Fruit and vegetable consumption and bone mineral density; the Northern Ireland Young Hearts Project

BackgroundStudies examining the relation between bone mineral density (BMD) and fruit and vegetable consumption during adolescence are rare.ObjectiveOur objective was to determine whether usual fruit and vegetable intakes reported by adolescents have any influence on BMD.DesignBMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the nondominant forearm and dominant heel in a random sample of 12-y-old boys (n = 324), 12-y-old girls (n = 378), 15-y-old boys (n = 274), and 15-y-old girls (n = 369). Usual fruit and vegetable consumption was assessed by an interviewer-administered diet history method. Relations between BMD and fruit and vegetable intake were assessed by using regression modeling.ResultsUsing multiple linear regression to adjust for the potential confounding influence of physical and lifestyle factors, we observed that 12-y-old girls consuming high amounts of fruit had significantly higher heel BMD (β = 0.037; 95% CI: 0.017, 0.056) than did the moderate fruit consumers. No other associations were observed.ConclusionHigh intakes of fruit may be important for bone health in girls. It is possible that fruit's alkaline-forming properties mediate the body's acid-base balance. However, intervention studies are required to confirm the findings of this observational study

Correlates of bone mineral density in adolescence The Northern Ireland Young Hearts Project

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN059301 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Trends in blood pressure over 10 years in adolescents: analyses of cross sectional surveys in the Northern Ireland Young Hearts project

Objective To examine secular trends in blood pressure over a 10 year period between two representative cohorts of adolescents from Northern Ireland. Design Repeat cross sectional study. Setting Randomly selected post-primary schools from Northern Ireland. Participants 1015 adolescents studied between 1989 and 1990, and 2017 adolescents studied between 1999 and 2001. Participants were aged 12 or 15 years. Main outcome measures Systolic and diastolic blood pressure measured by one observer in each study. Results The four groups for sex and age showed decreases in both systolic blood pressure (mean decrease 7.7 mm Hg to 10.0 mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (8.8 mm Hg to 11.0 mm Hg). These decreases were not accounted for by adjustment for potential confounders including age, height, body mass index, smoking, physical activity, aerobic fitness, and stratification of school by education board area and type. The findings were not altered by additional adjustment for social class, pubertal status, birth weight, and infant feeding. No evidence was found of systematic variation between observers. Conclusions Substantial decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure over the past decade in adolescents from Northern Ireland are likely to have important benefits to public health and may help offset the increasing risk of cardiovascular disease due to increases in obesity

The Relationship Between Microvascular Endothelial Function and Carotid-Radial Pulse Wave Velocity in Patients with Mild Hypertension

Carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (CRPWV) can be measured rapidly using applanation tonometry and significantly higher values have been reported among patients with risk factors for vascular disease. Forearm blood flow responses to intrabrachial infusion of acetylcholine independently predict cardiovascular morbidity among hypertensive patients. We aimed to examine the relationship between CRPWV, a potentially informative, noninvasive measure and this more established parameter of arterial health.One hundred and fifteen mildly hypertensive individuals (67% men, mean (± SD) age 54 ± 8 years, mean (± SD) blood pressure (BP) 143 ± 16/83 ± 12 mmHg) were recruited from a weekly medical outpatient clinic. Each volunteer had CRPWV measured using sequential tonometry before forearm blood flow responses to intra-arterial, endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine) and independent (sodium nitroprusside) vasodilators were assessed.There was a significant negative correlation between CRPWV and maximum forearm blood flow response to acetylcholine (r = −0.225, p = 0.016). This association remained significant in a multiple regression analysis (β = −0.213, p = 0.034). Mean arterial pressure and weight were additional independent predictors of CRPWV in this model. There was no such relationship between CRPWV and response to sodium nitroprusside (r = 0.088, p = 0.349).In patients with mild hypertension, a poor forearm blood flow response to acetylcholine independently predicted faster CRPWV, thus linking an established measure of microvascular endothelial function with a noninvasive index of conduit vessel stiffness.<br/

Fruit and vegetable consumption and bone mineral density: the Northern Ireland Young Hearts Project

BackgroundStudies examining the relation between bone mineral density (BMD) and fruit and vegetable consumption during adolescence are rare.ObjectiveOur objective was to determine whether usual fruit and vegetable intakes reported by adolescents have any influence on BMD.DesignBMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the nondominant forearm and dominant heel in a random sample of 12-y-old boys (n = 324), 12-y-old girls (n = 378), 15-y-old boys (n = 274), and 15-y-old girls (n = 369). Usual fruit and vegetable consumption was assessed by an interviewer-administered diet history method. Relations between BMD and fruit and vegetable intake were assessed by using regression modeling.ResultsUsing multiple linear regression to adjust for the potential confounding influence of physical and lifestyle factors, we observed that 12-y-old girls consuming high amounts of fruit had significantly higher heel BMD (β = 0.037; 95% CI: 0.017, 0.056) than did the moderate fruit consumers. No other associations were observed.ConclusionHigh intakes of fruit may be important for bone health in girls. It is possible that fruit's alkaline-forming properties mediate the body's acid-base balance. However, intervention studies are required to confirm the findings of this observational study