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• In obese women, the higher the metabolic syndrome score, the higher the SUA level. • U-shaped relationship was observed between the SUA levels and incident CVD events. • SUA was an effective predictor of CVD event development in female obese patients. • Sex differences existed between optimal SUA levels and reduction in CVD incidence. • Optimal values of SUA could help predict and prevent CVD event development. This cohort study intended to elucidate the association between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and cardiovascular disease events in Japanese patients with obesity. Altogether, 450 obese Japanese outpatients were enrolled in a multicenter prospective cohort Japan, the Japan Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Study. Primary analysis regarding the measurements of cardiovascular risk factors, including SUA levels, and the occurrence of macrovascular complications was based on following the participants over a 5-year period. Of the eligible patients, 335 (74.4%) were followed into the fifth year. During the study period, 15 coronary heart disease, 7 stroke, and 6 arteriosclerosis obliterans events occurred in 39 patients. The CVD incidence rate was 15.8 per 1000 person-years. In the analysis of adjusted models for traditional risk factors, hyperuricemia was a significant factor for the incidence of CVD events, especially in female obese patients. Additionally, we estimated the association between SUA levels and CVD events using cubic spline models, which showed a U-shaped association in both male and female patients. SUA is an effective predictor of CVD events in female obese patients and a risk factor for CVD incident in obese patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To determine the threshold intrahepatic lipid (IHL) content separating metabolically normal from abnormal in a Japanese population based on proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS).Methods: A total of 305 Japanese subjects aged 20-69years were investigated. The subjects underwent general examination, blood tests, and (1)H-MRS of the liver after an overnight fast. They completed a questionnaire about daily drinking habits and their daily alcohol intake was calculated.Results: The median IHL content was 4.7% in men and 1.7% in women, and it increased along with the number of features of metabolic syndrome (MetS). The optimum IHL cut-off value for separating normal subjects from those with at least one feature of MetS was 6.5% in men (AUC of ROC: 0.727, 95%-CI: 0.649-0.804) and 1.8% in women (0.765, 0.685-0.844). Alcohol intake was not correlated with the IHL content according to multiple logistic regression analysis.Conclusion: This study demonstrated a close association of IHL with features of MetS and identified IHL content cut-off values for metabolic normality in Japanese subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the impact of the National Health Program in Japan ("Specific Health Check-ups and Specific Health Guidance") on diabetes prevention among working-age men with prediabetes.Methods: This study used a regression discontinuity design, based on the program's criterion that the program starts at age 40 or older and that the intervention is provided only to prediabetic individuals with abdominal obesity, to assess the impact of the program on the diabetes incidence in a total of 49,848 men with prediabetes, aged 37-42 years.Results: The National Health Program in which interventions were provided for individuals aged 40 years or over with both prediabetes and abdominal obesity was associated with a decrease in diabetes incidence rate equivalent to 10.1 reduction/1000 person-years. The relative risk was 0.75. However, among those without abdominal obesity and not subjected to the intervention, there was no significant change in the diabetes incidence at age 40.Conclusions: The National Health Program in Japan was associated with a decrease in the incidence of diabetes among working-age men with prediabetes and abdominal obesity and may have a meaningful impact among working-age men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of teneligliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, and canagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, at reducing a composite outcome of three metabolic risk factors (obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia) in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic risks.Methods: In this prospective, multicenter, open-label, randomized, parallel-group comparison study, 162 patients with T2DM and one or more metabolic risk factors were randomized into a teneligliptin or canagliflozin group and treated for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was the composite percentage of subjects who experienced an improvement in at least one metabolic risk after 24 weeks of treatment.Results: The primary endpoint was achieved significantly by more patients in the canagliflozin group than in the teneligliptin group (62.2% vs. 31.3%, p = 0.0004). A ≥ 3% body weight loss was also achieved by significantly more participants in the canagliflozin group than in the teneligliptin group (55.9% vs. 10.5%, p < 0.0001).Conclusions: This study showed canagliflozin to be more effective at reducing metabolic risks than teneligliptin. In Japanese patients with T2DM and metabolic risk factors, SGLT2 inhibitors may be superior to DPP-4 inhibitors at controlling multiple metabolic risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: We compared the levels of ventilatory threshold (VT) and exercise habits in subjects with metabolic syndrome with those in age, sex-matched subjects without metabolic syndrome. Methods: We used data of 155 Japanese men (47.1±9.2 years) with metabolic syndrome; the diagnosis was given by the definition and the diagnostic standard for metabolic syndrome in Japan. The influence of metabolic syndrome on oxygen uptake, work rate and heart rate at VT, and exercise habits were evaluated. Results: Oxygen uptake and work rate at VT in subjects with metabolic syndrome were significantly lower than those in subjects without metabolic syndrome even after adjusting for body mass index (BMI). The number of subjects with exercise habits was significantly lower in metabolic syndrome. The subjects with exercise habits were significantly older than that in subjects without exercise habits. Furthermore, oxygen uptake and work rate at VT were significantly higher in subjects with exercise habits than those in subjects without exercise habits. Conclusion: Lower level of VT was characteristic in subjects with metabolic syndrome. Promotion of exercise habits is necessary for preventing and improving metabolic syndrome in Japanese men. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Raised FPG was better at identifying future diabetes than either IDF MetS or a constellation of risk factors except for raised FPG with and without abdominal adiposity. This should shed light on a screening program for future DM in Japan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]