The Association between Concentrations of Green Tea and Blood Glucose Levels

Our objective was to examine whether habitual green tea consumption is associated with blood glucose levels and other biomarkers of glucose metabolism. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 35 male volunteers, 23–63 years old and residing in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. Biochemical data were measured and we conducted a questionnaire survey on health, lifestyle, and nutrition, as well as frequency of consumption and concentrations (1%, 2%, and 3%) of green tea. Men who consumed a 3% concentration of green tea showed lower mean values of fasting blood glucose and fructosamine than those who consumed a 1% concentration. Fasting blood glucose levels were found to be significantly associated with green tea concentration (β = −0.14, p = 0.03). However, green tea consumption frequency showed no significant differences in mean levels of blood glucose, fructosamine and hemoglobin A1c. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the consumption of green tea at a high concentration has the potential to reduce blood glucose levels

Blood soluble Fas levels and mortality from cardiovascular disease in middle-aged Japanese: The JACC study.

Limited evidence has been available on the relationship between apoptosis and cardiovascular disease in population-based samples. We examined whether blood soluble Fas (sFas) are associated with mortality from cardiovascular diseases.In a nested case-control study under a large prospective cohort, the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study, where a total of 39,242 subjects, 40-79 years of age, provided serum samples and were followed up for 9 years, we measured sFas levels among cases and controls, matched for sex, age, area of residence and year of serum storage. Conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratio (95% CI) of mortality from stroke and stroke types, according to quartiles and 1-SD increment of sFas levels.During the follow-up (1988-1997), we identified 233 (121 in men and 112 in women) deaths from total stroke, comprising 49 (18 and 31) subarachnoid hemorrhages, 55 (27 and 28) intraparenchymal hemorrhages, 71 (44 and 27) ischemic strokes, and 97 (53 and 44) coronary heart diseases. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, the multivariable odds ratio (95% CI) of subarachnoid hemorrhage associated with a 1-SD increment of sFas (1.3 ng/ml in both men and women) was 4.04 (1.07-15.3; p = 0.04). No association was found between blood sFas levels and risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage, ischemic stroke or coronary heart disease.Higher blood sFas levels were associated with higher mortality from subarachnoid hemorrhage, suggesting a potential role of apoptosis factors in the development or prognosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage

The joint impact on being overweight of self reported behaviours of eating quickly and eating until full : cross sectional survey

Objective To examine whether eating until full or eating quickly or combinations of these eating behaviours are associated with being overweight

Appetite disinhibition rather than hunger explains genetic effects on adult BMI trajectory

Abstract: Background/objectives: The mediating role of eating behaviors in genetic susceptibility to weight gain during mid-adult life is not fully understood. This longitudinal study aims to help us understand contributions of genetic susceptibility and appetite to weight gain. Subjects/methods: We followed the body-mass index (BMI) trajectories of 2464 adults from 45 to 65 years of age by measuring weight and height on four occasions at 5-year intervals. Genetic risk of obesity (gene risk score: GRS) was ascertained, comprising 92 BMI-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms and split at a median (=high and low risk). At the baseline, the Eating Inventory was used to assess appetite-related traits of ‘disinhibition’, indicative of opportunistic eating or overeating and ‘hunger’ which is susceptibility to/ability to cope with the sensation of hunger. Roles of the GRS and two appetite-related scores for BMI trajectories were examined using a mixed model adjusted for the cohort effect and sex. Results: Disinhibition was associated with higher BMI (β = 2.96; 95% CI: 2.66–3.25 kg/m2), and accounted for 34% of the genetically-linked BMI difference at age 45. Hunger was also associated with higher BMI (β = 1.20; 0.82–1.59 kg/m2) during mid-life and slightly steeper weight gain, but did not attenuate the effect of disinhibition. Conclusions: Appetite disinhibition is most likely to be a defining characteristic of genetic susceptibility to obesity. High levels of appetite disinhibition, rather than hunger, may underlie genetic vulnerability to obesogenic environments in two-thirds of the population of European ancestry

Correction: Appetite disinhibition rather than hunger explains genetic effects on adult BMI trajectory.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-021-00770-0</jats:p

Appetite disinhibition rather than hunger explains genetic effects on adult BMI trajectory

Abstract: Background/objectives: The mediating role of eating behaviors in genetic susceptibility to weight gain during mid-adult life is not fully understood. This longitudinal study aims to help us understand contributions of genetic susceptibility and appetite to weight gain. Subjects/methods: We followed the body-mass index (BMI) trajectories of 2464 adults from 45 to 65 years of age by measuring weight and height on four occasions at 5-year intervals. Genetic risk of obesity (gene risk score: GRS) was ascertained, comprising 92 BMI-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms and split at a median (=high and low risk). At the baseline, the Eating Inventory was used to assess appetite-related traits of ‘disinhibition’, indicative of opportunistic eating or overeating and ‘hunger’ which is susceptibility to/ability to cope with the sensation of hunger. Roles of the GRS and two appetite-related scores for BMI trajectories were examined using a mixed model adjusted for the cohort effect and sex. Results: Disinhibition was associated with higher BMI (β = 2.96; 95% CI: 2.66–3.25 kg/m2), and accounted for 34% of the genetically-linked BMI difference at age 45. Hunger was also associated with higher BMI (β = 1.20; 0.82–1.59 kg/m2) during mid-life and slightly steeper weight gain, but did not attenuate the effect of disinhibition. Conclusions: Appetite disinhibition is most likely to be a defining characteristic of genetic susceptibility to obesity. High levels of appetite disinhibition, rather than hunger, may underlie genetic vulnerability to obesogenic environments in two-thirds of the population of European ancestry

C-Reactive Protein and Cardiovascular Disease in East Asians: A Systematic Review

Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Caucasians; however, evidence is lacking for East Asians, who have low CRP levels. PubMed and Google Scholar searches were conducted (1966 through September 2014), and eight prospective studies in East Asian countries (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macao, Mongolia, and Taiwan) that documented risk ratios of elevated CRP for CVD were included for meta-analysis with random-effects models. The overall association between CRP levels and stroke was significant in six studies (risk ratio = 1.40 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.10-1.77], P = 0.008). The association with ischemic stroke was more evident in subgroup analyses. For coronary heart disease (CHD) and CVD, the risk ratio was 1.75 (95% CI, 0.96-3.19, P = 0.07) and 1.76 (95% CI, 1.29-2.40, P < 0.001), respectively. Although East Asians have low CRP levels, this meta-analysis shows that elevated CRP levels were significantly associated with an increased risk of stroke, primarily ischemic stroke

Associations between dietary intakes of iron, copper and zinc with risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus : A large population-based prospective cohort study

Background & aims: Abnormal homeostasis of iron, copper and zinc has been included in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the evidence of associations between dietary intakes of these elements and T2DM is limited. We thought to examine the association between dietary intakes of iron, copper and zinc with risk of T2DM in Japanese population. Methods: A prospective study encompassing 16,160 healthy Japanese men and women aged 40-65 years in whom the associations between dietary intakes of iron, copper and zinc, determined by a validated self-administered food frequency questionnaire, with risk of 5-year cumulative incidence of validated physician-diagnosed T2DM, were evaluated by logistic regression model. Results: We ascertained 396 self-reported new cases of diabetes within 5-year period. Dietary intakes of iron (total and nonheme but not heme iron) and copper were positively associated with risk of T2DM; the multivariable OR in the highest versus lowest quartiles of intakes were 1.32 (1.04, 1.70; P-trend = 0.03) and 1.55 (1.13, 2.02; P-trend = 0.003), respectively. These associations were more evident in the high risk group; older, overweight, smokers and those with family history of diabetes. The dietary intake of zinc was inversely associated with risk of T2DM; the multivariable OR was 0.64 (0.54, 1.00; P-trend = 0.003), and such association was evident among younger subjects (age 40-55 years) only. Conclusions: Dietary intakes of iron and copper were associated with a higher risk, while dietary intake of zinc was associated with a reduced risk of T2DM in Japanese population