An update on physical health and economic consequences of overweight and obesity

Exploration of Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes among Arabs in Israel

Background:

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is becoming increasingly prevalent and is considered to be a major public health threat worldwide. Behavioral and sociodemographic factors associated with T2DM vary within different societies.

Objective:

The aim of this study is to determine the various behavioral and sociodemographic factors associated with T2DM in the Arab society in Israel.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from 1,894 residents over the age of 21 belonging to the Arab population in Israel. The data collected from the subjects were subjected to statistical analyses using the SPSS program.

Findings:

Of the total sample population, 13.7% were found to be affected with T2DM. The prevalence of T2DM increased sharply in the successive age groups of both men and women. The prevalence of T2DM was found to increase progressively particularly in women with an increase in BMI (~20%, 37% and 44% respectively), while, in men it increased sharply (from 25% to ~50%) until a BMI of 29.9; it then decreased drastically (to ~24%) for a BMI of ≥30. About 85% of the men affected with T2DM were physically inactive, while 97% of the affected women were physically inactive. Almost half of the participants with diabetes have a family history of the disease in both genders. In the multivariate analysis, it was found that age, obesity, physical inactivity and family history of the disease were the significant factors associated with the prevalence of diabetes.

Conclusions:

It could be concluded that age, obesity, family history and physical inactivity were the significant factors associated with the prevalence of T2DM within the Arab society in Israel.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Hypertension in the Vietnamese Elderly

INTRODUCTION

Hypertension (HT) is considered as a major determinant of cardiovascular complications. However, few studies have addressed HT prevalence among adults aged 60 years and older in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam.

AIM

To determine the prevalence of HT and its risk factors in the elderly in that area.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in a study area in the northern of Vietnam. We interviewed 354 adults aged 60 years or over who were randomly selected, and then measured their blood pressure.

RESULTS

The overall HT prevalence was 62.15%. The isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) prevalence was 22.88%. There was a slight decrease in the proportion of HT by stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3 respectively. The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated some risk factors for HT including age groups, body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we also found that the risk factors of ISH was obesity status classified by BMI category and WHR (p < 0.05). In particularly, the ethnicity was statistically significantly associated with ISH.

CONCLUSION

Our data showed a high prevalence of hypertension in the elderly in studied area. The risk factors for HT and ISH among studied subjects included age groups, ethnic groups, BMI and WHR. Hence, these findings are important for policy-making related to launch public health prevention and control campaigns for hypertension among older adults in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam.

The effects of green tea on lipid metabolism and its potential applications for obesity and related metabolic disorders - An existing update

Obesity is one of the top global issues, which induces several serious health consequences both physically and mentally, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, dyslipidemia, eating disorders, depression and stress. However, the effective therapy to prevent and treat obesity and overweight, up to now, cannot be found nowadays. Several methods/medicines namely diet control, energy balance, environmental changes, genetic and stem cell therapies, new drugs/chemicals have been extensively studied to enhance the ability to control bodyweight and prevent obesity. Of all the aforementioned methods, green tea, used as a daily beverage, has shown beneficial impacts for the health, especially its anti-obesity effects. Available evidence shows that green tea can interrupt lipid emulsification, reduce adipocyte differentiation, increase thermogenesis, and reduce food intake, thus green tea improves the systemic metabolism and decreases fat mass. Here, we highlight and sum up the update investigations of anti-obesity effect of green tea as well as discuss the potential application of them for preventing obesity and its related metabolic disorders.

Impact of body mass index and waist circumference on blood pressure: A cross-sectional survey in a population living in the Vietnam northern mountainous

AIMS

Several epidemiological studies have indicated that elevated blood pressure (BP) is associated with the surfeit of body weight. Body fat accumulation is considered as be a significant factor contributing to the nexus between obesity and hypertension. Two of the most common indicators used to characterize the associations of BP are body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). This study was aimed to describe the differences in some characteristics among people aged 20 and above in three communes of a district in Vietnam and analyze the correlation between BMI and WC, and BP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a survey with a cross-sectional design of 734 subjects in three communes in Chiem Hoa district of the Vietnam northern mountainous region.

RESULTS

It was found that except for BMI, there were significant differences in some physical characteristics between genders (p < 0.05). Particularly, the effects on Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) or Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) of WC were more significant than that of BMI in genders. The impacts of WC on SBP as well as DBP were also stronger than that of BMI in age groups with the cut-off point 60 than BMI.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides the science evidence in support of public and preventive health interventions to the locals residing in studied area. We recommend the existing correlations in subjects belonging to different ethnicities and continents.

An update on obesity: Mental consequences and psychological interventions

Besides physical consequences, obesity has negative psychological effects, thereby lowering human life quality. Major psychological consequences of this disorder includes depression, impaired body image, low self-esteem, eating disorders, stress and poor quality of life, which are correlated with age and gender. Physical interventions, mainly diet control and energy balance, have been widely applied to treat obesity; and some psychological interventions including behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy have showed some effects on obesity treatment. Other psychological therapies, such as relaxation and psychodynamic therapies, are paid less attention. This review aims to update scientific evidence regarding the mental consequences and psychological interventions for obesity.

Risk analysis of systemic levels of estrogen and adipokines as well as estrogen receptors from PBMCs in childbearing and perimenopausal women with obesity

PURPOSE

We aimed to evaluate the clinical value of systemic levels of estrogen and adipokines as well as estrogen receptors from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in childbearing and perimenopausal women with obesity.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We observed 292 women, including 160 perimenopausal women (80 with obesity and 80 without obesity) and 132 women of childbearing age (67 with obesity and 65 without obesity). Body parameters, such as body mass index and waist circumference, were measured. Fat distribution was evaluated using a computerized tomography scanner. The levels of serum estrogen, leptin, visfatin, and adiponectin were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of circulating ERs was evaluated by Western blot analysis.

RESULTS

Perimenopausal women and childbearing women with obesity exhibited lower levels of estrogen and adiponectin, in addition to a distribution of visceral fat with higher levels of leptin and visfatin. These findings reflect the current data of menopausal women, which confirms the reliability of this experimental system. However, the expression of ERα in peripheral blood was significantly enhanced in women with obesity of both childbearing and perimenopausal age. This result is contrary to the common understanding of adipose tissue, namely that ERα is protective. The expression of ERβ in the women without obesity of both childbearing and perimenopausal age was higher than in women with obesity, which coincides with the results of a previous study on adipose tissue.

CONCLUSION

Our data fundamentally contradicts the utility of circulating ERα and ERα/ERβ evaluations in obesity studies. Because estrogen exerts pleiotropic effects on multiple tissues in the body through differential regulation of ERs, although the expression of ERβ coincides with the results of a previous study on adipose tissue, the expression levels of ERs in blood cannot be used as a diagnostic of informative tool for obesity in women.

Is It Time to Use Probiotics to Prevent or Treat Obesity?

In recent years, attention has been given to the role potentially played by gut microbiota in the development of obesity. Several studies have shown that in individuals with obesity, the gut microbiota composition can be significantly different from that of lean individuals, that faecal bacteria can exert a fundamental role in modulating energy metabolism, and that modifications of gut microbiota composition can be associated with increases or reductions of body weight and body mass index. Based on this evidence, manipulation of the gut microbiota with probiotics has been considered a possible method to prevent and treat obesity. However, despite a great amount of data, the use of probiotics to prevent and treat obesity and related problems remains debated. Studies have found that the probiotic effect on body weight and metabolism is strain specific and that only some of the species included in the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera are effective, whereas the use of other strains can be deleterious. However, the dosage, duration of administration, and long-term effects of probiotics administration to prevent overweight and obesity are not known. Further studies are needed before probiotics can be rationally prescribed for the prevention or treatment of obesity. Control of the diet and environmental and life-style factors that favour obesity development remain the best solution to problems related to weight gain.