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Background Alcohol consumption is associated with hypertension, and this association depends on the alcohol consumption pattern and alcohol flushing response. In this 12-year follow-up study, we investigated the relationship between the alcohol consumption pattern and incidence of hypertension in the Korean population. Methods We analyzed 1,366 Korean participants in the Ansung–Ansan cohort study without hypertension at baseline. The subjects were classified into four alcohol consumption patterns: never-drinking, light alcohol consumption, moderate alcohol consumption, and heavy alcohol consumption, and as flushers or non-flushers in response to alcohol. Results In flushers, moderate and heavy alcohol consumption patterns increased the risk of incident hypertension compared with never-drinkers [moderate: HR 1.811 (95% CI 1.084–3.028); heavy: HR 2.494 (95% CI 1.185–5.247)], but non-flushers were not associated with increased risk of incident hypertension according to the alcohol consumption pattern. In addition, a heavy alcohol consumption pattern increased the risk of hypertension among flushers compared with non-flushers [HR 2.232 (95% CI 1.054–4.728)]. Conclusion In this 12-year follow-up study, we observed that moderate and heavy alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of hypertension in flushers. Especially, a heavy alcohol consumption pattern in flushers markedly increased the risk of hypertension.

Background Excessive alcohol consumption is a major public health problem in East Asian countries. Alcohol use leads to a cascade of problems including increased chances of risky behavior and a wide range of negative health consequences, from alcoholic liver disease to upper gastric and liver cancer. These alcohol effects are known to be influenced by ethnic variability and genetics. Methods In this study, subjects were administered a single dose of alcohol (0.6 g/kg for men or 0.4 g/kg for women), and blood alcohol and acetaldehyde concentrations were measured eight times over 5 hours. To investigate genetically susceptible factors to alcohol metabolism, we selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of genes identified by prior genetic association studies for alcohol metabolism, alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence, and related traits, and performed genotyping on all subjects (n = 104). Results We identified variations in the ADH1A, SRPRB, and PGM1 genes, which are directly associated with blood alcohol or acetaldehyde concentrations. Namely, the T allele of SRPRB rs17376019 and the C allele of PGM1 rs4643 were associated with lower blood alcohol levels, while the ADH1 rs1229976 C allele group exhibited markedly higher blood acetaldehyde levels than those of the ADH1 rs1229976 T allele group. Conclusion This study demonstrates that genetic variations in ADH1A, SRPRB, and PGM1 are associated with variations in blood alcohol and acetaldehyde concentration after alcohol intake.

Background and aims Alcohol consumption is generally associated with increased risk of hypertension. However, the effect of alcohol intake on the incidence of hypertension remains controversial due to inconsistent results across studies. We investigated the association between alcohol intake and hypertension in a Korean population. Methods and results The two studies that we evaluated herein, the CAVAS study (N = 6259) and the Ansan-Ansung study (N = 2461), were part of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology study on participants aged between 40 and 69 years who underwent community-based health checkups (2 years for the CAVAS study follow-up and 12 years for the Ansan-Ansung study follow-up). We categorized the participants into four groups based on baseline and follow-up period measurements. We found that baseline alcohol consumption increased the risk of incident hypertension in the CAVAS study [HR (95% CI), low: 1.094 (0.848–1.411); intermediate: 1.661 (1.227–2.141); high: 1.723 (1.274–2.330)]. Intermediate and high alcohol consumption were associated with increased risk of incident hypertension in men [2.086 (1.438–3.027) for intermediate, and 1.952 (1.294–2.944) for high], but only women had increased risk of incident hypertension with high consumption [1.950 (1.100–3.455)]. In addition, we found a positive association between the alcohol consumption pattern (over 10 years) and the risk of incident hypertension in the Ansan-Ansung study [HR (95% CI), light: 1.316 (1.126–1.539); moderate: 1.445 (1.193–1.750); heavy: 1.897 (1.488–2.419)]. Moderate and heavy consumption patterns carried higher risks of incident hypertension compared with never-drinking in men [moderate: 1.292 (1.033–1.617); heavy: 1.703 (1.293–2.242)], but women with light consumption patterns were at increased risk of incident hypertension [1.572 (1.302–1.899)]. Conclusions This large prospective cohort study revealed a linear association between baseline alcohol consumption, subsequent alcohol consumption patterns (over more than 10 years), and hypertension risk in the Korean population.

Context Irisin, a novel exercise-induced myokine, has been suggested to regulate energy metabolism. Objective We studied the relationship between circulating irisin and metabolic and metabolite profiles of Korean adolescents, and investigated the effects of physical activity, obesity, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) on irisin levels. Materials and Methods Data were obtained from the Korean Children–Adolescents Study. Our cross-sectional study included 618 adolescents (370 normal-weight and 248 obese adolescents; 316 boys and 302 girls) aged 12–15 years. Body composition was determined using an impedance body composition analyzer and general participant characteristics and lifestyle information were obtained from questionnaires. Serum irisin levels were measured using a commercial kit. Results Mean body mass index (BMI) was 19.4 kg/m 2 in normal-weight adolescents and 31.4 kg/m 2 in obese adolescents. Circulating irisin was positively correlated with adiposity indices, including BMI z-score, waist circumference, percent body fat, fat mass, fat-free mass, fat mass to fat-free mass ratio, and lipid and glucose metabolism markers, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides, glucose, insulin, and homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (all p ≤ 0.006). Of these, increased body fat mass [standardized (Std) s, 0.23; p p = 0.0005) and fasting glucose (Std s, 0.08; p = 0.0383) were the main independent factors associated with higher irisin levels. Moreover, elevated serum irisin was associated with the risk of obesity [odds ratio (OR], 2.2; confidence interval (CI), 1.19–3.87] and MetS (OR, 2.0; CI, 1.15–3.47). Furthermore, irisin and branched-chain amino acids were positively associated ( p − 4 for Bonferroni correction). Additionally, in the normal-weight group, girls had higher irisin levels than boys ( p = 0.006) and adolescents who engaged in regular physical activity had higher levels of irisin than sedentary adolescents ( p = 0.0388). The relationship between physical activity and irisin levels was not observed in obese adolescents. Conclusions Elevated serum irisin was independently associated with the risk of obesity and positively correlated with unhealthy metabolic parameters and metabolites. Moreover, irisin levels were higher in active versus sedentary adolescents in the normal-weight group, but not in the obese group. Our findings suggest that irisin plays an important role in metabolic disorders and may be affected by physiopathological status.

Childhood obesity is strongly related to future insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Thus, identifying early biomarkers of obesity-related diseases based on metabolic profiling is useful to control future metabolic disorders. We compared metabolic profiles between obese and normal-weight children and investigated specific biomarkers of future insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.In all, 186 plasma metabolites were analysed at baseline and after 2 years in 109 Korean boys (age 10.5±0.4 years) from the Korean Child Obesity Cohort Study using the AbsoluteIDQ™ p180 Kit.We observed that levels of 41 metabolites at baseline and 40 metabolites at follow-up were significantly altered in obese children (p0.05). Obese children showed significantly higher levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and several acylcarnitines and lower levels of acyl-alkyl phosphatidylcholines. Also, baseline BCAAs were significantly positively correlated with both homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and continuous metabolic risk score at the 2-year follow-up. In logistic regression analyses with adjustments for degree of obesity at baseline, baseline BCAA concentration, greater than the median value, was identified as a predictor of future risk of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.High BCAA concentration could be "early" biomarkers for predicting future metabolic diseases.

• A genome wide association study identifies a LEPR gene as a novel predisposing factor for childhood fasting plasma glucose

OBJECTIVES: Evidence-based customized nutritional interventions are required for effective treatment of moderately-severely obese children and adolescents. METHODS: Eligible participants who agreed to participate in the intervention program provided informed consent. Customized nutritional intervention was implemented for each participant based on a nutrition care process (NCP) model. Sociodemographic assessment, anthropometrics, biochemical data, health- and dietary-related behaviors, and dietary intake of the study subjects were assessed at baseline and follow-up. All participants engaged in 30-minute nutritional sessions on a monthly basis. RESULTS: One hundred three [mean age: 12.4 years, severely obese: n = 69(67%)] children and adolescents were assessed at baseline. After 16 weeks, there were significant improvements in body composition [BMI (−0.8 ± 0.9, P

ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to identify the major dietary patterns of seven- and eight-year-old Korean children and to examine the relationship between dietary patterns and obesity, nutrient intake, and diet quality.MethodsThe subjects were 284 seven- and eight-year-old children who participated in the Gwacheon child cohort study. Three dietary patterns emerged from the factor analysis: Korean, modified Western, and Western. Cluster analysis was used to classify the subjects into two dietary groups: Korean and Western diet patterns.ResultsThe two different dietary patterns were closely related to dietary quality which in turn was related to health risks. The Western diet group had a lower fiber intake, a higher intake of energy, fat and calcium and a higher dietary diversity score (DDS) than the Korean diet group. The number of days when fruit, milk and dairy products were omitted from the diet was higher for the Korean diet group than for the Western group.ConclusionsDietary patterns and related diet quality should be considered when designing nutrition policy and intervention programs for children.