Obesity and Age-Related Changes in Markers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Across Four Generations

OBJECTIVE

The prevalence of obesity increases with age and is higher in each younger generation (unfavorable generation shift). This may influence patterns of oxidative stress and inflammation. Age-related changes and generation shifts in markers of oxidative stress and inflammation were investigated, specifically addressing the role of body mass index (BMI).

METHODS

Four generations (aged 26-35, 36-45, 46-55, and 56-65 at baseline) (N = 5,155) were examined every 5 years for 15 years between 1993 and 2012. Random coefficient analyses were used to study age-related changes and generation shifts in BMI, γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), uric acid (UA), and C-reactive protein (CRP).

RESULTS

Levels of BMI, UA, and CRP increased in all generations up to age 75, whereas GGT increased up to age 55. No consistent generation shifts were observed for GGT, UA, and CRP (P ≥ 0.05). Participants with a stable BMI (change ≤1 kg/m(2) /15 years) had either no or small increases with age in GGT, UA, and CRP, whereas participants with increasing BMI (increase >1 kg/m(2) /15 years) had much larger increases (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The unfavorable age-related changes in obesity-related biochemical markers, particularly among individuals with increasing BMI, show the importance of maintaining a healthy weight to improve population levels of oxidative stress and inflammation.

Assessing preoperative information-was it enough?

The study examined the preoperative instruction given to clients in a private orthopedic postoperative recall practice. The study further examined what factors these postoperative clients felt were important and/or deleted preoperatively.Findings showed that eighty-eight per cent of the participants knew their diagnosis and felt that their operation was fully explained to them Ninety-two percent claimed to have adequate pain relief. Of the twenty-five participants in this study, twenty-one had no answers to questions now that they did not already have preoperatively.The assumption that the clients did not have adequate preoperative instruction to prepare them well for the postoperative period was not strongly supported.This study suggests there may have been a reluctance on the part of the clients to be critical of the care given by their surgeon under whose care they remained at the time of the interviews.