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Background: A rapid gain in weight for length may put children at a higher risk of noncommunicable diseases later in life.Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the long-term effects of nutrition counseling delivered in the first 2 y of life in Pelotas, a city in Southern Brazil.Methods: The original cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1998. Nutrition counseling (breastfeeding promotion and increased intake of micronutrient-rich and energy-dense foods) was delivered to mothers of children aged 0-17.9 mo attending primary care. Six months later, weight gain was higher in the intervention group than in the control group for children ≥12 mo of age at enrollment. In 2013 (mean age 15 y), assessments included anthropometric measurements, body composition (air-displacement plethysmography), body shape (3-dimensional photonic scan), and plasma total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, and glucose.Results: A total of 363 of the 424 original participants were assessed. An a priori decision was made to prioritize analyses of subjects aged 12-17.9 mo at enrollment (51 from the intervention group and 45 from the control group). In this subgroup, boys in the intervention group were [mean (95% CI)] 3.4 (0.8, 6.0) cm taller than those in the control group. Systolic blood pressure tended to be 5.2 (-0.8, 11.1) mm Hg higher in male subjects from the intervention group than in those in the control group. Lipid profiles tended to be healthier in the intervention group. The plasma total cholesterol concentration was -17.8 (-29.8, -5.7) mg/dL lower in boys in the intervention group than in those in the control group. The total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio and triglyceride concentration in the girls in the intervention group were -0.4 (-0.6, -0.1) and -26.3 (-46.3, -6.3) mg/dL, respectively, lower than in the control group. There was no difference between the groups in terms of body composition.Conclusions: Promotion of weight gain in children between 12.0-17.9 mo of age was not associated with higher metabolic risk 15 y later. On the contrary, there was some evidence of reduced metabolic risk in the intervention group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increased carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT) is considered a marker of early-onset atherosclerosis and it has been found in obese children and adolescents, but the risk factors associated with this population remain to be elucidated. Objective: To compare and verify the relationship between c-IMT, metabolic profile, inflammatory markers, and cardiorespiratory fitness in obese and non-obese children and adolescents. Method: Thirty-five obese subjects (19 boys) and 18 non-obese subjects (9 boys), aged 10-16 years, were included. Anthropometry, body composition, blood pressure, maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), and basal metabolic rate were evaluated. Serum glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), blood lipids, C-reactive protein (CRP), and adiponectin were assessed. c-IMT was measured by ultrasound. Results: The results showed that c-IMT, triglycerides, insulin, HOMA-IR, and CRP values were significantly higher in the obese group than in the non-obese group, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), adiponectin, and VO2max values were significantly lower in the obese group than in the non-obese group. The c-IMT was directly correlated with body weight, waist circumference, % body fat, and HOMA-IR and inversely correlated with % free fat mass, HDL-c, and VO2max. Conclusions: Our findings show that c-IMT correlates not only with body composition, lipids, insulin resistance, and inflammation but also with low VO2max values in children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until the 1990s the 1,1,1-trichloro-bis-2,2′-(4chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) was sprayed in the walls of the house along the Madeira River basin, Brazilian Amazon, a region well known for its large number of malaria cases. In 1910, Oswaldo Cruz described the presence of malaria in 100% of the population living in some localities from the Madeira River basin. Data available in the literature point to the DDT contamination in fishes captured in Madeira River region. Fish is the major source of dietary protein to these people. DDT tends to accumulate in lipid rich tissues and is being eliminated by different events, including lactation. Considering the importance of feeding breast milk to the children, the associated risks of DDT exposure via breast milk intake to children must be assessed. This is the main objective of this work: to analyse the presence of the p,p′-DDT and its metabolites p,p′-DDE and p,p′-DDD in 69 human milk samples and to estimate the intake of DDT and its metabolite in terms of total DDT (total DDT= p,p′-DDE+ p,p′-DDD+ p,p′-DDT). All the samples showed contamination with DDT and its metabolites ranging from 25.4 to 9361.9ng of total DDT/g of lipid (median=369.6ng of total DDT/g of lipid) and 8.7% of the estimated daily intake (EDI), in terms of total DDT, which was higher than the acceptable daily intake proposed by the WHO. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]