Dairy intake from adolescence into adulthood is not associated with being overweight and metabolic syndrome in adulthood: the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Dairy intake may have beneficial effects with respect to becoming overweight, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (MS), although most of the available studies are cross-sectional and conducted among adults. The present study aimed to investigate whether dairy intake during adolescence and young adulthood protects against becoming overweight and (components of) MS at age 36 years. METHODS: Dairy intake was repeatedly measured between the ages of 13 and 36 years among participants (n=374) of a Dutch prospective longitudinal cohort study. Being overweight and components of MS were examined at age 36 years. A statistical method for longitudinal data, generalised estimating equations, was used to assess whether the time course of total dairy intake, high-fat and low-fat dairy was associated with being overweight and with (components of) MS. RESULTS: The time course from age 13-36 years for total dairy intake did not differ between overweight and non-overweight participants, nor for participants with and without MS at age 36 years. Significant differences between groups were only observed at certain time points, mainly around the age of 21 and 27 years. High-fat dairy intake during adolescence tended to be higher in subjects with lower weight, a lower body fat percentage, lower waist circumference and lower triglyceride concentrations at age 36 years. In those having at least two risk factors for MS and high glycosylated haemoglobin, differences in dairy intake were in the opposite direction. CONCLUSIONS: These results do not support the hypothesis that dairy consumption protects against potentially becoming overweight and metabolic disturbances.

Effects of dietary fibre intake during adolescence on the components of the metabolic syndrome at the age of 36 years: the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is increasing, especially in young individuals. Most of the previous studies that have investigated the association between dietary fibre intake and the metabolic syndrome are cross-sectional or of short duration, and their results are inconsistent. The present study investigated whether dietary fibre intake during adolescence has a protective effect on developing the metabolic syndrome as an adult. METHODS: Data on dietary intake and metabolic syndrome components were derived from a healthy sample of 174 men and 194 women who were followed-up from the age of 13 years onwards in the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study. Data were analysed with use of generalised estimating equations and linear regression analyses. RESULTS: The mean dietary fibre intake was 9.9 g/4.0 MJ (1000 kcal) during adolescence and 10.8 g/4.0 MJ (1000 kcal) at age 36 years. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome at age 36 years was 10.1%. No differences were found in the time-course of dietary fibre intake between subjects with and those without the metabolic syndrome or its components. Dietary fibre intake during adolescence was not related to the components of the metabolic syndrome at age 36 years, except for an inverse relationship with waist circumference, where a gram/4.0 MJ (1000 kcal) higher fibre intake was associated with a 0.44 cm smaller waist circumference (P = 0.03, 95% CI -0.85 to -0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The present study found no association between dietary fibre intake and the metabolic syndrome in young adults. High fibre intake, however, was inversely associated with waist circumference.

Concurrent validity of the PAM accelerometer relative to the MTI Actigraph using oxygen consumption as a reference.

The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent validity of the Personal Activity Monitor (PAM) accelerometer relative to the Actigraph accelerometer using oxygen consumption as a reference, and to assess the test-retest reliability of the PAM. Thirty-two fit, normal weight adults (aged 21-54) performed two activities, treadmill walking and stair walking, while wearing the PAM, the Actigraph and the Cosmed K4b(2). Correlation coefficients and agreement in absolute energy expenditure (EE) levels between PAM, Actigraph and Cosmed were calculated. The test-retest reliability was examined among 296 PAM's using a laboratory shaker. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV) were determined. Correlations for treadmill walking and stair walking, respectively, were r(2)=0.95 and r(2)=0.65 for PAM with Actigraph, r(2)=0.82 and r(2)=0.93 for PAM with VO(2) and r(2)=0.64 and 0.74 for Actigraph with VO(2). Both the PAM and Actigraph underestimated EE during treadmill and stair walking by a substantial amount. The test-retest reliability of the PAM was high [ICC=0.80; 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.28;0.92) and intra-CV=1.5%]. The PAM and Actigraph accelerometer are comparable in assessing bodily movement during treadmill and stair walking. The PAM is a valid device to rank subjects in EE and can be useful in collecting objective data to monitor habitual physical activity.

Coffee consumption is not related to the metabolic syndrome at the age of 36 years: the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Coffee consumption has been postulated to decrease the risk of diabetes mellitus type II. The long-term effects of coffee consumption on the metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components are unknown. This study investigated the relationship of long-term coffee consumption between the age of 27 and 36 years with the prevalence of the MS at the age of 36 years. SUBJECT/METHODS: Data on coffee consumption and the MS components were derived from a healthy sample of 174 men and 194 women followed up from the age of 27 years onwards. Data analysis was performed with the use of generalized estimating equations and regression analysis. RESULTS: At the age of 36 years, the prevalence of the MS was 10.1%. The growth of coffee consumption did not differ significantly between subjects with or without the MS or its components. Regression analyses showed that one cup day(-1) higher coffee consumption was related to 0.11 mm Hg lower mean arterial blood pressure (P=0.03), 0.02 mg 100 ml(-1) higher triglyceride level (P=0.57), 0.04 mg 100 ml(-1) higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (P=0.35), 0.09% higher HbA(1c) (P=0.12) and 0.02 cm larger waist circumference (P=0.57). After adjustment for physical activity, energy intake, smoking behaviour and alcohol consumption, none of the relationships between coffee consumption and the MS or its components was significant. CONCLUSIONS: Coffee consumption is not associated with the MS or its components in a healthy sample followed up for 9 years.

Meta-analysis of the relationship between alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease and mortality in type 2 diabetic patients.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This systematic review examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. Meta-analyses could only be performed for total mortality, mortality from CHD, and CHD incidence, because the availability of articles on other complications was too limited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A PubMed search through to September 2005 was performed and the reference lists of relevant articles examined. Among the relevant articles there were six cohort studies reporting on the risk of total mortality and/or fatal and/or incident CHD in alcohol non-consumers and in at least two groups of alcohol consumers. RESULTS: Statistical pooling showed lower risks in alcohol consumers than in non-consumers (the reference category). The relative risk (RR) of total mortality was 0.64 (95% CI 0.49-0.82) in the <6 g/day category. In the higher alcohol consumption categories (6 to <18, and > or =18 g/day), the RRs of total mortality were not significant. Risks of fatal and total CHD were significantly lower in all three categories of alcohol consumers (<6, 6 to <18 and > or =18 g/day) than in non-consumers, with RRs ranging from 0.34 to 0.75. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: This meta-analysis shows that, as with findings in the general population, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of mortality and CHD in type 2 diabetic populations.

The relation between calcium intake and body composition in a Dutch population: The Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

To investigate whether dietary calcium intake is related to body mass index and the sum of four skinfolds among subjects in the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study (the Netherlands), the authors followed a cohort of men and women from age 13 years in 1977 to age 36 years in 2000. Longitudinal linear regression analyses were performed with generalized estimating equations in continuous and categorical models, with adjustment for possible confounders. Results showed that calcium intake during adolescence is a weak predictor of calcium intake in adulthood. In this population, only a slight indication was found of a weak inverse relation of calcium intake with body composition. No differences were observed between the middle (800-1,200 mg/day) and high (>1,200 mg/day) groups of calcium intake, suggesting a threshold of approximately 800 mg/day above which calcium intake has no additional beneficial effect on body composition.

Body composition and physical fitness of undernourished South African rural primary school children.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between the body composition characteristics, body mass index (BMI), sum of skinfolds (SSF), % body fat (%BF), fat-free mass (FFM) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and nine physical fitness items in undernourished rural primary school children in Ellisras, South Africa. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study consisted of 462 boys and 393 girls who were aged 7-14 y. MEASUREMENTS: Five body composition measures were assessed: BMI, SSF, %BF, FFM and WHR. Nine physical fitness test items were assessed: standing long jump, bent arm hang, sit-ups, 10 x 5 m shuttle run, 50 m sprint, 1600 m run, flamingo balance, sit and reach, plate tapping. RESULTS: BMI was highly correlated with FFM (r = 0.7, P < 0.001). In line with findings from Western countries, regression coefficients (B) showed that children with higher BMI or SSF performed worse in bent arm hang (girls, B = -0.84, P < 0.001, and B = -0.06, P = 0.02, respectively) and in 1600m run (B = 6.68, P < 0.001). BMI was significantly associated with flamingo balance (B = 0.26, P = 0.04). WHR was positively associated with bent arm hang (B = 9.37, P = 0.03), and inversely with sit and reach (B = -7.48, P = 0.01). In contrast, significant relationships were found between BMI and standing long jump (B = 0.74, P = 0.04), sit and reach (B = 0.51, P < 0.001), flamingo balance (B = 0.26, P = 0.04) and plate tapping (B = -19, P = 0.01). SSF was significantly associated with sit and reach (B = 0.04, P = 0.03). Significant inverse associations were found between FFM and bent arm hang (girls, B = -0.06, P = 0.05), 1600 m run (girls, B = -2.33, P = 0.003) and 50 m run (boys, B = -0.11, P = 0.006). FFM was significantly associated with standing long jump (boys, B = 0.99, P < 0.001; girls, B = 0.73, P < 0.001), flamingo balance (B = 0.17, P < 0.001), and with sit and reach (boys, B = 0.59, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: In the present study in undernourished children, body composition was significantly related to physical fitness, but not always in the expected direction. It is therefore important to note that in this population, BMI should not be interpreted as a measure of fatness/overweight, but rather as an indicator of muscle mass.

Effects of health information in youth and young adulthood on risk factors for chronic diseases--20-year study results from the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

In the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study (AGAHLS) biological risk factors for chronic diseases were measured on eight separate occasions over a period of 20 years in a group of apparently healthy males and females (n = 164). Data were first collected from participants at 13 years of age. At each of the eight measurements, a medical checkup was performed and participants were given information about their current health status based on their personal biological risk factor profile (cholesterol, blood pressure, body composition, and physical fitness). A comparable group (n = 113) was measured on two occasions only: at age 13 and again at age 33. It was hypothesized that the group with eight measurements would present a more favorable 20-year development of the risk factors than the group with only two measurements. In the present article the six additional measurements with personal feedback of one's health status were perceived as an "intervention," even though the AGAHLS never intended to improve the lifestyle or health of its subjects. The intervention appeared to have had a positive effect on body fat distribution and, in men, on systolic blood pressure. However, it was expected that these significant results were not true effects of the intervention, but that they were type-I errors. For the other variables, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the ratio between these two, for the sum of four skinfolds, diastolic blood pressure, neuromotor fitness, and for maximal oxygen uptake, the 20-year development did not differ between the two groups. Thus, the effects of a 20-year health measurement and information intervention begun in youth on biologic risk factors for chronic diseases were limited. The absence of clear significant findings may be due to the low contrast between the two groups, as only six intervention measurements were conducted over a period of 20 years. Another reason may be that the young and relatively healthy population under study here was not amenable to changing their fitness and health.

Personality characteristics and alcohol consumption: longitudinal analyses in men and women followed from ages 13 to 32.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between personality characteristics and alcohol consumption. Using a general population of young and generally healthy men and women, the focus was not on alcoholism but on the full scope of alcohol consumption, including abstinence and moderate levels of consumption. Modification of the relation between personality and alcohol consumption by gender, age and type of beverage was investigated. METHOD: The population consisted of 483 (259 female) subjects from the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study; they were aged 13 to 32 years over the 20-year course of the study, during which span measurements were taken between two and seven times. The longitudinal relation between five subscales of the Dutch Personality Inventory (DPI) and alcohol consumption were assessed with generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Low prevalence of heavy alcohol consumption was found in this population. Abstinence from alcohol was more common among subjects who scored higher on Social Inadequacy, Rigidity and Self-sufficiency subscales. The amount of alcohol consumed was higher in drinkers who scored low on Rigidity and Social Inadequacy. Gender, age and type of alcoholic beverage modified some of the found relationships (e.g., adult women who scored high on Dominance were more likely to be the firmer wine drinkers). No significant relationships were found between alcohol consumption and the DPI Inadequacy subscale. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol consumption was associated with lower scores on Social Inadequacy, Rigidity and Self-sufficiency.

A 15-year physical activity pattern is positively related to aerobic fitness in young males and females (13-27 years).

The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that daily physical activity over a period of 15 years has been beneficial to aerobic fitness in young male and female participants (13-27 years) in the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study. Only subjects with the maximal data of six sets of measurements were included (83 male and 98 female participants). Daily physical activity was assessed using a standardized interview on activity and expressed as a weighted activity score. Aerobic fitness was assessed using a maximal running test on a treadmill and measuring the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and the maximal slope of the track (Smax). To assess the longitudinal relationship between daily physical activity and aerobic fitness a real longitudinal analysis was carried out with generalized estimating equations, adjusting for differences in initial aerobic fitness at age 13, and for other lifestyle (dietary intake, smoking and alcohol consumption) and biological parameters (biological age, body fat, blood pressure and concentration of serum cholesterol). A significant relationship (P < 0.01) was observed between daily physical activity and both VO2max and Smax. It can be concluded that the development of aerobic fitness between the age of 13 and 27 years is independently and positively related to daily physical activity in this group of male and female participants in the study. The functional implications, however, are small: a relatively high increase in the weighted physical activity score of 30% over a period of 15 years results in a 2%-5% increase in aerobic fitness.

Development and stability of alcohol consumption from adolescence into adulthood: the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

When studying long-term effects of alcohol consumption on health, the stability of alcohol consumption should be known. In this paper the development and stability of alcohol consumption were investigated. Seven measurements of alcohol consumption were carried out over a period of 20 years, starting at age 13 years, in a cohort of 65 men and 85 women. Effects of age, gender, and type of beverage on the stability of drinking as a dichotomous variable (drink or abstain) and on the stability of relative amounts of alcohol consumption were analyzed. The stability of the drink/abstain dichotomy was high (odds ratios>4) and increased with age. The stability of relative amounts of alcohol consumption was moderate (rS<0.6), and no effect of age was found. No sex effects were found, while the consumption of beer often showed higher stability than that of wine and spirits.

Blood cholesterol levels of 32-year-old alcohol consumers are better than of nonconsumers.

Blood cholesterol levels are expected to be important factors in the causal pathway between alcohol consumption and CHD. The relation between alcohol consumption and blood cholesterol levels is investigated in 130 men and 145 women aged 32.4 years old (+/-1.0), from the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study. When controlled for gender, cholesterol levels at age 13.1 years, and lifestyle at adult age (smoking, physical activity, dietary habits), no significant differences were found for total cholesterol (TC) levels between alcohol consumers and nonconsumers. Serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were 0.12 mmol/l higher in subjects consuming >/=100 grams of alcohol per week than in nonconsumers (p < 0.05). Regression coefficients of subjects consuming 10 to 50, or 50 to 100 g alcohol per week did not differ statistically from those of nonconsumers. The positive relation between alcohol consumption and serum HDL was modified by smoking (found in nonsmokers, but not in smokers). No differences between beer, wine, and spirits were found for their relation with serum HDL. In conclusion, 32.4-year-old nonsmoking subjects who consumed >/=100 g of alcohol per week had improved HDL levels compared with nonconsumers, whereas the protective effect of drinking smaller amounts of alcohol did not reach statistical significance.