Vitamin D Deficiency Raises Risk of Metabolic Syndrome
VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY RAISES RISK OF METABOLIC SYNDROME
A study has found that those with low vitamin D levels are 70 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome.
Also, those with low levels of vitamin D were 2.63 times as likely to be obese in the abdomen; 26 percent more likely to have low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol; 22 percent more likely to have high blood glucose (blood sugar) levels; 46 percent more likely to have high or abnormal blood triglycerides; and 43 percent more likely to have high or abnormal blood pressure readings.
The results of this research on Asian volunteers in Kuala Lumpur confirm similar findings regarding vitamin D deficiencies among non-Asian Westerners.
This study was published in a supplement of the August 2011 issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health and is available now online at http://bit.ly/oGmSXa with subscription or access fee.
Just Say No to Vending Machine Foods
SNACK-BASED, HIGH-FAT DIET RISKIER THAN SIMPLE HIGH-FAT DIET
A study has found that – compared to rats in most studies that are fed high-fat diets through the introduction of foods made from lard – rats fed a high-fat diet comprised of snack foods humans actually eat experienced higher consumption, greater weight gain, more tissue inflammation, and intolerance to glucose and insulin.
Researchers suggest that while rodent studies have often pointed to serious health risks resulting from a high-fat diet, even more severe health risks result from a high-fat diet in which the dietary fat comes from the so-called cafeteria diet, a lab research term describing the common Western diet of buffet-style access to junk food such as processed meats, cookies, and chips. The team found that rats fed the real-life cafeteria diet consumed about 30 percent more calories than those on a high-sugar, or regular high-fat diet, and were more prone to metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors that increase the risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, and diabetes type 2).
Published June 17, 2011 in the online issue of Obesity, this study is accessible at http://bit.ly/lFVppQ free of charge.
Is Drinking Diet Soda Worth The Risk?
Diet soda may not be the healthier alternative many had hoped. A new study suggests that the popular drinks may increase the risk for stroke, myocardial infarction, and vascular death.
“People who had diet soda every day experienced a 61% higher risk of vascular events than those who reported drinking no soda,” lead investigator Hannah Gardener, ScD, an epidemiologist from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, told reporters attending a news conference here at the International Stroke Conference.
The risk persisted after controlling for metabolic syndrome, peripheral vascular disease, and cardiac disease history (relative risk, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.03 – 2.12).
“This is the first report of this association,” said American Stroke Association national spokesperson Larry Goldstein, MD. “I think that it’s always good to do things in moderation. People should look at this information and consider it in the context of their other risk factors.”
The researchers looked at more than 2500 people from the multiethnic Northern Manhattan Study. Participants were asked to report how much and what kind of soda they drank.
During an average follow-up of 9.3 years, 559 vascular events occurred, including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
The researchers also observed a marginally significant increased risk for vascular events among those who consumed diet soda daily and regular soda once or more a month (adjusted relative risk, 1.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.96 – 3.16).
As reported by Medscape Medical News, previous studies have suggested a link between diet soda consumption and the risk for metabolic syndrome and diabetes. But this is the first time diet drinks have been associated with vascular events.
“This is an observational study and not a prospective randomized trial,” Dr. Goldstein, from the Duke Stroke Center, in Durham, North Carolina, pointed out. “This is an association and not yet a proven causal relationship.”
The investigators acknowledge that additional studies are needed. The potential mechanisms for the association between diet soda and vascular events remain unknown.
What should clinicians advise patients on the basis of the information we have today? Steven Greenberg, MD, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, suggests that patients start by concentrating on a healthy diet and regular exercise. “Once the metabolic syndrome is under control and any risk of diabetes, then we can consider cutting back on soda consumption.” Dr. Greenberg is the vice chair of the International Stroke Conference Committee, and during an interview he suggested that patients shouldn’t rush to eliminate diet drinks.
“I do think this is a wake-up call, though,” he said, “and we need to start paying closer attention.”
American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference. Abstract # P55. News conference February 9, 2011.
Even More Reason to Manage Weight, Cholesterol & High Blood Pressure
NON
-ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE POISED FOR EPIDEMIC STATUS
A study projects that new cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) will soon push this type of chronic liver disease (CLD), one of the major worldwide causes of morbidity and mortality, into epidemic status. (NAFLD is a spectrum of disease in people who do not drink alcohol excessively and ranges from excess fat in the liver, to fat in combination with inflammation and liver cell injury, to cirrhosis and its complications, particularly liver cancer.)
During the first cycle of statistics studied (1988-1994), NAFLD accounted for 46.8 percent of all CLD; but by the third cycle studied (2005-2008), NAFLD accounted for 75.1 percent of all CLD cases.
At this rate, prevalence will increase a further 50% by 2030. The researchers concluded that it is urgent to alert the public to the importance of exercise, proper diet and avoiding obesity, all of which lower NAFLD risk.
The study may also suggest a need to prevent the underlying causes of NAFLD, which in addition to obesity, include: metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance associated with diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. This not-yet-published study was presented in Berlin today, April 2, 2011, at the International Liver Congress.
Blueberries Can Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
A small study found that blueberry consumption by diet alone reduces key cardiovascular disease risk factors in obese men and women with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Everyday for 8 weeks, 48 participants consumed a beverage comprised of 960 mL of water, 50 gm of freeze-dried blueberries and about 350 gm of fresh blueberries. Researchers found that, compared with the control group, the blueberry group showed lower systolic and diastolic readings – the upper and lower numbers in a blood pressure reading. They also found lower blood levels of LDL, or “bad cholesterol” in the blueberry group. The blood sugar levels were not affected.
The study concluded that “blueberries may improve selected features of metabolic syndrome and related cardiovascular risk factors,” at doses that can be achieved through food consumption alone. This study was released July 21, 2010 by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and is available to read online, with journal subscription at: http://bit.ly/dAf3BK.
