Studies on the combined associations of elevated serum hepatic enzyme activity and alcohol drinking with metabolic syndrome are rare. Our objectives were to evaluate the associations of elevated ...serum hepatic enzyme activity with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the general Japanese population and whether alcohol drinking had a modifying effect on these associations.
We conducted a cross-sectional study with 1,027 men and 1,152 women throughout Japan during 2002-2010. Biochemical factors including alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were determined in overnight fasting blood, and a survey on lifestyle was conducted by questionnaire. Serum ALT and GGT levels were divided into tertiles in men and women, and their associations with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome were evaluated by logistic regressions.
Elevated serum ALT and GGT, even within the reference range, were independently associated with increased metabolic syndrome prevalence and were associated with most of its components in both sexes, except for the association between GGT and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in men. Stratified analyses by alcohol drinking status revealed that within the same tertile category of serum ALT and GGT, subjects classified as alcohol abstainers showed higher adjusted odds ratios for metabolic syndrome prevalence than those classified as regular alcohol drinkers in both sexes. The interaction effects of serum GGT with alcohol drinking status on metabolic syndrome prevalence were significant in both sexes.
These results suggest that elevated serum ALT and GGT, even within the reference range, are independently associated with increased metabolic syndrome prevalence, especially in alcohol abstainers, in Japanese men and women.
Studies on the associations of dietary Ca and vitamin D intakes with arterial stiffness are scarce. In the present study, these associations were evaluated in Japanese men. Data from a total of 535 ...eligible men, aged 35-69 years, who participated in the baseline survey of a cohort study in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, and underwent brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) measurements were analysed. ba-PWV is a measure of arterial stiffness and is recognised as a marker of atherosclerotic vascular damage. Information regarding the cohort's lifestyle characteristics including dietary behaviour over the past year was obtained from a structured self-administered questionnaire. Dietary Ca and vitamin D intakes were adjusted for total energy intake using the residual method and divided into quartiles; the highest quartile was used as the reference. General linear models were used to evaluate the associations between dietary Ca and vitamin D intakes and ba-PWV values adjusted for probable covariates. The association between dietary Ca intake and ba-PWV was further evaluated using similar general linear models stratified by dietary vitamin D intake (median or below/above median). Dietary Ca intake was found to be significantly inversely associated with ba-PWV after adjusting for probable covariates (P for trend = 0·020). However, no such association was observed between dietary vitamin D intake and ba-PWV. The inverse association between dietary Ca intake and ba-PWV was striking in subjects with higher dietary vitamin D intake. However, no association was found in subjects with lower dietary vitamin D intake. These results indicate that adequate dietary Ca and vitamin D intakes may be protective against the development of arterial stiffness in Japanese men.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between soya food consumption and insulin resistance using baseline data of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) ...Study in Tokushima, Japan.
This cross-sectional study included 1274 subjects, aged 34-70 years at baseline, living in Tokushima Prefecture between 2008 and 2013. Fasting blood samples were collected and information on lifestyle characteristics including soya food intake and medical history were obtained using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was measured and those with HOMA-IR ≥ 2.5 were defined as having insulin resistance. Multiple logistic regression models were used to analyse the association between soya product intake and the prevalence of insulin resistance.
Rural communities located in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, between 2008 and 2013.
A total of 1148 adults (565 men and 583 women), aged 34-70 years.
The frequency of intake of miso soup, total non-fried soya products and total soya products showed significant inverse dose-response relationships with insulin resistance, after adjustments for potential confounders. When soya product intake was calculated as soya protein and isoflavone, the odds ratios of insulin resistance decreased significantly as the estimated intake of soya protein increased. Furthermore, significant inverse dose-response relationships were observed for total non-fried soya products and total soya products, after adjustment for total vegetable or total fibre consumption.
The present results indicate that the intake of soya products and non-fried soya products is associated with reduced insulin resistance in the Japanese population.
Abstract Research has shown that there is a relationship between increased head circumference and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study examined this relationship during the first year of life ...in subjects with ASD. We compared 280 children with ASD and 609 controls. In the ASD-male group, increases were observed in head circumference from 3 to 12 months, in height from 3 to 9 months, and in body weight from 3 to 6 and 12 months. On the other hand, in the ASD-female group increases in head circumference, in body height, and in body weight were only observed at 3 months. After adjusting for height, weight, and age, only the head circumference in the male ASD group was significantly increased from 6 to 9 months after birth, reaching a peak at 6 months after birth. No difference was found in the female ASD group. Although body overgrowth in the ASD group also started early after birth, the increase in head circumference was more marked than that in body growth. The values of physical measurements in the first year may be useful, minimally invasive parameters for the early detection of autism in combination with observing the timing of certain behaviors such as smiling, eye contact, crawling, pointing, and joint attention.
Over the past few decades, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment has been biomonitoring dioxins in the general Japanese population and, in response to public concerns, has taken measures to reduce ...dioxin exposure. The objectives of this study were to assess the current dioxin dietary intake and corresponding body burden in the Japanese and compare Japanese dioxin data from 2011 to 2016 and 2002-2010 surveys. We also examined the relationship between blood dioxins and health parameters/clinical biomarkers.
From 2011 to 2016, cross-sectional dioxin surveys were conducted on 490 Japanese (242 males and 248 females, aged 49.9 ± 7.6 years) from 15 Japanese prefectures. Blood (n = 490) and food samples (n = 90) were measured for 29 dioxin congeners including polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (Co-PCBs) using gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Using the 2006 World Health Organization toxic equivalence factors, the toxic equivalents (TEQs) were calculated. Clinical biomarkers and anthropometric parameters were also measured and information on lifestyle behaviours collected. Data imputations were applied to account for blood dioxins below the detection limit.
The median (95% confidence interval or CI) blood levels and dioxin dietary intake was respectively 9.4 (8.8-9.9) pg TEQ/g lipid and 0.3 (0.2-0.4) pg TEQ/kg body weight/day. The median blood dioxin level in the 2011-2016 survey was found to have decreased by 41.3% compared to the 2002-2010 surveys. Participants who were older were found to be more likely to have higher dioxin levels. Blood dioxins were also significantly associated with body mass index, triglycerides, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid levels in blood. Furthermore, associations between blood dioxin and dietary dioxin intake were evident in the unadjusted models. However, after adjusting for confounders, blood dioxins were not found to be associated with dietary dioxin intake.
Blood dioxin levels declined over the past decade. This study showed that the measures and actions undertaken in Japan have possibly contributed to these reductions in the body burden of dioxins in the Japanese population.
The associations of dietary patterns with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and insulin resistance have not been fully investigated in the Japanese population. A cross-sectional study was performed on 513 ...subjects without treatment for diabetes who had participated in the baseline survey of a cohort study in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Frequencies of consumption of 46 foods and beverages were assessed using a questionnaire. MetS was diagnosed using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to examine the associations of the dietary patterns with the prevalence of MetS, its components, and the Homeostasis Model of Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Using principal component analysis, four dietary patterns were extracted: prudent diet (high intake of vegetables and fruits); high fat/Western (high intake of fried foods, fried dishes and meat); bread and dairy products; and seafood patterns. After adjustment for sex, age, and other potential confounders, prudent diet pattern scores were inversely correlated with the prevalence of reduced serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.04) and high blood pressure (P=0.05), and bread and dairy products pattern scores were correlated with a lower prevalence of abdominal obesity (P=0.04) and high plasma glucose (P=0.04). The high fat/Western pattern was positively correlated with HOMA-IR (P=0.04). Prudent dietary pattern and bread and dairy products pattern may be correlated with a lower prevalence of some components of MetS. A high fat/Western dietary pattern may be positively associated with insulin resistance in the Japanese population. J. Med. Invest. 61: 333-344, August, 2014
Epidemiological investigations have shown that consumption of soybeans or soy foods reduces the risk of the development of cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis. The aim of this study was ...to determine the associations between different soy foods and inflammatory markers, including high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), interleukin (IL)‐6, and IL‐18, in Japanese workers. The cross‐sectional study included 1,426 Japanese workers (1,053 men and 373 women) aged 20 to 64 years. Intake of 12 soy foods was estimated by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Associations of total soy foods, fermented soy food, non‐fermented soy food, soy isoflavone with hs‐CRP, IL‐6, and IL‐18 levels were examined by general linear model regression analysis. We found that total fermented soy food intake was inversely associated with multivariable‐adjusted geometric concentration of IL‐6 in men (Q1:1.03 pg/mL, Q5:0.94 pg /mL;P for trend = 0.031). Furthermore, it was shown that IL‐6 concentrations were inversely associated with miso intake (β = ‐0.068;p = 0.034) and soy sauce intake in men (β = ‐0.074;p = 0.018). This study suggests that intake of total fermented soy food, miso and soy sauce be associated with IL‐6 concentrations in Japanese men. J. Med. Invest. 65:74‐80, February, 2018
The beneficial effects of dietary calcium intake on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels, a risk factor of cardiovascular disease, have not been fully elucidated. This study investigated the ...associations between dietary calcium intake and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in the general Japanese population. We analyzed the data of 2,019 subjects (1,194 men and 825 women) aged 35 to 69 years in a cross-sectional study of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study. Nutrients intake including calcium were estimated using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Analysis using a general linear model revealed that dietary calcium intake was inversely associated with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (p for trend <0.001) after adjustment for age, sex, research group, leisure-time physical activity, smoking habit, drinking habit, dietary intakes (energy, dietary fiber, saturated fatty acids and vitamin D) and menopausal status. The association was slightly attenuated after additional adjustment for body mass index; however, remained significant (p for trend = 0.008). There were no significant interactions between dietary calcium intakes and sex, body mass index, or vitamin D intake for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels. This study have demonstrated that dietary calcium intake was inversely associated with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in the general population.
While duodenal ulcer (DU) and gastric cancer (GC) are both H. pylori infection-related diseases, individuals with DU are known to have lower risk for GC. Many epidemiological studies have identified ...the PSCA rs2294008 T-allele as a risk factor of GC, while others have found an association between the rs2294008 C-allele and risk of DU and gastric ulcer (GU). Following these initial reports, however, few studies have since validated these associations. Here, we aimed to validate the association between variations in PSCA and the risk of DU/GU and evaluate its interaction with environmental factors in a Japanese population.
Six PSCA SNPs were genotyped in 584 DU cases, 925 GU cases, and 8,105 controls from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC). Unconditional logistic regression models were applied to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between the SNPs and risk of DU/GU.
PSCA rs2294008 C-allele was associated with per allele OR of 1.34 (95% CI, 1.18-1.51; P = 2.28 × 10
) for the risk of DU. This association was independent of age, sex, study site, smoking habit, drinking habit, and H. pylori status. On the other hand, we did not observe an association between the risk of GU and PSCA SNPs.
Our study confirms an association between the PSCA rs2294008 C-allele and the risk of DU in a Japanese population.
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