Intrauterine growth restriction and overweight, obesity, and stunting in adolescents of indigenous communities of Chiapas, Mexico

Seasonal changes in body composition in children from Maya agriculturalists in central Yucatán, Mexico

INTRODUCTION

Development policies have aimed to substitute subsistence agriculture for cash crops or other cash generating activities to encourage local farmers to depend on store-bought groceries available year-round instead of seasonal subsistence crops. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that increased dependence on store bought foods has decreased seasonal changes in nutritional status and fat mass in Maya Children from Yucatan, Mexico.

METHODS

Weight for age (W/A), body mass index (BMI), and tricipital Skinfold z scores in children under the age of 10 years from 14 Maya rural towns with different degrees of development were compared longitudinally between scarcity and abundance seasons using a repeated measures analysis of variance. Height for age (H/A) z scores were also estimated.

RESULTS

Origin of food consumed corresponded to the town's degree of development. Nutritional status (W/Az) and adiposity, BMI, and tricipital z scores were significantly lower during the scarcity season in every community. W/Az, tricipital skinfold z, and H/Az scores were significantly higher in developed than in traditional towns, yet in both types of town W/Az and H/Az scores were below the WHO standard mean. Tricipital skinfold z score was only below the WHO standard amongst traditional towns during the scarcity season.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased dependence on store foods failed to eliminate significant losses in body fat during the scarcity season. This failure may be affecting linear growth and promoting a thrifty phenotype that is seen in short and stocky individuals with a tendency to accumulate fat during abundance seasons.

Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load and Dyslipidemia in Adolescents from Chiapas, Mexico

Cardiovascular disease risk throughout the life course is increased by abnormal blood lipid levels in youth. The dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) during adolescence might be related to abnormal blood lipids. This study aimed to analyze the association between dietary GI, GL and dyslipidemia in adolescents from two marginalized regions of Chiapas, Mexico. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 213 adolescents. Food intake was assessed using 24 h recalls. The association between dyslipidemia and dietary GI or GL was tested by using logistic regression models. Low HDL-c was the most prevalent risk factor (47.4%), followed by hypertriglyceridemia (25.4%). In this population, overall dietary GI was not associated with dyslipidemia. A high dietary GL was associated with 2.39 higher odds of low HDL-c (95% CI: 1.21-4.74) when compared to low GL. Female adolescents with high dietary GL had 3.20 higher odds of hypertriglyceridemia (95% CI: 1.03-9.88), whereas no association was found for males. No associations were observed between overall dietary GL and total cholesterol or LDL-c. In adolescents from urban and rural communities in Chiapas, a high dietary GL was associated with a detrimental effect on HDL-c. In female adolescents, high GL was associated with hypertriglyceridemia.

[Somatometric alterations and lower APGAR score in indigenous newborns]

INTRODUCTION

the indigenous population is vulnerable and there is limited understanding of their somatometric indicators and APGAR score at birth.

AIM

the objective of the study was to explore the association of the condition of indigenous newborn (INB) on somatometric parameters and APGAR score at birth.

METHODS

this study employed an exploratory cross-sectional design, utilizing the registry of newborns (NB) from a private clinic. The APGAR score at one minute after birth, as well as nutritional indicators derived from measurements of weight, height, and perimeters, were taken into consideration. The statistical analysis involved the use of logistic regressions.

RESULTS

the analysis included 7413 NB (1.8 % INB), 52 % were male and 8.1 % were born preterm (gestational age < 37 weeks). In comparison to non-indigenous NB, the INB group showed a higher risk of malnutrition (8 % vs. 6.3 %; p < 0.001), a greater prevalence of excess weight (7.3 % vs. 1.8 %; p < 0.001), smaller head circumference (33.6 cm vs. 34.1 cm; p = 0.017), smaller abdominal circumference (30.9 cm vs. 31.5 cm; p = 0.011), and a higher occurrence of low APGAR scores (< 7) (8.7 % vs. 1.2 %; p < 0.001). Furthermore, the indigenous condition was independently associated with low birth weight (< 2.500 g) (OR, 0.4; 95 % CI, 0.2; 0.9), excess head circumference (OR, 2.7; 95 % CI, 1.5; 4.7), and APGAR score < 7 points (OR, 8.3; 95 % CI, 4.2; 16.5).

CONCLUSIONS

the indigenous condition was associated with factors that have adverse effects on the health of NB, including reduced head circumference and suboptimal performance on the APGAR scale. These results emphasize the importance of improving access to and quality of prenatal healthcare services for indigenous communities.

Sociodemographic inequalities in cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents from indigenous areas in Chiapas, Mexico

This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among different sociodemographic groups of adolescents from indigenous communities in Chiapas, Mexico. A cross-sectional prevalence study was performed in urban and rural communities in the Tzotzil-Tzeltal and Selva regions of Chiapas. A sample of 253 adolescents was studied, of whom 48% were girls and 52% were boys. A descriptive analysis of quantitative variables was performed using measures of central tendency and dispersion. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors stratified by sex, geographical area, years of schooling, and ethnicity of the mothers was estimated. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was analyzed in relation to the sociodemographic characteristics of the study population. Low HDL-c (51%) was the predominant cardiovascular risk factor. Girls had a higher prevalence of abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and borderline total cholesterol than boys. High diastolic blood pressure was more prevalent in boys. Adolescents from urban areas had a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity and insulin resistance than adolescents from rural areas. The prevalence of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity was higher in adolescents whose mothers had ≥ 7 years of schooling compared with adolescents with less educated mothers. Differences by maternal ethnicity also influenced the prevalence of insulin resistance. Among the main findings, this study associated sociodemographic and geographical inequalities with cardiovascular risk factors. Promoting a healthy lifestyle for this young population is absolutely necessary to prevent cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.

Association of rs9939609-FTO with metabolic syndrome components among women from Mayan communities of Chiapas, Mexico

Background

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex cluster of risk factors, considered as a polygenic and multifactorial entity. The objective of this study was to determine the association of rs9939609-FTO polymorphism and MetS components in adult women of Mayan communities of Chiapas.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical data were obtained from 291 adult women from three regions of Chiapas, Mexico. The prevalence of MetS and the allele and genotype frequencies of the rs9939609-FTO were estimated. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with each of the MetS components.

Results

The MetS prevalence was 60%. We found a statistically significant association between rs9939609-FTO and hyperglycemia in the dominant model (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.3–5.3; p = 0.007).

Conclusions

Women from Mayan communities of Chiapas presented a high prevalence of MetS and a relevant association of the FTO variant with hyperglycemia. This is the first study carried out in these Mayan indigenous communities from Chiapas.

The biohabitus of scarcity: bio-social dispositions and the "obesity epidemic" in Mexico

In this article, we explore the potential of Warin et al.'s concept of biohabitus (a set of embodied biological and social dispositions) as a conceptual tool for the understanding of mechanisms behind the "obesity epidemic." Elaborating on this concept, we argue that a context of food scarcity gives rise to a biohabitus geared to energy-saving, expressed in both biological (the thrifty genotype/phenotype hypotheses) and symbolic dispositions (Bourdieu's "taste of necessity"), and the interaction between this type of biohabitus and changes in the food-related environment results in increased body mass index. We exemplify the use of this framework by applying it to the case of Mexico, a middle-income Latin American country with one of the highest prevalences of obesity worldwide. The example shows how the concept of biohabitus can help researchers move beyond disciplinary explanations, towards a more complex understanding of the conjunction of social and biological processes that result in differential patterns of health and disease.

Dietary Carbohydrates and Insulin Resistance in Adolescents from Marginalized Areas of Chiapas, México

Evidence of the role that dietary carbohydrates (total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, total sugars, dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL)) exerts on insulin levels in adolescents is controversial. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the association between dietary carbohydrates and insulin resistance in adolescents from Chiapas, México. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 217 adolescents. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, dietary and biochemical data were obtained. Total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, total sugars, dietary GI and GL were calculated from 24 h recalls. Two validated cut-off points for the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were used as surrogates of insulin resistance. Fasting insulin levels ≥ 14.38 μU/mL were considered as abnormal. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to assess the association between tertiles of dietary carbohydrates and insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia. In our study, adolescents with the highest dietary fiber intake had lower odds of HOMA-IR > 2.97 (OR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.13-0.93) when adjusted for sex, age, body fat percentage and saturated fatty acids intake. No significant associations were found for the rest of the carbohydrate variables. In summary, high-fiber diets reduce the probability of insulin resistance in adolescents from marginalized areas of Chiapas, México.