Ethnic differences in body composition, sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus living in Italy

Cardiometabolic risk factors associated with educational level in older people: comparison between Norway and Brazil

BACKGROUND

The non-communicable diseases are the major causes of death both worldwide and in high-income countries such as Norway. Understanding whether policy programs affect the health of older adults, especially considering different realities, is crucial. We aimed to analyse cardiometabolic risk factors associated with educational level in elderly people from Norway and Brazil.

METHODS

A total of 555 elderly people recruited from Trondheim, Norway (n = 310, age 70.7 ± 0.8 years, body mass index (BMI) 26.2 ± 3.9 kg/m2) and from Ribeirao Preto, Brazil (n = 245, age 64.1 ± 8.1 years, BMI 28.2 ± 5.5 kg/m2). All analyses were adjusted for age and sex, considering country as an independent variable. The significance level considered was P < 0.05.

RESULTS

Brazilian people presented a higher incidence of overweight and higher waist circumference (WC) compared to Norwegian (28.2 ± 5.5 kg/m2 and 97.0 ± 14.7 cm versus 26.4 ± 3.9 kg/m2 and 92.1 ± 11.2 cm, respectively). When classified by education level, Brazilians presented higher values for BMI, WC and triglycerides (TG) than Norwegians with the same level of education (incomplete higher education), while Norwegians presented higher values for systolic blood pressure (SBP), cholesterol total (CT), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and handgrip strength.

CONCLUSIONS

Both nationalities presented important cardiometabolic risk factors. However, when considering a low level of education, the Brazilian elderly people presented more cardiometabolic risk factors than Norwegians.

Effects of Different Resistance Training Frequencies on Body Composition, Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, and Handgrip Strength in Overweight and Obese Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Resistance training improves health in obese and overweight people. However, it is not clear what is the optimal weekly resistance training frequency and the most efficacious training protocol on body composition, cardiometabolic risk factors, and handgrip strength (HS). The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a supervised structured 24 week resistance training program on obese and overweight women.

METHODS

Forty-five women (BMI 37.1 ± 6.3 kg/m²; age 56.5 ± 0.7 years) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: A group with a high weekly training frequency of three times a week (HIGH) and a group that performed it only once a week (LOW). Cardiometabolic risk factors, anthropometric and HS measures were taken before and after the intervention period.

RESULTS

A significant (p < 0.05) group by time interaction was observed for body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, fat mass, plasma glucose, plasma insulin, homeostatic model assessment, and for dominant and absolute HS. Additionally, only the HIGH group saw increased HS and decreased total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol after the intervention period (p < 0.05). The observed increase in HS was associated with an improved insulin resistance sensitivity (absolute handgrip strength: r = -0.40, p = 0.007; relative handgrip strength: r = -0.47, p = 0.001) after training, which constitutes an essential element for cardiovascular health.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that high weekly frequency training give greater benefits for weight loss and cardiometabolic risk factors improvement than a training program with a training session of once a week. Furthermore, the improvement of HS can be achieved with a high weekly frequency training.

Handgrip Strength in Young Adults: Association with Anthropometric Variables and Laterality

The measurement of handgrip strength (HGS) is an indicator of an individual's overall strength and can serve as a predictor of morbidity and mortality. This study aims to investigate whether HGS is associated with handedness in young adults and if it is influenced by anthropometric characteristics, body composition, and sport-related parameters. We conducted a cross-sectional study on a sample of 544 young Italian adults aged 18-30 years. We measured HGS using a dynamometer and collected data on handedness and physical activity, along with anthropometric measurements. In both sexes, the HGS of the dominant side was significantly greater than that of the non-dominant side. Furthermore, in ambidextrous individuals, the right hand was stronger than the left. A comparison between the lowest and the highest tercile of HGS highlighted its significant association with anthropometric and body composition parameters in both sexes. Moreover, sex, dominant upper arm muscle area, arm fat index, fat mass, and fat-free mass were found to be significant predictors of HGS by multiple regression analysis. Our findings suggest that HGS is especially influenced by body composition parameters and handedness category. Therefore, HGS can be used as a proxy for unhealthy conditions with impairment of muscle mass, provided that the dominance in the laterality of the subject under examination is taken into account.

The association between body composition and quality of life among elderly Italians

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the body composition and quality of life in elderly Italian people and to value the association between these variables.

METHODS

Height, weight, humerus breadth, circumferences, skinfolds, and hand grip strength were measured in 256 older adults (age: M: 81.1 ± 7.3, F: 84.9 ± 8.1 years). Body mass index, waist-hip ratio, waist-height ratio, upper-arm areas, and body composition parameters were calculated. Quality of life (QoL) was measured by WHO Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Differences between sexes were valued. A multiple regression analysis was carried out to assess the influence of nutritional status and of socio-demographic characteristics on QoL.

RESULTS

The participants were in average overweight. Even if the percentage of overweight/obese subjects was high in both sexes, males presented a more centripetal fat distribution. These characteristics, joined to data regarding lower values of arm-muscle area and hand grip strength, put males at greater risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Regarding quality of life assessments, psychological domain showed the worst scores, and, marital status resulted the main explanatory variable for this domain.

CONCLUSIONS

Social care facilities for the elderly people require planning strategies based on health promotion criteria in order to accentuate active ageing interventions to ameliorate the quality of life of residents.