Impact of Maternal Obesity on Inhaled Corticosteroid Use in Childhood : A Registry Based Analysis of First Born Children and a Sibling Pair Analysis

Background: It has been proposed that maternal obesity during pregnancy may increase the risk that the child developsallergic disease and asthma, although the mechanisms underpinning this relationship are currently unclear. We sought toassess if this association may be due to confounding by genetic or environmental risk factors that are common to maternalobesity and childhood asthma, using a sibling pair analysis. Methods: The study population comprised a Swedish national cohort of term children born between 1992 and 2008 tonative Swedish parents. Maternal body mass index (BMI) was measured at 8–10 weeks gestation. Unconditional logisticregression models were used to determine if maternal obesity was associated with increased risk of inhaled corticosteroid(ICS) in 431,718 first-born children, while adjusting for potential confounders. An age-matched discordant sib-pair analysiswas performed, taking into account shared genetic and environmental risk factors. Results: Maternal over-weight and obesity were associated with increased risk that the child would require ICS (forBMI$35 kg/m2, aOR = 1.30, 95$30) was related to increasedrisk of ICS use in girls (aOR = 1.28, 95%CI = 1.07–1.53) but not boys (OR = 1.05, 95%CI = 0.87–1.26). The sib-pair analysis,which included 2,034 sib-pairs older than six years who were discordant for both ICS use and maternal BMI category, failedto find any evidence that increasing maternal weight was related to increased risk of ICS use. Conclusion: Maternal obesity is associated with increased risk of childhood ICS use up to approximately 12 years of age, butonly in girls after this age. These effects could not be confirmed in a sib pair analysis, suggesting either limited statisticalpower, or the effects of maternal BMI may be due to shared genetic or environmental risk factors

Drinking carrot juice increases total antioxidant status and decreases lipid peroxidation in adults

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>High prevalence of obesity and cardiovascular disease is attributable to sedentary lifestyle and eating diets high in fat and refined carbohydrate while eating diets low in fruit and vegetables. Epidemiological studies have confirmed a strong association between eating diets rich in fruits and vegetables and cardiovascular health. The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether drinking fresh carrot juice influences antioxidant status and cardiovascular risk markers in subjects not modifying their eating habits.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of consuming 16 fl oz of daily freshly squeezed carrot juice for three months on cardiovascular risk markers, C-reactive protein, insulin, leptin, interleukin-1α, body fat percentage, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, antioxidant status, and malondialdehyde production. Fasting blood samples were collected pre-test and 90 days afterward to conclude the study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Drinking carrot juice did not affect (P > 0.1) the plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, Apo A, Apo B, LDL, HDL, body fat percentage, insulin, leptin, interleukin-1α, or C-reactive protein. Drinking carrot juice decreased (P = 0.06) systolic pressure, but did not influence diastolic pressure. Drinking carrot juice significantly (P < 0.05) increased the plasma total antioxidant capacity and decreased (P < 0.05) the plasma malondialdehyde production.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Drinking carrot juice may protect the cardiovascular system by increasing total antioxidant status and by decreasing lipid peroxidation independent of any of the cardiovascular risk markers measured in the study.</p