Personalised Interventions - A Precision Approach for the Next Generation of Dietary Intervention Studies

Acknowledgments The research of Baukje de Roos is supported by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS). Lorraine Brennan acknowledges The European Research Council ERC (647783). Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Longitudinal associations of leptin and adiponectin with heart rate variability in children

For early prevention of cardiovascular disease, early detection and risk factor insights are necessary. The autonomic balance reflects cardiovascular risk and can be measured by heart rate variability (HRV). Therefore, our purpose is to examine associations between HRV and the energy-related biomarkers leptin and adiponectin in children. Participants of this study were Belgian children recruited for the longitudinal ChiBS study (year 2010-2012). HRV was measured and fasting blood samples were taken in 249 children at baseline (4.4-11.0 y) and 223 children at follow-up (6.7-12.2 y). Cross-sectional and longitudinal linear regression analyses were separated by sex and adjusted for age, socio-economic status, body fat%, negative emotions, puberty, and mean heart rate. Leptin was a negative cross-sectional and longitudinal predictor of parasympathetic activity in boys; while leptin in girls was cross-sectionally associated with higher LF and LF/HF suggesting sympathetic predominance. Adiponectin was a negative cross-sectional and longitudinal predictor of parasympathetic activity in boys; but when adjusting for mean heart rate, this effect disappeared and adiponectin was a positive cross-sectional and longitudinal predictor of parasympathetic activity in girls. These results stress the importance of considering sex differences and adjustment for heart rate in testing HRV predictors. Leptin seemed disadvantageous for the autonomic balance, while adiponectin seemed advantageous for the autonomic balance in girls only. More research is needed to see whether leptin and adiponectin are interesting in cardiovascular screening/prevention or in determining the cardiovascular gain during weight loss follow-up

Replacement of dietary saturated fatty acids by trans fatty acids lowers serum HDL cholesterol and impairs endothelial function in healthy men and women

We tested whether trans fatty acids and saturated fatty acids had different effects on flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), a risk marker of coronary heart disease (CHD). Consumption of trans fatty acids is related to increased risk of CHD, probably through effects on lipoproteins. Trans fatty acids differ from most saturated fatty acids because they decrease serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and this may increase the risk of CHD. We fed 29 volunteers 2 controlled diets in a 2x4-week randomized crossover design. The "Trans-diet" contained 9.2 energy percent of trans fatty acids; these were replaced by saturated fatty acids in the "Sat-diet." Mean serum HDL cholesterol after the Trans-diet was 0.39 mmol/L (14.8 mg/dL), or 21␕ower than after the Sat-diet (95␌I 0.28 to 0.50 mmol/L). Serum low density lipoprotein and triglyceride concentrations were stable. FMD SD was 4.4±2.3fter the Trans-diet and 6.2±3.0fter the Sat-diet (difference -1.8°95␌I -3.2 to -0.4). Replacement of dietary saturated fatty acids by trans fatty acids impaired FMD of the brachial artery, which suggests increased risk of CHD. Further studies are needed to test whether the decrease in serum HDL cholesterol caused the impairment of FMD