Predictive values of anthropometric measurements for multiple metabolic disorders in Asian populations.

OBJECTIVE: Asians have a unique feature characterized by a low frequency of obesity, but a high frequency of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. It is important to develop simple and reliable anthropometric measurement tools for multiple metabolic disorders, but the cut-off values of anthropometric measurements for Asians have been less clear than those for Caucasians. RESEARCH DESIGN: Data from 361 Japanese and 252 Mongolians aged 30-60 years were investigated for the relationship between multiple metabolic disorders parameters and anthropometric measurements. Pearson's correlation coefficients and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were done. RESULTS: Mongolians of both genders had significantly higher values for all anthropometric measurements than did the Japanese. The Japanese anthropometric measurements showed the highest correlation coefficient of the area under the curve (AUC) from an ROC analysis for HDL-C and triglyceride, while the Mongolians showed the highest values for HOMA-IR. BMI and waist circumference (WC) for both ethnic groups showed relatively higher AUCs for the multiple metabolic disorders parameters. Optimal cut-off values predicting multiple metabolic disorders in the Japanese were estimated at 24 BMI and 82 cm WC (men) and 23 BMI and 73 cm WC (women); for the Mongolian, 27 BMI and 92 cm WC (men) and 27 BMI and 84 cm WC (women). CONCLUSIONS: There were great differences in diagnostic accuracy for the anthropometric measurements by ethnicity, and a relatively lower magnitude of differences by kind of anthropometric measurement. The present study suggests that BMI and WC were useful for predicting multiple metabolic disorders in non-diabetic Mongolians and Japanese, while the use of plasma triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol levels in combination with BMI and WC may enhance the ability of predicting metabolic parameters in the Japanese.

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome using the modified ATP III definitions for workers in Japan, Korea and Mongolia.

A clustering of insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia has been labeled as the metabolic syndrome. Asians have a lower frequency of obesity than do Caucasians, but have an increasing tendency toward metabolic syndrome. Most data on metabolic syndrome are based on studies from Western countries with only limited information derived from Asian populations. We conducted a cross-sectional study of individuals aged 30-60 yr in workplace settings. We examined and analyzed the health data of 1,384 Japanese, Koreans and Mongolians for metabolic syndrome based on the modified definitions of the working definition proposed by the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Educational Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (ATP III definition). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome using the ATP III-BMI30 and ATP III-BMI25 definitions was 7% and 12% for Japanese, 7% and 13% for Koreans, and 12% and 16% for Mongolians, respectively. With the exception of obesity, the prevalences of individual metabolic abnormalities within each of the three Asian groups were similar to each other and to reported rates of prevalence in the U.S.A. Nevertheless, the values of sensitivity and specificity by the metabolic syndrome definitions are remarkably different relative to ethnicity. A universal metabolic syndrome definition is inappropriate for comparisons of metabolic syndrome among Asian ethnic groups. We believe that the ATP III-BMI25 definition is suitable for the determination of metabolic syndrome among Japanese and Koreans, and that the ATP III-BMI30 is more appropriate for Mongolians.

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) leaves and their major flavonol quercetin 3-(6-malonylglucoside) attenuate atherosclerotic lesion development in LDL receptor-deficient mice.

The effects of dietary consumption of mulberry (Morus alba L.) leaves and their major flavonol glycoside, quercetin 3-(6-malonylglucoside) (Q3MG), on the development of atherosclerotic lesions, in relation to the susceptibility of plasma LDL to oxidative modification, was studied in LDL receptor-deficient (LDLR-/-) mice. Male mice aged 8 wk were randomly assigned to 4 groups (control, quercetin, Q3MG, and mulberry). The control group was fed an atherogenic-diet containing 3 g cholesterol and 15 g cocoa butter/100 g. The other experimental groups were fed the same atherogenic diet supplemented with 0.05 g quercetin/100 g for the quercetin group, 0.05 g Q3MG/100 g for the Q3MG group, and 3 g dried mulberry-leaf powder/100 g for the mulberry group. The mice were fed their respective diets for 8 wk. The susceptibility of LDL to oxidative modification was significantly decreased in the Q3MG- and mulberry-treated mice, as evidenced by the 44.3 and 42.2% prolongation of the lag phase for conjugated diene formation compared with that of the control mice. The atherosclerotic lesion area in both the Q3MG- and mulberry-treated mice was significantly reduced by 52% compared with that of the controls. However, in the quercetin group, no protective effects were observed against LDL oxidation or atherosclerotic lesion formation. In conclusion, mulberry leaves attenuated the atherosclerotic lesion development in LDLR-/- mice through enhancement of LDL resistance to oxidative modification, and these antioxidative and antiatherogenic protective effects were attributed mainly to Q3MG, the quantitatively major flavonol glycoside in mulberry leaves.

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome using the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Educational Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (ATP III) and the modified ATP III definitions for Japanese and Mongolians.

BACKGROUND: A clustering of insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia has been labeled as metabolic syndrome. Asians have a lower frequency of obesity than do Caucasians but have an increasing tendency toward metabolic syndrome. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of individuals aged 30-60 years. We analyzed the health data of 596 Japanese and Mongolians for metabolic syndrome based on the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Educational Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (ATP III) definition and the three modified ATP III definitions. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome using ATP III criteria was 6% for the Japanese and 12% for the Mongolians, a remarkable lower prevalence relative to the reported prevalence in the United States. With the exception of visceral obesity, the prevalences of individual metabolic abnormalities within each of the two Asian groups were similar to each other and to reported rates of prevalence in the United States. CONCLUSIONS: A universal metabolic syndrome definition is inappropriate for comparisons of metabolic syndrome among Asian ethnic groups. We believe that the ATP III index for visceral obesity should be adjusted for Asian populations.

Low dose-ethanol modulates toxic effect of iron-overloading in the liver.

UNLABELLED: The oxidant properties of iron-overload and simultaneous ethanol consumption have received much interest, due to evidence reporting from hereditary hemochromatosis (HC). The full form of this disease is often associated with chronic alcoholism. An additive effect of toxicity of iron and ethanol was assumed. In this study, we examined nutritively iron-loaded Wistar rats (n = 59) (TMH-Ferrocene) additionally fed with ethanol up to 8% in drinking water for 36 wk. METHODS: By reverse-phase HPLC we measured the concentration of ascorbic acid, tocopherole and retinol in serum and liver homogenates as well as transaminases in the serum. Lipid peroxidation was assessed utilizing the ethane-exhalation method. Iron concentration in the liver was measured with the Bathophenanthrolin-method. Liver histology was performed to investigate the iron deposits and the organ damage (H.E., Azan and Berlin-blue-stainings). RESULTS: 1. Vitamin C: A linear decrease of the concentration of vitamin C in serum and liver was found independent of alcohol and iron uptake. 2. Vitamin E: Animals fed iron and alcohol showed elevated vitamin E concentrations in the serum but not in the liver. 3. Vitamin A: Elevated levels in serum but strongly decreasing levels in liver could be measured. 4. HISTOLOGY: All iron-fed animals showed massive deposits of iron in the liver. Iron diet caused liver cirrhosis, while an additional administration of ethanol could prevent this. 5. Lipid peroxidation increased in animals fed ethanol and iron, but was significantly lower in animals only receiving an iron diet. CONCLUSION: Evidence indicates that the additional exposition to ethanol in iron-loaded animals could modulate the organ damage and oxidative stress. The biochemical findings are positively correlated to the histology.

Screening for antioxidant activity in edible plant products: comparison of low-density lipoprotein oxidation assay, DPPH radical scavenging assay, and Folin-Ciocalteu assay.

Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been implicated in atherogenesis. Antioxidants that prevent LDL from oxidizing may reduce atherosclerosis. This study investigated LDL antioxidant activity in edible plant products for development of dietary supplementation to prevent atherosclerosis. Fifty-two kinds of edible plants were extracted using 70% aqueous ethanol solution, and the antioxidant activity of the extracts, which inhibit human LDL oxidation induced by copper ion, was determined on the basis of the oxidation lag time and represented as epigallocatechin 3-gallate equivalent. 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and total phenolic content were also measured for comparisons with antioxidant activity in LDL. Plant products showing the greatest activity in LDL oxidation assay were akamegashiwa (Mallotus japonicus) leaf, Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum) leaf, green tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze], and astringent persimmon (Diospyros kaki). The present study revealed high levels of LDL antioxidant activity in plant products for which such activity levels are underestimated in the DPPH radical scavenging assay and Folin-Ciocalteu assay.

Triglyceride levels are ethnic-specifically associated with an index of stearoyl-CoA desaturase activity and n-3 PUFA levels in Asians.

Accumulated evidence suggests that hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is independently associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. The hypotriglyceridemic effects of n-3 PUFAs have been confirmed in Caucasians, but the effect in Asians is less clear. Recent evidence indicates that stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) activity induced with high-carbohydrate diets increases plasma triglyceride levels. We investigated the relationship between triglyceride levels and the ratio of plasma oleic acid to stearic acid (the 18:1/18:0 ratio), a plasma marker of SCD activity, and n-3 PUFAs in 411 Japanese, 418 Korean, and 251 Mongolian adults. The Japanese and Koreans had higher values for triglyceride than their Mongolian counterparts, despite lower body mass index values for the Japanese and Koreans. The Japanese and Koreans ate fish more frequently and had remarkably higher values for n-3 PUFAs than did the Mongolians. Multiple regression analysis showed that triglyceride levels had a great magnitude of correlation with the increases in 18:1/18:0 ratio for the Japanese and Mongolians, and n-3 PUFAs remained significant for the Mongolians. HTG is ethnicity-specifically associated with an increase in the 18:1/18:0 ratio and a decrease in n-3 PUFA in plasma for Japanese, Koreans, and Mongolians.

The new BMI criteria for asians by the regional office for the western pacific region of WHO are suitable for screening of overweight to prevent metabolic syndrome in elder Japanese workers.

Obesity occurs less frequently in Japanese than in various other ethnic populations. A person with abnormal glucose tolerance is often found to have one or more of the other cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. This clustering has been labeled as metabolic syndrome (WHO, 1998). It was suggested that Japanese, categorized as having normal weight (BMI of less than 25.0), as defined by the WHO (2000), have an increasing tendency toward metabolic syndrome. Our objective was to analyze metabolic syndrome in "Overweight" with BMI of 23.0-24.9 in Japanese workers, and to assess the suitability for Asians of the Regional Office for the Western Pacific Region of WHO criteria pertaining to obesity (WPRO criteria, 2000). We conducted a cross-sectional study in the workplace setting and investigated the relationship between BMI classification based on WPRO criteria and metabolic syndrome by gender and age group (18-44 yr vs. 45-60 yr). Three hundred seventy-nine men and 432 women Japanese workers participated in this study. BMI were categorized as 20% "Overweight" (23.0-24.9 BMI), 20% "Obese I" (25.0-29.9 BMI) and 2% "Obese II" (over 30.0 BMI), based on WPRO criteria. Graded increases in BMI were positively associated with body fat percentage, waist circumference, hip circumference and waist/hip ratio in both genders and age groups. A progressively increasing BMI category in the elder group aged 45-60 yr in both genders was positively related with parameters constituting metabolic syndrome. Graded increases in BMI classes in elder workers based on WPRO criteria were positively associated with prevalence of metabolic syndrome, and "Overweight" elder women had significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome. The present investigation, based on the increasing risks of "Overweight" with a BMI of 23.0-24.9, suggests that WPRO criteria are suitable for Japanese workers aged over 45 yr.