Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with alterations of lipoprotein structure and function that can be characterized with advanced lipoprotein testing (ADLT). The effect of the Mediterranean diet ...(MedDiet) and weight loss on the lipoprotein subclass profile has been scarcely studied. Within the PREDIMED-Plus randomized controlled trial, a sub-study conducted at Bellvitge Hospital recruiting center evaluated the effects of a weight loss program based on an energy-reduced MedDiet (er-MedDiet) and physical activity (PA) promotion (intervention group) compared with energy-unrestricted MedDiet recommendations (control group) on ADLT-assessed lipoprotein subclasses. 202 patients with MetS (
= 107, intervention;
= 95, control) were included. Lipid profiles were determined, and ADLT was performed at baseline, 6, and 12 months. Linear mixed models were used to assess the effects of intervention on lipoprotein profiles. Compared to the control diet, at 12 months, the er-MedDiet+PA resulted in a significant additional 4.2 kg of body weight loss, a decrease in body mass index by 1.4 kg/m
, reduction in waist circumference by 2.2 cm, decreased triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and non-HDL-cholesterol, and increased HDL-cholesterol. In er-MedDiet+PA participants, ADLT revealed a decrease in small dense-LDL-cholesterol (sd-LDL-C), intermediate-density lipoproteins, VLDL-triglyceride, and HDL-Triglyceride, and an increase in large LDL and large VLDL particles. In conclusion, compared to an ad libitum MedDiet (control group), er-MedDiet+PA decreased plasma triglycerides and the triglyceride content in HDL and VLDL particles, decreased sd-LDL-C, and increased large LDL particles, indicating beneficial changes against cardiovascular disease.
Background: Genetic risk scores (GRSs) have partially improved the understanding of the etiology of moderate hypertriglyceridemia (HTG), which until recently was mainly assessed by secondary ...predisposing causes. The main objective of this study was to assess whether this variability is due to the interaction between clinical variables and GRS. Methods: We analyzed 276 patients with suspected polygenic HTG. An unweighted GRS was developed with the following variants: c.724C > G (ZPR1 gene), c.56C > G (APOA5 gene), c.1337T > C (GCKR gene), g.19986711A > G (LPL gene), c.107 + 1647T > C (BAZ1B gene) and g.125478730A > T (TRIB gene). Interactions between the GRS and clinical variables (body mass index (BMI), diabetes mellitus, diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, age and gender) were evaluated. Results: The GRS was associated with triglyceride (TG) concentrations. There was a significant interaction between BMI and GRS, with the intensity of the relationship between the number of alleles and the TG concentration being greater in individuals with a higher BMI. Conclusions: GRS is associated with plasma TG concentrations and is markedly influenced by BMI. This finding could improve the stratification of patients with a high genetic risk for HTG who could benefit from more intensive healthcare interventions.
Lipid metabolism disorders, especially hypertriglyceridemia (HTG), are risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the association between genetic factors related to HTG and ...the risk of NAFLD has been scarcely studied.
A total of 185 subjects with moderate HTG were prospectively included. We investigated the association between genetic factors' (five allelic variants with polygenic hypertriglyceridemia) clinical and biochemical biomarkers with NAFLD severity. The five allelic variants' related clinical and biochemical data of HTG were studied in all the subjects. NAFLD was assessed by abdominal ultrasound and patients were divided into two groups, one with no or mild NAFLD and another with moderate/severe NAFLD.
Patients with moderate/severe NAFLD had higher weight and waist values and a higher prevalence of insulin resistance than patients with no or mild NAFLD. Moderate/severe NAFLD was independently associated with
rs3134406 and
rs964184 variants, and also showed a significant inverse relationship with lipoprotein(a) Lp(a) concentrations.
rs3135506 and
rs964184 variants and lipoprotein(a) are associated with moderate/severe NAFLD. This association was independent of body weight, insulin resistance, and other factors related to NAFLD.
ObjectiveSLE is associated with increased cardiovascular risk (CVR). High serum concentrations of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and apolipoprotein B-rich particles constitute the characteristic ...dyslipidaemia of SLE.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted to study the relationship between genetic variants involved in polygenic hypertriglyceridaemia, subclinical atherosclerosis and lipoprotein abnormalities. 73 women with SLE and 73 control women age-matched with the case group were recruited (age range 30–75 years). Serum analysis, subclinical atherosclerosis screening studies for the detection of plaque, and genetic analysis of the APOE, ZPR1, APOA5 and GCKR genes were performed.ResultsTriglyceride concentrations and the prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia and carotid atherosclerosis were higher in women with SLE than in the control group. Multivariate logistic regression showed that CC homozygosity for the GCKR rs1260326 gene (OR=0.111, 95% CI 0.015 to 0.804, p=0.030) and an increase of 1 mmol/L in triglyceride concentrations were associated with a greater risk of carotid plaque in women with SLE (OR=7.576, 95% CI 2.415 to 23.767, p=0.001).ConclusionsGCKR CC homozygosity (rs1260326) and serum triglyceride concentrations are independently associated with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in women with SLE. Subclinical carotid atherosclerosis is also more prevalent in these women compared with the control group. The study of GCKR rs1260326 gene variants may contribute to more precise assessment of CVR and modulation of the intensity of lipid-lowering treatment in patients with SLE.
Background:
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) has a hazardous influence on systemic inflammation, insulin resistance and an adverse metabolic profile, which increases the risk of developing non-alcoholic ...fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic complications of diabetes. In our study we aimed to evaluate the association of VAT and the triglyceride glucose (TyG) as a proxy of insulin resistance surrogated with metabolic and liver risk factors among subjects diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was performed including 326 participants with MetS (55–75 years) from the PREDIMED-Plus study. Liver-status markers, VAT and TyG were assessed. Participants were stratified by tertiles according to VAT (n = 254) and TyG (n = 326). A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyse the efficiency of TyG for VAT.
Results:
Subjects with greater visceral fat depots showed worse lipid profile, higher homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), TyG, alanine transaminase (ALT), fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21), fatty liver index (FLI) and hepatic steatosis index (HSI) compared with participants in the first tertile. The multi-adjusted linear-regression analyses indicated that individuals in the third tertile of TyG (>9.1−10.7) had a positive association with HOMA-IR β = 3.07 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.28−3.86; p trend < 0.001), ALT β = 7.43 (95% CI 2.23−12.63; p trend = 0.005), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) β = 14.12 (95% CI 3.64−24.61; p trend = 0.008), FGF-21 β = 190.69 (95% CI 93.13−288.25; p trend < 0.001), FLI β = 18.65 (95% CI 14.97−22.23; p trend < 0.001) and HSI β = 3.46 (95% CI, 2.23−4.68; p trend < 0.001) versus participants from the first tertile. Interestingly, the TyG showed the largest area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) for women (AUC = 0.713; 95% CI 0.62−0.79) compared with men (AUC = 0.570; 95% CI 0.48−0.66).
Conclusions:
A disrupted VAT enlargement and impairment of TyG are strongly associated with liver status and cardiometabolic risk factors linked with NAFLD in individuals diagnosed with MetS. Moreover, the TyG could be used as a suitable and reliable marker estimator of VAT.
Disturbances in eating behaviors have been widely related to obesity. However, little is known about the role of obesity-related biomarkers in shaping habitual patterns of eating behaviors (i.e., ...eating styles) in childhood. The objective of the present study was to explore the relationships between several biomarkers crucially involved in obesity (ghrelin, insulin resistance, and leptin/adiponectin ratio) and eating styles in children and adolescents with obesity. Seventy participants aged between 8 and 16 (56.2% men) fulfilled the Spanish version of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire for Children to measure external, emotional, and restrained eating styles. In addition, concentrations of ghrelin, leptin, adiponectin, insulin, and glucose were obtained through a blood test. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses controlling for age and sex were computed for each eating style. Results indicated that individuals with higher ghrelin concentration levels showed lower scores in restrained eating (β = -0.61,
< 0.001). The total model explained 32% of the variance of the restrained pattern. No other relationships between obesity-related biomarkers and eating behaviors were found. This study highlights that one of the obesity-risk factors, namely lower plasma ghrelin levels, is substantially involved in a well-known maladaptive eating style, restraint eating, in childhood obesity.
Purpose
We aimed to evaluate associations between compliance with recommendations for total water intake (TWI) and total water intake from fluids (TWIF), and some socio-demographic and lifestyle ...factors of a senior Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk.
Methods
Cross-sectional analysis with data of 1902 participants from the PREDIMED-Plus study. A validated 32-item Spanish fluid-intake questionnaire was used to assess beverage consumption and water intake. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) for complying with European Food Safety Agency recommendations for TWI and TWIF according to various socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, and for the joint associations of Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) adherence and moderate–vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
Results
The mean total volume of fluid intake in the population studied was 1934 ± 617 mL/day. Water was the most frequently consumed beverage. Significant differences between sex were only observed in alcoholic and hot beverage consumption. Compliance with TWIF was associated with being women (OR 3.02; 2.40, 3.80), high adherence to MedDiet (OR 1.07; 1.02, 1.12), and participants who were more engaged in physical activity (PA) (OR 1.07; 1.02, 1.13). Age was inversely associated (OR 0.96; 0.94, 0.98). Similar results for TWI recommendations compliance were observed in relation to being women (OR 5.34; 3.85, 7.42), adherence to MedDiet (OR 1.16; 1.02, 1.31) and PA (OR 1.07; 1.00, 1.15). The joint association of PA and MedDiet, showed that participants with higher adherence to MedDiet and meeting WHO recommendations for MVPA complied better with the TWI recommendations (OR 1.66; 1.19, 2.32).
Conclusions
High compliance with recommendations for TWI was associated with being a woman, and a healthy lifestyle characterized by high adherence to the MedDiet and PA.
SLE is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis to analyze its relationship with dyslipidemia ...and related genetic factors in a population of patients with SLE. Seventy-one SLE female patients were recruited. Carotid ultrasound, laboratory profiles, and genetic analysis of the ZPR1, APOA5, and GCKR genes were performed. SLE patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of carotid plaques. Patients with carotid plaque had higher plasma TG (1.5 vs. 0.9 mmol/L, p = 0.001), Non-HDL-C (3.5 vs. 3.1 mmol/L, p = 0.025), and apoB concentrations (1.0 vs. 0.9 g/L, p = 0.010) and a higher prevalence of hypertension (80 vs. 37.5%, p = 0.003) than patients without carotid plaque. The GCKR C-allele was present in 83.3% and 16.7% (p = 0.047) of patients with and without carotid plaque, respectively. The GCKR CC genotype (OR = 0.026; 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.473, p = 0.014), an increase of 1 mmol/L in TG concentrations (OR = 12.550; 95% CI: 1.703 to 92.475, p = 0.013) and to be hypertensive (OR = 9.691; 95% CI: 1.703 to 84.874, p = 0.040) were independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis. In summary, plasma TG concentrations, CGKR CC homozygosity, and hypertension are independent predictors of carotid atherosclerosis in women with SLE.
Physical exercise performed regularly is known to improve health and to reduce the risk of age-related diseases. Furthermore, there is some evidence of cognitive improvement in physically active ...middle-aged and older adults. We hypothesized that long-term physically active middle-aged men may have developed brain resilience that can be detected with the analysis of peripheral blood markers. We aimed to analyze the activation of pathways potentially modulated by physical activity in a cohort of healthy amateur rugby players (
= 24) and control subjects with low physical activity (
= 25) aged 45-65 years. We had previously reported neuropsychological improvement in immediate memory responses in the player group compared to the controls. Here, we tested the expression of selected genes of longevity, inflammation, redox homeostasis, and trophic signaling in whole blood mRNA. Analyses were also performed on blood samples of young (aged 15-25 years) control subjects with low physical activity (
= 21). Physical activity and other lifestyle factors were thoroughly recorded with standardized questionnaires. Interestingly, middle-aged control subjects showed lower levels of expression of SIRT1, SIRT3, CAT, and SOD1 than the young controls, although rugby players maintained the expression levels of these genes at a young-like level. Middle-aged players showed lower levels of IL1B than the non-physically active groups. However, there was a tendency towards a decrease in trophic and transduction factors in middle-aged groups as compared to the young controls. A statistical study of Spearman's correlations supported a positive effect of sporting activity on memory and executive functions, and on peripheral gene expression of SIRT1, SIRT3 and downstream genes, in the middle-aged rugby players. Our results indicate that the SIRT1-SIRT3 axis, and associated neuroprotective signaling, may contribute to the anti-aging resilience of the brain mediated by physical exercise.
Background
The APOE Christchurch (APOECh) is a rare variant (c.543C>A) in codon 154. It was first described in an E2 patient with type III dyslipidemia, and thus initially called E2Ch. Its prevalence ...and the lipid profile of carriers remain unclear.
Methods
E2, E3, and E4 screening for the APOE gene was performed by PCR‐RFLP. The rare APOECh variant was firstly found after detecting an unexpected 109 base‐pair band in the high‐resolution agarose gel electrophoresis leading to a genotype misinterpretation: the presence of APOECh alters the restriction‐bands pattern. To confirm the Ch variant, a second PCR‐RFLP method was specifically designed to detect this variant and Sanger sequencing was also performed for all positive samples.
Results
We identified 12 unrelated subjects for the APOECh among a cohort of 2,560 patients: nine E3/E3Ch, two E3Ch/E4, and one E2/E3Ch or E2Ch/E3. The frequency of the variant is 0.4% in our study population, which represents the highest percentage published so far. If there is a 109 bp band, it is easy to recognize the presence of the variant. However, in APOE routine genotyping, an E4Ch allele is indistinguishable from a standard E3. Therefore, E4Ch alleles might be underrepresented in the results.
Conclusion
We recommend APOE exon 4 sequencing to unequivocally detect the common three variants E2, E3, and E4 and the rare variants as well, to find out the real role they play in atherosclerosis and to estimate its real frequency which is nowadays unclear, in part by the small number of cases identified.
PDF
