OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of M3P (containing Deer antler, Cordyceps sinensis, Rhodiola rosea, and Panax ginseng); an herbal remedy with the function of tonifying Kidney (Shen) and invigorating Spleen (Pi), replenishing qi and nourishing blood; on fatigue alleviation, endurance capacity and toxicity. METHODS: Swimming with weight-loading of 24 male ICR mice was used to evaluate the endurance capacity, and fatigue-related plasma biomarkers were determined. Mice were randomly assigned to control or M3P treatment groups with 6 mice for each group and were orally administered with M3P everyday for 8 weeks at doses 0, 10, 33 or 100 mg/kg. Swimming time to exhaustion was measured in a specialized water tank. Lliver and kidney functions, body weight, and hematological profile were determined to evaluate the safety and toxicity after long-term M3P administration. RESULTS: M3P supplementation 100 mg/kg significantly increased swimming endurance time up to approximate 2.4 folds of controls (P<0.05). The plasma concentrations of cortisol and hepatic glycogen content were significantly increased in mice received M3P (P<0.05, P<0.01 respectively). The lactic acid level and blood glucose were not changed after M3P treatment (P>0.05). The liver and kidney functions muscle damage biomarker creatine, body weight, and hemograms were not altered in M3P supplementation (P>0.05). CONCLUSION M3P supplementation may improve swimming endurance accompanied by increasing hepatic glycogen content and serum cortisol level without major toxicity.
Animals ; Body Weight ; Deer ; Dietary Supplements ; Fatigue/drug therapy* ; Hydrocortisone ; Liver Glycogen ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Swimming/physiology*

BACKGROUND: Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) applied for osteoporosis diagnosis unavoidably results in the missingdiagnosis in patients with large bones and misdiagnosis in those with small bones. Therefore, we try to find a new adjusted index of bone mineral content (BMC) to make up shortcomings of aBMD in osteoporosis diagnosis. METHODS: In this multi-center epidemiological study, BMC and aBMD of lumbar spines (n = 5510) and proximal femurs (n = 4710) were measured with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We analyzed the correlation between the bone mass and body weight in all subjects including four age groups (<19 years, 20-39 years, 40-49 years, >50 years). And then the body weight was used for standardizing BMC (named wBMC) and applied for the epidemiological analysis of osteoporosis. RESULTS: The correlation of body weight and BMC is 0.839 to 0.931 of lumbar vertebra 1-4 (L1-4), and 0.71 to 0.95 of femoral neck in different age groups. When aBMD was applied for diagnosing osteoporosis, the prevalence was 7.55%, 16.39%, and 25.83% in patients with a high, intermediate, and low body weight respectively. However, the prevalence was 21.8%, 18.03%, and 11.64% by wBMC applied for diagnosing osteoporosis. Moreover, the prevalence of osteoporosis increased by 3.76% by wBMC with the body weight increased by 5 kg. The prevalence decreased by 1.94% when the body weight decreased by 5 kg. CONCLUSIONS wBMC can reduce the missed diagnosis in patients with large body weight and reduce misdiagnosis in those with small body weight. Including children, wBMC may be feasible for osteoporosis diagnosis individuals at any age.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Body Weight ; physiology ; Bone Density ; physiology ; Female ; Femur Neck ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Prevalence ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: The Shanghai growth standards are higher than World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards, which may influence the feeding practices of the caregivers and increase the risk of overweight in these infants. This study aimed to compare the effects of different growth standards on childhood obesity in Shanghai metropolitan area. METHODS: This was a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in 2 downtown areas with 19 community health service centers in Shanghai from November 2013 to December 2015. Randomization was done at the level of the community. Infants (health newborns) were assessed and monitored by the Shanghai growth standards (S-group) and the 2006 WHO growth standards (W-group), respectively. Measurements were taken at 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 9.0 and 12.0 months of age during follow-up period. Based on the values of length and weight measurements, according to the group's growth standards, doctors provided the caregivers with corresponding clinical consultation. Changes in weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), length-for-age z-score (LAZ), and weight-for length z-score (WLZ) between 2 groups were assessed using mixed regression models. Overweight was compared between 2 group at all follow-up measurements. RESULTS: A total of 6509 infants (52.1% were boys) were in the W-group, and 8510 infants (51.4% were boys) were in the S-group. The overweight ratios between two groups were distinct at 9 months of age (3.4% in W-group and 4.3% in S-group) and 12 months of age (2.2% in W-group and 3.8% in S-group), and the differences were statistically significant (P = 0.020 and P < 0.001, respectively). Compared to W-group, the increase in WAZ (coefficient = 0.04, P = 0.004) and WLZ (coefficient = 0.09, P < 0.001) were significantly greater, and the LAZ was lower (coefficient = -0.04, P = 0.047) in S-group (W-group values were used as reference in mixed regression models). CONCLUSION: Compared to the Shanghai growth standards, the adoption of WHO 2006 growth standards would reduce the risk of infant overweight in Shanghai metropolitan area up to 1 year of age. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ChiCTR1800015371, http://www.chictr.org.cn/ Chinese Clinical Trial Registry.
Body Height ; physiology ; Body Weight ; physiology ; China ; Feeding Behavior ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Overweight ; physiopathology

BACKGROUND: Weight gain during pregnancy reflects the mother's nutritional status. However, it may be affected by nutritional therapy and exercise interventions used to control blood sugar in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study aimed to evaluate weight gain during gestation and pregnancy outcomes among women with GDM. METHODS: A retrospective study involving 1523 women with GDM was conducted between July 2013 and July 2016. Demographic data, gestational weight gain (GWG), blood glucose, glycated-hemoglobin level, and maternal and fetal outcomes were extracted from medical records. Relationships between GWG and pregnancy outcomes were investigated using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: In total, 451 (29.6%) women showed insufficient GWG and 484 (31.8%) showed excessive GWG. Excessive GWG was independently associated with macrosomia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.50-3.52, P < 0.001), large for gestational age (aOR 2.06, 95% CI 1.44-2.93, P < 0.001), small for gestational age (aOR 0.49, 95% CI 0.25-0.97, P = 0.040), neonatal hypoglycemia (aOR 3.80, 95% CI 1.20-12.00, P = 0.023), preterm birth (aOR 0.45, 95% CI 0.21-0.96, P = 0.040), and cesarean delivery (aOR 1.45, 95% CI 1.13-1.87, P = 0.004). Insufficient GWG increased the incidence of preterm birth (aOR 3.53, 95% CI 1.96-6.37, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Both excessive and insufficient weight gain require attention in women with GDM. Nutritional therapy and exercise interventions to control blood glucose should also be used to control reasonable weight gain during pregnancy to decrease adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Adult ; Body Mass Index ; Diabetes, Gestational ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Female ; Fetal Macrosomia ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Retrospective Studies ; Weight Gain ; physiology

Adult ; Birth Weight ; Body Mass Index ; Female ; Gestational Weight Gain ; physiology ; Humans ; Labor, Obstetric ; physiology ; Pregnancy

Objective: To investigate the associations of obesity and physical activity with cognition in the elderly. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from October 2009 to June 2010 among people aged ≥50 years selected through multistage random cluster sampling in Shanghai. The subjects' body weight, body height, waist circumference and hip circumference were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR), and the data on self-reported physical activity level were collected through questionnaire survey. A comprehensive battery of cognitive tests was conducted to assess subjects' cognitive functions, including verbal recall, forward digit span (FDS), backward digit span (BDS), and verbal fluency (VF). General linear model was used to examine the associations of BMI, WHR and physical activity with cognition. Results: A total of 7 913 participants were included, with a median age of 60 years. Age, sex, education level, income level, BMI, WHR and physical activity level were significantly associated with cognitive scores in univariate analysis. After adjusted for age, sex, education level and income level, BMI was no longer significantly associated with cognitive scores in all cognitive functions (all P>0.01). WHR was significantly associated with VF score (P<0.01). Abdominally obese participants had lower VF score than non-abdominally obese participants (P<0.01). Physical activity level was significantly associated with all cognitive functions (P<0.01). Compared with participants with moderate physical activity level, participants with low physical activity level had lower scores in all cognitive functions (P<0.01). Conclusion: Abdominal obesity and low physical activity level were negatively associated with cognition level in the elderly, suggesting that waist circumference control and physical activity might help maintain cognition in the elderly.
Aged ; Body Height ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; China ; Cognition/physiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Exercise ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Obesity ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Waist Circumference ; Waist-Hip Ratio

Objective: To investigate the effects of docosahexenoic acid (DHA) supplementation on infant's growth and BMI during pregnancy. Methods: A total of 1 516 healthy pregnant women delivered their babies in two maternal and child health care hospitals in Beijing and were chosen as the subjects in this cohort study from May to October 2015. Self-developed questionnaires were used to gather general information of the subjects, including age, height, weight, weight gain during pregnancy, delivery mode, DHA supplementation etc., before giving birth. Information on body length, weight, head circumference and BMI at birth and 6 months postnatal, of the infants were recorded. Breast milk was collected to test the fatty acid profiles by using the gas chromatography (GC) method at one to three months postnatally. Results: The overall rate of DHA supplementation was 47.76% among the pregnant women, in which introduction of DHA from the early and second stage of the pregnancy accounted for 49.31% and 39.64% respectively. When DHA supplementation began from the early pregnant stage, the DHA concentration showed an increase in the milk (P<0.05), whereas the supplementation began from the second and third stages did not affect the milk DHA concentration (P>0.05). Higher height and lower BMI were seen in the infants at birth and 6 months in the supplementation group when comparing to the non-supplementary group (P<0.05), with the greatest effects noticed in the earliest supplementation group. Specifically, the head circumference appeared larger from the early pregnant stage in the DHA supplementary group, than that in the non-supplement group (P=0.001). The increment of head circumference was larger than that in the other groups when the infants were 6-month old (P<0.01). Results from the partial regression analysis showed that during pregnancy, there were positive correlations between DHA supplementation and height (r=0.324, r=0.216), head circumference (r=0.221, r=0.302) as well as the increment of head circumference (r=0.276) at birth and 6 months (P<0.05). Whereas, a negative correlation was shown between DHA and the infants' BMI (r=-0.310, r=-0.371) (P<0.05) when supplementation was given during maternal pregnancy. Conclusions: When DHA supplementation program was carried out during maternal pregnancy, it could increase the height and head circumference and inhibit the rapid increase of BMI in the infants BMI. Our findings seemed helpful in promoting brain development and preventing the childhood obesity.
Body Height ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Child Development/drug effects* ; Cohort Studies ; Dietary Supplements ; Docosahexaenoic Acids/pharmacology* ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn/physiology* ; Maternal-Fetal Exchange ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Prenatal Care ; Weight Gain

Objective: To understand the prevalence and distribution of hypertension in population aged 15 years and over in Guizhou province and provide evidence for the prevention and management of hypertension. Methods: Face to face interviews using national standard questionnaire were conducted among the study subjects selected in Guizhou through multi-stage random sampling. Blood pressure measurement for them was done with Omron HEM-1300 professional portable blood pressure monitor. SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis. The ratio was compared by the χ(2) test. The influencing factors of hypertension was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 13 480 participants were investigated, including 5 509 (40.8%) men and 7 971 (59.2%) women; 6 558 (48.6%) urban residents and 6 922 (51.4%) rural residents. Among the subjects surveyed, 3 232 (23.9%) were smokers, 2 412 (17.9%) were alcoholic and 4 859 (36.0%) were obese or overweight. A total of 3 937 (29.2%) hypertension patients were found. The prevalence of hypertension was 29.2%. The standardized prevalence of hypertension were 18.97% (compared with national population composition) and 21.16% (compared with Guizhou province population composition), respectively. The hypertension prevalence in men and women were 29.8% and 28.8%, respectively. The hypertension prevalence in rural population (35.8%) was higher than that in urban population (22.2%). The difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The hypertension prevalence in people aged 65 years and over was 56.2%. The prevalence of hypertension were 34.3% and 27.6% in smokers and non-smokers, 39.2% and 27.0% in alcoholic and non-alcoholic and 40.7% and 22.7% in obese or overweight group and normal or less weight group, respectively. There were significant statistical differences in prevalence of hypertension among the population in urban area and rural area, with different age, education levels, smoking status, drinking status and BMI (P<0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of hypertension in Guizhou was at a high level. The hypertension prevalence in rural area was higher than that in urban area. Hypertension prevalence increased significantly with age. The prevalence of hypertension was negatively associated with the education level of the people. Older age, living in rural area, smoking, drinking, obesity were the risk factors for hypertension.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Body Weight ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension/epidemiology* ; Life Style/ethnology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Rural Population ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Urban Population ; Young Adult

Objective: To study the association between blood pressure related dietary pattern and cognitive impairment in the elderly. Methods: In 2015, all participants who were aged ≥60 and participated in the Nutrition and Chronic disease family cohort were involved in the study. Information on demographic variables, lifestyle and health status was collected. Cognitive performance was assessed by the Mini Mental State Evaluation (MMSE) scale. Blood pressure, height and weight were measured by trained medical personnel and fasting venous blood samples were collected for testing on serum level of triglycerides and total cholesterol. Both SBP and DBP were used as response variables when dietary patterns were identified by reduced rank regression method. Logistic regression models were fit to explore the associations of scores on blood pressure-related dietary pattern and cognitive impairment. Results: Two blood related dietary patterns were identified. The first one was characterized by high consumption of vegetables and less meat, eggs and dessert (Pattern 1), while the second one was with high consumption of meat, soy products, wine and fried foods and less intake of dairy (Pattern 2). Data showed that the Pattern 1 was associated with the risk of cognitive impairment. Comparing with the lowest quartile of score of this dietary pattern, the risk of cognitive impairment in the highest quartile group showed a significant (P<0.01) increase, with OR=1.94 (1.21-3.11) and showing significant (P=0.002) linear trend. However, no significant association was observed (P>0.05) with cognitive impairment in the second dietary pattern. Conclusion: Blood pressure-related dietary pattern was positively associated with cognitive impairment.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian People ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Body Weight ; Cognitive Aging ; Cognitive Dysfunction/blood* ; Cohort Studies ; Diet ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Meat ; Middle Aged ; Nutritional Status ; Red Meat ; Risk Factors ; Seafood ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vegetables

INTRODUCTIONWe studied the effects of ethnicity on early infant growth patterns in exclusively breast-fed (EBF) infants from a Singaporean multiethnic population. This was a prospective cohort study conducted in National University Hospital, Singapore.

MATERIALS AND METHODSHealthy, EBF infants born at-term completing 37 weeks and above, and whose birthweight was appropriate for gestational age (>10 centile, <90 centile) were recruited. Infants were required to be EBF at least until the minimum age of weaning. All infants who were preterm and premature, formula-fed, required Intensive/High Dependency care, or born with major congenital anomalies were excluded. A multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted at 5 predetermined time-points (birth; 4-8 weeks; 3-4, 5-8, 12 months) to study the effects of antenatal/parental factors on infant growth.

RESULTSA total of 213 infants were recruited. Maternal age, height and body mass index positively influenced birthweights while maternal hypertension and paternal smoking negatively influenced birthweights. Mean duration of breastfeeding was 8.9 months. Chinese ethnicity did not influence birth anthropometry, but was the single consistent factor that significantly increased weight and length Z-scores from 4-8 weeks until 8 months of life. Chinese ethnicity did not influence head growth throughout the first year of life.

CONCLUSIONEBF Chinese infants have increased weights and lengths compared to non-Chinese infants until 8 months' age, despite similar birth anthropometry. This period of discrepant growth coincides with the average duration of breastfeeding. We hypothesise that ethnic variations in breast milk macronutrient composition influence early somatic growth in infants.

Anthropometry ; methods ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; statistics & numerical data ; Birth Weight ; Body Mass Index ; Breast Feeding ; ethnology ; Child Development ; physiology ; Ethnic Groups ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Singapore ; epidemiology