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Purpose: To explore the effects of 10 weeks of progressive vigorous interval training as a single intervention on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and cardiometabolic risk markers in centrally obese 70-year-old individuals., Participants and Methods: A randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov registration no. NCT03450655) including seventy-seven community-dwelling 70-year-old men and women with central obesity defined as > 1 kg visceral adipose tissue for women and > 2 kg for men. Participants randomized to the intervention group were offered a 10-week progressive vigorous interval training program performed three times per week. Control subjects were asked to maintain their daily living and routines throughout the trial. All participants in both groups had received tailored lifestyle recommendations focused on diet and physical activity at one occasion within 12 months prior to trial initiation. Prespecified outcome measures included: changes in HRQoL using the Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36), blood pressure; resting heart rate (HR) and blood lipids. All analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis., Results: The intervention resulted in significant effects on the SF-36 mental component summary (MCS) score and the mental health (MH) subscale ( P < 0.05 for both), when compared to the control group. Specifically, the intervention group increased their MCS score by 6.3 points (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.3-12.3) and their MH score by 6.0 points (95% CI = 1.7-10.4) compared to the control group. Moreover, significant effects were seen on resting HR, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol ( P <0.05 for all)., Conclusion: It was shown that 10 weeks of vigorous interval training as a single intervention was sufficient to improve mental aspects of HRQoL in older individuals with central obesity, which is a critical aspect of healthy ageing. Positive effects were seen also on cardiometabolic risk markers., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2019 Ballin et al.)

Importance: Observational studies have shown that obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death. The extent of genetic confounding in these associations is unclear., Objective: To compare the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), type 2 diabetes, and death in monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs discordant for body mass index (BMI)., Design, Setting, and Participants: A cohort of 4046 MZ twin pairs with discordant BMIs (difference >0.01) was identified using the nationwide Swedish twin registry. The study was conducted from March 17, 1998, to January 16, 2003, with follow-up regarding incident outcomes until December 31, 2013., Main Outcomes and Measures: The combined primary end point of death or MI and the secondary end point of incident diabetes were evaluated in heavier compared with leaner twins in a co-twin control analysis using multivariable conditional logistic regression., Results: Mean (SD) baseline age for both cohorts was 57.6 (9.5) years (range, 41.9-91.8 years). During a mean follow-up period of 12.4 (2.5) years, 203 MIs (5.0%) and 550 deaths (13.6%) occurred among heavier twins (mean [SD] BMI, 25.9 [3.6] [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared]) compared with 209 MIs (5.2%) and 633 deaths (15.6%) among leaner twins (mean [SD] BMI, 23.9 [3.1]; combined multivariable adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.91). Even in twin pairs with BMI discordance of 7.0 or more (mean [SE], 9.3 [0.7]), where the heavier twin had a BMI of 30.0 or more (n = 65 pairs), the risk of MI or death was not greater in heavier twins (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.15-1.18). In contrast, in the total cohort of twins, the risk of incident diabetes was greater in heavier twins (OR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.61-2.84). Finally, increases in BMI since 30 years before baseline were not associated with the later risk of MI or death (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.89-1.05) but were associated with the risk of incident diabetes (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01-1.26)., Conclusions and Relevance: In MZ twin pairs, higher BMI was not associated with an increased risk of MI or death but was associated with the onset of diabetes. These results may suggest that lifestyle interventions to reduce obesity are more effective in decreasing the risk of diabetes than the risk of cardiovascular disease or death.

Background: Fitness level and obesity have been associated with death in older populations. We investigated the relationship between aerobic fitness in late adolescence and early death, and whether a high fitness level can compensate the risk of being obese., Methods: The cohort comprised 1 317 713 Swedish men (mean age, 18 years) that conscripted between 1969 and 1996. Aerobic fitness was assessed by an electrically braked cycle test. All-cause and specific causes of death were tracked using national registers. Multivariable adjusted associations were tested using Cox regression models., Results: During a mean follow-up period of 29 years, 44 301 subjects died. Individuals in the highest fifth of aerobic fitness were at lower risk of death from any cause [hazard ratio (HR), 0.49; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.47-0.51] in comparison with individuals in the lowest fifth, with the strongest association seen for death related to alcohol and narcotics abuse (HR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.15-0.26). Similar risks were found for weight-adjusted aerobic fitness. Aerobic fitness was associated with a reduced risk of death from any cause in normal-weight and overweight individuals, whereas the benefits were reduced in obese individuals (P < 0.001 for interaction). Furthermore, unfit normal-weight individuals had 30% lower risk of death from any cause (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.53-0.92) than did fit obese individuals., Conclusions: Low aerobic fitness in late adolescence is associated with an increased risk of early death. Furthermore, the risk of early death was higher in fit obese individuals than in unfit normal-weight individuals., (© The Author 2015; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.)

Background: Stroke is a common cause of death, and a leading contributor to long-term disability. The cost associated with the disease is great. Several modifiable risk factors for stroke have been found in older cohorts; however, no study to date has investigated the effects of these risk factors from late adolescence., Methods: The study cohort comprised 811,579 Swedish men (mean age, 18 years) that participated in the mandatory military conscription service in Sweden between 1969 and 1986. Some risk factors for stroke, such as body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and cognitive function, were assessed at conscription. Aerobic fitness was also assessed at conscription, using a braked ergometer cycle test. Other risk factors for stroke, including stroke in subjects' parents, and socioeconomic factors including highest achieved level of education and annual income 15 years after conscription, were collected through national register linkage using the personal identification number. Stroke diagnosis among the study participants was tracked in the National Hospital Discharge Patient Register., Results: During a median follow-up period of 33 years 6,180 ischemic strokes and 2,104 hemorrhagic strokes were diagnosed in the cohort at a mean age of 47.9 years. Strong independent risk factors (all p <1.0 × 10-(6)) for ischemic stroke included low aerobic fitness (hazard ratio [HR], 0.84 per standard deviation [SD] increase), high BMI (HR, 1.15 per SD increase), diabetes (HR, 2.85), alcohol intoxication (HR, 1.93), low annual income (HR, 0.85 per SD decrease), and stroke in the mother (HR, 1.31). Similar risk factors were found for hemorrhagic stroke including low aerobic fitness (HR, 0.82 per SD increase), high BMI (HR, 1.18 per SD increase) alcohol intoxication (HR, 2.92), diabetes (HR, 2.06), and low annual income (HR, 0.75). The population attributable risks associated with all evaluated risk factors were 69% for ischemic stroke and 88% for hemorrhagic stroke (p < 0.001 for both)., Conclusions: In the present study we have shown that several known risk factors for stroke are present already in late adolescence, and that they are independent of each other. The strongest risk factors were low physical fitness, high BMI, diabetes, low annual income and a maternal history of stroke. Several of the aforementioned risk factors are potentially modifiable., (© 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

To identify genetic loci influencing central obesity and fat distribution, we performed a meta-analysis of 16 genome-wide association studies (GWAS, N = 38,580) informative for adult waist circumference (WC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR). We selected 26 SNPs for follow-up, for which the evidence of association with measures of central adiposity (WC and/or WHR) was strong and disproportionate to that for overall adiposity or height. Follow-up studies in a maximum of 70,689 individuals identified two loci strongly associated with measures of central adiposity; these map near TFAP2B (WC, P = 1.9x10(-11)) and MSRA (WC, P = 8.9x10(-9)). A third locus, near LYPLAL1, was associated with WHR in women only (P = 2.6x10(-8)). The variants near TFAP2B appear to influence central adiposity through an effect on overall obesity/fat-mass, whereas LYPLAL1 displays a strong female-only association with fat distribution. By focusing on anthropometric measures of central obesity and fat distribution, we have identified three loci implicated in the regulation of human adiposity., Competing Interests: The authors from Decode Genetics Inc. own stocks and stock options in the company. VM, NL, KS and DMW are full-time employees of GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company. The other authors have no competing interests to declare.

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple risk loci for common obesity (FTO, MC4R, TMEM18, GNPDA2, SH2B1, KCTD15, MTCH2, NEGR1 and PCSK1). Here we extend those studies by examining associations with adiposity and type 2 diabetes in Swedish adults. The nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 3885 non-diabetic and 1038 diabetic individuals with available measures of height, weight and body mass index (BMI). Adipose mass and distribution were objectively assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in a sub-group of non-diabetics (n = 2206). In models with adipose mass traits, BMI or obesity as outcomes, the most strongly associated SNP was FTO rs1121980 (P < 0.001). Five other SNPs (SH2B1 rs7498665, MTCH2 rs4752856, MC4R rs17782313, NEGR1 rs2815752 and GNPDA2 rs10938397) were significantly associated with obesity. To summarize the overall genetic burden, a weighted risk score comprising a subset of SNPs was constructed; those in the top quintile of the score were heavier (+2.6 kg) and had more total (+2.4 kg), gynoid (+191 g) and abdominal (+136 g) adipose tissue than those in the lowest quintile (all P < 0.001). The genetic burden score significantly increased diabetes risk, with those in the highest quintile (n = 193/594 cases/controls) being at 1.55-fold (95% CI 1.21-1.99; P < 0.0001) greater risk of type 2 diabetes than those in the lowest quintile (n = 130/655 cases/controls). In summary, we have statistically replicated six of the previously associated obese-risk loci and our results suggest that the weight-inducing effects of these variants are explained largely by increased adipose accumulation.

Context: Abdominal obesity is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the correlation of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) measurements of regional fat mass with CVD risk factors has not been completely investigated., Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of estimated regional fat mass, measured with DEXA and CVD risk factors., Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a cross-sectional study of 175 men and 417 women. DEXA measurements of regional fat mass were performed on all subjects, who subsequently participated in a community intervention program., Main Outcome Measures: Outcome measures included impaired glucose tolerance, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension., Results: We began by assessing the associations of the adipose measures with the cardiovascular outcomes. After adjustment for confounders, a sd unit increase in abdominal fat mass was the strongest predictor of most cardiovascular variables in men [odds ratio (OR)=2.63-3.37; P<0.05], whereas the ratio of abdominal to gynoid fat mass was the strongest predictor in women (OR=1.48-2.19; P<0.05). Gynoid fat mass was positively associated with impaired glucose tolerance, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension in men (OR=2.07-2.15; P<0.05), whereas the ratio of gynoid to total fat mass showed a negative association with hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension (OR=0.42-0.62; P<0.005)., Conclusions: Abdominal fat mass is strongly independently associated with CVD risk factors in the present study. In contrast, gynoid fat mass was positively associated, whereas the ratio of gynoid to total fat mass was negatively associated with risk factors for CVD.

Context: The association between retinol and bone mineral density (BMD) in males after puberty has not been fully investigated previously., Objective: To investigate the association between retinol, retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP-4), BMD (g/cm(2)), abdominal fat mass, and markers of bone metabolism in young men., Design: Longitudinal study., Participants: Seventy-eight healthy males with a mean age of 22.6+/-0.7 years at baseline. A follow-up was conducted in 73 of the participants 2.0+/-0.4 years later., Main Outcome Measures: Associations between serum concentrations of retinol and RBP-4, and BMD of the total body, lumbar spine, and hip, serum concentrations of osteocalcin, and carboxy terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX), were investigated., Results: Both retinol and RBP-4 showed an inverse relationship with that of osteocalcin (r=-0.23 to -0.25, P<0.05). Levels of RBP-4 (r=0.26, P=0.02) and osteocalcin (r=-0.23, P=0.04) were also related to abdominal fat mass, and the relationship between RBP-4, retinol, and osteocalcin disappeared after adjusting for this influence of abdominal fat mass. Neither retinol nor RBP-4 concentrations were associated with BMD at any site, CTX as baseline, or changes in BMD during the 2-year follow-up period. Levels of RBP-4 showed a strong association with levels of retinol (r=0.61, P<0.001)., Conclusion: We found a negative association between the bone formation marker osteocalcin with retinol and RBP-4. The association disappeared when adjusting for the influence of abdominal fat mass. Neither retinol nor RBP-4 were associated with peak BMD in young men.

Background: The identification of potential high-risk groups for depression is of importance. The purpose of the present study was to identify high-risk profiles for depressive symptoms in older individuals, with a focus on functional performance.Methods: The population-based Healthy Ageing Initiative included 2,084 community-dwelling individuals (49% women) aged 70. Explorative cluster analysis was used to group participants according to functional performance level, using measures of basic mobility skills, gait variability, and grip strength. Intercluster differences in depressive symptoms (measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]-15), physical activity (PA; measured objectively with the ActiGraph GT3X+), and a rich set of covariates were examined.Results: The cluster analysis yielded a seven-cluster solution. One potential high-risk cluster was identified, with overrepresentation of individuals with GDS scores >5 (15.1 vs. 2.7% expected; relative risk = 6.99, P < .001); the prevalence of depressive symptoms was significantly lower in the other clusters (all P < .01). The potential high-risk cluster had significant overrepresentations of obese individuals (39.7 vs. 17.4% expected) and those with type 2 diabetes (24.7 vs. 8.5% expected), and underrepresentation of individuals who fulfilled the World Health Organization's PA recommendations (15.6 vs. 59.1% expected; all P < .01), as well as low levels of functional performance.Conclusions: The present study provided a potential high-risk profile for depressive symptoms among elderly community-dwelling individuals, which included low levels functional performance combined with low levels of PA. Including PA in medical screening of the elderly may aid in identification of potential high-risk individuals for depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which illustrated postpubertal changes in total and abdominal adiposity in young men in relation to changes in physical activity (PA). The study subjects were composed of 107 white men with a mean age of 17.1 ± 1.7 years at baseline. Variables measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry included total percentage body fat and abdominal percentage body fat. A detailed discussion on the study findings is given.