Search

Background Many studies have investigated the effects of soy isoflavones on weight control, but few have focused on the role of equol, a gut-derived metabolite of daidzein with greater bioavailability than other soy isoflavones. Objectives This study examined the association of equol production with obesity and explored the mediating roles of equol-related gut microbiota and microbial carnitine metabolites. Methods This 6.6-y prospective study included 2958 Chinese adults (2011 females and 947 males) aged 60.6 ± 6.0 y (mean ± SD) at baseline. Urinary equol and isoflavones were measured using HPLC–tandem MS. BMI, percentage fat mass (%FM), and serum triglycerides (TGs) were assessed every 3 y. Metagenomics sequencing and assessment of carnitine metabolites in feces were performed in a subsample of 897 participants. Results Urinary equol, but not daidzein and genistein, was independently and inversely associated with the obesity-related indicators of BMI, %FM, and a biomarker (TGs). Equol producers (EPs) had lower odds of adiposity conditions and a reduced risk of 6.6-y obesity progression than non-EPs among total participants. Gut microbial analyses indicated that EPs had higher microbiome species richness (P =  3.42 × 10−5) and significantly different β-diversity of gut microbiota compared with the non-EP group (P  = 0.001), with 20 of 162 species differing significantly. EPs (compared with non-EPs) had higher abundances of Alistipes senegalensis and Coprococcus catus but lower abundances of Ruminococcus gnavus (false discovery rate <0.05). Among the 7 determined fecal acylcarnitine metabolites, palmitoylcarnitine, oleylcarnitine 18:1, and stearylcarnitine were inversely associated with EPs but positively correlated with obesity conditions and progression. Path analyses indicated that the beneficial association between equol and obesity might be mediated by gut microbiota and decreased production of 3 acylcarnitines in feces. Conclusions This study suggests a beneficial association between equol and obesity, mediated by the gut microbiome and acylcarnitines, in adults. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03179657. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Evidence of an association between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and metabolic syndrome (MS) is limited and inconsistent. We investigated the association between n-3 PUFAs in erythrocytes and the presence of MS in Chinese adults. Methods: The levels of α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in erythrocytes were measured using gas chromatography in 3072 participants (900 men and 2172 women) aged 30-75 years from Guangzhou, China. Cardiometabolic factors were determined, and MS was defined using the updated Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Other covariates were collected via interviewer-administered questionnaires. Results: After adjusting for age and other confounders, higher levels of marine-derived n-3 PUFAs, including EPA, DPA, and DHA, were associated with a lower presence of metabolic syndrome in both men and women. The odds ratios (95 % confidence interval) for MS obtained by comparing extreme quartiles were 0.55 (0.35-0.88) (EPA), 0.54 (0.34-0.87) (DPA), 0.45 (0.27-0.73) (DHA), and 0.52 (0.32-0.84) (total n-3 PUFAs) in men ( p trend <0.05 for all results); and 0.74 (0.56-0.99) (EPA), 0.73 (0.55-0.98) (DPA), 0.75 (0.56-1.02) (DHA), and 0.71 (0.53-0.96) (total n-3 PUFAs) in women, respectively. No significant association of ALA with MS was observed ( p trend > 0.05). Conclusion: Higher levels of total n-3 PUFAs, EPA, DPA, and DHA, but not of ALA, in erythrocyte membranes are associated with a lower presence of metabolic syndrome in Chinese adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous studies suggested that magnesium (Mg) might protect against atherosclerosis, but data were scarce in an Asian population. We examined the association of Mg levels in serum and urine with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and serum lipids in Chinese adults. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study recruited 2,837 participants aged 40-75 years in Guangzhou, China. General information, lifestyle factors, serum and urinary concentrations of Mg and cardiometabolic factors were determined. The cIMTs of the common carotid artery (CCA) and the carotid bifurcation (BIF) were measured ultrasonographically. Results: The mean (SD) concentration of serum Mg was 0.85 (0.07) mmol/L and median (IQR) for urinary Mg excretion was 2.29 (1.56-3.51) mmol/L. After adjustment for potential covariates, both serum and the urinary concentrations of Mg were inversely associated with CCA-IMT, but not with BIF-IMT. The regression coefficients (standard errors) were −100 (29) µm (total), −86 (34) µm (women) and −117 (52) µm (men) CCA-IMT per 1 mmol/L of serum Mg, and −41 (8) µm (total), −41 (10) µm (women) and −44 (15) µm (men) CCA-IMT per 1 unit of urinary Mg/creatinine (log mmol/mmol) (all p < 0.05), respectively. Higher serum Mg levels were associated with higher total cholesterol, HDLc, LDLc and triglyceride, but lower non-HDLc/HDLc in total population (all p < 0.05). Similar relationships of urinary Mg with lipoproteins were also found in total population (all p < 0.05). Conclusion: Higher levels of serum and urinary Mg are associated with lower CCA-IMTs, and the role of Mg in lipid metabolism needs further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The associations between specific carotenoid intake and colorectal cancer risk remain inconsistent. The aim of this study was to examine the association between specific dietary carotenoid intake with colorectal cancer risk in Chinese adults. Method: From July 2010 to October 2013, 845 eligible colorectal cancer cases and 845 frequency-matched controls (age and sex) completed in-person interviews. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate dietary intake. Multivariate logistical regression models were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) of colorectal cancer risk after adjusting for various confounders. Results: A strong inverse association was found between β-cryptoxanthin intake and colorectal cancer risk. Compared with the lowest quartile, the highest quartile intake showed a risk reduction of 77 % (OR 0.23, 95 % CI 0.17-0.33, P < 0.01) after adjustment for various confounding variables. The inverse associations were also observed for α-carotene (OR 0.50, 95 % CI 0.37-0.68, P < 0.01), β-carotene (OR 0.67, 95 % CI 0.49-0.91, P < 0.01), and lycopene (OR 0.51, 95 % CI 0.37-0.70, P < 0.01). There was no statistically significant association between lutein/zeaxanthin intake and colorectal cancer risk. These findings were consistent across cancer site, sources of controls, and smoking status. The inverse associations between dietary α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and lycopene intake and colorectal cancer risk were found in both males and females, while inverse associations between β-carotene intake and colorectal cancer risk were only observed in males. Conclusions: Consumption of α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and lycopene was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk. No significant association was found between lutein/zeaxanthin intake and colorectal cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The colour of the edible portion of vegetables and fruit reflects the presence of specific micronutrients and phytochemicals. No existing studies have examined the relationship between the intake of vegetable and fruit colour groups and the risk of colorectal cancer. The present study, therefore, aimed to investigate these associations in a Chinese population. A case–control study was conducted between July 2010 and July 2014 in Guangzhou, China, in which 1057 consecutively recruited cases of colorectal cancer were frequency-matched to 1057 controls by age (5-year interval), sex and residence (rural/urban). A validated FFQ was used to collect dietary information during face-to-face interviews. Vegetables and fruit were classified into four groups according to the colour of their primarily edible parts: green; orange/yellow; red/purple; white. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the OR and 95 % CI. A higher consumption of orange/yellow, red/purple and white vegetables and fruit was inversely associated with the risk of colorectal cancer, with adjusted OR of 0·16 (95 % CI 0·12, 0·22) for orange/yellow, 0·23 (95 % CI 0·17, 0·31) for red/purple and 0·53 (95 % CI 0·40, 0·70) for white vegetables and fruit when the highest and lowest quartiles were compared. Total vegetable intake and total fruit intake have also been found to be inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk. However, the intake of green vegetable and fruit was not associated with colorectal cancer risk. The results of the present study, therefore, suggest that a greater intake of orange/yellow, red/purple and white vegetables and fruit is inversely associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Most previous studies have examined the associations between carotenoids and anthropometrics with cross-sectional designs. Few studies have investigated the associations between serum carotenoids and fat mass and fat distribution (general vs central type). This study aimed to explore the associations of serum carotenoids with body fat and fat distribution in Chinese adults. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of a prospective, community-based cohort were performed. There were 4,048 participants aged 40 to 75 years recruited in the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study from 2008 to 2013. Serum carotenoids were assessed at baseline. Anthropometrics, fat mass (FM), and percentage FM (%FM) over the total body, trunk, limbs, and android and gynoid regions were obtained by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry for 3,002 participants between 2011 and 2013 and for 2,537 participants after 3.1 years. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were performed to compare the mean differences in adiposity indices among the quartiles of carotenoids. Covariance analyses showed significant inverse associations between serum total carotenoid levels and adiposity indices cross-sectionally (all P trends<0.05). The percentage mean differences in quartile 4 (vs 1) in FM and %FM were much more pronounced in the trunk (–15.4% and –7.74%) and android area (–16.6% and –8.59%) than those in the limbs (–8.31% and –4.51%) and gynoid area (–7.76% and –2.71%) (all P <0.001). Longitudinal results revealed that higher total carotenoids were associated with significantly lower 3-year increases in body mass index (calculated as kg/m2); waist circumference; waist-to-hip ratio; body FM in the limbs and android and gynoid area; and %FM in total body, trunk, and limbs (all P trends<0.05). Regarding individual carotenoids, β-carotene tended to have the most notable beneficial associations with the majority of fat indices, especially for cross-sectional analyses. Serum carotenoid concentrations are inversely associated with body fat, especially in the abdominal region, in Chinese adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]