The effects of weight loss on cholesterol metabolism in overweight and obese hyperlipidemic women /

Obese individuals are at greater risk of various comorbidities including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Endocrine imbalances and dyslipidemia are likely contributors to the etiology of these diseases in obese individuals.The objectives of this research project were: (1) to determine the effectiveness of a self-selected diet and exercise weight loss (WtL) protocol in overweight and obese women; (2) to investigate the effects of moderate WtL on hormones associated with the regulation of energy balance, blood lipid levels, and low density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size; (3) to characterize changes in cholesterol metabolism as a result of moderate WtL through an examination of factors that likely play a role in its modulation, specifically body composition and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in ATP binding cassette (ABC)G5 and ABCG8 transporter.In carrying out these objectives, 35 women were included in a 24-week WtL trial. Hormone, lipids, and cholesterol metabolism were assessed at the end of two stabilization periods. During these periods, body composition was also measured via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). WtL was achieved through a 20% decrease in energy intake using diet combined with a 10% increase in energy expenditure through physical activity.Overall, participants lost an average of 11.7+/-2.5 kg. WtL resulted in improvements in blood lipid risk factors of CVD with minimal effect on LDL particle size. No associations were found between leptin, ghrelin, adiponectin, and insulin. Cholesterol synthesis decreased as a result of WtL, while cholesterol absorption and turnover did not change. Despite an absence of change in turnover, increases were predicted by decreases in visceral adipose tissue, and decreases in cholesterol absorption were associated with losses in total and upper body skeletal muscle. This study also showed that changes in cholesterol concentrations and metabolism after WtL are associated with SNPs in ABCG5 and ABCG8 genes.These findings suggest that hormones important in the regulation of energy homeostasis may exert their effects independently. Moderate WtL results in cardioprotective changes in blood cholesterol levels primarily due to changes in cholesterol synthesis. These findings also indicate that the responsiveness of blood cholesterol levels and metabolism to weight loss is modulated by changes in body composition and SNPs in ABCG5 and ABCG8

IDENTIFIKASI ATRIBUT-ATRIBUT INOVATIF LAYANAN KARAOKE KELUARGA: INTEGRASI MODEL NSD-EMF-KANO

Hiburan saat ini telah menjadi kebutuhan masyarakat Jakarta untuk menghilangkan kelelahan dan kebosanan dalam kegiatan pekerjaan sehari-hari. Dengan ketatnya persaingan di industri hiburan, karaoke keluarga dituntut untuk mempunyai strategi dalam berbisnis yang tepat dengan selalu melakukan inovasi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan desain layanan yang inovatif bisnis karaoke keluarga untuk meningkatkan daya saingnya di industri hiburan. Wawancara, FGD, dan kuesioner dirancang untuk mendapatkan data-data yang diperlukan. Model integrasi NSD-EMF-Kano digunakan sebagai kerangka kerja dalam mengidentifikasi atribut layanan inovatif. Model new service development (NSD) digunakan untuk menggali ide-ide pelanggan untuk mengembangkan atribut-atribut layanan inovatif. Hasilnya digabungkan dengan 5 elemen experiential marketing framework (EMF), yaitu: sense, feel, think, act dan relate yang dikembangkan berdasarkan hasil pengalaman pelanggan. Setelah itu, akan dievaluasi dengan kuesioner Kano untuk menentukan kategori Kano. Hasilnya terdapat 19 atribut layanan inovatif karaoke keluarga yang teridentifikasi untuk dikembangkan lebih lanju

Regional adiposity and markers of inflammation in pre-school age children

In adults, upper body fat partially increases metabolic disease risk through increasing systemic inflammation. Our objective was to determine if this relationship exists in preschool-aged children. A subset of children (n = 71, 35 males), 3.7 ± 1.0 y, were studied from n = 515 children recruited from randomly selected daycares in Montréal, QC. According to WHO charts for 2–5 y, 49 children were healthy weight (HW) and 21 were overweight (OW). Adiposity was determined through dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Blood concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent and multiplex assays, respectively. OW children had higher (p = 0.03) android:gynoid ratio 0.50 ± 0.09 compared to HW children 0.56 ± 0.12, indicating excess fat was predominantly stored in the abdominal depot. CRP was higher (p = 0.01) in OW children 1.45 ± 2.02 mg/L compared to HW 0.74 ± 1.38 mg/L. Percent fat was correlated with CRP (r = 0.32; p < 0.01) and TNFα (r = 0.25; p = 0.04) concentrations. CRP also correlated with android adiposity (r = 0.24; p = 0.04) and TNFα correlated with gynoid adiposity (r = 0.24; p = 0.04). We observed that greater adiposity is associated with higher systemic inflammation in pre-school aged children. Future longitudinal studies are needed to understand the long term consequences of excess total and regional body fat in young children

Effects of weight loss via high fat vs. low fat alternate day fasting diets on free fatty acid profiles

Cardiovascular disease risk is associated with excess body weight and elevated plasma free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations. This study examines how an alternate-day fasting (ADF) diet high (HF) or low (LF) in fat affects plasma FFA profiles in the context of weight loss, and changes in body composition and lipid profiles. After a 2-week weight maintenance period, 29 women (BMI 30–39.9 kg/m2) 25–65 years old were randomized to an 8-week ADF-HF (45% fat) diet or an ADF-LF (25% fat) diet with 25% energy intake on fast days and ad libitum intake on feed days. Body weight, BMI and waist circumference were assessed weekly and body composition was measured using dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Total and individual FFA and plasma lipid concentrations were measured before and after weight loss. Body weight, BMI, fat mass, total cholesterol, LDL-C and triglyceride concentrations decreased (P < 0.05) in both groups. Total FFA concentrations also decreased (P < 0.001). In the ADF-LF group, decreases were found in several more FFAs than in the ADF-HF group. In the ADF-HF group, FFA concentrations were positively correlated with waist circumference. Depending on the macronutrient composition of a diet, weight loss with an ADF diet decreases FFA concentrations through potentially different mechanisms

Effects of Male Hypogonadism on Regional Adipose Tissue Fatty Acid Storage and Lipogenic Proteins

Testosterone has long been known to affect body fat distribution, although the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We investigated the effects of chronic hypogonadism in men on adipose tissue fatty acid (FA) storage and FA storage factors. Twelve men with chronic hypogonadism and 13 control men matched for age and body composition: 1) underwent measures of body composition with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and an abdominal CT scan; 2) consumed an experimental meal containing [3H]triolein to determine the fate of meal FA (biopsy-measured adipose storage vs. oxidation); 3) received infusions of [U-13C]palmitate and [1-14C]palmitate to measure rates of direct free (F)FA storage (adipose biopsies). Adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase, acyl-CoA synthetase (ACS), and diacylglycerol acetyl-transferase (DGAT) activities, as well as, CD36 content were measured to understand the mechanism by which alterations in fat storage occur in response to testosterone deficiency. Results of the study showed that hypogonadal men stored a greater proportion of both dietary FA and FFA in lower body subcutaneous fat than did eugonadal men (both p<0.05). Femoral adipose tissue ACS activity was significantly greater in hypogonadal than eugonadal men, whereas CD36 and DGAT were not different between the two groups. The relationships between these proteins and FA storage varied somewhat between the two groups. We conclude that chronic effects of testosterone deficiency has effects on leg adipose tissue ACS activity which may relate to greater lower body FA storage. These results provide further insight into the role of androgens in body fat distribution and adipose tissue metabolism in humans