Archive for category: News

USA: A recent study published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health reveals an association between earlier age at menarche and type 2 diabetes among young and middle-aged women and with stroke complications among these women with diabetes.

“Starting menstrual cycles at a young age before the age of 13 is linked to a heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes in mid-life,” the US study stated. 

It also seems to be associated with an increased risk of having a stroke before the age of 65 in those with the disease, particularly those who started having periods before the age of 10 or younger, the findings indicate.

Diabetes and its complications are on the rise among young and middle-aged US adults, while the age at which women start having periods is falling worldwide, note the researchers.

They therefore wanted to find out if there might be a link between these two phenomena in younger women, and drew on responses to the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2018.

Some 17,377 women aged between 20 and 65 were included in the study, all of whom specified the age at which they had had their first menstrual cycle. This was categorised as 10 or younger, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 and older.

Of the total, 1773 (10%) reported a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. And of these, 205 (11.5%) reported some type of cardiovascular disease.

Starting periods before the average age of 13 was associated with a heightened risk of type 2 diabetes, after accounting for a range of potentially influential factors, including age, race/ethnicity, education, motherhood, menopausal status and family history of diabetes, smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption and weight (BMI).

This ranged from 32% greater (10 or younger) through 14% greater (age 11) to 29% greater (age 12).

Among women with diabetes, earlier age at first menstrual cycle was associated with a heightened risk of stroke, although not cardiovascular disease in general, after accounting for the same set of potentially influential factors.

Very early age at first menstrual cycle-10 or younger-was associated with a more than doubling in stroke risk among women below the age of 65 with diabetes, after similar adjustments for influential factors.

This risk fell in tandem with increasing age: 81% among those with their first menstrual bleed at the age of 11, to 32% at the age of 12, and to 15% at the age of 14.

This is an observational study, and as such, can’t establish causal factors. But, suggest the researchers: “Earlier age at [first menstrual cycle] may be one of early life indicators of the cardiometabolic disease trajectory in women.”

They explain: “One potential pathway explanation may be that [such] women are exposed to oestrogen for longer periods of time, and early [menstruation] has been associated with higher oestrogen levels.”

They point out that while the observed associations between age at first menstrual cycle and stroke complications weakened slightly after accounting for weight, these still remained statistically significant.

“Therefore, adiposity may also play a role in the observed association between early age at [first menstrual cycle] and stroke complications, as higher childhood adiposity is associated with earlier age at [menstruation] and with cardiometabolic diseases later in life,” they suggest.

“These findings add another dimension to the potentially less well understood determinants of cardiometabolic risk, particularly in women who have been relatively underrepresented in this area of research,” comments Professor Sumantra Ray, Executive Director of the NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition & Health, which co-owns BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.

“And they provide a clear steer on the need to design interventional studies looking at the prevention of cardiometabolic disease in ethnically diverse groups of women who start menstruating at a young age,” he adds.

Reference:

Santos MP, Li Y, Bazzano LA, et alAge at menarche, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease complications in US women aged under 65 years: NHANES 1999–2018BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2023;e000632. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2023-000632.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids fail to provide protection against retinopathy among diabetes patients suggests a new study published in the Ophthalmology.

Extra-low dose levothyroxine improves pregnancy outcomes in women with subclinical hypothyroidism undergoing IVF suggests a new study published in the Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

A recent study has uncovered the significant insights into the association between bariatric surgery and pregnancy outcomes. Researchers have found in a new study that Bariatric Surgery is Associated with Lower Pregnancy Weight Gain among women.

The findings of the study were published in Journal of American Medical Association.

The research conducted in Sweden from 2014 to 2021 involved 12,776 pregnancies. This study aimed to compare pregnancy weight gain among women with a history of bariatric surgery and those without, looking into potential variations based on surgical procedures and time intervals.

The findings reveal that women with a history of bariatric surgery experienced lower pregnancy weight gain across all early-pregnancy BMI strata when compared to their matched counterparts. The differences in pregnancy weight gain were notable, with a decrease observed in normal weight, overweight, and obese classes I, II, and III.

The findings indicates that pregnancy weight gain did not significantly differ based on the specific bariatric surgical procedure. A shorter surgery-to-conception interval, particularly within one year, or lower surgery-to-conception weight loss was correlated with reduced pregnancy weight gain. This highlights the nuanced factors influencing maternal health post-bariatric surgery.

The study emphasized the importance of these findings understanding that state the impact of bariatric surgery on pregnancy outcomes is crucial for healthcare providers and expectant mothers. The study contributes valuable information to guide personalized maternal care for women with a history of bariatric surgery.

This extensive study helps in understanding the complex relationship between bariatric surgery and pregnancy but also underscores the significance of tailoring healthcare interventions based on individual patient characteristics. More studies like these will play a vital role in enhancing the understanding and improving outcomes for mothers and their offspring.

Source:

Xu, H., Holowko, N., Näslund, I., Ottosson, J., Arkema, E. V., Neovius, M., Stephansson, O., & Johansson, K. (2023). Pregnancy Weight Gain After Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Gastrectomy. In JAMA Network Open (Vol. 6, Issue 12, p. e2346228). American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.46228

USA: Bone loss is a significant issue impacting more than 50% of women over the age of 50, and there is no cure. A new study published in The Journal of Nutrition has shown the beneficial effects of dietary supplementation with 50–100 g prunes for reducing bone loss. 

The researchers reported that the daily consumption of prunes may reduce inflammation markers connected to bone signalling pathways and reduce the effects of bone loss among postmenopausal women.

“Bone loss is a significant issue impacting more than 50% of women over the age of 50, and there is no cure,” said Principal Investigator Mary Jane De Souza, PhD, Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University. “While medications and hormone therapies are available, they often require lifelong management and come with risks. It’s important to have a better understanding of how non-pharmacological approaches lifestyle and dietary choices-can also impact the progression and mitigation of bone loss.”

The new study’s findings show significant reductions in inflammatory cytokines, which are proteins that help control inflammation, and activated monocytes, which are a major type of immune cell that has been shown to drive the chronic inflammatory response, when 50 to 100 grams of prunes (about 5-12 prunes) are included in the diet, daily. Specifically, reductions were seen in Tumor Necrosis Factor-α following 50 grams of daily prune intake, and reductions in Interleukin-1β, Interleukin-6, Interleukin-8 secretions, as well as activated monocytes, with 100 grams of prune intake, compared to diets without prunes.

“These findings may be attributed to the abundance of bioactive compounds found in prunes, including vitamins, minerals, phenolic acids and polyphenols, which are likely acting synergistically to suppress activated monocytes and their secretion of bone-resorptive inflammatory cytokines,” said Co-author Connie Rogers, PhD, MPH, Professor and Department Head, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Georgia.

This is an ancillary study of a larger, single-center, parallel-arm, 12-month randomized control trial[1] (PRUNE study). The PRUNE study aimed to explore immune, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers related to the bone-protective effects of prunes in nonsmoking and not severely obese postmenopausal women, aged 55-75 years who refrained from phenolic supplements or large amounts of phenolic-containing fruit (apples and blueberries) for at least 2 months prior to the start of the study. This investigation was completed by 183 participants who were split into three groups: control/no prunes (n=70), 50 grams/day prunes (n=67) and 100 grams/day prunes (n=46). After a run-in period, participants followed the prune protocol for a total of 12-months and were instructed to record the days and number of prunes eaten in a daily log, used to monitor compliance. Participants were considered compliant if they consumed more than 80% of their prescribed treatment, and all participants consumed more 90% of their prescribed treatment.

Measurements of immune, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were taken at baseline and at the end of the 12-month intervention. Beyond the prune intake protocols, all participants received a daily dose of calcium and vitamin D3 to meet the recommended dietary allowance of 1200 mg of calcium and 800 IU vitamin D3 daily from diet plus supplements, and they followed a free-living diet.

“These findings add to a growing body of research and interest investigating the role of ‘food as medicine’ and complement other studies I have conducted using the same data,” De Souza said. “For example, the previous study I led showed connections between hip bone integrity and daily consumption of prunes—where postmenopausal women who did not eat prunes lost 1.5% of their hip bone density compared to women who ate 5-6 prunes daily. Collectively, these findings have significant practical importance given the prevalence of bone loss among this population.”

“Our investment in the PRUNE study has led to many key publications and novel findings that can help improve public health and the understanding of the role foods may play in disease prevention and management,” said Donn Zea, executive director, California Prune Board. “We are deeply committed to the scientific rigor of our nutrition research program which provides a license to communicate how enjoying California Prunes can have an effect on health outcomes.”

For about 100 calories, a serving of 4-6 California Prunes is a nutrient-dense superfood providing more than 20 different vitamins, minerals and plant compounds to the diet. As a premium dried fruit enjoyed across cultures and ethnicities, research into California Prunes’ health benefits contributes to a better understanding of their role as a dietary tool to promote health and potentially lower chronic disease risk.

Reference:

Janhavi J. Damani, Ester S. Oh, Mary Jane De Souza, Nicole CA. Strock, Nancy I. Williams, Cindy H. Nakatsu, Hang Lee, Connie Weaver, Connie J. Rogers, Prune Consumption Attenuates Proinflammatory Cytokine Secretion and Alters Monocyte Activation in Postmenopausal Women: Secondary Outcome Analysis of a 12-Mo Randomized Controlled Trial: The Prune Study, The Journal of Nutrition, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.11.014.