Increase in the prevalence of abdominal obesity in Brazilian school children (2000-2015).

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of overweight and obese children and adolescents is a public health concern. Few studies have critically evaluated this problem in a Brazilian population, despite the growth of community-based programs to combat childhood obesity in this country. OBJECTIVE: To study the anthropometrics of Brazilian adolescents over a fifteen-year period. METHODS: In a cross-sectional analysis, we investigated the anthropometric status of male and female adolescents in Brazil. The anthropometric data and nutritional status of 595 schoolchildren in the year 2000 were compared to 636 schoolchildren in 2015. RESULTS: We found a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight or obese adolescents in 2015 compared to 2000 (23.4% vs. 18.3%, p = .027). A sub-analysis stratified by sex showed that this increase only occurred in females. No statistically significant difference was observed in body mass index between the groups. Waist circumference (73.5 cm vs. 77 cm, p < .001) and the prevalence of abdominal obesity (30% vs. 47.9%, p < .001) were significantly greater in 2015, regardless of sex. CONCLUSION: Overweight or obese children, as well as abdominal obesity were more prevalent in 2015 than in preceding decades. This is a worrying trend as abdominal obesity increases the risk for cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality in adult life.

Ventricular systolic reserve in asymptomatic children previously treated with low doses of anthracyclines: a longitudinal, prospective exercise echocardiography study.

BACKGROUND: The time course of mild cardiotoxicity induced by anthracycline remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term evolution of decreased myocardial reserve in children previously treated with a cumulative dose of anthracycline up to 100 mg/m(2). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven asymptomatic cancer survival patients (25 with lymphoblastic leukemia), in continuous remission and off treatment for >12 months with no alterations in conventional echocardiograms were evaluated by exercise echocardiography at 37 ± 15.4 months (T1) and 101 ± 24 months (T2) after finishing treatment (ADRIA group). This group was compared with 25 healthy individuals (control group) similar to the ADRIA group with respect to age and body surface area (BSA). All individuals underwent treadmill exercise testing according to Bruce protocol. Echocardiograms were performed before and immediately after exercise. RESULTS: The groups were similar regarding cardiac structure and left ventricular (LV) systolic function at rest at T1 and T2. The growth of LV posterior wall thickness related to BSA was lower in the ADRIA group at T2. Post exercise, smaller LV ejection indexes and attenuated changes in the afterload in ADRIA group were observed at T1 and T2. CONCLUSION: The decreased systolic reserve induced by a low dose of anthracycline in asymptomatic children and adolescents remains unaffected over a 5-year period, suggesting that positive outcomes in chronic cardiotoxicity would be expected in patients with mild impairment after anthracycline treatment.

Improvements in insulin sensitivity and muscle blood flow in aerobic-trained overweight-obese hypertensive patients are not associated with ambulatory blood pressure.

To verify whether there are relationships between vascular and hormonal responses to aerobic training in hypertensive persons, sedentary hypertensive patients were randomized to an aerobic training or a callisthenic exercise group. The patients' 24-hour blood pressure, arterial compliance, forearm blood flow, and hormonal profile were evaluated at baseline and after 3-month training protocols. Mean maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2) max) increased by 8% in the aerobic group (P<.001), while no change was observed in the control group. There was a decrease in insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, P=.039) and plasma cortisol (P=.006) in the aerobic group only, that also demonstrated an increase in forearm blood flow (P<.001) after training. No relationship was observed between change in blood pressure or change in body mass and other parameters. Aerobic training can promote a decrease in cardiovascular risk in hypertensive adults by improving vascular function and insulin resistance, despite no changes in ambulatory blood pressure after a 3-month intervention.

Effects of mild exercise on insulin sensitivity in hypertensive subjects.

Physical exercise increases insulin sensitivity in conditions associated with insulin resistance, such as obesity and diabetes, but little is known in this regard in hypertension. Whether postexercise changes in hemodynamics and/or changes in insulin-induced vasodilatation could contribute to a postexercise increase in insulin sensitivity in hypertensive subjects is unknown. We investigated the effects of acute physical exercise on insulin sensitivity in 10 hypertensive and 10 normotensive subjects during a control evaluation (CTRL), during lower body negative pressure (LBNP), after 30 minutes of mild bicycle exercise (POSTEX), and during LBNP after exercise (POSTEX+LBNP). Insulin-induced vasodilatation was assessed from peak forearm blood flow during the intravenous glucose tolerance test. Cardiac output (4.9+/-0.3 versus 5.3+/-0.4 L/min, mean+/-SEM) and insulin sensitivity (the glucose disappearance rate over insulin area under the curve: 0.91+/-0.07 versus 1.38+/-0.25 min(-1)/[pmol. L(-1)]. minute) were lower (both P<0.05) in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects, respectively. Cardiac output decreased during LBNP, increased during POSTEX, and was similar to control during POSTEX+LBNP in both groups. Insulin sensitivity was unchanged during LBNP, increased during POSTEX, and remained elevated during POSTEX+LBNP in hypertensive subjects, whereas it remained unchanged in normotensives. Peak forearm blood flow was significantly lower in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects, despite higher insulin levels in hypertensives, and was not modified by LBNP or exercise. In conclusion, insulin sensitivity increases after exercise in hypertensive subjects, and the increase in cardiac output does not contribute to this effect. Endogenous insulin-induced vasodilatation is reduced in hypertensive subjects, and this insulin action is not affected by physical exercise.

Avaliaçäo da ingestäo dietética de cálcio em indivíduos adultos portadores de hipertensäo arterial / Evaluation of dietary intakes of calcium in adult subjects carrier state idiopathic arterial hypertension

Foi estudada a relaçäo entre a ingestäo dietética de cálcio e os demais parâmetros alimentares e antropométricos em 60 indivíduos adultos, portadores de hipertensäo arterial idiopática (10 homens e 50 mulheres), com média etária de 48,6 anos, seguidos no Centro de Hipertensäo Arterial do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu (SP), Brasil. Foram utilizados três métodos diferentes de inquérito alimentar em três diferentes ocasiöes: recordatório de 24h, questionário de freqüência alimentar, dirigido para ingestäo de cálcio, e registro alimentar de 3 dias. As médias de ingestäo de cálcio, extraídas desses inquéritos, foram semelhantes, mostrando que, em relaçäo à ingestäo de cálcio, esses métodos de inquérito alimentar podem ser utilizados indistintamente com o objetivo de se mensurar à ingestäo de cálcio de um grupo de indivíduos. Além da ingestäo de cálcio, foi avaliada a ingestäo protéico-calórica e de diversos nutrientes, assim como realizada a antropometria desse grupo de hipertensos em três ocasiöes diferentes, com intervalos variando de duas semanas a 15 meses. Quando comparado a um grupo de referência local, constituído de indivíduos sadios, com média etária semelhante, o grupo de hipertensos mostrou ter menor ingestäo média de cálcio. Comparandos por sexo, os homens dos dois grupos exibiram perfis nutricional e antropométrico semelhantes. Em relaçäo às mulheres, houve diferenças quanto à ingestäo protéico-calórica, o que se supöe ser devido à ingestäo menor do leite e derivados entre as hipertensas. Estas estavam mais pesadas que as mulheres do grupo de referências, à custa de maior massa muscular, provavelmente devido a maior atividade física. Concluiu-se que o cálcio dietético foi o principal item alimentar que distinguiu hipertensos de normotensos. Como existem estudos clínicos comprovando o efeito benéfico da suplementaçäo de cálcio na reduçäo dos níveis pressóricos de indivíduos hipertensos, sugere-se a repetiçäo deste tipo de trabalho, em outros locais, visando ao embasamento de programa nacional de suplementaçäo de cálcio dietético entre indivíduos hipertensos idiopáticos

Aplicaçäo dos métodos de inquérito alimentar na avaliaçäo da ingestäo de cálcio em estudos epidemiológicos / Use of food survey methods in the evaluation of calcium ingestion in epidemiological studies

O número crescente de informaçöes envolvendo o cálcio na patogênese de diversas doencas tem justificado o interesse atual para o melhor conhecimento dos métodos disponíveis para a avaliaçäo do estado nutricional com relaçäo a ese íon. Assim, dentre as diversas técnicas para avaliaçäo da ingestä dietética de cálcio, o inquérito alimentar constitui a menos onerosa e a mais prática para os estudos clínicos e epidemiológicos, uma vez que, nesses estudos, mais importante é o conhecimento da ingestäo média do grupo que permita relacionar dieta e doença. Na análise dos dados deve-se considerar o tipo de populaçäo estudada, a regiäo geográfica, seus hábitos e condiçöes socieconômicas. Nesse sentido, a preocupaçäo demasiada com a precisäo quantitativa das porçöes alimentares passa a ser desnecessária quando se pretende classificar os indivíduos em grupos de risco. Por outro lado, a conversäo das porçöes alimentares em quantidade de cálcio, mediante o uso de tabelas de conversäo, deve ser feita de modo crítico. A validaçäo do inquérito alimentar é feita, geralmente, contra os métodos de registro alimentar de três ou sete dias. Com relaçäo à ingestäo do cálcio, estes métodos têm mostrado semelhança para as médias grupais. Näo säo recomendáveis, entretanto, comparaçöes de ingestöes de grupos populacionais distintos avaliados por metodologias diferentes. É descrito que o questionário da freqüência alimentar (QFA), usualmente, superestima, enquanto a história dietética (HD) subestima a ingestäo de cálcio do indivíduo. O método recordatório de 24 horas tem-se demonstrado satisfatório e confiável para a avaliaçäo do cálcio dietético de grupos de indivíduos. A associaçäo desse método com outros que complementem a noçäo do hábito alimentar (QFA ou HD) dos indivíduos fortalece os dados no sentido da sua validaçäo para estudos clínicos e epidemiológicos...