Ethnic differences in leptin and adiponectin levels between Greenlandic Inuit and Danish children

Dietary habits, metabolic health and vitamin D status in Greenlandic children

OBJECTIVE

To compare the dietary habits of children living in northern villages and in the capital of Greenland, given the reported transition from traditional to westernised diet in adults over recent decades, and to explore the association between consumption of marine mammals and fish (MMF) and the children's metabolic profile and vitamin D status.

DESIGN

Children answered an FFQ encompassing sixty-four individual food types pooled into six food categories. Their pubertal stage, body fat, fitness level, metabolic profile (non-HDL-cholesterol, glycated Hb, insulin, glucose, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) as well as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration were evaluated.

SETTING

Siorapaluk and Qaanaaq (north of Greenland) and Nuuk (west).

PARTICIPANTS

Children aged 6-18 years (n 177).

RESULTS

MMF were most frequently eaten by children from Siorapaluk (mean (sd): 73·4 (14·1) times/month), followed by children from Qaanaaq (37·0 (25·0) times/month), and least often eaten by children from Nuuk (23·7 (24·6) times/month; P < 0·001). Children from Qaanaaq consumed 'junk food' more frequently (P < 0·001) and fruits and vegetables less frequently (P < 0·01) than children from Nuuk. MMF consumption was positively associated with serum 25(OH)D concentration (P < 0·05), but the overall prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was high (18 %). No association was found between MMF consumption and metabolic parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

The dietary transition and influence of western diets have spread to the north of Greenland and only the most remote place consumed a traditional diet highly based on MMF. We found no strong associations of MMF consumption with metabolic health, but a positive association with vitamin D status.

Adiponectin levels in Brazilian adolescents: Distribution and associated factors in ERICA survey

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of adiponectin and associated factors with low adiponectin levels in a large sample of adolescents from different Brazilian regions.

METHODS

This is a national, school-based, cross-sectional multicenter study of cardiovascular risk factors in Brazilian adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. Serum adiponectin levels (μg/ml) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Given the lack of reference values, sex-and age-specific median was adopted as the cutoff point, with the values below the median representing a higher-risk profile. Associated factors with low levels of adiponectin were investigated using Poisson regression.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 4546 adolescents, the majority female (61.2%). The prevalence of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity was 30% and 13.4%, respectively. The medians of adiponectin were 13.4 μg/ml (95%CI: 12.8-14.0) in males and 14.2 μg/ml (95%CI: 13.3-15.0) in females. Lower adiponectin levels were associated with both overweight (Prevalence Ratios (PR) = 1.17; 95%CI 1.01-1.36) and obesity (PR = 1.36; 95%CI 1.16-1.56) in males, while, in females, adiponectin levels were associated only with obesity (PR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.26-1.66). Increased waist circumference in both males and females was inversely associated with adiponectin level.

CONCLUSIONS

Adiponectin levels were lower among adolescents with weight excess and abdominal obesity. Male adolescents who live in rural areas and study at private schools also showed lower adiponectin concentrations.

Endocrinology, energetics, and human life history: A synthetic model

Human life histories are shaped by the allocation of metabolic energy to competing physiological domains. A model framework of the pathways of energy allocation is described and hormonal regulators of allocation along the pathways of the framework are discussed in the light of evidence from field studies of the endocrinology of human energetics. The framework is then used to generate simple models of two important life history transitions in humans, puberty and the postpartum return to full fecundity in females. The results of the models correspond very closely to observations made in the field.