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The influence of habitual physical activity (PA) on the circulating levels of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) remains unclear. The purpose of the current study was to clarify the effects of sedentary time, light-intensity PA (LPA), and moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) on the serum SPARC in a general middle-aged population. The current study is a cross-sectional study of 4,000 men and 6,040 women (40–69 years). Sedentary time, LPA, and MVPA were objectively measured by an accelerometer. The serum SPARC concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Using an isotemporal substitution model, cross-sectional associations of replacing sedentary time with either LPA or MVPA on serum SPARC levels were analysed according to sex. Interactions with subject characteristics, such as the body mass index (BMI), smoking, and alcohol consumption, were also examined. In men, replacing 60 min of sedentary time with 60 min of MVPA was significantly associated with 23 ng/mL lower serum SPARC levels (confidence interval: −43, −2) after adjusting for confounders, including the BMI (P = 0.028). A significant interaction between replacing sedentary behaviour with LPA and the BMI on SPARC was detected in women (P = 0.029), although the stratified associations for each BMI level (<25 or ≥25 kg/m2) did not reach significance. The current study suggests that replacing sedentary time with MVPA is associated with reduced serum SPARC levels in middle-aged men, but not in women. In addition, a potential interaction between LPA and the BMI on SPARC was also found in women. Highlights An isotemporal substitution analysis showed that replacing sedentary behaviour with moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) is associated with decreased serum SPARC levels in men. Such an inverse association between replacing sedentary behaviour with MVPA and the SPARC levels was not observed in women. A potential interaction between replacing sedentary behaviour with light-intensity PA and the body mass index on the serum SPARC levels was also found in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulated evidence suggests a weak positive relationship between psychosocial stress and body mass index (BMI), but little is known about stress coping strategies and BMI. Objective: We aimed to examine if perceived stress and coping strategies are related to BMI, with any of their mutual interactions on BMI. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 5,063 men and 6,982 women aged 40-69 years. A self-administered questionnaire ascertained perceived stress and 5 items of coping strategies (emotion expression, emotional support seeking, positive reappraisal, problem solving, and disengagement). Analyses were performed by gender with adjustment for age, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle factors. Results: No significant associations were detected between perceived stress and BMI in either men (Ptrend = 0.09) or women (Ptrend = 0.58). In men, however, ‘disengagement’ showed an inverse association with BMI (Ptrend < 0.001), and ‘positive reappraisal’ and ‘problem solving’ revealed a positive association with BMI (Ptrend = 0.04 and 0.007, respectively) even after controlling for perceived stress. A possible interaction between perceived stress and ‘disengagement’ on BMI was found in men (Pinteraction = 0.027); the inverse association between ‘disengagement’ and BMI was more evident in higher levels of stress (β = −0.13, Ptrend = 0.21 in low; β = −0.22, Ptrend = 0.01 in medium; and β = −0.24, Ptrend = 0.06 in high). In men, ‘disengagement’ was inversely associated with overweight/obesity (odds ratio 0.79, 95% confidential interval 0.67-0.95), and “positive reappraisal” was positively associated with it (1.25, 1.02-1.54). Conclusions: Coping strategies may have an important role in developing overweight/obesity, particularly in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perceived stress and coping strategies may influence the risk of cardiovascular disease through their possible association with inflammation, but data remain controversial for perceived stress or scanty for coping strategies. Purpose: We examined the associations of perceived stress and coping strategies with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) in a Japanese general population. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2,971 men and 4,902 women aged 40-69 years who were enrolled between 2005 and 2007. Subjects with possible inflammation-related disease, CRP levels ≥3,000 ng/mL, or currently used analgesics or lipid-lowering drugs were excluded. Analyses were performed by gender with adjustment for lifestyle, socioeconomic, and psychosocial factors. Results: Unexpectedly, elevated perceived stress was significantly associated with lower CRP levels in men ( P < 0.001) but not in women ( P = 0.90) after adjustment for age and covariates. Among five items of coping strategies evaluated, 'disengagement' showed a significant inverse association with CRP in men only ( P = 0.027). In addition, a possible interaction between 'emotional support seeking' and perceived stress on CRP was detected in men ( P = 0.021); 'emotional support seeking' was associated with lower CRP at the high stress level only ( P = 0.028). Conclusions: Both perceived stress and coping strategies may be associated with systemic inflammation in Japanese men, yet caution must be exercised before accepting the stress-inflammation-disease pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: Timing of menopause affects postmenopausal health risks. The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-related genes (PPARD, PPARG, and PPARGC1A) and environmental factors with timing of natural menopause among the general Japanese population. Study design: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 1758 women aged 40–69 years who were enrolled in the baseline surveys of the Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study. Main outcome measures: Associations of timing of natural menopause with its probable covariates and with target gene variants were evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Lower body mass index and later age at menarche were significantly associated with earlier natural menopause. Women with minor alleles at T-48444C in PPARD showed a significantly higher adjusted hazard ratio of 1.57 (95% confidence interval: 1.18–2.10) for earlier natural menopause. In contrast, women with minor alleles at Thr394Thr in PPARGC1A showed a significantly lower adjusted hazard ratio of 0.86 (0.76–0.97) for earlier natural menopause. These associations did not substantially alter when re-analyzed after excluding the subjects who self-reported a history of diabetes or the subjects whose age was more than 65 years. Conclusions: Gene variants in PPARD and PPARGC1A might be associated with timing of natural menopause, probably through direct actions on the ovaries, among the general Japanese population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]