Factors Influencing the Body Mass Index of Adults in Canada

This paper explores socio-demographic, economic and behaviour factors influencing body mass index (BMI) amongst 20 to 64 year old adults in Canada. BMI scores in Canada have increased, with gains stemming from disproportionate increases in female BMI. Econometric results indicate higher BMI scores for males, those born in Canada, those in food insecure homes and whites. Age-gender interactions suggest different patterns of BMI adjustment over the life of males and females; a pronounced inverse quadratic relationship between with age and male BMI is noted, while female BMI increases with age. Education, used as a gauge of inequality, is inversely related to BMI, while income has a muted effect. BMI is inversely related to level of physical activity, an effect which is more pronounced for females in Canada. BMI has an inverse quadratic relationship with smoking behaviour, with higher BMI amongst former smokers than daily, occasional and non-smokers. BMI appears to be inversely related to intensity of alcohol consumption.Obesity, BMI, Canada, Socio-demographic, Economic, Adults, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy, I10, J1,

Eating behaviours and food cravings; influence of age, sex, BMI and FTO genotype

Previous studies indicate that eating behaviours and food cravings are associated with increased BMI and obesity. However, the interaction between these behaviours and other variables such as age, sex, BMI and genetics is complex. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between eating behaviours and food cravings, and to examine the influence of age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) genotype on these relationships. A total of 475 participants (252 female, 223 male, BMI: 25.82 ± 6.14 kg/m², age: 30.65 ± 14.20 years) completed the revised 18-question version of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R18) to assess cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating, and the Food Cravings Inventory (FCI) to assess cravings for fatty food, sweet food, carbohydrates and fast food. DNA samples were genotyped for the rs9939609 polymorphism in the obesity-linked gene FTO. Questionnaire data was analysed for associations between the TFEQ-R18 and FCI subscales for the whole study group, and the group divided by sex, genotype and age (≤25 years versus >25 years). Finally, mediation analysis was used to explore the relationships between BMI, cognitive restraint and food cravings. FTO AA + AT genotype was associated with increased BMI, but not with differences in eating behavior scores or food craving scores; age was associated with increased BMI and decreases in food craving scores in which this effect was stronger in women compared to men. Increased cognitive restraint was associated with decreased food craving scores in the ≤25 years group. Mediation analysis demonstrated that in this group the association between BMI and reduced food cravings was mediated by cognitive restraint indicating that in this age group individuals use cognitive restraint to control their food cravings. The positive correlation between age and BMI confirms previous results but the findings of this study show that age, sex, FTO genotype and BMI have an influence on the relationships between eating behaviours and food cravings and that these variables interact

Superfluid and insulating phases of fermion mixtures in optical lattices

The ground state phase diagram of fermion mixtures in optical lattices is analyzed as a function of interaction strength, fermion filling factor and tunneling parameters. In addition to standard superfluid, phase-separated or coexisting superfluid/excess-fermion phases found in homogeneous or harmonically trapped systems, fermions in optical lattices have several insulating phases, including a molecular Bose-Mott insulator (BMI), a Fermi-Pauli (band) insulator (FPI), a phase-separated BMI/FPI mixture or a Bose-Fermi checkerboard (BFC). The molecular BMI phase is the fermion mixture counterpart of the atomic BMI found in atomic Bose systems, the BFC or BMI/FPI phases exist in Bose-Fermi mixtures, and lastly the FPI phase is particular to the Fermi nature of the constituent atoms of the mixture.Comment: 4 pages with 3 figures (Published version

Body mass index and risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: two electronic health record prospective studies

Context: The relationship between rising body mass index (BMI) and prospective risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) / non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is virtually absent. Objective: Determine the extent of the association between BMI and risk of future NAFLD diagnosis, stratifying by sex and diabetes. Design: Two prospective studies using Humedica and THIN with 1.54 and 4.96 years of follow-up respectively. Setting: Electronic health record databases Participants: Patients with had a recorded BMI measurement between 15–60kg/m2, and smoking status, and one year of active status prior to baseline BMI. Patients with a diagnosis or history of chronic diseases were excluded. Interventions: None Main Outcome Measure: Recorded diagnosis of NAFLD/NASH during follow-up (Humedica ICD-9 code 571.8, and read codes for NAFLD and NASH in THIN). Results: Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated across BMI categories using BMI of 20–22.5kg/m2 as the reference category, adjusting for age, sex and smoking status. Risk of recorded NAFLD/NASH increased linearly with BMI and was approximately 5-fold higher in Humedica (HR=4.78, 95% CI 4.17–5.47) and 9-fold higher in THIN (HR=8.93, 7.11–11.23) at a BMI of 30–32.5 kg/m2 rising to around 10-fold higher in Humedica (HR=9.80, 8.49–11.32) and 14-fold higher in THIN (HR=14.32, 11.04–18.57) in the 37.5–40 kg/m2 BMI category. Risk of NAFLD/NASH was approximately 50% higher in men, and approximately double in those with diabetes. Conclusions: These data quantify the consistent and strong relationships between BMI and prospectively recorded diagnoses of NAFLD/NASH and emphasize the importance of weight reduction strategies for prevention and management of NAFLD

Independent associations of TOMM40 and APOE variants with body mass index

The TOMM40-APOE variants are known for their strong, antagonistic associations with Alzheimer's disease and body weight. While a stronger role of the APOE than TOMM40 variants in Alzheimer's disease was suggested, comparative contribution of the TOMM40-APOE variants in the regulation of body weight remains elusive. We examined additive effects of rs2075650 and rs157580 TOMM40 variants and rs429358 and rs7412 APOE variants coding the ε2/ε3/ε4 polymorphism on body mass index (BMI) in age-aggregated and age-stratified cohort-specific and cohort-pooled analysis of 27,863 Caucasians aged 20–100 years from seven longitudinal studies. Minor alleles of rs2075650, rs429358, and rs7412 were individually associated with BMI (β = −1.29, p = 3.97 × 10−9; β = −1.38, p = 2.78 × 10−10; and β = 0.58, p = 3.04 × 10−2, respectively). Conditional analysis with rs2075650 and rs429358 identified independent BMI-lowering associations for minor alleles (β = −0.63, p = 3.99 × 10−2 and β = −0.94, p = 2.17 × 10−3, respectively). Polygenic mega-analysis identified additive effects of the rs2075650 and rs429358 heterozygotes (β = −1.68, p = 3.00 × 10−9), and the strongest BMI-lowering association for the rs2075650 heterozygous and rs429358 minor allele homozygous carriers (β = −4.11, p = 2.78 × 10−3). Conditional analysis with four polymorphisms identified independent BMI-lowering (rs2075650, rs157580, and rs429358) and BMI-increasing (rs7412) associations of heterozygous genotypes with BMI. Age-stratified conditional analysis revealed well-powered support for a differential and independent association of the rs429358 heterozygote with BMI in younger and older individuals, β = 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −1.18, 2.35, p = 5.18 × 10−1 for 3,068 individuals aged ≤30 years and β = −4.28, CI = −5.65, −2.92, p = 7.71 × 10−10 for 6,052 individuals aged &gt;80 years. TOMM40 and APOE variants are independently and additively associated with BMI. The APOE ε4-coding rs429358 polymorphism is associated with BMI in older individuals but not in younger individuals.</p

Longitudinal Study of Body Mass Index in Young Males and the Transition to Fatherhood.

Despite a growing understanding that the social determinants of health have an impact on body mass index (BMI), the role of fatherhood on young men's BMI is understudied. This longitudinal study examines BMI in young men over time as they transition from adolescence into fatherhood in a nationally representative sample. Data from all four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health supported a 20-year longitudinal analysis of 10,253 men beginning in 1994. A "fatherhood-year" data set was created and changes in BMI were examined based on fatherhood status (nonfather, nonresident father, resident father), fatherhood years, and covariates. Though age is positively associated with BMI over all years for all men, comparing nonresident and resident fathers with nonfathers reveals different trajectories based on fatherhood status. Entrance into fatherhood is associated with an increase in BMI trajectory for both nonresident and resident fathers, while nonfathers exhibit a decrease over the same period. In this longitudinal, population-based study, fatherhood and residence status play a role in men's BMI. Designing obesity prevention interventions for young men that begin in adolescence and carry through young adulthood should target the distinctive needs of these populations, potentially improving their health outcomes

Body mass index has risen more steeply in tall than in short 3-year olds: serial cross-sectional surveys 1988-2003

Objective: To monitor the changing relationship between body mass index ( BMI) and height in young children.Design: Annual cross-sectional surveys using health-visitor-collected routine data 1988 - 2003.Setting: Wirral, England.Participants: Fifty thousand four hundred and fifty-five children ( 49% female) each measured once at the age of 3 years.Main outcome measures: Weight, height and derived BMI ( weight/height(2)) adjusted for age and sex ( British 1990 revised reference) using standard deviation scores.Results: From 1988 to 2003, mean BMI increased by 0.7 kg/m(2), whereas mean height fell by 0.5 cm. Over the same period, the weight - height correlation rose from 0.59 to 0.71 ( P < 0.0001) owing to BMI increasing faster in the taller than the shorter children. Among the shortest 10% of children, mean BMI rose by 0.12 ( 95% confidence interval: - 0.05 - 0.28) kg/m(2) as against 1.38 ( 1.19 - 1.56) kg/m(2) among the tallest 10%, a 12-fold difference. Adjustment for age, sex, seasonality, birth-weight and deprivation did not alter the findings.Conclusions: Among 3-year-old children in Wirral, where BMI has been rising for 16 years, the largest increase in BMI has occurred in the tallest children, whereas in the shortest BMI has hardly changed. Tall stature has, therefore, become important for child obesity. It suggests a drive to increasing adiposity in young children that involves both growth and appetite, with fast growing and hungrier children now more exposed to the 'obesogenic' environment

Intergenerational change and familial aggregation of body mass index

The relationship between parental BMI and that of their adult offspring, when increased adiposity can become a clinical issue, is unknown. We investigated the intergenerational change in body mass index (BMI) distribution, and examined the sex-specific relationship between parental and adult offspring BMI. Intergenerational change in the distribution of adjusted BMI in 1,443 complete families (both parents and at least one offspring) with 2,286 offspring (1,263 daughters and 1,023 sons) from the west of Scotland, UK, was investigated using quantile regression. Familial correlations were estimated from linear mixed effects regression models. The distribution of BMI showed little intergenerational change in the normal range (\25 kg/m2), decreasing overweightness (25– \30 kg/m2) and increasing obesity (C30 kg/m2). Median BMI was static across generations in males and decreased in females by 0.4 (95% CI: 0.0, 0.7) kg/m2; the 95th percentileincreased by 2.2 (1.1, 3.2) kg/m2 in males and 2.7 (1.4, 3.9) kg/m2 in females. Mothers’ BMI was more strongly associated with daughters’ BMI than was fathers’ (correlation coefficient (95% CI): mothers 0.31 (0.27, 0.36), fathers 0.19 (0.14, 0.25); P = 0.001). Mothers’ and fathers’ BMI were equally correlated with sons’ BMI (correlation coefficient: mothers 0.28 (0.22, 0.33), fathers 0.27 (0.22, 0.33). The increase in BMI between generations was concentrated at the upper end of the distribution. This, alongside the strong parent-offspring correlation, suggests that the increase in BMI is disproportionally greater among offspring of heavier parents. Familial influences on BMI among middle-aged women appear significantly stronger from mothers than father

Parity and body mass index in US women: a prospective 25-year study.

ObjectiveTo investigate long-term body mass index (BMI) changes associated with childbearing.Design and methodsAdjusted mean BMI changes were estimated by race-ethnicity, baseline BMI, and parity using longitudinal regression models for 3,943 young females over 10 and 25 year follow-up from the ongoing 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth cohort.ResultsEstimated BMI increases varied by group, ranging from a low of 2.1 BMI units for white, non-overweight nulliparas over the first 10 years to a high of 10.1 BMI units for black, overweight multiparas over the full 25-year follow-up. Impacts of parity were strongest among overweight multiparas and primaparas at 10 years, ranges 1.4-1.7 and 0.8-1.3 BMI units, respectively. Among non-overweight women, parity-related gain at 10 years varied by number of births among black and white but not Hispanic women. After 25 years, childbearing significantly increased BMI only among overweight multiparous black women.ConclusionChildbearing is associated with permanent weight gain in some women, but the relationship differs by maternal BMI in young adulthood, number of births, race-ethnicity, and length of follow-up. Given that overweight black women may be at special risk for accumulation of permanent, long-term weight after childbearing, effective interventions for this group are particularly needed