Overweight Syndrome Research Articles

Hip Circumference is an Important Predictor of Plasma C-reactive Protein Levels in Overweight and Obese Taiwanese Women

To investigate the relationship between serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) with obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in overweight or obese Taiwanese women. Analysis was performed on data from 59 overweight or obese women enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Pearson's correlation coefficients were determined between CRP and simple anthropometric indices, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) and serum lipid levels. Forward step-wise regression procedure was used to find a "best" subset of predictor variables for CRP. CRP was found to have significantly positive correlation with body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, body mass index, log of fasting glucose levels, fasting insulin levels and HOMA. Forward stepwise regression procedure showed that the best predictor for CRP was hip circumference. The correlation between CRP and insulin resistance or abnormal lipid levels is attributed to their strong correlations with obesity.

Analysis of Recent Papers in Hypertension

Analysis of Recent Papers in Hypertension

ECSS position statement: Exercise and obesity

This is a review on the effects of physical exercise on weight, body composition and health in prevention and management of obesity. Individuals who maintain or increase their physical activity also show the best weight control over a period of several years. However, physical activity at baseline of prospective studies does not consistently predict weight change, perhaps because of changes in physical activity during the follow-up. Moderate-intensity (e.g. walking) physical activity during dietinduced weight reduction leads to modest improvements in weight, abdominal fat and total fat loss. Moderate exercise 250–300 min/wk is recommended for weight reducing purposes. For maintenance of reduced body weight, more than 60 min moderate exercise per day after weight reduction might be needed. Studies have found a more pronounced training-induced loss of visceral compared to subcutaneous fat in overweight and obese subjects. Physical activity will help to lower risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension and the metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese individuals and that more pronounced effects can be attained in combination with maintained weight loss. The intensity of physical activity should be at least moderate (>30–40% VO2max) to cause metabolic health benefits. A suitable frequency for moderate-intensity physical activity seems to be daily, and for vigorous activity every other day.

Effects of switching from olanzapine to risperidone on the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in overweight or obese patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder: Analysis of a multicenter, rater-blinded, open-label study

Background: A major contributor to mortality inpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder is cardiovascular disease, an important risk factor for which is the cluster of clinical abnormalities that define the metabolic syndrome (eg, abdominal/visceral obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, impaired glucose tolerance). Objective: The aim of this article was to examinethe effects of switching from the antipsychotic olanzapine to risperidone on the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in high-risk overweight or obese patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Methods: This post hoc analysis was based on datafrom a previous 2-phase, 20-week, multicenter (19 US sites), rater-blinded, open-label study. High-risk overweight or obese (body mass index [BMI], >26 kg/m 2) patients aged 18 to 65 years with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder whose treatment was switched from olanzapine to risperidone were enrolled. Patients who entered the phase 1 switch from olanzapine to risperidone (6 weeks) and the phase 2 extension (14 weeks) were included in the assessment. The primary end point was the difference from baseline in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome at week 20, determined using measurements of weight, BMI, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP). Results: Baseline assessments for the metabolic syndrome were available from 121 of 123 patients recruited for phase 1 of the study (61 men, 60 women; mean [SD] age, 41.1 [10.2] years; mean [SD] BMI, 33.9 [6.9] kg/m 2); 71 patients entered phase 2 (29 men, 42 women; mean [SD] age, 40.2 [10.3] years; mean [SD] BMI, 35.1 [7.3] kg/m 2), of whom 39 (54.9%) ere diagnosed with schizophrenia, and 32 (45.1%) with schizoaffective disorder. The metabolic syndrome was identified in 63 (52.1%) patients at study entry. In the 71 patients with data available from baseline and week 20 (using the last observation carried forward method), the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was reduced from 38 (53.5%) patients at baseline to 26 (36.6%) at study end (McNemar χ 2 = 8.0, P < 0.005). Significant improvements at study end were seen in mean weight ( P = 0.031), BMI ( P = 0.002), waist circumference ( P = 0.003), SBP ( P = 0.006), and DBP ( P = 0.010). There was no significant difference in the reduction in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome between patients who did or did not receive the behavioral therapy for weight loss. Conclusions: In this post hoc analysis of switchingfrom the antipsychotic olanzapine to risperidone on the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in high-risk overweight or obese patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, the metabolic syndrome was highly prevalent at baseline. Switching from olanza- pine to risperidone was associated with a significant reduction in this prevalence.

Calcium and Dairy Intake and Measures of Obesity in Hyper‐ and Normocholesterolemic Children

Calcium intake has been inversely associated with body weight and body fatness in adults and, to a lesser extent, in children. Dairy intake has been inversely associated with metabolic syndrome in overweight but not normal-weight adults. We assessed whether intakes of calcium and dairy foods were associated with measures of obesity in hypercholesterolemic (HC) and normocholesterolemic (non-HC) children at baseline and over 1 year. Non-obese 4- to 10-year-old HC and non-HC children (342) completed three 24-hour dietary recalls and provided measures of relative weight (BMI and BMI z scores) and adiposity (sum of skinfolds, trunk skinfolds) at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Cross-sectional and longitudinal regression analyses, stratified by cholesterol risk status (HC vs. non-HC) and age (4 to 6 years and 7 to 10 years) and adjusted for potential confounders, were conducted. After adjusting for age, sex, energy intake, and percentage energy from fat, calcium intake was inversely associated with BMI, sum of skinfolds, and trunk skinfolds at baseline and over 1 year in the 7- to 10-year-old non-HC children. Results from the regression models also indicated an inverse relation between intake of dairy foods and measures of obesity at baseline in these children. Calcium or dairy intake was not associated with measures of obesity in HC children or in the 4- to 6-year-old non-HC children. These results suggest a complex relation among intake of calcium and dairy foods, measures of obesity, age, and serum cholesterol in children. Older children without risk of metabolic syndrome may benefit most from increased calcium intake.

Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight and Obese Japanese Children

To determine the prevalence of and sex differences related to the metabolic syndrome among obese and overweight elementary school children. Subjects were 471 overweight or obese Japanese children. Children meeting at least three of the following five criteria qualified as having the metabolic syndrome: abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, and high fasting glucose levels. Fasting insulin levels were also examined. Japanese obese children were found to have a significantly lower prevalence (17.7%) of the metabolic syndrome than U.S. obese adolescents (28.7%, p = 0.0014). However, Japanese overweight children had a similar incidence (8.7%) of the metabolic syndrome compared with U.S. overweight adolescents (6.8%). Hyperinsulinemia in girls and abdominal obesity in boys are characteristic features of individual metabolic syndrome factors in Japanese children. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is not lower in preteen Japanese overweight children than in U.S. overweight adolescents, although it is significantly lower in Japanese obese preteen children than in U.S. obese adolescents. Primary and secondary interventions are needed for overweight preteen children in Japan.

Insulin resistance but not visceral adipose tissue is associated with plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 levels in overweight and obese premenopausal African-American women.

To compare plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) levels and to examine the association of PAI-1 with visceral adiposity and other components of the metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese premenopausal African-American (AA) and Caucasian (CC) women. Cross-sectional study. 33 CC and 23 AA healthy, overweight and obese, premenopausal women (age 19-53 y, body mass index 28.1-48.9 kg/m(2)). Body mass index, sagittal diameter, waist circumference, percentage body fat, visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (by anthropometry, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and bioelectric impedance techniques), PAI-1, leptin, lipids, glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance (by HOMA IR). AA women had lower triglyceride levels and less visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume than CC despite similar BMI. PAI-1 levels were not significantly different in the two groups. Insulin resistance was associated with PAI-1 in both groups but only in CC women were VAT, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol and blood pressure related to plasma PAI-1 levels. Multiple regression analysis showed that VAT in CC and insulin resistance in AA were independent predictors of PAI-1. VAT is significantly associated with circulating PAI-1 levels in overweight and obese CC but not AA premenopausal women.

Neuropeptide Y-Induced Feeding and Its Control

Publisher Summary This chapter critically reviews evidence of physiologically relevant appetite stimulation by neuropeptide Y (NPY) and to forecast how this knowledge might be applied in the context of eating disorders. Recently, a novel receptor for NPY, termed “Y5”, has been cloned from rat hypothalamus and appears to meet all the criteria necessary to be designated the “feeding” receptor distinct from previously cloned Y-type receptors. Striking appetite stimulation by NPY receptor agonists under pharmacological conditions can only elucidate the true physiological role of this neuropeptide if NPY receptor antagonists are found to be equally effective in blunting feeding produced under naturalistic conditions. Evidence for insulin actions on NPY gene expression was provided by studies that demonstrated that central infusion of insulin could depress elevated preproNPY mRNA levels induced by food deprivation of lean Zucker rats but was without effect on preproNPY mRNA content in fed or fasted obese Zucker rats. The extrapolation of the NPY-induced overeating and overweight syndrome in rodents to human obesity must await knowledge about the role of NPY in the human brain.