Trends in body weight and diabetes in forty years in Iceland

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenOBJECTIVE: Obesity and diabetes are increasing problems worldwide. Therefore, new data on these issues are of importance. Here, we publish data on body mass index (BMI) and prevalence of diabetes of type 2 in Iceland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Mean BMI (kg/m2), prevalence of diabetes type 2 and obesity in people aged 45-64 years were evaluated from 1967 to 2007. Data on type 2 diabetes was based on four population Icelandic Heart Association studies (newest the REFINE (The Risk Evaluation For INfarct Estimates) Reykjavik study from 2006) with total of 17.757 individuals. Data on BMI was in addition based on three further studies, total 20.519 individuals. The same estimates were then performed for 25-84 year old people in the years 2004-2007. These were based on data from the REFINE Reykjavik study 2.410 individuals and the AGES Reykjavik study 3.027 individuals and. RESULTS: In the years 1967-2007 mean BMI increased by 2 units in both genders (45-64 year) and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes doubled in men, while the increase in women was 50%. In the years 2004-2007 the prevalence of diabetes type 2 in 25-84 year old people was 6% in men and 3% in women and the prevalence of obesity was 23% in men and 21% in women. CONCLUSIONS: Mean BMI is increasing in Iceland, especially after 1980. Prevalence of diabetes coincides with increasing body mass index.Tilgangur: Offita og sykursýki eru vaxandi vandamál og mikilvægt að nýjar upplýsingar um þessa þætti liggi fyrir. Hér er greint frá þróun líkamsþyngdarstuðuls og sykursýki af tegund 2 á Íslandi. Efniviður og aðferðir: Meðallíkamsþyngdar-stuðull (kg/m2), algengi sykursýki af tegund 2 og algengi offitu hjá 45-64 ára voru könnuð frá 1967 til 2007. Algengi sykursýki byggist á fjórum rannsóknum Hjartaverndar: Áfanga I-V í Hóprannsókn 1967-1991, Afkomendarannsókn 1997-2001, Rannsókn á ungu fólki 2001-2003 og Áhættuþáttakönnun frá 2006-2007, samtals 17.757 manns. Könnun á líkamsþyngdarstuðli byggist að auki á gögnum úr Monica-rannsókninni á Íslandi frá 1983, 1988 og 1993, heildarfjöldi 20.519. Sömu þættir voru einnig kannaðir fyrir 25-84 ára frá 2004 til 2007. Þá var notast við Áhættuþáttakönnun Hjartaverndar, 2410 manns og Öldrunarrannsókn Hjartaverndar, 3027 manns. Niðurstöður: Meðallíkamsþyngdarstuðull jókst um tvær einingar hjá báðum kynjum (45-64 ára) og algengi sykursýki af tegund 2 tvöfaldaðist hjá körlum og jókst um 50% hjá konunum á árunum 1967-2007. Algengi sykursýki af tegund 2 hjá 25-84 ára, á árunum 2004-2007 var 6% hjá körlum og 3% hjá konum. Algengi offitu var 23% hjá körlum en 21% hjá konum. Ályktanir: Meðallíkamsþyngdarstuðull hefur aukist undanfarna áratugi, einkum eftir 1980. Sykursýki eykst í hlutfalli við vaxandi ofþyngd

Sedentary behavior, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and brain structure in midlife: A longitudinal brain MRI sub-study of the coronary artery risk development in young adults study.

BACKGROUND: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are higher in those who are physically active and lower in people with cognitive dysfunction. This study investigated whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor mediated or modified the association of sedentary time to MRI-estimated brain volumes in midlife. METHODS: Baseline (n = 612) and five-year follow-up (n = 418) data were drawn from the multicenter Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Brain MRI sub-study, including Black and White participants (aged 50.3 years, 51.6% females, 38.6% Black). Sedentary time (hours per day) was categorized into quartiles with low ≤ 4.3 (reference) and high > 8.4. Outcomes of the study were total brain, white matter, gray matter, hippocampal volumes, and white matter fractional anisotropy at baseline and 5-year percent change from baseline. The study used general linear regression models to examine the mediation and moderation effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (natural log transformed) on the associations of sedentary time to brain outcomes. The authors adjusted the regression model for age, sex, race, intracranial volume, education, and vascular factors. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, baseline participants with the highest sedentary time had a lower total brain (-12.2 cc; 95%CI: -20.7, -3.7), gray matter (-7.8 cc; 95%CI: -14.3, -1.3), and hippocampal volume (-0.2 cc; 95%CI: -0.3, 0.0) compared with populations with the lowest sedentary time. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels did not mediate the associations between brain measures and sedentary time. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor was found to moderate associations of sedentary time to total brain and white matter volume such that the brain volume difference between high and low sedentary time decreased as brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels increased. Longitudinally, higher baseline brain-derived neurotrophic factor level was associated with less brain volume decline. The longitudinal associations did not differ by sedentary time, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor did not mediate or moderate the association of sedentary time to brain measure changes. CONCLUSIONS: Higher brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels may buffer the negative effects of sedentary time on the brain

Inverse association of tea and flavonoid intakes with incident myocardial infarction: the Rotterdam Study

BACKGROUND: Dietary flavonoids may protect against cardiovascular disease, but evidence is still conflicting. Tea is the major source of flavonoids in Western populations. OBJECTIVE: The association of tea and flavonoid intake with incident myocardial infarction was examined in the general Dutch population. DESIGN: A longitudinal analysis was performed with the use of data from the Rotterdam Study-a population-based study of men and women aged >or=55 y. Diet was assessed at baseline (1990-1993) with a validated semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. The analysis included 4807 subjects with no history of myocardial infarction, who were followed until 31 December 1997. Data were analyzed in a Cox regression model, with adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, pack-years of cigarette smoking, education level, and daily intakes of alcohol, coffee, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, fiber, vitamin E, and total energy. RESULTS: During 5.6 y of follow-up, a total o

Migraine and vascular disease biomarkers: A population-based case-control study.

Background The underpinnings of the migraine-stroke association remain uncertain, but endothelial activation is a potential mechanism. We evaluated the association of migraine and vascular disease biomarkers in a community-based population. Methods Participants (300 women, 117 men) were recruited as a part of the Dutch CAMERA 1 (Cerebral Abnormalities in Migraine, an Epidemiologic Risk Analysis) study. Participants were aged 30-60 (mean 48) years, 155 migraine had with aura (MA), 128 migraine without aura (MO), and 134 were controls with no severe headaches. Plasma concentrations of fibrinogen, Factor II, D-dimer, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and von Willebrand factor antigen were compared between groups, also stratifying by sex. Results Fibrinogen and hs-CRP were elevated in migraineurs compared to controls. In logistic regression analyses, MO and MA had increased likelihood of elevated fibrinogen, and MA had increased likelihood of elevated Factor II and hs-CRP. Fibrinogen and Factor II were associated with MA in women but not men. In the migraine subgroup, the total number of years of aura, but not headache, predicted elevated hs-CRP, and the average number of aura, but not headache, attacks predicted all biomarkers but Factor II. Conclusions Elevated vascular biomarkers were associated with migraine, particularly MA, as well as with years of aura and number of aura attacks

Incidence and prevalence of total joint replacements due to osteoarthritis in the elderly: risk factors and factors associated with late life prevalence in the AGES-Reykjavik Study.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files. This article is open access.Total joint replacements (TJRs) should be considered as one of few definite endpoints in osteoarthritis research. We analyzed factors associated with late-life prevalence and risk factors for incidence of TJRs due to osteoarthritis in a population based cohort.After exclusion of inflammatory arthritis and fractures as causes of TJR, 5170 participants in the AGES-Reykjavik Study (mean age (SD) 76.4(6), 58 % females) were included for osteoarthritis studies. Three thousand one hundred thirty-three of them had a follow-up visit 5 years later.The prevalence of having at least one joint replacement operation due to OA was 13.6 % and the yearly incidence was 1.4 %/year during the five-year follow-up. Factors positively associated with late life prevalence of TJR included BMI, hand OA severity, female gender, finger length ratio and spine BMD. Risk factors for TJRs in the incidence group were symptoms at initial visit, prior TJR in the contralateral joint and BMI. Much stronger associations were seen for TKR than for THR with discriminatory analysis showing an AUC 0.71 for late life prevalence and 0.84 for the incidence.This study illustrates the importance of the different information expressed by late life prevalence vs. incidence on the factors associated with severe osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. The observation that prior TJR is a risk factor for subsequent TJR in the contralateral joint has not been described previously. The high power predictions for TKR suggest that a predictive model may be feasible, particularly if it can be extended by the addition of further predictive variables, perhaps through genetic, biomarker or imaging data.NIH N01-AG-12100 NIA Intramural Research Program Hjartavernd (the Icelandic Heart Association) Althingi (the Icelandic Parliament) Icelandic Osteoarthritis Fund University of Iceland Research Fun

Atrial fibrillation is associated with reduced brain volume and cognitive function independent of cerebral infarcts.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files. This article is open access.Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been associated with cognitive decline independent of stroke, suggesting additional effects of AF on the brain. We aimed to assess the association between AF and brain function and structure in a general elderly population.This is a cross-sectional analysis of 4251 nondemented participants (mean age, 76 ± 5 years) in the population-based Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study. Medical record data were collected for the presence, subtype, and time from first diagnosis of AF; 330 participants had AF. Brain volume measurements, adjusted for intracranial volume, and presence of cerebral infarcts were determined with magnetic resonance imaging. Memory, speed of processing, and executive function composites were calculated from a cognitive test battery. In a multivariable linear regression model, adjustments were made for demographic factors, cardiovascular risk factors, and cerebral infarcts.Participants with AF had lower total brain volume compared with those without AF (P<0.001). The association was stronger with persistent/permanent than paroxysmal AF and with increased time from the first diagnosis of the disease. Of the brain tissue volumes, AF was associated with lower volume of gray and white matter hyperintensities (P<0.001 and P = 0.008, respectively), but not of white matter hyperintensities (P = 0.49). Participants with AF scored lower on tests of memory.AF is associated with smaller brain volume, and the association is stronger with increasing burden of the arrhythmia. These findings suggest that AF has a cumulative negative effect on the brain independent of cerebral infarcts.Landspitali National University Hospital of Iceland Science Fund Helga Jonsdottir and Sigvaldi Kristjansson Memorial Fund National Institutes of Health/N01-AG-1-2100 National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program Icelandic Heart Association Althingi (the Icelandic Parliament