Relationship between dietary habits and urinary concentrations of 3-phenoxybonzoic acid in a middle-aged and elderly general population in Japan

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>The ingestion of pesticides in the daily diet is assumed to be the main modality of pesticide exposure for most people. A widely used class of pesticides in agricultural or residential settings is pyrethroid. We have examined the relationship between the intake frequency of selected items of vegetables and fruits and urinary metabolites of pyrethroid pesticides in a healthy general population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 535 residents (184 men and 351 women) who attended a healthcare checkup program conducted in a rural area of Hokkaido, Japan, in August 2005 provided informed consent for their spot urine samples to be used for the determination of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) levels. They also completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding the intake frequency of 12 food items. The concentrations of creatinine-corrected 3-PBA were predicted by the intake frequency of each item, using analysis-of-covariance models to adjust for age, sex, body mass index, and drinking and smoking status.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both a significant association between the 3-PBA concentration and the frequency of tomato consumption and a significant positive linear trend was found in female subjects. In contrast, no such association was found in the male subjects.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The frequency of tomato consumption was confirmed to strongly predict the urinary pyrethroid metabolite levels in the general population-presumably because tomatoes are most often consumed raw and unpeeled (more so than all other vegetables and fruits analyzed in the current study). However, it should be noted that the 3-PBA levels, even among those subjects with the highest consumption of tomatoes, were far below the levels of toxicological significance, although the health consequences from long-term low-level exposure to pyrethroid requires further exploration.</p>

Association of serum NO( x ) level with clustering of metabolic syndrome components in middle-aged and elderly general populations in Japan

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>The aim of this study was to determine whether the serum nitrite plus nitrate (NO( x )) level correlates with biomarkers that are known components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum NO( x ) levels were measured using a commercial kit in 608 Japanese men and women between the ages of 39 and 85 years. Multivariate adjustments for age, smoking status, alcohol consumption and exercise were made in the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The components of the metabolic syndrome were defined based on the following criteria: body mass index (BMI) >/=25.0 kg/m(2), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) >/=5.6%, systolic blood pressure >/=130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure >/=85 mmHg, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) </=1.03 mmol/l for men and </=1.29 mmol/l for women and triglyceride >/=1.69 mmol/l.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The logarithmically transformed age-adjusted serum NO( x ) (lnNO( x )) value was significantly higher in the low HDL-C group (1.76 +/- 0.05 mumol/l; p < 0.05) than MetS component groups (1.65 +/- 0.01 mumol/l) in men, but no difference was found in women. The means of serum lnNO( x ) after multivariate adjustment were 1.64, 1.65, 1.64, 1.66, and 1.81 mumol/l for 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4-5 MetS components for all subjects, respectively. The results of ANCOVA confirmed that the serum lnNO( x ) level was significantly correlated with the clustering of MetS components in both men and women (p < 0.0001 for trend).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our results suggest that an increase in the clustering of MetS components was associated with the increase in serum NO levels in our general population.</p>

Association of Abdominal Circumference with Serum Nitric Oxide Concentration in Healthy Population

Objectives: We determined the relationship between abdominal circumference and the concentration of nitric oxide (NO), an endothelial cell product known to play an important role in the regulation of vascular tone and thrombocyte activations. Methods: Subjects were 177 men and 339 women aged 40 or over who were free from a history of diabetes or malignancy. Analysis of covariance was applied to examine the gender-specific and smoking-status-specific associations of abdominal fat volume measured as waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and waist-to-stature ratio, with serum NO level represented by the concentration of NO metabolites (NOx; nitrate plus nitrite). Results: Although men showed no statistical association between abdominal fat accumulation and NOx concentration, abdominal adiposity seemed to inversely affect the serum NOx concentration of never- and current-smoking women. Conclusion: Our results suggest that a reduction in NO bioactivity occurs with abdominal fat accumulation in women. The underlying biological mechanism might involve adipocytokines secreted from visceral fat, but is yet to be elucidated.

Blood Pressure, Levels of Serum Lipids, Liver Enzymes and Blood Glucose by Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 and Drinking Habit in Japanese Men

Objectives: The association of blood pressure and levels of serum lipids, liver enzymes, blood glucose and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) with drinking habit was examined in Japanese men. Methods: The subjects were 264 men aged 39 to 80 years who were classified into the ALDH2 deficiency or sufficiency group using the ethanol patch test and the Tokyo University ALDH2 Phenotype Screening Test. A self-administered questionnaire including drinking habit was used. Blood pressure and the levels of biochemical markers in groups with ALDH2 sufficiency, ALDH2 deficiency and drinking habit were compared using multiple regression models for adjusting age, smoking habit, physical exercising habit and body mass index. Results: The levels of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) were significantly higher in current drinkers of 20 g of ethanol or more per day than in nondrinkers of the ALDH2 sufficiency group. The levels of serum AST and γ-GTP in current drinkers of 20 g of ethanol or more per day, and fasting blood sugar in current drinkers of less than 20 g of ethanol per day were significantly higher than those in nondrinkers of the ALDH2 deficiency group. Conclusions: These results suggest that alcohol consumption increases the levels of serum lipids and liver enzymes in ALDH2-sufficient individuals and liver enzymes and blood glucose levels in ALDH2-deficient individuals.

Blood pressure, levels of serum lipids, liver enzymes and blood glucose by aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 and drinking habit in Japanese men

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>The association of blood pressure and levels of serum lipids, liver enzymes, blood glucose and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) with drinking habit was examined in Japanese men.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The subjects were 264 men aged 39 to 80 years who were classified into the ALDH2 deficiency or sufficiency group using the ethanol patch test and the Tokyo University ALDH2 Phenotype Screening Test. A self-administered questionnaire including drinking habit was used. Blood pressure and the levels of biochemical markers in groups with ALDH2 sufficiency, ALDH2 deficiency and drinking habit were compared using multiple regression models for adjusting age, smoking habit, physical exercising habit and body mass index.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) were significantly higher in current drinkers of 20 g of ethanol or more per day than in nondrinkers of the ALDH2 sufficiency group. The levels of serum AST and γ-GTP in current drinkers of 20 g of ethanol or more per day, and fasting blood sugar in current drinkers of less than 20 g of ethanol per day were significantly higher than those in nondrinkers of the ALDH2 deficiency group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>These results suggest that alcohol consumption increases the levels of serum lipids and liver enzymes in ALDH2-sufficient individuals and liver enzymes and blood glucose levels in ALDH2-deficient individuals.</p>

Association of abdominal circumference with serum nitric oxide concentration in healthy population

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>We determined the relationship between abdominal circumference and the concentration of nitric oxide (NO), an endothelial cell product known to play an important role in the regulation of vascular tone and thrombocyte activations.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Subjects were 177 men and 339 women aged 40 or over who were free from a history of diabetes or malignancy. Analysis of covariance was applied to examine the gender-specific and smoking-status-specific associations of abdominal fat volume measured as waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and waist-to-stature ratio, with serum NO level represented by the concentration of NO metabolites (NOx; nitrate plus nitrite).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Although men showed no statistical association between abdominal fat accumulation and NOx concentration, abdominal adiposity seemed to inversely affect the serum NOx concentration of never- and current-smoking women.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our results suggest that a reduction in NO bioactivity occurs with abdominal fat accumulation in women. The underlying biological mechanism might involve adipocytokines secreted from visceral fat, but is yet to be elucidated.</p>

The Effect of Serum Carotenoids on Atrophic Gastritis Among the Inhabitants of a Rural Area in Hokkaido, Japan

A total of 206 residents (76 males and 130 females) of a rural area of Hokkaido, Japan, attending a health check in August, 1997, were studied to assess the relationship between serum carotenoids and atrophic gastritis (AG). Of the participants, 91 had AG, as indicated by their serum levels of pepsinogen I and pepsinogen II. Logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for gender and age, revealed that the odds ratios for serum carotenoid levels were lower for subjects with high serum levels of α-carotene (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% C.I., 0.19−0.88) and β-carotene (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% C.I., 0.18−0.91) than for those with low serum carotenoid levels. In addition, the odds ratios of subjects with high serum levels of β-cryptoxanthin (odds ratio, 0.60; 95% C.I., 0.28−1.31), provitamin A (odds ratio, 0.38; 95% C.I., 0.17−0.85), and retinol (odds ratio, 0.67; 95% C.I., 0.31−1.48) were found to be lower than the odds ratios for those with low serum levels. Odds ratios for subjects with high serum zeaxanthin/lutein levels were higher than odds ratios for those with low serum levels. These results suggest that frequent intake of foods rich in carotenoids with provitamin A activity may reduce the risk of AG.