The Association between Concentrations of Green Tea and Blood Glucose Levels

Our objective was to examine whether habitual green tea consumption is associated with blood glucose levels and other biomarkers of glucose metabolism. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 35 male volunteers, 23–63 years old and residing in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. Biochemical data were measured and we conducted a questionnaire survey on health, lifestyle, and nutrition, as well as frequency of consumption and concentrations (1%, 2%, and 3%) of green tea. Men who consumed a 3% concentration of green tea showed lower mean values of fasting blood glucose and fructosamine than those who consumed a 1% concentration. Fasting blood glucose levels were found to be significantly associated with green tea concentration (β = −0.14, p = 0.03). However, green tea consumption frequency showed no significant differences in mean levels of blood glucose, fructosamine and hemoglobin A1c. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the consumption of green tea at a high concentration has the potential to reduce blood glucose levels

Passive smoking and mortality from aortic dissection or aneurysm

Evidence on the association between passive smoking and risk of aortic dissection or aneurysm is limited. This study aimed to investigate whether passive smoking increases risk of mortality from aortic dissection or aneurysm.The Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study is a prospective community-based cohort study begun in 1988-90 and followed up to the end of 2009. We examined 48,677 individuals (mean age, 56 years; women, 46%) without history of stroke, coronary heart disease, or cancer, who provided valid responses to a lifestyle questionnaire including questions on active and passive smoking. We used 3 categories (passive smoking out of home, passive smoking at home, and passive smoking out of or at home combined) to divide never-smokers into 3 exposure groups: low, intermediate, and high exposures, respectively. The endpoint was underlying cause of death from aortic dissection or aneurysm.During the median 19-year follow-up of 48,677 study participants, 66 died of aortic dissection, and 75 of aortic aneurysm. Multivariable hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the high passive-smoking group as compared with the low passive-smoking group were 2.45 (1.02-5.88) out of home, 1.82 (0.84-3.96) at home, and 2.35 (1.09-5.09) out of or at home combined. The corresponding hazard ratios for current smokers as compared with the low passive-smoking group were 3.97 (2.14-7.39), 3.41 (1.84-6.32) and 4.09 (1.99-8.39), respectively.Out-of-home passive smoking and out-of- or at-home combined passive smoking were associated with increased mortality from aortic dissection or aneurysm

Factors associated with "Ikigai" among members of a public temporary employment agency for seniors (Silver Human Resources Centre) in Japan; gender differences

BACKGROUND: "Ikigai" is culturally defined in the society of Japan as a comprehensive concept describing subjective well-being. It is considered to be related to life-satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, happiness as well as evaluation towards meaning of one's life. Although previous studies examined factors associated with Ikigai with smaller samples, consistent results have not been obtained, especially from the viewpoint of gender differences. Identification of gender-specific factors related with Ikigai among the elderly, may be of value to enhance subjective well-being. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among 4,737 randomly selected members of the Silver Human Resources Centre (SHRC), a public temporary employment agency for seniors, in Osaka, Japan. This represents about 10% of all registered members (n = 41,593) in the 38 SHRC centres in Osaka. A total of 4,376 subjects (male: 2,913; female: 1,463) provided a satisfactory response to the questionnaire (response rate: 92%). The status whether they have "Ikigai" or not was evaluated by self-anchoring scale ranging from 0 to 5 (0 = lowest rate and 5 = highest rate of having "Ikigai"). Also, self-rated life-change score through work (-3 to 3) was evaluated by three items, i.e.) changes in (1) the number of friends through work, (2) social interests and (3) the quantity of conversation with others (1 = increase, 0 = no change, and -1 = decrease). RESULTS: The factors associated with "Ikigai" for total subjects were the number of rooms in one's residence, annual income, healthy life style score (Breslow), the number of working days through SHRC, satisfaction with one's life history and life-change sore through work. The multivariable odds ratio (95%CI) of having "Ikigai" was 1.9 (1.1–3.3) for persons with no change in life thorough work compared with subjects with a score of ≦-1. Moreover, the multivariable odds ratios were 3.5 (1.9–6.6) for a life-change score = 1, 3.1 (1.7–5.7) for a score = 2 and 7.8 (4.0–15.2) for a score = 3 compared with persons with a score of ≦-1. For male subjects, other factors associated with having "Ikigai" were the number of rooms in their residence, annual income, the number of working days through SHRC, subjective assessment of health condition, and degree of satisfaction with their life history. For female, the corresponding factors were the presence of a spouse and degree of satisfaction with their life history. CONCLUSION: Scores for life-changes through work were associated with a higher prevalence of having "Ikigai" for both male and female. For male, "Ikigai" tended to be associated with physical condition and socioeconomic factors such as the size of their residence or annual income, while for female, family relations such as having spouse and psychological factors such as satisfaction with one's life history were significant factors. In spite of the design limitations of this study, it is possible to conclude that the recognition of life change through obtaining work may enhance "Ikigai" among people who wish to engage in productive activities in their later stages of life for both male and female. SHRC has a potential to provide resources for fulfilling one's "Ikigai" through supporting working opportunities to realize life changes for both elder male and female

Green tea consumption and risk of hematologic neoplasms: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk (JACC Study)

PurposeExperimental studies suggested that green tea may have an anticancer effect on hematologic neoplasms. However, few prospective studies have been conducted.MethodsA total of 65,042 individuals aged 40–79 years participated in this study and completed a self-administered questionnaire about their lifestyle and medical history at baseline (1988–1990). Of these, 52,462 individuals living in 24 communities with information on incident hematologic neoplasms available in the cancer registry, who did not have a history of cancer and provided valid information on frequency of green tea consumption, were followed through 2009. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the incidence of hematologic neoplasms according to green tea consumption were analyzed.ResultsThe incidence of hematologic neoplasms during a median follow-up of 13.3 years was 323. Compared with the never-drinkers of green tea, the multivariate HRs and 95% CIs for total hematologic neoplasms in green tea drinkers of ≤ 2 cups/day, 3–4 cups/day, and ≥ 5 cups/day were 0.65 (0.42–1.00), 0.73 (0.47–1.13), and 0.63 (0.42–0.96), respectively. The association was more prominent for acute myeloid leukemias and follicular lymphomas.ConclusionsThe present cohort study suggests a protective effect of green tea against hematologic neoplasms, especially acute myeloid leukemias

High serum total cholesterol levels is a risk factor of ischemic stroke for general Japanese population: The JPHC study

Background:High serum total cholesterol levels represent a risk factor of ischemic stroke in Western countries. However, this association has not been thoroughly investigated in Asian populations where the incidence of stroke is high.Methods:Participants were 11,727 men and 21,742 women aged 40–69 years, all free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline. During the median 12-year follow-up, we documented 612 ischemic stroke (293 lacunar infarction, 107 large-artery occlusive infarctions, and 168 embolic infarctions).Results:Excess risk of ischemic stroke was observed in men with serum total cholesterol levels of ≥6.21 mmol/L than those with the lowest category (<4.65 mmol/L), but not in women. The multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were 1.63 (1.14–2.35) for men and 1.03 (0.69–1.55) for women. The corresponding HRs of large-artery occlusive infarction were 2.86 (1.31–6.27) for men and 0.75 (0.28–2.01) for women. Serum total cholesterol levels were not associated with risk of lacunar or embolic infarction for either sex.Conclusions:High serum total cholesterol is a risk factor of ischemic stroke, specifically large-artery occlusive infarction for Japanese men

The criteria for metabolic syndrome and the national health screening and education system in Japan

Two major definitions of metabolic syndrome have been proposed. One focuses on the accumulation of risk factors, a measure used by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); the other focuses on abdominal obesity, a measure used by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the Japanese government. The latter definition takes waist circumference (WC) into consideration as an obligatory component, whereas the former does not. In 2009, the IDF, NHLBI, AHA, and other organizations attempted to unify these criteria; as a result, WC is no longer an obligatory component of those systems, while it remains obligatory in the Japanese criteria. In 2008, a new Japanese cardiovascular screening and education system focused on metabolic syndrome was launched. People undergoing screening are classified into three groups according to the presence of abdominal obesity and the number of metabolic risk factors, and receive health educational support from insurers. This system has yielded several beneficial outcomes: the visibility of metabolic syndrome at the population level has drastically improved; preventive measures have been directed toward metabolic syndrome, which is expected to become more prevalent in future generations; and a post-screening education system has been established. However, several problems with the current system have been identified and are under debate. In this review, we discuss topics related to metabolic syndrome, including (1) the Japanese criteria for metabolic syndrome; (2) metabolic syndrome and the universal health screening and education system; and (3) recent debates about Japanese criteria for metabolic syndrome