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To investigate the effect of a hot water extract of C. longa L. (WEC) containing anti-inflammatory agents, bisacurone, and turmeronol on chronic inflammation, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted in middle-aged and elderly subjects aged 50-69 years with overweight or prehypertension/mild hypertension. The subjects consumed 900 mg WEC tablets, containing 400 μg bisacurone, 80 μg turmeronol A and 20 μg turmeronol B (WEC group: n = 45), or placebo tablets without WEC (placebo group: n = 45) daily for 12 weeks. Serum inflammatory and metabolic markers were measured. The subjects also completed the MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) and the Profile of Mood States scale (POMS). In the WEC group, the serum levels of C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 decreased significantly. Compared with the placebo group, the WEC group had significantly lower serum levels of glucose, hemoglobin A1c, and triglycerides, as well as higher serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The WEC group also showed significant improvement of SF-36 scores (for general health, vitality, mental health, and mental summary component) and POMS scores for positive mood states (vigor-activity and friendliness). In conclusion, WEC may ameliorate chronic low-grade inflammation, thus contributing to the improvement of associated metabolic disorders and general health.

Purpose: Chronic low-level systemic and adipose tissue inflammation has been identified as a major etiologic factor in many chronic diseases, including hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Evidence from experimental studies suggests anti-inflammatory effects of dietary flavonols such as quercetin., Methods: We investigated the effects of regular intake of quercetin on leptin, adiponectin, biomarkers of inflammation, glucose and insulin in overweight-to-obese patients with pre- and stage 1 hypertension. Another objective was to assess the safety of daily quercetin supplementation measured by parameters of liver and kidney function and of hematology. Subjects (n = 70) were randomized to receive a supra-nutritional dose of 162 mg/d quercetin or placebo in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover trial with 6-week treatment periods separated by a 6-week washout period. Two subjects dropped out for personal reasons. Only data from the remaining 68 subjects were included in the analysis., Results: Compared to placebo, quercetin did not significantly affect serum concentrations of leptin and adiponectin, HOMA-AD or the ratios of leptin/adiponectin and adiponectin/leptin. Neither quercetin nor placebo significantly changed serum C-reactive protein and plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha. Compared to placebo, quercetin did not significantly affect glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, blood biomarkers of liver and renal function, hematology and serum electrolytes., Conclusion: A supra-nutritional dose of 162 mg/d quercetin from onion skin extract for 6 weeks is safe but without significant effects on parameters of systemic and adipose tissue inflammation as well as glucose and insulin in overweight-to-obese subjects with (pre-)hypertension. This trial was registered at www.germanctr.de/ and http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/ as DRKS00000555.

Aim: We assessed some major determinants of blood pressure (BP) in young adulthood to plan a lifestyle changes policy METHODS: A cross sectional survey was held, involving 2373 high school people (age 18-21), measuring BP, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WCirc), fat free mass (FFM); alcohol and smoking habits were evaluated by a questionnaire. In a subset of this population (n = 60) uric acid (UA), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were also evaluated., Results: Smoking and not alcohol was correlated to systolic blood pressure (SBP) through quartiles (31.7%, 39.1%, 46.5%, 45.5%). Systolic BP was significantly correlated with FFM in the whole population (r = 0.51) as well as in SBP quartiles (r = 0.243, 0.138, 0.118, 0.204). FFM-SBP cluster analysis gave two centroids corresponding to sexes; females n = 998; coordinates (116.4 mmHg, 38.9 kg) and males n = 1068; coordinates (131.3 mmHg, 56.7 kg). In the n = 60 substudy a multiple linear regression model (multiple R = 0.741) with SBP as dependent variable and UA, FFM, BMI, eGFR as explicative ones, only UA (β coefficent = 0.363, partial r = 0.240, P < 0.01) was the determinant of BP particularly in men. Moreover in the same group we found an inverse relationship between eGFR (albeit always in the normal range) and UA, as well as for women (r = -0.54, P < 0.01) and men (r = -0.43, P < 0.01) analyzed separately., Conclusions: A significant correlation exists between BP and FFM; UA has proven to be the most important SBP determinant. At variance with paediatric age UA was negatively correlated with renal function. Dietary intervention on UA and alcohol habits in young adults seems advisable to prevent hypertension., (© 2016 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.)

Introduction: overweight and obesity in adolescents are major public health problems with particular interest, because of their potential association with risk factors for development of diseases. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents in southern Portugal and investigate the association with risk factors for development of cardiovascular, respiratory and musculoskeletal diseases., Methods: the sample consisted of 966 adolescents aged 10 to 16 years. The calculation of body mass index (BMI), evaluation of blood glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides, blood pressure, spirometry and application of low back pain (LBP) questionnaire were performed., Results: 178 (18.4%) adolescents were overweight and 52 (5.4%) obese. None of the variables revealed a statistically significant association with overweight and obesity. The presence of high blood pressure was observed in 200 (20.7%) individuals and hypertension in 158 (16.4%) adolescents. Overweight and obese adolescents are 2.3 times more likely to develop signs of pre-hypertension and hypertension. 559 (57.9%) students had restrictive respiratory disorders and 23 (2.4%) had obstructive disorders. Those who were overweight and obese had 0.64 probability of having restrictive respiratory disorders., Conclusion: there was a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese adolescents and these showed a statistically significant relationship with the development of pre-hypertension and hypertension, and restrictive respiratory disorders.

Aims: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose among urban university applicants in Eastern China., Method: The study uses data from the annual health examination among all students finishing high school who applied for university entrance in Changzhou City in 2012. In total, 6716 students aged 17-19 years had fasting blood glucose, alanine transaminase, height, weight and blood pressure measured. Impaired fasting glucose and diabetes were defined as fasting blood glucose ≥ 5.6 mmol/l (but < 7 mmol/l) and ≥ 7 mmol/l, respectively., Results: The overall prevalence of impaired fasting glucose and diabetes was 2.40% and 0.13%, respectively (3.67% and 0.09% in boys; 1.09% and 0.18% in girls). In total, 20.9% of boys and 10.6% of girls were overweight/obese. High socio-economic status was associated with an increased risk of diabetes/impaired fasting glucose, but the association was significant only among boys (adjusted odds ratio 1.94, 95% CI 1.26-2.98). Alanine transaminase levels were significantly and positively related to diabetes/impaired fasting glucose risk. Overweight/obesity was significantly associated with increased risk of impaired fasting glucose/diabetes in girls, but not in boys. Moreover, the number of the above-mentioned risk factors (i.e. overweight/obesity, elevated alanine transaminase, pre-hypertension) was significantly and positively related to diabetes/impaired fasting glucose among both boys and girls., Conclusions: Impaired fasting glucose was prevalent among urban university applicants, in particular boys and those of high socio-economic status in eastern China. Elevated levels of liver function enzyme appear to be the strongest risk factor for diabetes/impaired fasting glucose., (© 2014 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2014 Diabetes UK.)

Several epidemiological studies in adults have suggested a favourable effect of frequent eating on blood lipid profiles, but evidence in younger populations is lacking. In the present cross-sectional study, we examined the associations of eating frequency (EF) with metabolic risk factors in British children aged 4-10 years (n 818) and adolescents aged 11-18 years (n 818). Dietary intake was assessed using a 7 d weighed dietary record. EF was calculated based on all eating occasions, except for those providing < 210 kJ of energy. Metabolic risk factors examined were total, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations, TAG concentration, BMI z-score, waist:height ratio (WHtR; only adolescents), and systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Adjustment was made for age, sex, social class, physical activity levels, intakes of protein, fat, total sugar and dietary fibre, ratio of reported energy intake to estimated energy requirement (EI:EER) and BMI z-score (except for BMI z-score and WHtR). In children, EF was inversely associated with total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations (n 324, P= 0·01 and 0·04, respectively). Conversely, EF was positively associated with BMI z-score in adolescents (P= 0·004). There were no associations between EF and other metabolic risk factors. In analyses in which only plausible energy reporters (EI:EER: 0·72-1·28) were included, similar results were obtained, except for an inverse association between EF and diastolic blood pressure in children. In conclusion, a higher EF is associated with lower total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations in children but with a higher BMI z-score in adolescents.

Aim: The aim of this study, the YOung TAiwanese Cohort (YOTA) Study, was to investigate the relationship between a childhood overweight/obese status and young adult preclinical atherosclerosis, including assessments of the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and prehypertension or hypertension., Methods: From among children who participated in the 1992-2000 mass urine screening program in Taiwan, we recruited 303 subjects with an elevated blood pressure (EBP) and 486 subjects with a normal BP in childhood during the period of 2006-2008. These 789 young adults received health check-ups for cardiovascular health, including examinations of blood and urine parameters, anthropometrics, BP and the CIMT, a subclinical cardiovascular risk index. Data analyses were used to evaluate the associated risks in both childhood and young adulthood., Results: The school students with a childhood overweight/obese status had a higher risk of prehypertension or hypertension, with a relative risk of 3.20 (1.40-7.33) for being overweight and 6.51 (3.36-12.63) for being obese in young adulthood at an average age of 21. A childhood overweight/obese status also predicted a higher risk of having a thicker CIMT, with a relative risk of 2.82 (1.26-6.28) and 4.17 (2.21-7.85) for being overweight and obese in adulthood, respectively, after a mean follow-up of 8.5 years. The body mass index exhibited a consistent trend from childhood to adulthood, with an adjusted R square of 0.551. The participants who were not overweight/obese in childhood also demonstrated a higher risk of prehypertension or hypertension if they became overweight or obese in adulthood., Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of preventing and treating an overweight or obese status in childhood for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in adulthood.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine prepregnancy cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers and the subsequent risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy., Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study of 3380 women who took part in a comprehensive multiphasic health checkup (MHC) examination between 1984 and 1996 and who subsequently delivered at Kaiser Permanente Northern California., Results: Two hundred five women were diagnosed with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. Prepregnancy measurements of overweight/obesity (body mass index, ≥25.0 kg/m(2)), prehypertension, and inflammation (leukocytes, ≥7.2 10(3)/μL) were associated independently with hypertensive disorder of pregnancy risk (odds ratio [OR], 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-2.3; OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.5-2.8; and OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.3, respectively). Being overweight/obese and having prehypertension before pregnancy was associated with a 3.5-fold increased risk of hypertensive disorder of pregnancy compared with women with normal levels of both risk factors., Conclusion: A prepregnancy cardiometabolic and inflammation risk profile may help clinicians identify high-risk women to target for early intervention or management of hypertensive disorder of pregnancy., (Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)