Physical activity mediates the protective effect of the Mediterranean diet on children's obesity status: The CYKIDS study

ObjectiveThere is some evidence regarding the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and obesity among adults; to our knowledge, however, no relevant data exist for children. We investigated the association between adherence to the MD and obesity status in children.MethodsA national cross-sectional study among 1140 children (mean age 10.7 ± 0.98 y) was carried out in Cyprus using stratified multistage sampling design. Body mass index was calculated according to International Obesity Task Force criteria, from parental reference. Adherence to the MD was assessed by the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents (KIDMED diet score). To test the research hypothesis, a logistic regression analysis was applied with two dependent variable categories of obesity status, normal weight (NW) versus overweight/obese (OW/OB), and the three categories of the KIDMED score independently, after controlling for several potential confounders.ResultsCompared with low MD adherers, children with a high KIDMED score were 80% less likely to be OW/OB (95% confidence interval 0.041–0.976), adjusted for age, gender, parental obesity status, parental educational level, and dietary beliefs and behaviors (model 2). When physical activity was taken into account, however, the aforementioned relation was not significant (model 3; odds ratio 0.20, 95% confidence interval 0.021–1.86). Furthermore, male gender, maternal obesity, and dietary beliefs and behaviors emerged as more significant in predicting obesity in children compared with their KIDMED score.ConclusionAdherence to the MD is inversely associated with obesity in this sample of 9- to 13-y-old children; however, other behaviors, and in particular physical activity, maternal obesity, dietary beliefs and behaviors, seem to be more significant.     

蛋白质对半饥饿大鼠肠黏膜屏障的保护作用

目的:研究大鼠半饥饿状态下肠黏膜屏障的变化与补充蛋白质对其的保护作用. 方法:将48只大鼠随机分为正常对照组、50%正常饲料组、50%正常饲料+蛋白质组.2周后处死大鼠,测定小肠黏膜超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性、丙二醛(MDA)、DNA含量,肠系膜淋巴结(MLN)细菌移位率和血清D.木糖水平等. 结果:50%正常饲料+蛋白质组大鼠小肠黏膜DNA含量、SOD活性明显高于50%正常饲料组(P<0.05);血清D-木糖水平和MDA含量明显低于50%正常饲料组(P<0.05).结论:大鼠半饥饿状态下,增加饲料中蛋白质比例,对半饥饿大鼠肠黏膜具有一定的保护作用.     

The effect of the Mediterranean diet on plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels: The PREDIMED-NAVARRA randomized trial

Abstract

Objectives

There are no human studies assessing the effect of nutritional interventions on plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations. The aim of this study was to assess the role of a nutritional intervention based on a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) on plasma BDNF levels.

Methods

PREvención con Dieta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) is a randomized clinical trial designed to assess the effect of a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. For this analysis, 243 participants from the Navarra centre were randomly selected. Participants were assigned to one of three dietary interventions: control (low-fat) diet, MeDiet supplemented with virgin olive oil (MeDiet + VOO), or MeDiet supplemented with nuts (MeDiet + Nuts). Plasma BDNF levels were measured after 3 years of intervention. Multivariate-adjusted means of BDNF for each intervention were compared using generalized linear models. Logistic regression models were fit to assess the association between the dietary intervention and the likelihood to have low plasma BDNF values (<13 µg/ml, 10th percentile). Analyses were repeated after stratifying the sample according to baseline prevalence of different diseases.

Results

Higher but non-significant plasma BDNF levels were observed for participants assigned to both MeDiets. Participants assigned to MeDiet + Nuts showed a significant lower risk (odds ratios (OR) = 0.22; 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.05–0.90) of low plasma BDNF values (<13 µg/ml) as compared to the control group. Among participants with prevalent depression at baseline, significantly higher BDNF levels were found for those assigned to the MeDiet + Nuts.

Discussion

Adherence to a MeDiet was associated to an improvement in plasma BDNF concentrations in individuals with depression.     

口服罗红霉素对慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者肺功能的影响

目的 探讨口服罗红霉素对慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)患者肺功能的影响,并分析其可能的机制.方法 将50例COPD患者采用随机、单盲方法 分成治疗组25例与对照组25例,其中对照组采用常规基础治疗,治疗组在常规基础治疗基础上口服罗红霉素0.15 g,2次/d,并持续1年.观察两组患者治疗前后外周血中性粒细胞计数及肺功能的变化,统计分析两组患者发生病情急性加重及因此而需住院的次数.结果 治疗组患者治疗前后外周血中性粒细胞计数差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);治疗组第1秒用力呼气容积占用力肺活量百分比(FEV_1/FVC)、第1秒用力呼气容积占预计值百分比(FEV1%预计值)、最大通气量、清晨最大呼气流量治疗前后改变不明显(P>0.05),对照组却有明显下降(P<0.05),两组患者治疗前后肺功能的变化差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);治疗组急性加重10例次(4J0%),对照组19例次(76%);治疗组需住院6例次(24%),对照组13例次(52%),两组急性加重率及需住院率比较差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05).结论 口服罗红霉素对COPD患者肺功能具有保护作用,其可能的机制与罗红霉素对中性粒细胞的抑制作用有关.     

Olive oil and the Mediterranean diet

The high intake of olive oil in the Mediterranean diet contributes to the low intake of saturated fatty acids among populations in Southern Europe and is associated with a low incidence of coronary heart disease. Replacement of saturated fatty acids with oleic acid leads to a reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol without decreasing the concentration of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Oleic acid, however, may not be neutral with regards to its effects on risk of thrombosis which may have adverse consequences in populations with established atherosclerosis.     

甘草甜素对脓毒症小鼠急性肺损伤保护作用的实验研究

目的探讨高迁移率族蛋白B1(HMGB1)抑制剂甘草甜素(Glycyrrhizin)对脓毒症小鼠急性肺损伤的保护作用及其可能机制。方法选择雄性Ba1b/C小鼠80只,将其随机分为假手术组、模型组、溶剂组、药物组每组各20只,采用盲肠结扎穿孔术制作小鼠脓毒症模型,造模成功后30min腹腔给予甘草甜素,术后6h麻醉处死、取标本;测定每组10只小鼠左肺叶组织的肺水含量,肺组织中白细胞介素6(IL-6)、肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)和白细胞介素1β(IL-1β)的表达量,采用免疫印迹法法检测每组8只小鼠右肺组织中HMGB1和TLR4表达量。结果假手术组、模型组、溶剂组、药物组小鼠的肺水含量分别为(69.3±0.01)%、(78.9±0.11)%、(8.1±0.15)%、(72.3±0.09)%,与假手术组相比,模型组和溶剂组小鼠的肺水含量显著增加(P<0.05),药物组与溶剂组相比,甘草甜素可以显著降低肺组织中的肺水含量,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);同时药物组小鼠肺组织中HMGB1、TLR4、IL-6、TNF-α和IL-1β的表达量显著降低,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论甘草甜素对脓毒症小鼠急性肺损伤有治疗作用,有可能应用于临床上脓毒症患者的治疗。     

吸烟和健康饮食评分在文化程度与肺癌发病风险关联中的中介效应研究

目的 探讨吸烟和健康饮食评分在文化程度与肺癌发病风险关联中的中介效应。方法 基于英国生物银行（UKB）前瞻性队列研究数据,剔除文化程度信息缺失及基线患有癌症的个体后,最终纳入446 772名研究对象。采用Cox比例风险回归模型估计文化程度与肺癌发病风险的关联以及吸烟和健康饮食评分与肺癌发病的关联,采用中介效应模型分析吸烟和健康饮食评分在文化程度和肺癌风险关联中的中介效应。结果 在7.13年的中位随访时间内,新发肺癌1 994例。受教育年数每增加一个标准差（5年）,肺癌风险降低12%（HR=0.88,95%CI：0.84~0.92）。根据UKB自我报告的最高学历转换为国际教育代码分类标准（ISCED）中对应的1~5级,级数越大代表文化程度越高。与ISCED-1者相比,ISCED-2、ISCED-3、ISCED-4和ISCED-5人群的肺癌发病HR值（95%CI）依次为0.83（0.72~0.94）、0.67（0.53~0.85）、0.76（0.65~0.89）和0.72（0.64~0.80）。文化程度与吸烟呈负相关（β=-0.079,95%CI：-0.081~-0.077）,与健康饮食评分呈正相关（β=0.042,95%CI：0.039~0.045）。中介效应分析显示,吸烟与健康饮食评分在文化程度与肺癌的关联中存在中介效应,中介比例分别为38.952%（95%CI：31.802%~51.659%）和1.784%（95%CI：0.405%~3.713%）。结论 吸烟和健康饮食评分可能介导文化程度对肺癌发病的影响,这表明提高文化程度可能通过改变吸烟和饮食等生活方式降低肺癌发病风险。     

Changing the Mediterranean diet: effects on blood lipids

A study was carried out on 48 healthy middle-age men and women habitually subsisting on a "Mediterranean type" diet in a rural area of southern Italy. Their freely chosen natural diet was modified for a period of 42 days by partially substituting animal fats for olive oil. Currently available foods were used, and the subjects maintained their habitual lifestyle. Dietary fat content changed from 33 to 37% of total energy and the polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio changed from 0.48 to 0.22. The base-line serum total cholesterol of men increased during the dietary intervention period from 214 +/- 30 mg/dl (mean and SD) to 245 +/- 33 mg (+15%). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased 19%, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol remained unmodified. Women, while exhibiting a similar trend in serum total cholesterol (+16%), showed also a 19% increase in their high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p less than 0.001). Apoprotein B increased in parallel with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in both sexes. The results of the study confirm the impact of the dietary factor on blood lipids. They also provide additional evidence on the response of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to diet in free-living populations.     

Mediterranean diet adherence and risk of colorectal cancer: the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study

Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence has been associated with a large variety of health benefits. However, prospective studies investigating the relation between MD adherence and colorectal cancer risk had inconsistent results. In this analysis of the Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS), we evaluated sex- and subsite-specific associations of MD adherence with colorectal cancer risk. In 1986, 120,852 subjects filled out the NLCS baseline questionnaire, which incorporated a 150-item food frequency questionnaire. MD adherence was estimated through alternate Mediterranean diet scores including and excluding alcohol (aMED and aMEDr, respectively). Using 20.3 year follow-up data, 1993 male and 1574 female colorectal cancer cases could be included in multivariable case-cohort analyses. aMEDr was not significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk, regardless of sex. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) per two-point increment were 1.04 (0.95–1.13) for men and 0.97 (0.88–1.07) for women. Additionally, there was no evidence of an inverse association with any of the colorectal cancer subsites (colon, proximal colon, distal colon, and rectum). In women, the association between aMEDr and colorectal cancer risk was significantly modified by smoking status (Pinteraction = 0.015). Comparable results were obtained for the original aMED including alcohol. In conclusion, higher MD adherence was not associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer or anatomical subsites in the context of a Dutch population.     

Association between the Mediterranean diet and cancer risk: a review of observational studies

The aim of this article was to summarize the evidence concerning the association between Mediterranean dietary pattern and cancer risk in observational epidemiological studies. All the studies that met the following criteria were reviewed: human cohort and case-control studies that examined the effect of the Mediterranean diet as an entire food pattern (the combined effect of individual components of the Mediterranean diet) and whose results were published in English. Out of the 12 reviewed studies (7 cohort and 5 case-control), 10 studies (6 cohort and 4 case-control) provided some evidence that the Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of cancer incidence or mortality. Although the reviewed studies varied according to certain study characteristics, such as being set in different populations and studying different cancer outcomes, the existing evidence from observational studies collectively suggests that there is a "probable" protective role of the Mediterranean diet toward cancer in general. Specific results for several outcomes such as different cancer sites deserve additional evidence. This favorable effect of the Mediterranean diet on cancer reduction is of public health relevance, given the tendency of modern societies to shift toward a more U.S. and Northern European dietary pattern.