Search results for "fasting"
showing 10 items of 158 documents
As Long as the Breath Lasts: In Utero Exposure to Ramadan and the Occurrence of Wheezing in Adulthood.
2017
While prenatal exposure to Ramadan has been shown to be negatively associated with general physical and mental health, studies on specific organs remain scarce. In this study, we explored whether Ramadan exposure during pregnancy affects the occurrence of wheezing, a main symptom of obstructive airway disease. Using data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey collected between 1997 and 2008 (waves 2-4), we compared wheezing occurrence among adult Muslims who had been in utero during Ramadan with that in adult Muslims who had not been in utero during Ramadan. Wheezing prevalence was higher among adult Muslims who had been in utero during Ramadan, independent of the pregnancy phase in which t…
Long-term health effects on the next generation of Ramadan fasting during pregnancy
2011
Each year, many pregnant women fast from dawn to sunset during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Medical theory suggests that this may have negative long-term health effects on their offspring. Building upon the work of Almond and Mazumder (2008), and using Indonesian crosssectional data, I show that people who were exposed to Ramadan fasting during their mother's pregnancy have a poorer general health and are sick more often than people who were not exposed. This effect is especially pronounced among older people, who, when exposed, also report health problems more often that are indicative of coronary heart problems and type 2 diabetes. The exposed are a bit smaller in body size and weig…
Statin use and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in at risk individuals.
2015
Background & Aims Excess hepatic free cholesterol contributes to the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and statins reduce cholesterol synthesis. Aim of this study was to assess whether statin use is associated with histological liver damage related to steatohepatitis. Methods The relationship between statin use, genetic risk factors, and liver damage was assessed in a multi-center cohort of 1201 European individuals, who underwent liver biopsy for suspected non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Results Statin use was recorded in 107 subjects, and was associated with protection from steatosis, NASH, and fibrosis stage F2-F4, in a dose-dependent manner (adjusted p <0.05 for all).…
BMI and an anthropometry-based estimate of fat mass percentage are both valid discriminators of cardiometabolic risk: A comparison with DXA and bioim…
2013
Objective. To determine whether categories of obesity based on BMI and an anthropometry-based estimate of fat mass percentage (FM% equation) have similar discriminative ability for markers of cardiometabolic risk as measurements of FM% by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or bioimpedance analysis (BIA).Design and Methods. A study of 40–79-year-old male (n=205) and female (n=388) Finns. Weight, height, blood pressure, triacylglycerols, HDL cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose were measured. Body composition was assessed by DXA and BIA and a FM%-equation.Results. For grade 1 hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and impaired fasting glucose >6.1 mmol/L, the categories of obesity as defined b…
Gender differences on oxidative stress markers and complement component C3 plasma values after an oral unsaturated fat load test
2020
Abstract Objective Post-prandial lipaemia (PL), oxidative stress (OS), and complement component C3 (C3) values are related to the atherosclerosis process. The post-prandial response of C3 after an oral fat load test (OFLT) using unsaturated fat is poorly addressed. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the post-prandial response of OS markers and C3 values in men and women after an OFLT using unsaturated fat. Methods The study included a total of 22 healthy subjects with normal lipids and normal blood glucose (11 men and 11 pre-menopausal women). An oral unsaturated fat load test (OFLT: 50 g fat per m2 body surface) was performed using a commercial liquid preparation of long chai…
Efficacy of a fasting-mimicking diet in functional therapy for depression: A randomised controlled pilot trial.
2020
Objective: This randomized controlled trial examined the efficacy of adding a fasting‐mimicking diet to a structured psychotherapy protocol for treating depression.Design: Of 20 patients with depression, 10 were randomly assigned to psychotherapy and dieting (i.e., experimental group) and the other 10 to psychotherapy only (i.e., control group). Patients in both groups received20 individual sessions of functional therapy along with nutrition consultation. Patients in the control group were instructed to maintain their usual daily diets. Results: Both treatments were effective in reducing depression as well as increasing self‐esteem and quality of life. The experimental group showed improved…
The Phenomenon of a High Triglyceride Response to an Oral Lipid Load in Healthy Subjects and Its Link to the Metabolic Syndrome
1993
Excessive postprandial triglyceride (TG) responses despite normal fasting TG levels have been described in single cases within small groups of healthy subjects and in patients with obesity or precocious atherosclerosis, known to be associated with high insulin fasting levels. To clarify this association, fasting and postprandial TG and insulin levels were studied in 113 healthy young (25.7 +/- 2.6 years), normal weight (body mass index 20.8 +/- 2.3 kg/m2) male subjects who were selected from among 117 subjects on the basis of TG fasting levels200 mg/dl. After a 12-hour fast a standardized liquid lipid load was administered containing 58 g mainly saturated fat and 1,017 kcal energy. Both fas…
Central obesity and hypertension. Relationship between fasting serum insulin, plasma renin activity, and diastolic blood pressure in young obese subj…
1994
This study was designed to evaluate the role of fasting serum insulin and plasma renin activity in obesity-induced hypertension. In view of this, plasma catecholamines, fasting serum insulin (IRI), urinary sodium excretion (NaU), plasma renin activity (PRA), and plasma aldosterone (PA) levels were assessed in young (age less than 40 years) normotensive (n = 27) and hypertensive (n = 14) subjects with central obesity and in lean normotensives (n = 20). Central obesity was evaluated by waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) according to the indication of the Italian Consensus Conference of Obesity. PRA, PA, IRI, and plasma norepinephrine levels were significantly (P < .05) higher in both obese groups than …
Enhanced reduction in oxidative stress and altered glutathione and thioredoxin system response to unsaturated fatty acid load in familial hypercholes…
2014
Abstract Objectives Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is characterized by increased oxidative stress (OS) levels. In the postprandial state, lipids and lipoproteins modulate OS status through their impact on pro-oxidant and antioxidant mechanisms. The objective of this study was to evaluate in patients with FH the response to an unsaturated oral fat load test (OFLT) by analyzing the mRNA levels of genes involved in the glutathione and thioredoxin antioxidant systems. Design and Methods We analyzed 14 FH patients and 20 normolipidemic and normoglycemic controls. In both groups, mRNA values of antioxidant enzyme genes (glutathione and thioredoxin systems) were determined at baseline and at 2…
Association between glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) and apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene polymorphisms and triacylglycerol concentrations in fast…
2008
Background: Hypertriglyceridemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Variation in the apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) and glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) genes has been associated with fasting plasma triacylglycerol. Objective: We investigated the combined effects of the GCKR rs780094C→T, APOA5 −1131T→C, and APOA5 56C→G single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on fasting triacylglycerol in several independent populations and the response to a high-fat meal and fenofibrate interventions. Design: We used a cross-sectional design to investigate the association with fasting triacylglycerol in 8 populations from America, Asia, and Europe (n = 7730 men and women) and 2 intervention studies…