Spirituality, religion, social support and health among older Australian adults

AIM: To examine the impact of perceived importance of spirituality or religion (ISR) and religious service attendance (RSA) on health and well-being in older Australians. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 752 community-dwelling men and women aged 55-85 years from the Hunter Region, New South Wales. RESULTS: Overall, 51% of participants felt spirituality or religion was important in their lives and 24% attended religious services at least 2-3 times a month. In univariate regression analyses, ISR and RSA were associated with increased levels of social support (P < 0.001). However, ISR was also associated with more comorbidities (incidence-rate ratio= 1.2, 95% confidence interval 1.08-1.33). There were no statistically significant associations between ISR or RSA and other measures such as mental and physical health. CONCLUSION: Spirituality and religious involvement have a beneficial impact on older Australians\u27 perceptions of social support, and may enable individuals to better cope with the presence of multiple comorbidities later in life

Association between apolipoprotein E polymorphisms and age-related macular degeneration: A HuGE review and meta-analysis

A possible association between apolipoprotein E polymorphisms and age-related macular degeneration has been investigated numerous times, with conflicting results. A previous analysis pooling results from four studies (Schmidt et al., Ophthalmic Genet 2002;23:209–23) suggested an association, but those investigators did not document allele frequencies, the magnitude of the association, or the possible genetic mode of action. Thus, the authors searched MEDLINE from 1966 to December 2005 for any English-language studies reporting genetic associations. Data and study quality were assessed in duplicate. Pooling was performed while checking for heterogeneity and publication bias. Frequencies of the E₂ and E₄ alleles in Caucasians were approximately 8% and 15%, respectively. Allele- and genotype-based tests of association indicated a risk effect of up to 20% for E₂ and a protective effect of up to 40% for E₄. E₂ appeared to act in a recessive mode and E₄ in a dominant mode. There appears to be a differential effect of the E₂ and E₄ alleles on the risk of age-related macular degeneration, although the possibility of survivor bias needs to be ruled out more definitively

Clinical validation of the environmental distress scale (EDS) 'Solastalgia' subscale

Abstract not available

Associations between three diet quality indices, genetic risk and body composition: a prospective cohort study

Background & aims: Diet and genetic predisposition to adiposity are independent predictors of body composition, yet few cohort studies have examined the association between overall diet quality indices, genetic risk and body composition. This study examined the prospective association of three diet quality indices and a polygenic risk score (PRS) with trunk fat mass, total fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral content. Methods: Adults from UK Biobank cohort were included. Dietary intake was assessed using the Oxford WebQ and three diet quality indices calculated: Recommended Food Score (RFS); Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS); Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI). Bioimpedance data were available for trunk fat, total fat and lean mass (kg). Trunk fat mass (kg), total fat mass (kg) and lean mass (kg) were assessed using bioelectrical impedance (BIA) in 17,478 adults. Bone mineral content (g) was available from dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans in 11,887 participants. Linear regression analyses, adjusted for demographic and lifestyle confounders, were used to estimate prospective associations between each diet quality index and body composition outcomes. A PRS created from 97 adiposity-related single nucleotide polymorphisms was used to examine interaction effects. Results: A total of 17,478 adults (M = 55.9, SD 7.5 years) were followed up for up to 10 years. RFS, HDI and MDS were inversely associated with trunk fat (RFS: B −0.29; 95% CI: −0.33, −0.25; HDI: −0.23; −0.27, −0.19; MDS: −0.22; −0.26, −0.18), total fat (RFS: B −0.49; 95% CI: −0.56, −0.42; HDI: −0.38; −0.45, −0.32; MDS: −0.38; −0.44, −0.32) and lean (RFS: B −0.10; 95% CI: −0.14, −0.06; HDI: −0.07; −0.11, −0.03; MDS: −0.07; −0.11, −0.04) mass. Diet quality was positively associated with bone mineral content (RFS: B 8.23; 95% CI: 2.14, 14.3; HDI: 6.77; 1.00, 12.5). There was evidence of non-linear associations between diet quality (RFS and HDI only) and trunk fat (p < 0.01) and total fat mass (p < 0.05). There was limited evidence PRS was associated with body composition, with interaction effects of PRS and HDI (p-interaction = 0.039) and MDS (p-interaction = 0.031) on total fat mass. Conclusion: Higher diet quality was associated with lower trunk fat, total fat and lean mass, regardless of the diet quality index examined (RFS, HDI or MDS), while higher diet quality (RFS and HDI only) was associated with higher bone mineral content. The benefit of higher diet quality on reducing total fat mass was most evident in individuals with higher generic risk of adiposity. These findings underscore the importance of a high-quality diet for maintaining optimal body composition, particularly in individuals with genetic pre-disposition to adiposity