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Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Oral health is an important part of general health and well‐being and shares risk factors, such as poor diet, with obesity. The published literature assessing the association between obesity and oral health in early childhood is sparse and inconsistent. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between overweight/obesity (measured by body mass index) and dental outcomes (caries, plaque index and gingival index) both cross‐sectionally and longitudinally, taking account of potential confounding factors, based on data collected at age 2 and age 5 within the Australian Study of Mothers' and Infants' Life Events Affecting Oral Health (SMILE) birth cohort study.This study used data from 1174 SMILE participants. Associations between overweight/obesity and dental outcomes were assessed using generalized linear regression models for the modified Poisson family with log link to estimate prevalence ratios. Cross‐sectional and longitudinal models were fitted, after minimal and full adjustment for potential confounders.Approximately 12% of the participants were overweight/obese at 2 years and 9% at 5 years. Between 2 and 5 years, the prevalence of caries increased from approximately 4% to 24%, at least mild plaque accumulation increased from 37% to 90% and at least mild inflammation from 27% to 68%. There were no associations between overweight/obesity and the prevalence of dental caries; prevalence ratios (PR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] after adjustment for age and sex were 0.9 (0.3, 2.4) cross‐sectionally at 2 years, 1.0 (0.6, 1.5) cross‐sectionally at 5 years, and 1.0 (0.6, 1.5) for overweight/obesity at 2 years and caries at 5 years. Prevalence ratios were all around the value of 1 for the other dental outcomes and also after adjustment for additional confounders.There were no associations between overweight/obesity and dental caries, plaque index or gingival index in this cohort of preschool children. However, associations may emerge as the children become older, and it will be possible to extend analyses to include data collected at age 7 in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to both protect the healthy development and maintain the oral health of the child population. The study examined the effect of early childhood exposures to water fluoridation on measures of school-age executive functioning and emotional and behavioral development in a population-based sample. This longitudinal follow-up study used information from Australia's National Child Oral Health Study 2012–14. Children aged 5 to 10 y at baseline were contacted again after 7 to 8 y, before they had turned 18 y of age. Percent lifetime exposed to fluoridated water (%LEFW) from birth to the age 5 y was estimated from residential history and postcode-level fluoride levels in public tap water. Measures of children's emotional and behavioral development were assessed by the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and executive functioning was measured by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). Multivariable regression models were generated to compare the associations between the exposure and the primary outcomes and controlled for covariates. An equivalence test was also conducted to compare the primary outcomes of those who had 100% LEFW against those with 0% LEFW. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted. A total of 2,682 children completed the SDQ and BRIEF, with mean scores of 7.0 (95% confidence interval, 6.6–7.4) and 45.3 (44.7–45.8), respectively. Those with lower %LEFW tended to have poorer scores of the SDQ and BRIEF. Multivariable regression models reported no association between exposure to fluoridated water and the SDQ and BRIEF scores. Low household income, identifying as Indigenous, and having a neurodevelopmental diagnosis were associated with poorer SDQ/BRIEF scores. An equivalence test confirmed that the SDQ/BRIEF scores among those with 100% LEFW were equivalent to that of those who had 0% LEFW. Exposure to fluoridated water during the first 5 y of life was not associated with altered measures of child emotional and behavioral development and executive functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adipose tissue (AT) is a critical regulator of metabolic health and is emerging as important in HIV. Despite this, data on the complex cellular milieu and immune regulation are [...]

Background/Objectives: As low folate status has been implicated in depression, high folate intake, in the form of supplements, during pregnancy might offer protection against depression during pregnancy and postpartum. Subjects/Methods: We examined the association between change in self-reported depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) at different timepoints during and following pregnancy and self-reported folic acid supplementation during pregnancy in a prospective cohort of 6809 pregnant women. We also tested whether there was a main effect of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T genotype (which influences folate metabolism and intracellular levels of folate metabolites and homocysteine) on change in depression scores, and carried out our analysis of folic acid supplementation and depression stratifying by genotype. Results: We found no strong evidence that folic acid supplementation reduced the risk of depression during pregnancy and up to 8 months after pregnancy. However, we did find evidence to suggest that folic acid supplements during pregnancy protected against depression 21 months postpartum, and that this effect was more pronounced in those with the MTHFR C677T TT genotype (change in depression score from 8 months to 21 months postpartum among TT individuals was 0.66 (95% CI = 0.31-1.01) among those not taking supplements, compared with --1.02 (95% CI = --2.22-0.18) among those taking supplements at 18 weeks pregnancy, [p.sup.difference] = 0.01). Conclusions: Low folate is unlikely to be an important risk factor for depression during pregnancy and for postpartum depression, but may be a risk factor for depression outside of pregnancy, especially among women with the MTHFR C677T TT genotype. European journal of Clinical Nutrition (2012) 66, 97-103; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.136; published online 20 July 2011 Keywords: postpartum depression; folate; MTHFR; polymorphism; folic acid; ALSPAC, Introduction Several studies have shown that low folate levels are associated with depression in the general population (Bjelland et al., 2003; Paul et al, 2004; Lewis et al., 2006; Morris [...]