Overweight and fat distribution : associations with aspects of morbidity

This thesis reports on the association between estimates of the amount and distribution of fat mass with aspects of morbidity in Dutch adults. A literature review on the current insights into these associations is included. The results of several cross-sectional and retrospective cohort studies are presented. The prevalence of severe overweight, defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI=kg/m 2) higher than 30 kg/m 2, is about 6% in women and 4% in men, while about 34% of the men and 24% of the women are moderately overweight (BMI 25-30 kg/m 2). Among overweight persons, especially when severely overweight, the prevalence and incidence of various chronic disorders and use of aspects of medical care was higher than in non-overweight persons. For gout and arteriosclerotic disease, overweight appeared to be a risk factor at lower levels of BMI in men than in women. The incidence was particularly high in men with an initial BMI between 27-30 kg/m 2. The association between BMI and subjective health was more pronounced in women than in men. This was true for certain somatic as well as psychosomatic complaints. Fat distribution, as measured with the waist-hip circumference ratio or waist-thigh circumference ratio, was shown to be related to the prevalence of certain chronic disorders in men and women. These associations were independent of age and BMI. A study in which Computed Tomography scans, taken at the level of the L4 vertebra, were related to anthropometric measurements, revealed that correlations of circumference ratios with the amount of intra-abdominal fat were higher than with subcutaneous abdominal fat.It is concluded that overweight is related to aspects of morbidity but that it may be particularly relevant to include fat distribution measurements in the evaluation of health risks in overweight subjects.</TT

Body mass index as a measure of body fatness: age- and sex-specific prediction formulas

In 1229 subjects, 521 males and 708 females, with a wide range in body mass index (BMI; 13.9-40.9 kg/m2), and an age range of 7-83 years, body composition was determined by densitometry and anthropometry. The relationship between densitometrically-determined body fat percentage (BF%) and BMI, taking age and sex (males = 1, females = 0) into account, was analysed. For children aged 15 years and younger, the relationship differed from that in adults, due to the height-related increase in BMI in children. In children the BF% could be predicted by the formula BF% = 1.51 x BMI-0.70 x age - 3.6 x sex + 1.4 (R2 0.38, SE of estimate (SEE) 4.4% BF%). In adults the prediction formula was: BF% = 1.20 x BMI + 0.23 x age - 10.8 x sex - 5.4 (R2 0.79, SEE = 4.1% BF%). Internal and external cross-validation of the prediction formulas showed that they gave valid estimates of body fat in males and females at all ages. In obese subjects however, the prediction formulas slightly overestimated the BF%. The prediction error is comparable to the prediction error obtained with other methods of estimating BF%, such as skinfold thickness measurements or bioelectrical impedance

Морфологічне дослідження впливу мелатоніну на стан слизової оболонки шлунка щурів в умовах експериментальної гастральної виразки

Введение серотонина вызывает в слизистой оболочке желудка животных острые деструктивные изменения преимущественно в виде эрозий и язв различного размера и численности, которые сопровождаются уменьшением содержания нейтральных мукополисахаридов в цитоплазме клеток поверхностно-ямочного эпителия. Введение мелатонина при гастральной язве уменьшает деструктивные изменения в слизистой оболочке желудка и восстанавливает состояние защитного слизистого барьера.Введение серотонина вызывает в слизистой оболочке желудка животных острые деструктивные изменения преимущественно в виде эрозий и язв различного размера и численности, которые сопровождаются уменьшением содержания нейтральных мукополисахаридов в цитоплазме клеток поверхностно-ямочного эпителия. Введение мелатонина при гастральной язве уменьшает деструктивные изменения в слизистой оболочке желудка и восстанавливает состояние защитного слизистого барьера.The introduction of serotonin is in the gastric mucosa of animals’ acute destructive changes mainly in the form of erosions and ulcers of various sizes and numbers, which are accompanied by a decrease in the amount of neutral mucopolysaccharides in the cytoplasm of the cell surface patching of the epithelium. The administration of melatonin in the gastric ulcer reduces the destructive changes in the gastric mucosa and restores the state of the protective mucus barrier