescents from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. METHODS: Data were from the Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS), a school based, cross-sectional lifestyle study. The present analysis included 6279 adolescents (49.4% males) aged 14-20 years, randomly selected from eight major cities in the GCC countries, using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique. Anthropometric and self-reported lifestyle data were obtained from participants. Adolescents were classified into four categories: high active & low sedentary (HA-LS), high active & high sedentary (HA- HS), low active & low sedentary (LA-LS) and low active & high sedentary (LA-HS), based on cut off scores of total activity energy expenditure and daily screen time above and below 1680 METs-min/week and above or below 3 hours/day, respectively. RESULTS: Results of MANCOVA tests controlling for age revealed that compared with those with LA-HS, adolescents with HA-LS had signifi cantly (<0.001) lower mean (SD) values for BMI (22.6 (5.5) vs 23.7 (6.2)), waist to height ratio (0.45 (.07) vs 0.48 (.08)), and less frequent intakes of sugar-sweetened drinks (3.7 (2.5) vs 4.5 (2.3)), fast foods (2.2 (1.9) vs 2.9 (1.9)), French fries/potato chips (2.1 (2.0) vs 2.9 (2.1)), cakes/donuts (2.4 (2.1) vs 2.7 (2.1)) and sweets (2.5 (2.1)) vs 3.8 (2.3) but more frequent intakes of breakfast (3.9 (2.7) vs 3.3 (2.6)), vegetables (4.4 (2.3) vs 3.5 (2.4)), fruits (4.2 (2.3) vs 2.8 (2.2)) and milk (4.3 (2.5) vs 3.6 (2.5)). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with combined high activity energy expenditure and low sedentary behaviors tend to have lower risk of obesity and have more favorable (healthy) dietary habits. These findings carry important implications for adolescent’s health promotion and obesity prevention.American College of Sports Medicin

Relationship between fat distribution, iron status, and hepcidin in Qatari obese adults

Introduction: The global prevalence of obesity has reached an alarming rate. In addition to obesity and chronic diseases, high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies especially iron deficiency anemia (ADA) was observed in many countries.. Among the different potential causes of iron deficiency, the sequestration of iron through an inflammatory mediated was identified as the most probable cause of iron deficiency in obesity. Adipose tissue is recognized as an endocrine organ that contribute to the inflammatory process by secreting proinflammatory cytokines, and The role of hepcidin in the regulation of iron metabolism has been emphasized in recent years. Hepcidin represents the main regulator of intestinal iron absorption and macrophage iron release and , thus , ultimately of the iron available for erythropoiesis. Objectives: To examine the relationship between fat distribution (WC, total body fat %, and trunk fat %), iron status biomarkers and hepcidin in obese Qatari adults Methods: Secondary data was obtained from Qatar BioBank . The sample size consisted of 100 Qatari obese (male and female) aged 21-50 years free of chronic diseases. Subjects were randomly selected from data base. Collected data included anthropometric measurements (Wt, Ht, BMI, WC, % total fat and % trunk fat) , iron status biomarkers (iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation, Hb, RBC) , hepcidin and transferrin receptors. IDA was defined as Hb <12g/100ml for female and Hgb <13 g/100ml for male. Results: A high statistically significant association (P<0.05) was observed between IDA and the increase in trunk and total fat . We noted a decrease in ferritin, Hemoglobin, serum iron and RBC with an increase in % fat. There was a statistically significant correlation between the trunk fat% and iron status indicators: ferritin (r = -0.48), Hb (r= -0.64), serum iron (r= -0.29) and RBC (r= -0.51). Results indicated a significant decrease in hepcidin with an increase in total and trunk fat. A strong negative correlation between hepcidin, total body fat and trunk fat. Conclusion: The results of this study reported a high prevalence of IDA among obese. Abdominal obesity determined (WC, body and trunk fat) was correlated with iron biomarkers.Research was funded by Qatar University under QUST-2-CHS-2017-1

Prevalence of general and abdominal obesity among adolescents attending independent schools in Qatar

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the prevalence of general and abdominal obesity among adolescents attending independent schools in Qatar. Design/methodology/approaches: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in November-December 2013 in 23 secondary schools. A total of 1,161 students aged 14 to 19 year olds were randomly selected using a multistage stratified cluster random sampling technique. Body weight, height and waist circumference (WC) were measured using standard protocol. The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) reference were used to define overweight and obesity. Abdominal obesity (AO) was defined by waist to height ratio (WHtR ? 0.5) and by sex- and age-specific WC cut-off values. Findings: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the study population was 20.6 and 20.7%, respectively. The highest rate of overweight and obesity was observed among boys, and the youngest age group. The rate of obesity defined by either WC/or WHtR was higher than that assessed by BMI. The prevalence of AO assessed by WC and WHtR was 48.8 and 46.9%, respectively. The rate of AO was significantly higher (p < 0.05) among boys compared to girls for both assessment criteria. The proportion of adolescents with AO (WHtR ? 0.5) according to BMI was 17.3%, 80.8% and 97.1% for adolescents with normal, overweight and obesity had AO, respectively. Being male was significantly associated with higher odds of having both general obesity and AO. Originality/value: The study revealed a high prevalence of general and abdominal obesity in adolescents in Qatar. Waist measures appear to be an important indicator in identifying adolescents at risk and should be included as screening tools for cardiometabolic risk. - 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.Scopu

Prevalence of general and abdominal obesity among adolescents attending independent schools in Qatar

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of general and abdominal obesity among adolescents attending independent schools in Qatar. Design/methodology/approaches: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in November –December 2013 in 23 secondary schools. A total of 1161 student aged 14 to 19 years old were randomly selected using a multistage stratified cluster random sampling technique. Body weight, height and waist circumference (WC) were measured using standard protocol. The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) reference were used to define overweight and obesity. Abdominal obesity (AO) was defined by waist to height ratio (WHtR ≥0.5) and by sex and age specific WC cut-off values. Findings: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the study population was 20.6% and 20.7%, respectively. The highest rate of overweight and obesity was observed among boys, and the youngest age group. The rate of obesity defined by either WC /or WHtR was higher than that assessed by BMI. The prevalence of AO assessed by WC and WHtR was 48.8% and 46.9%, respectively. The rate of AO was significantly higher (p <0.05) among boys compared to girls for both assessment criteria . The proportion of adolescents with AO (WHtR≥0.5) according to BMI was 17.3%, 80.8% and 97.1% for adolescents with normal, overweight and obesity had AO , respectively. Originality/value: The study revealed a high prevalence of general and abdominal obesity in adolescents in Qatar. Waist measures appear to be an important indicator in identifying adolescents at risk and should be included as screening tools for cardiometabolic risk