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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. Recent evidence has suggested the protective effects of honey consumption against the metabolic syndrome, but the association between honey intake and NAFLD is still unclear. We investigated how the consumption frequency of honey was associated with NAFLD in the general population. This was a cross-sectional study of 21 979 adults aged 20–90 years. NAFLD was diagnosed based on the ultrasound-diagnosed fatty liver without significant alcohol intake and other liver diseases. Diet information, including consumption frequency of honey, was assessed by a validated 100-item FFQ. OR with 95 % CI were calculated by the binary logistic regression model, adjusting for confounding factors identified by the directed acyclic graph. Overall, 6513 adults (29·6 %) had NAFLD. Compared with participants consuming ≤1 time/week of honey, the multivariable OR of NAFLD were 0·86 (95 % CI 0·77, 0·97) for 2–6 times/week and 1·10 (95 % CI 0·95, 1·27) for ≥1 times/d (Pfor trend = 0·90). The results were generally similar in subgroups of BMI at a cut-point of 24·0 kg/m2 (Pfor interaction = 0·10). In this large-scale study, consuming honey 2–6 times/week was inversely associated with NAFLD, whereas consuming honey ≥1 times/d had no association with NAFLD. These results need replication in other large-scale prospective studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Animal studies have shown that soy protein and isoflavones can increase antioxidant capacity and improve insulin resistance, and thus ameliorate nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, only limited epidemiological studies have examined the association of soy food intake with NAFLD.Objectives: We investigated the association between soy food intake and NAFLD in a Chinese cohort.Methods: A total of 24,622 participants aged 20-90 y were included in the study. Diet information was collected using a validated 100-item FFQ. NAFLD was defined as having fatty liver diagnosed by ultrasonography and excluding men and women who consumed >210 g alcohol/wk and >140 g/wk, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association of soy food intake with NAFLD.Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, and taking those with <1 time/wk soy food intake as the reference group, the ORs for NAFLD across soy food intake frequency were 0.94 (95% CI: 0.83, 1.07) for 1 time/wk, 0.88 (95% CI: 0.78, 0.99) for 2-3 times/wk, and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.65, 0.87) for ≥4 times/wk (P-trend <0.0001). The results were similar when participants were categorized by the energy-adjusted soy food intake (grams per 1000 kilocalories) quartiles (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.71, 0.91; comparing extreme quartiles).Conclusions: Higher soy food intake was associated with a lower prevalence of NAFLD in Chinese adults. Further prospective studies and randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm if soy food intake is inversely related to the risk of NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The health benefits of dietary fibre (DF) intake on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are controversial. Thus, this large cross-sectional study aimed to determine the associations between DF intake and the prevalence of newly-diagnosed NAFLD in a large general population. Methods: A total of 23,529 participants were enrolled in the analyses. Newly-diagnosed NAFLD was diagnosed according to liver ultrasonography and history of alcohol intake. DF intake was assessed using a validated self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was applied to estimate the associations between DF intake and NAFLD. Results: In total, 18.81% (n = 4426) of the participants were newly diagnosed with NAFLD. Compared with the participants in the lowest quartile of DF intake, the ORs (95% CI) for the participants in the highest quartile were 0.81 (0.67, 0.97), 0.78 (0.62, 0.99), and 0.85 (0.62, 1.17) for all participants, men, and women, respectively. Compared with the participants in the lowest quartile of insoluble DF intake, the ORs (95% CI) for the participants in the highest quartile were 0.70 (0.58, 0.85), 0.60 (0.47, 0.76), and 0.95 (0.68, 1.32) in all participants, men, and women, respectively. No association was observed between soluble DF intake and NAFLD. DF from whole grain, soy foods, vegetables, and nuts but not fruits were negatively associated with NAFLD. Conclusions: A higher intake of insoluble DF is associated with lower prevalence of newly-diagnosed NAFLD in men. Moreover, intake DF from whole grain, soy foods, vegetables, and nuts, but not fruits have favorable effect on the prevalence of newly diagnosed NAFLD. Further cohort studies and randomized controlled trials are needed to validate this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent evidence shows that screen time may be an important risk factor for mental health. The aim of this study was to examine the association of computer/mobile devices (CMD) use and TV watching separately with depressive symptoms in a large representative sample of Chinese adults.Methods: A sample of 18,994 adults in Tianjin, China was studied in a cross-sectional analysis. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). CMD use and TV watching time were self-reported and divided into five categories. The associations were estimated by odds ratios (ORs) using logistic regression models adjusted for multiple confounders.Results: The prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms was 16.3% (SDS ≥ 45). For CMD use, the ORs of the depressive symptoms decreased across time levels. Compared with the least use time (<1 hr/day), multivariable-adjusted ORs (95% confidence interval [CI]) of other time categories for elevated depressive symptoms were 0.78 (0.66, 0.91), 0.67 (0.57, 0.80), 0.65 (0.54, 0.77), and 0.77 (0.62, 0.96) respectively. For TV watching, the ORs of the depressive symptoms increased across time levels. Compared with the least watching time (<1 hr/day), multivariable-adjusted ORs (95% CI) for elevated depressive symptoms across the time categories were 1.00 (0.89, 1.12), 1.28 (1.11, 1.48), 1.26 (0.98, 1.60), and 1.95 (1.10, 3.35), respectively.Conclusions: These findings suggested that different types of screen time may play different roles in the mental health of general adults. Further studies are needed to clarify the reasons for these distinct associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Quercetin is one of potential antidiabetic substances because of its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. The purpose of this study is to estimate daily quercetin intake and assess the relationship between dietary quercetin intake and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a Chinese population. Methods: Dietary intake was investigated by a validated 100-item food frequency questionnaire. Daily intakes of quercetin and nutrients were calculated accordingly. T2DM was diagnosed based on the criteria of the American Diabetes Association. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between the quartiles of quercetin intake and the prevalence of T2DM. Results: The prevalences of T2DM were 8.35% in men and 4.68% in women. The main food sources of quercetin were apple, orange, and green tea. Daily intake of quercetin was 20.9 ± 2.32 mg/day (mean ± SD). After adjusting for potentially confounding factors, the odds ratios (95% CI) for T2DM across the ascending quartiles of quercetin intake were: 1.00 (reference), 0.75 (0.60–0.95), 0.76 (0.59–0.99), and 0.63 (0.51–0.94). Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that quercetin intake was inversely related to the prevalence of T2DM in the Chinese population, suggesting a protective effect of quercetin in the development of T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Epidemiological studies directly examining the association between habitual yoghurt consumption and mental health remain scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of yoghurt consumption with depressive symptoms in adults.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 19,596 Chinese adults (mean age 41.2, standard deviation 11.8 years; males, 54.3%). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Dietary intake was obtained through a valid food frequency questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between yoghurt consumption and depressive symptoms. A number of potential confounders were adjusted in the model.Results: The prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms was 17.1% (SDS ≥45). The multivariable adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) of having elevated depressive symptoms by increasing levels of yoghurt consumption (1-3 times/week, 4-7 times/week, and  ≥twice/day) were 1.05 (0.96, 1.15), 1.02 (0.91, 1.15), and 2.10 (1.61, 2.73) in comparison with lowest consumption group (

Purpose: Excessive consumption of soft drinks is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the association between soft drinks consumption and NAFLD is unclear in non-Caucasian adults with relatively low soft drinks consumption. The aim of this study was to assess the association between soft drinks consumption and NAFLD in Chinese adults.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 26,790 adults living in Tianjin, China. NAFLD (with elevated alanine aminotransferase [ALT]) was diagnosed by the liver ultrasonography and serum ALT concentrations. Soft drinks consumption was assessed using a validated self-administered food frequency questionnaire, and it was summarized as three categories for analysis: almost never (reference), <1 cup/week, and ≥1 cups/week. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined according to the criteria of the American Heart Association scientific statements of 2009. The association between soft drinks consumption and NAFLD was assessed by multiple logistic regression analysis.Results: The prevalence of NAFLD and NAFLD with elevated ALT was 27.1 and 6.5%, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounding variables (including MetS), the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for NAFLD or NAFLD with elevated ALT across soft drinks consumption were 1.00 (reference) for almost never, 1.14 (1.02-1.27) or 1.16 (0.98-1.37) for <1 cup/week, and 1.26 (1.14-1.40) or 1.32 (1.13-1.53) for ≥1 cups/week (both P for trend <0.001), respectively.Conclusions: This is the first study to demonstrate that soft drinks consumption is associated with NAFLD independent of MetS in Chinese adults with relatively low soft drinks consumption. These results suggest that reducing soft drinks consumption might be beneficial to the prevention of NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depressive symptoms are a common, debilitating, and costly public health issue. Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection cause changes in the normal physiological state of the gastrointestinal (GI) flora. Although the physiological state of the GI tract is closely related to mental disorders, few population studies have examined the relationship between H pylori infection and depressive symptoms in the general population. The aim of this study was to examine whether H pylori infection is related to depressive symptoms among the general adult population. Materials and Methods: This cross‐sectional study included 5558 inhabitants of Tianjin, China. H pylori infection was diagnosed with the carbon 13 breath test. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Chinese version of 20‐item Self‐rating Depression Scale (SDS) with three cutoffs (45, 48, and 50) to indicate elevated depressive symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted to assess the association between H pylori infection and depressive symptoms. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms (SDS ≥ 45) was 12.7% in men and 17.4% in women. In multivariable models, the odds ratios and 95% confidence interval of having depressive symptoms by H pylori infection were 1.25 (1.01‐1.56), 1.46 (1.11‐1.91), and 1.46 (1.05‐2.06) for three cutoffs: 45, 48, and 50 in women. However, no significant difference was found between H pylori infection and depressive symptoms in men. Conclusions: This study firstly suggested that H pylori infection was related to depressive symptoms in women in the general adult population. Further prospective studies or randomized trials are required to clarify the causality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Banana contains many kinds of substances that are beneficial to depressive symptoms. However, there are no epidemiological researches directly to explore the association between banana consumption and depressive symptoms. This study aimed to investigate whether the banana consumption is related to depressive symptoms in a general adult population.Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 24,673 adults in Tianjin. Banana consumption was evaluated via a validated food frequency questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were assessed by using Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). The association between banana consumption and depressive symptoms was analyzed by multiple logistic regression analysis.Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 16.1% in males and 18.4% in females (SDS ≥ 45), respectively. In males, comparing to the reference group (almost never), the multivariable adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals) of depressive symptoms across banana consumption were 0.86 (0.74, 0.99) for <1 time/week, 0.76 (0.66, 0.88) for 1-3 times/week and 0.97 (0.82, 1.16) for ≥4 times/week. By contrast, the multivariable adjusted ORs (95% confidence intervals) were 1.11 (0.94, 1.32) for <1 time/week, 0.99 (0.85, 1.16) for 1-3 times/week and 1.22 (1.02, 1.46) for ≥4 times/week in females. Similar association was observed when other cut-offs (SDS ≥ 48 and 50) were used to define depressive symptoms.Limitation: This is a cross-sectional study, causality remains unknown.Conclusion: Findings from this study suggested a negative association between moderate banana consumption and depressive symptoms in males. In females, high banana consumption is positively related to depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prediabetes has been a growing health problem in China, and it is a high-risk state for developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In previous studies, low grip strength has been associated with diabetes. However, few population-based studies have examined the relationship between grip strength and prediabetes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether grip strength is related to prediabetes in a large-scale adult population.Methods: A total of 27,295 participants aged 20 to 90 years were included from the 2013-2016 Tianjin Chronic Low-grade Systemic Inflammation and Health Cohort Study. Grip strength was assessed using an electronic hand-grip dynamometer and the greatest force was normalized to body weight. Prediabetes was diagnosed based on the American Diabetes Association criteria. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted in 2018 to assess the relationship of grip strength to the prevalence of prediabetes, while controlling for age, BMI, smoking, drinking, physical activities, dietary patterns, and other confounders.Results: Of the 27,295 participants, 28.5% (7,783) had prediabetes. After adjusting for potential confounders, a one unit increase in grip strength per body weight was associated with 52% lower odds of having prediabetes for men (OR=0.48, 95% CI=0.30, 0.74, p<0.01) and 62% lower odds of having prediabetes for women (OR=0.38, 95% CI=0.20, 0.70, p<0.01).Conclusions: Increased grip strength is independently associated with lower prevalence of prediabetes in Chinese adults, suggesting that grip strength may be a useful marker for screening individuals at risk of prediabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • NLR is positively related to depressive symptoms in women, but not in men. • This is a general population study on the association of NLR and depressive symptoms. • Our results indicate a sex-specific association between inflammation and depression. Abstract Background The prevalence of depression in the general population has risen sharply over the past few decades and has become a major health problem throughout the world. Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of depression. To better understand the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of depression we can use the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) because it is a simple and effective marker of inflammation and immunity. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among adults from the healthy general population in Tianjin, China. NLR was measured according to the complete blood count. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and a cutoff score of 45 was used to indicate the presence of depressive symptoms in the study participants. The relationship between NLR and the prevalence of depressive symptoms was evaluated separately for men and women using the multiple logistic regression analysis. Results In the present study, the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 17.0% among all participants. In women, the multivariable-adjusted OR of having depressive symptoms was 1.28 (95% CI 1.10, 1.49; p for trend <0.01) for the fifth compared with the first quintile of NLR, and was 1.22 (95% CI 1.07,1.39; p < 0.01) per unit increase of NLR. However, no significant association was found between NLR and depressive symptoms in men. Conclusion This study suggests that increased NLR levels are independently related to depressive symptoms in women, but not in men. Further research is required to investigate this relationship with longitudinal data to establish the temporal ordering between these variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]