Being Conscious of Water Intake Positively Associated with Sufficient Non-Alcohol Drink Intake Regardless of Seasons and Reasons in Healthy Japanese; the KOBE Study: A Cross Sectional Study

Physique at Birth and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Japanese Urban Residents: the KOBE Study

Aim: This study investigated the relationship between birth physique and cardiovascular risk factors in Japanese urban residents aged 40 years and more.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire on birth physique was performed among 624 individuals (165 men and 459 women) who participated in the KOBE study. We examined whether self-reported birth physique and available recorded birth weights matched for 72 participants. Then the association between birth physique and risk factors for all participants was examined by gender. Body size at birth in the questionnaire (large, medium, small) was set as an exposure and laboratory values from the baseline survey (2010-2011) were used as outcomes.

Results: Mean (standard deviation) recorded birth weight of 72 participants was 3665 (318), 3051 (300), and 2653 (199) g, in the large, medium, and small group, respectively. In the analysis for all participants, odds ratio for having both hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance were significantly higher in the small versus large birth weight group, which was 7.42 (95% CI 1.75–31.50) for men and 4.44 (95% CI 1.14–17.30) for women after adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking/alcohol/exercise habits, and menstrual status in women. Similar results were observed in participants with recorded birth weight.

Conclusions: The present study indicates that individuals with small physique at birth might be at higher risk for hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance in middle age compared to those with large birth weight.

Estimated 24 h Urinary Sodium-to-Potassium Ratio Is Related to Renal Function Decline: A 6-Year Cohort Study of Japanese Urban Residents

The effect of the sodium-to-potassium ratio (Na/K) on renal function within the clinically normal range of renal function are limited. We investigated the effects of an estimated 24 h urinary Na/K (e24hUNa/K) on a 6-year renal function decline among 927 urban Japanese community dwellers with no history of cardiovascular diseases and medication for hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia. We partitioned the subjects into quartiles according to the e24hUNa/K. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using the chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration (CKD/EPI) formula and renal function decline was defined as an absolute value at or above the third quartile of the eGFR decline rate. A multivariable logistic regression model was used for estimation. Compared with the first quartile of the e24hUNa/K, multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for eGFR decline in the second, third, and fourth quartiles were 0.96 (95% confidence interval: 0.61–1.51), 1.06 (0.67–1.66), and 1.65 (1.06–2.57), respectively. These results were similar when the simple spot urine Na/K ratio was used in place of the e24hUNa/K. Apparently healthy urban residents with an almost within normal range mean baseline eGFR and high e24hUNa/K ratios had an increased risk for a future decline in renal function. Reducing the Na/K ratio may be important in the prevention of chronic kidney disease in its early stage.