There is a Relationship Between Obesity and Coronavirus Disease 2019 but More Information is Needed

We read with particular interest your comments in Obesity regarding the Coronavirus‐19 (COVID‐19) epidemic (1) and a related manuscript by Simonnet et al. (2). Resolution of the specific relationship between obesity and COVID‐19, two existing public health epidemics, is critically needed to potentially prevent health systems worldwide from being overburdened. Few studies describing COVID‐19 with rates of obesity exist, and most are based on heterogeneous populations (Table 1) (2‐7). In cohort studies with COVID‐19 disease, obesity rates are generally reported as no higher than population‐based estimates; in contrast, subgroups of critically ill patients (e.g, intensive care unit (ICU)) repo…

Glycemic variability Using 48-Hour continuous Gglucose monitoring and endothelial function in the Metabolic Syndrome

Body Mass Index and Cardiac Events in Elderly Patients

Body Mass Index has been challenged as an anthropometric measurement in elderly patients. Recent data, even in elderly patients, has demonstrated that elevated body mass index affords a worse long-term prognosis, although the magnitude of this relationship weakens as one ages. Underweight patients, possibly due to elements of sarcopenia and/or frailty, are also at a higher risk of overall mortality. A number of inflammatory mediators may be responsible for such factors which likely contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular events observed. Although body mass index has been implicated in the development of heart failure, coronary artery disease and mediates its effects through other…

Intra-renal hemodynamics and carotid intima-media thickness in the metabolic syndrome.

Aims: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. We hypothesize that early vascular changes are already present at the time of diagnosis of MetS. The relationship of different measures of early vascular impairment with body fat distribution and the natural progression of MetS was examined in newly diagnosed subjects non-pharmacologically treated. Methods: 246 consecutively enrolled subjects were categorized according to the presence of MetS and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Intra-renal Doppler flow was used to ascertain resistive (RI) and pulsatility (PI) indices as markers of vascular resistance. Carotid intima-media thick- ness (IMT), cutis-rectis (CR) and rectis…

Psychological and behavioural factors associated with long-term weight maintenance after a multidisciplinary treatment of uncomplicated obesity

Obesity is a multifactorial syndrome and the likelihood of success of a medical nutritional treatment (MNT) over the long term is low. As psychological and behavioural factors have an important role in both pathogenesis and the treatment of obesity, these issues were investigated in individuals with obesity who reported a long-term success or a failure in terms of weight loss following a MNT. Eighty-eight individuals of an original cohort of 251 subjects were re-evaluated 10 years after a MNT with cognitive-behavioural approach for uncomplicated obesity. Fifty-three participants were classified as failure (body weight change ≥0.5 kg) and 35 as a success (10-year body weight change <0.5 kg) …

Acute effects of coffee on endothelial function in healthy subjects

Background/Objectives: Coffee is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, but its effect on the cardiovascular system has not been fully understood. Coffee contains caffeine and antioxidants, which may influence endothelial function, both of which have not yet been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the acute effects of coffee on endothelial function measured by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Subjects/Methods: A total of 20 (10 males and 10 females) healthy non-obese subjects underwent a double-blind, crossover study. Subjects ingested one cup of caffeinated (CC) and one cup of decaffeinated (DC) Italian espresso coffee in random order at 5- t…

Reply from Buscemi Set al.Glycaemic variability using continuous glucose monitoring and endothelial function in the metabolic syndrome and in Type 2 diabetes. Authors’ reply

Relationships between maximal oxygen uptake and endothelial function in healthy male adults: a preliminary study

Aerobic capacity, as indicated by maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2) max) has an important role in contrasting the traditional cardiovascular risk factors and preventing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It is known that endothelial function, measured as flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery, is strictly linked to atherogenesis and cardiovascular risk. However, the relationship between VO(2) max and FMD has not been fully investigated especially in healthy non-obese subjects. This preliminary study cross-sectionally investigated the relationship between VO(2) max and FMD in 22 non-obese, healthy sedentary male subjects. Dividing the cohort in two subgroups of 11 subjects each …

Long-term effects of a multidisciplinary treatment of uncomplicated obesity on carotid intima-media thickness

Obesity is associated with well-known cardiovascular risk factors and a lower life expectancy. This study investigated whether nonoperative nutritional treatment of obesity without comorbidities influenced the carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT) in the long run. Fifty-four subjects of an original cohort of 251 subjects were re-evaluated 10 years after a medical nutritional treatment (MNT) with cognitive-behavioral approach for uncomplicated obesity. Forty subjects were classified as failure (10-year body weight change >0.5 kg) and 14 (body weight change ≤0.5 kg) as a success of the MNT. Ten years after MNT, c-IMT significantly increased (0.06 ± 0.02 mm; P = 0.004) in the failure group an…

Dose-dependent effects of decaffeinated coffee on endothelial function in healthy subjects

ackground/Objectives: Coffee is known to contain antioxidant substances whose effects may be blunted because of caffeine that may unfavorably affect the cardiovascular system. This study was designed to investigate the acute dose-dependent effects of decaffeinated coffee (DC) on endothelial function measured by the brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Subjects/Methods: A total of 15 (8 men and 7 women) healthy nonobese subjects underwent a single-blind, crossover study. Subjects ingested one and two cups of decaffeinated Italian espresso coffee in random order at 5- to 7-day intervals. Results: In the hour following the ingestion of two cups of DC, FMD increased (mean±s.e.m.): 0 mi…

Nutritional predictors of mortality after discharge in elderly patients on a medical ward

Background: Malnutrition in elderly inpatients hospitalized on medical wards is a significant public health concern. The aim of this study was to investigate nutritional markers as mortality predictors following discharge in hospitalized medical elderly patients. Materials and methods: This is a prospective observational cohort study with follow-up of 48 months. Two hundred and twenty-five individuals aged 60 and older admitted from the hospital emergency room in the past 48 h were investigated at the medical ward in the University hospital in Palermo (Italy). Anthropometric and clinical measurements, Mini-nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire, bioelectrical (BIA) phase angle (PA), gri…

Glycaemic variability using continuous glucose monitoring and endothelial function in the metabolic syndrome and in Type 2 diabetes

Diabet. Med. 27, 872–878 (2010) Abstract Aims  Subjects who are at increased risk of developing diabetes may have increased glycaemic variability associated with endothelial dysfunction and possibly subclinical atherosclerosis, which may lead to increased cardiovascular risk observed at the time of diabetes diagnosis. To investigate this hypothesis, we measured endothelial function, carotid intima-media thickness and glycaemic variability using 48-h continuous subcutaneous glucose monitoring in 3 groups of overweight or obese subjects – those without the metabolic syndrome, and those with the metabolic syndrome with or without newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. Methods  Consecutive subjects, …

Coffee and endothelial function: a battle between caffeine and antioxidants ?

Although coffee is largely consumed by adults in Western countries, controversy exists about its impact on the cardiovascular system. We recently demonstrated that caffeinated and decaffeinated espresso coffee have different acute effects on endothelial function in healthy subjects, measured using flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery. In this study, we measured the anti-oxidant capacity of two coffee substances in terms of free stable radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl 50% inhibition (I(50) DPPH). The caffeinated coffee had a slightly higher anti-oxidant capacity than decaffeinated espresso coffee (I(50) DPPH: 1.13±0.02 vs 1.30±0.03 μl; P0.001). We suggest that the unfavo…

Characterization of street food consumption in palermo: possible effects on health

Abstract Background Street Food (SF) consists of out-of-home food consumption and has old, historical roots with complex social-economic and cultural implications. Despite the emergence of modern fast food, traditional SF persists worldwide, but the relationship of SF consumption with overall health, well-being, and obesity is unknown. Methods This is an observational, cross-sectional study. The study was performed in Palermo, the largest town of Sicily, Italy. Two groups were identified: consumers of SF (n = 687) and conventional restaurant food (RES) consumers (n = 315). Study subjects answered a questionnaire concerning their health conditions, nutritional preferences, frequency of consu…