[French shift workers seen at health centres have an increased risk of lipid disorders]. / Perturbation du métabolisme lipidique chez des travailleurs postés consultants de centres d'examens de santé.

AIMS: To describe cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic disturbances in a French population including shift workers and study whether possible changes were noticeable after non-shift to shift work transition within the last five years. METHODS: The study population included 4764 attendees of two health examinations (5 years apart), between January 1996 and October 2008, in 11 health examination centres. Clinical, biological and metabolic factors together with their changes over a five-year period were compared between attendees who kept a non-shift daytime job, those who kept working shift and those who switched from non-shift daytime to shift work over the last 5 years. RESULTS: At baseline, working shift was, independently of lifestyle or BMI, significantly related to more elevated plasma triglycerides (ß=0.04, P=0.05) and rate of hypertriglyceridemia (ß=0.27, P=0.01), lower plasma HDL-C levels (ß=-2.03, P=0.006) and less hypertension (ß=-0.25, P=0.01) compared to non-shift daytime work. In men, a slightly more elevated yet non significant proportion of hypertriglyceridemia was observed with the transition from non-shift daytime to shift work within the last 5 years in comparison to men who kept a non-shift daytime job (13.9% vs. 11.0% P=0.17). CONCLUSION: Our results are in agreement with previous studies showing a deleterious effect of shift work on lipid metabolism. In our population, triglycerides and HDL-C levels were the main parameters negatively influenced by shift work. Consequently, a regular biological monitoring together with the promotion of healthy behaviours should be provided to shift workers before negative consequences of working shift become noticeable.

[Promote better nutritional behaviours among shift workers with night shift]. / Promouvoir un meilleur comportement nutritionnel chez les travailleurs postés avec horaires de nuit.

AIM: Shift work, especially including a night shift, is associated with degradation of physical, social and psychosocial health as well as poor well-being. Food imbalance and low physical activity contributed to the negative effects on health. Our objective was to promote a healthier nutritional behaviour according to the French national nutrition and health program recommendations (PNNS). METHODS: A one-year nutritional intervention with personalised dietetic counselling was proposed to 235 shift workers with night shift who came for a health prevention exam in one of the centres of the Institut Inter-Régional pour la Santé between 2009 and 2011. The intervention was three dietary interviews: at baseline with definition of goal setting, at 3 months for advice and support and at one-year for the evaluation. At 6 months, a personalised reminder letter was send. Compliance with the PNNS recommendations and level of physical activity were evaluated at baseline and at one-year by a self-administered questionnaire. Changes between baseline and follow-up were compared by paired t-tests or McNemar-tests. RESULTS: The rate of follow-up was 57.4%. At the end of the study, subjects improved their compliance with PNNS guidelines concerning sweetened products (P<0.001), water (P=0.02) and salt (P=0.05), increased their leisure physical activity (P=0.001) and decreased their daily energy intakes (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: A structured intervention can improve nutritional behaviours of shift workers. This intervention enabled to inform and alert on the risk related to this work schedule and promote better nutritional behaviours.

[Determination of full blood count normal reference values for adults in France]. / Étude des valeurs normales de l'hémogramme chez l'adulte: un besoin pour une meilleure interprétation et pour l'accréditation du laboratoire.

The full blood count (FBC) is the most prescribed laboratory test in France. Due to the lack of data, there is a great variability in reference values of the FBC, between medical laboratories. The aim of this work was to provide normal reference values for FBC in adults. These normal values were defined in a population of 33 258 healthy adults, 19 612 men and 13 646 women. These values were determined after excluding subjects having conditions in order to modify, either directly or indirectly, FBC parameters. For each parameter, we provide results for values of standard parameters, by sex and age, from 16 to 69 years. In addition, we present FBC values from a population of 339 subjects aged over 69 years with no comorbidities. These normal values are proposed to be used in everyday practice. They make it possible to distinguish, without ambiguity, a normal situation from a pathological situation. Moreover, they can be applied to the entire metropolitan France.

Full blood count normal reference values for adults in France.

AIMS: To determine full blood count (FBC) normal reference values for adults. METHODS: FBC normal values for healthy adults were defined, after establishing preanalytical conditions, in a population of 33 258 subjects, 19 612 men and 13 646 women. The values were established after excluding from this population all people having conditions liable to modify, directly or indirectly, FBC parameters. RESULTS: Results for values of standard parameters are provided in detail for each parameter, by sex and by age group from 16 to 69 years of age. In addition, we present FBC values from a population of 339 subjects aged over 69 years with no comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: These normal values are proposed for use in everyday practice. They make it possible to distinguish, without ambiguity, a normal situation from a pathological situation. Moreover, they might be used over all mainland France.

Deprivation and health risk indicators in full-time permanent workers.

BACKGROUND: Association between deprivation and health is well established, particularly among unemployed or fixed-term contract or temporary contract subjects. This study aimed to assess if this relationship existed as well in full-time permanent workers. METHODS: Biometrical, biological, behavioural and psychosocial health risk indicators and an individual deprivation score, the Evaluation of Precarity and Inequalities in Health Examination Centres score, were recorded from January 2007 to June 2008, in 34 905 full-time permanent workers aged 18-70 years, all volunteers for a free health examination. Comparisons of the behavioural, metabolic, cardiovascular and health risk indicators between quintiles of the deprivation score with adjustments on age and socioeconomic categories were made by covariance analysis or logistic regression. RESULTS: For both genders, degradation of nutritional behaviours, metabolic and cardiovascular indicators and health appeared gradually with deprivation, even for deprivation score usually considered as an insignificant value. The absence of only one social support or one social network was associated with a degradation of health. Full-time permanent workers with the poorest health risk indicators had more frequent social exclusion signs. These results were independent of socioeconomic categories and age. CONCLUSION: Understanding how deprivation influences health status may lead to more effective interventions to reduce social inequalities in health. The deprivation Evaluation of Precarity and Inequalities in Health Examination Centres score is a relevant tool to detect subjects who could benefit from preventive interventions. Our findings suggest that this deprivation score should be used as a health risk indicator even in full-time permanent workers. Assessing deprivation is useful to design and evaluate specific intervention programmes.

[Good reproducibility and validity of a self-administered questionnaire evaluating adherence to the French national nutrition and health program recommendations]. / Reproductibilité et validation satisfaisantes d'un auto-questionnaire pour évaluer l'atteinte des repères du Programme National Nutrition Santé

OBJECTIVES: To study the reproducibility and validity of a French self-administered questionnaire (NAQAPNNS) evaluating the adequation of a subject with the French national nutrition and health program recommendations. METHODS: The reproducibility was estimated by weighted kappa in 48 subjects working in the administrative departments of the head office of the Institut Inter Régional pour la Santé in Tours aged from 21 to 63 years who filled the questionnaire NAQAPNNS twice with a two weeks interval. The validity was assessed in 524 hyperglycaemic subjects (fasting plasma glucose between 1.10g/l and 1.25g/l) aged from 25 to 70 years against a seven-day dietary recall using the Kruskall-Wallis test. Agreement between self-administration of the questionnaire and dietetic interview was evaluated by weighted kappa. RESULTS: The reproducibility was "good" (kappa≥0.67) except for recommendations on breads, cereals, potatoes and legumes (kappa=0.50) and sweetened foods consumption (kappa=0.54) which showed only "satisfactory" reproducibility. For each recommendation, subjects who reached it had dietary intakes closer to dietary references intakes (P<0.03). The agreement between self-administration and dietetic interview was "good" (kappa≥0.63) except for recommendations on added fats (kappa=0.41) and salt (kappa=0.50) consumption which were only "satisfactory". DISCUSSION: The NAQAPNNS questionnaire is a consistent and reproducible tool to evaluate adequation of a subject with French national nutritional recommendations. CONCLUSION: The self-administered questionnaire NAQAPNNS can be used in clinical practice or in epidemiological studies to detect subjects with a food imbalance and needing specific care.

Novel modeling of reference values of cardiovascular risk factors in children aged 7 to 20 years.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Most of the cardiovascular risk factors strongly associated with obesity and overweight vary with age and gender. However, few reference values are available for healthy European children. Our objective was to establish pediatric reference ranges for waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting lipid levels (total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides), glucose, and insulin. METHODS: A representative sample of 1976 healthy French individuals (1004 female participants and 972 male participants) aged 7 to 20 years was used to obtain age- and gender-specific normal ranges for each of the above-listed cardiovascular risk factors, based on the Royston and Wright method. RESULTS: Mean waist circumference increased with age in both genders and was slightly higher in males than in females. Whereas systolic blood pressure increased gradually with age, with the increase being steeper in males than in females, no gender effect was found for diastolic blood pressure, which was therefore modeled after pooling males and females. Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride values varied little with age and gender. Glucose and insulin levels revealed pubertal peaks, which were sharper in females than in males, reflecting the normal insulin resistance during puberty. CONCLUSIONS: These ranges can be used as references for European children to monitor cardiovascular risk factors and to plan interventions and education programs.

HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose and the prediction of diabetes: Inter99, AusDiab and D.E.S.I.R.

INTRODUCTION: With diabetes defined by HbA1c≥6.5% and/or FPG≥7.0mmol/l and/or diabetes treatment, we investigated HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) thresholds/change-points above which the incidence of diabetes increases. METHODS: Data are Danish (Inter99), Australian (AusDiab) and French (D.E.S.I.R.), with respectively 4930, 6012 and 3784 non-diabetic participants. RESULTS: Diabetes incidences at 5 years for Inter99 and AusDiab and at 6 years for D.E.S.I.R. were 2.3%, 3.1% and 2.4% respectively and incidences increased with baseline HbA1c and FPG. As HbA1c distributions differed between cohorts, HbA1c was standardized on D.E.S.I.R. data. Change-points where diabetes incidence increased were identified for HbA1c (%) after standardization: 5.1 (4.9-5.6) (Inter99), 5.4 (5.1-5.6) (AusDiab), 5.3 (5.1-5.7) (D.E.S.I.R.); for FPG change-points (mmol/l) were 5.1 (…-6.1) (Inter99), 5.5 (5.2-5.8) (AusDiab), no change-point for D.E.S.I.R. Using current diabetes risk criteria HbA1c≥5.7% and/or FPG≥5.6mmol/l to screen for diabetes provided high sensitivity (over 89%) and positive predictive values: 4.3%, 6.9%, and 5.9% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: HbA1c and FPG change-points predicting incident diabetes did not always exist, differed across studies, when available were generally lower than current criteria with wide confidence intervals. Using jointly HbA1c≥5.7% and/or FPG≥5.6mmol/l as a criterion for the risk of incident diabetes is appropriate.

[Age and sex variations of HbA(1C) in a French population without known diabetes aged 6 to 79 years]. / Évolution de l'HbA(1C) en fonction de l'âge et du sexe dans une population française de sujets sans diabète connu âgés de 6 à 79 ans.

HbA(1C) is being used for screening and diagnosing diabetes. We determined mean values of HbA(1C) according to age and sex in a large population without known diabetes, in a wide age range 6-79  years. 5,138 men and women without known diabetes aged 6-79  years participated in a routine health examination provided by their medical insurance. HbA(1C) was assessed on an HPLC analyzer aligned with a DCCT method. HbA(1C) was approximately normally distributed in both men and women. Mean (SD) HbA(1C) were, for men vs women, in percentages 5.3 (0.4) vs 5.2 (0.3), in mmol/mol 34 (5) vs 34 (4) and in estimated blood glucose in mmol/L 5.83 (0.67) vs 5.75 (0.53). HbA(1C) increased with age by 0.08% every 10  years and this was attenuated to a 0.04% increase after adjustment on fasting plasma glucose. Between 15 and 49  years, women had lower values than men (p < 0.0001), but no sex differences were observed before and after this age range. In our population, 0.6% had HbA(1C) greater or equal to 6.5% and 88% (96% of men and 73% of women) of them had fasting plasma glucose greater or equal to 6,1 mmol/L. Threshold of 6.0% selected 2.8% of our population.

Effects of genetic susceptibility for type 2 diabetes on the evolution of glucose homeostasis traits before and after diabetes diagnosis: data from the D.E.S.I.R. Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of genetic susceptibility on evolution toward type 2 diabetes (T2D) by analyzing time trajectories of fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)), insulin sensitivity (homeostasis model assessment [HOMA2%S]), and ß-cell secretion (HOMA2%B) in a large nondiabetic cohort. We also examined whether baseline HbA(1c) modified the effect of genetic predisposition on the time trajectories. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Time trajectories were drawn in 4,744 participants from the French Data from an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (D.E.S.I.R.) cohort based on samples collected every 3 years over a 9-year follow-up. Trajectories were analyzed according to the TCF7L2 common variant, a family history of T2D, and a combination of at-risk alleles from nine T2D-associated genes. RESULTS: There was a marked decrease in HOMA2%B in parallel to a steep increase in HbA(1c) over the 3 years before incident diabetes, which was not influenced by genetic predisposition when considered alone. However, after the onset of T2D, the TCF7L2 at-risk variant was associated with a greater decrease in HOMA2%B. There was a joint effect of a family history of T2D with the presence of the TCF7L2 risk allele with a greater rise in HbA(1c) conferred by the coexistence of a family history and the T risk allele. An HbA(1c) ≥5.7% at baseline was associated with a greater increase in both glycemia and HbA(1c) levels in the presence of a combination of diabetes at-risk alleles. CONCLUSIONS: After incident T2D, TCF7L2 at-risk variants were associated with a faster decrease in ß-cell function compared with those with the CC genotype. There was a joint effect of family history of T2D and TCF7L2 risk variant on the rise in glycemia and the decrease in insulin secretion at the end of follow-up, suggesting the joint influence of the combination of diabetes genetic predisposition with familial factors on the evolution of glycemia over time.

Dairy consumption and the incidence of hyperglycemia and the metabolic syndrome: results from a french prospective study, Data from the Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (DESIR).

OBJECTIVE: In the French Data from the Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (DESIR) cohort, cross-sectional analyses have shown that a higher consumption of dairy products and calcium are associated with a lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). We assess the influence of dairy products on 9-year incident MetS and on impaired fasting glycemia and/or type 2 diabetes (IFG/T2D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Men and women who completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and after 3 years were studied (n = 3,435). Logistic regression models were used to study associations between the average year 0 and year 3 consumption of milk and dairy products, cheese, dietary calcium density, and incident MetS and IFG/T2D after adjusting for 1) sex, age, alcohol, smoking, physical activity, fat intake and 2) additionally for BMI. Associations between dairy products and continuous variables were studied by repeated-measures ANCOVA, using the same covariates. RESULTS: Dairy products other than cheese, and dietary calcium density, were inversely associated with incident MetS and IFG/T2D; cheese was negatively associated with incident MetS. All three parameters were associated with lower diastolic blood pressure, and with a lower BMI gain. Higher cheese intake and calcium density were associated with a lower increase in waist circumference and lower triglyceride levels. Calcium density was also associated with a lower systolic blood pressure and a lower 9-year increase in plasma triglyceride levels. CONCLUSIONS: A higher consumption of dairy products and calcium was associated with a lower 9-year incidence of MetS and IFG/T2D in a large cohort drawn from the general population.

Hemoglobin A1c and fasting plasma glucose levels as predictors of retinopathy at 10 years: the French DESIR study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictive values of hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) for retinopathy 10 years after the baseline examination. METHODS: Seven hundred men and women from the DESIR (Data From an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome) Study underwent evaluation for retinopathy using a nonmydriatic digital camera. During the preceding 9 years, 235 had diabetes mellitus (treated or FPG level of ≥126 mg/dL at least once), 227 had an impaired FPG level (110-125 mg/dL) at least once, and 238 always had glucose levels within reference limits (<110 mg/dL). RESULTS: Compared with those without retinopathy, the 44 participants with retinopathy at 10 years had higher baseline mean (SD) levels of FPG (130 [49] vs 106 [22] mg/dL) and HbA(1c) (6.4% [1.6%] vs 5.7% [0.7%]) (both, P < .001). The frequency of retinopathy at 10 years, standardized according to the distribution of glycemia across the entire DESIR population, was 3.6%. In our population, FPG levels of 108 and 116 mg/dL had positive predictive values of 8.4% and 14.0%, respectively, for retinopathy at 10 years; HbA(1c) levels of 6.0% and 6.5% had positive predictive values of 6.0% and 14.8%, respectively. After 10 years of follow-up, retinopathy was equally frequent in participants with impaired FPG levels and in those who became diabetic during the study (8.6% and 6.7%, respectively), lower than in those with diabetes at baseline (13.9%). CONCLUSION: Because the positive predictive values for retinopathy increase sharply from 108 mg/dL for FPG and from 6.0% for HbA(1c) levels, these thresholds are proposed to identify those at risk of retinopathy 10 years later.

Are the same clinical risk factors relevant for incident diabetes defined by treatment, fasting plasma glucose, and HbA1c?

OBJECTIVE: To compare incidences and risk factors for diabetes using seven definitions, with combinations of pharmacological treatment, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥7.0 mmol/L, and HbA(1c) ≥6.5%. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants aged 30-65 years from the Data from an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (DESIR) cohort were followed for 9 years. RESULTS: More men had incident diabetes as defined by FPG ≥7.0 mmol/L and/or treatment than by HbA(1c) ≥6.5% and/or treatment: 7.5% (140/1,867) and 5.3% (99/1,874), respectively (P < 0.009); for women incidences were similar: 3.2% (63/1,958) and 3.4% (66/1,954). Known risk factors predicted diabetes for almost all definitions. Among those with incident diabetes by FPG alone versus HbA(1c) alone, there were more men (78 vs. 35%), case patients were 8 years younger, and fewer were alcohol abstainers (12 vs. 35%) (all P < 0.005). A diabetes risk score discriminated well between those with and without incident diabetes for all definitions. CONCLUSIONS: In men, FPG definitions yielded more incident cases of diabetes than HbA(1c) definitions, in contrast with women. An FPG-derived risk score remained relevant for HbA(1c)-defined diabetes.

Low high density lipoprotein cholesterol: prevalence and associated risk-factors in a large French population.

PURPOSE: High density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) is a strong predictor of cardiovascular risk. We investigated the distribution of HDL-C in a French general population according to age, sex, and the risk factors associated with low HDL-C values. METHODS: A group of 18,483 men and 22,047 women 16-79 years of age were investigated during a medical check-up. Relevant parameters were studied in three groups according to age and gender-specific percentile classes (≤5th [HDL5] median and >95th). Gender-specific logistic regression models selected variables associated with HDL5. RESULTS: Using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria (threshold: 40 mg/dL in men, 50 mg/dL in women) the prevalence of low HDL-C was 11.1% and 26.4% in men and women and it decreased with age. Mean HDL-C levels increased with age. HDL5 was positively associated with a sedentary lifestyle and deprivation (p < 0.00001) even after adjustment on alcohol consumption and smoking. Abdominal obesity, smoking, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperleucocytosis, and low alcohol consumption were associated with HDL5 for both genders. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of low HDL-C was similar to that observed in other Europeans but lower than in the United States. HDL5 was associated with cardiovascular risk factors, metabolic syndrome, and social deprivation. A prevention policy to increase HDL-C levels should focus on reducing smoking and abdominal obesity, particularly in deprived subjects.

Nine-year incident diabetes is predicted by fatty liver indices: the French D.E.S.I.R. study.

BACKGROUND: Fatty liver is known to be linked with insulin resistance, alcohol intake, diabetes and obesity. Biopsy and even scan-assessed fatty liver are not always feasible in clinical practice. This report evaluates the predictive ability of two recently published markers of fatty liver: the Fatty Liver Index (FLI) and the NAFLD fatty liver score (NAFLD-FLS), for 9-year incident diabetes, in the French general-population cohort: Data from an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance syndrome (D.E.S.I.R). METHODS: At baseline, there were 1861 men and 1950 women, non-diabetic, aged 30 to 65 years. Over the follow-up, 203 incident diabetes cases (140 men, 63 women) were identified by diabetes-treatment or fasting plasma glucose > or = 7.0 mmol/l. The FLI includes: BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides and gamma glutamyl transferase, and the NAFLD-FLS: the metabolic syndrome, diabetes, insulin, alanine aminotransferase, and asparate aminotransferase. Logistic regression was used to determine the odds ratios for incident diabetes associated with categories of the fatty liver indices. RESULTS: In comparison to those with a FLI < 20, the age-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for diabetes for a FLI > or = 70 was 9.33 (5.05-17.25) for men and 36.72 (17.12-78.76) for women; these were attenuated to 3.43 (1.61-7.28) and 11.05 (4.09 29.81), after adjusting on baseline glucose, insulin, hypertension, alcohol intake, physical activity, smoking and family antecedents of diabetes; odds ratios increased to 4.71 (1.68-13.16) and 22.77 (6.78-76.44) in those without an excessive alcohol intake. The NAFLD-FLS also predicted incident diabetes, but with odds ratios much lower in women, similar in men. CONCLUSIONS: These fatty liver indexes are simple clinical tools for evaluating the extent of liver fat and they are predictive of incident diabetes. Physicians should screen for diabetes in patients with fatty liver.

Increases in waist circumference and weight as predictors of type 2 diabetes in individuals with impaired fasting glucose: influence of baseline BMI: data from the DESIR study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate in impaired fasting glucose (IFG) the relative importance of increases in waist circumference and weight on progression to type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The 9-year incidence of diabetes was studied in 979 men and women with baseline IFG, from the Data from an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (DESIR) cohort. RESULTS: Increases in both waist circumference and weight were significantly associated with diabetes incidence. Standardized odds ratios (95% CI) were 1.79 (1.45-2.21) and 1.86 (1.51-2.30), respectively, after controlling for baseline risk factors. The impact of waist circumference increase was greater for BMI <25 kg/m(2) (2.40 [1.63-3.52]) than for BMI >or=25 kg/m(2) (1.66 [1.28-2.16]) and persisted after adjusting for concurrent changes in either insulinemia or the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index. Weight change had a similar impact in both BMI groups. CONCLUSIONS: In individuals with IFG, it is important to monitor and prevent increases in waist circumference, in particular for those with BMI <25 kg/m(2).

High baseline insulin levels associated with 6-year incident observed sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVE: Obstructive sleep apnea is common in patients with type 2 diabetes, and its association with insulin and insulin resistance has been examined in cross-sectional studies. We evaluate risk factors for incident observed sleep apnea in a general population not selected for sleep disturbances. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 1,780 men and 1,785 women, aged 33 to 68 years, from the cohort Data from an Epidemiologic Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (D.E.S.I.R.) responded to the question, "Has someone said to you that you stop breathing during your sleep?" at baseline and 6 years. Anthropometric, clinical, and biological factors were recorded at both time points. RESULTS: At baseline, 14% of men and 7% of women reported having observed sleep apnea (positive response to question); 6-year incidences were 14 and 6%, respectively. Age, anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, and sleep characteristics were all associated with prevalent, observed apnea episodes, in both sexes. Baseline waist circumference was the strongest predictor of incident apnea: standardized odds ratio (OR), adjusted for age and sex, 1.34 (95% CI 1.19-1.52). After adjustment for age, sex, and waist circumference, the standardized ORs for incident observed apnea were identical for fasting insulin and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance: 1.31 (1.13-1.51) and 1.24 (1.09-1.41) for triglycerides and 1.52 (1.12-2.05) for smoking. Observed apnea at baseline was not associated with changes in anthropometric or biological parameters over the 6-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The most important baseline risk factor for incident apnea was adiposity. After accounting for adiposity, other risk factors were high insulin, insulin resistance, high triglycerides, and smoking, factors amenable to lifestyle intervention.

Combined effects of MC4R and FTO common genetic variants on obesity in European general populations.

Genome-wide association scans recently identified common polymorphisms, in intron 1 of FTO and 188 kb downstream MC4R, that modulate body mass index (BMI) and associate with increased risk of obesity. Although their individual contribution to obesity phenotype is modest, their combined effects and their interactions with environmental factors remained to be evaluated in large general populations from birth to adulthood. In the present study, we analyzed independent and combined effects of the FTO rs1421085 and MC4R rs17782313 risk alleles on BMI, fat mass, prevalence and incidence of obesity and subsequent type 2 diabetes (T2D) as well as their interactions with physical activity levels and gender in two European prospective population-based cohorts of 4,762 Finnish adolescents (NFBC 1986) and 3,167 French adults (D.E.S.I.R.). Compared to participants carrying neither FTO nor MC4R risk allele (20-24% of the populations), subjects with three or four risk alleles (7-10% of the populations) had a 3-fold increased susceptibility of developing obesity during childhood. In adults, their combined effects were more modest (approximately 1.8-fold increased risk) and associated with a 1.27% increase in fat mass (P = 0.001). Prospectively, we demonstrated that each FTO and MC4R risk allele increased obesity and T2D incidences by 24% (P = 0.02) and 21% (P = 0.02), respectively. However, the effect on T2D disappeared after adjustment for BMI. The Z-BMI and ponderal index of newborns homozygous for the rs1421085 C allele were 0.1 units (P = 0.02) and 0.27 g/cm(3) (P = 0.005) higher, respectively, than in those without FTO risk allele. The MC4R rs17782313 C allele was more associated with obesity and fat mass deposition in males than in females (P = 0.003 and P = 0.03, respectively) and low physical activity accentuated the effect of the FTO polymorphism on BMI increase and obesity prevalence (P = 0.008 and P = 0.01, respectively). In European general populations, the combined effects of common polymorphisms in FTO and MC4R are therefore additive, predictive of obesity and T2D, and may be influenced by interactions with physical activity levels and gender, respectively.

Trends in the prevalence of obesity in employed adults in central-western France: a population-based study, 1995-2005.

OBJECTIVE: The overall trend of obesity prevalence has increased during the last decades, even in France which has one of the lowest prevalence in Europe. The aim of this study was to assess, according to socioeconomic status (SES), whether a shift in the obesity prevalence trends could be observed since the French National Nutrition and Public Health Program was implemented in 2001. METHODS: Standardised cross-sectional repeated population-based data from the French Social Security Health Examination Centers in the central-western region of France (n=339,882). We examined regression slopes (95% CI) of overall and abdominal obesity from 1995 to 2005 according to SES. We also compared slopes within each SES between 1995-2001 and 2001-2005. RESULTS: After standardisation to the French age distribution, 6.9% of men and 6.4% of women were obese in 1995 and 8.9% and 8.6% in 2005, respectively. Abdominal adiposity concerned 5.6% of men and 8.5% of women in 1995 and 9.5% and 14.3% in 2005. Obesity prevalence regression slopes between 1995 and 2005 increased in all SES categories, except management professionals in both genders and office/service personnel male who were stable. Significant regression slopes before 2001 became non-significant afterward in office/service personnel males for obesity prevalence; and for abdominal obesity in manual workers women and office/service personnel (p=0.05, in men). CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm the overall epidemic rise in the obesity prevalence trends during the last decade, except in management professionals and office/service personnel men. Obesity prevalence trends in office/service personnel and manual workers women for abdominal obesity were also observed to stabilise since 2001. We could hypothesize that the National Nutrition and Public Health Program may partly be involved in this decreasing trend among office/service personnel mainly. Policymakers should take into account these data to assess the effectiveness of obesity prevention public-health strategies in the future.

Calcium consumption and insulin resistance syndrome parameters. Data from the Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (DESIR).

BACKGROUND AND AIM: A number of studies have investigated the role of dietary calcium in lipid metabolism and weight regulation, and the influence of dairy products on the incidence of insulin resistance syndrome. In this study we have examined the relationship between dietary calcium and the established parameters of the insulin resistance syndrome. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study population (n=4372) was taken from the DESIR (Data from the Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome) cohort. Data for parameters relating to the syndrome were recorded, including glucose, serum insulin, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, waist circumference and blood pressure. Total energy, calcium and alcohol intake were estimated using a food-frequency questionnaire. Relationships between dietary calcium density and the above parameters were analyzed by multiple linear regression models, adjusted for age, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity. From one quartile of calcium density to the next, mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures and insulin concentrations decreased in women by 0.9 mm Hg, 0.5 mm Hg and 2.4%, respectively, and HDL-cholesterol increased by 0.007 mmol/l (all p<0.05) after adjustment for age, smoking, alcohol intake and physical activity. In men, there was an increase of 0.2 kg/m(2) in the body mass index(BMI) and a decrease of 0.4 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure (both p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm a beneficial association between dietary calcium and arterial blood pressure, insulin and HDL-cholesterol levels in women, whereas in men there was only a beneficial association with diastolic blood pressure.