Hye-Rim Hwang

The Association Between 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Mammographic Density in Healthy Pre- and Postmenopausal Women Regardless of the Menstrual Cycle Phase: A Cross-sectional Study

Vitamin D deficiency is a known risk factor of breast cancer. An association between vitamin D and breast density has been suggested; however, it remains controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level and mammographic density. Subjects in our study included 517 patients who visited the health promotion center of the University Hospital. Mammographic density was classified using the American College of Radiology, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. Analysis of variance was performed to clarify the association of serum 25(OH)D level and mammographic density, and odds ratio was calculated by ordinal logistic regression analysis. The mean serum 25(OH)D level was 14.3 ± 7.0 ng/mL in all subjects. In correlation analysis, weak negative correlation was observed between serum 25(OH)D level and mammographic density groups (r = −0.09, P = 0.049). However, ordinal logistic regression analysis showed no statistically significant association between serum 25(OH)D level and mammographic density (odds ratio: 0.75, 95% confidence interval: 0.50–1.13). Results of our study showed that there is no significant association between serum 25(OH)D level and mammographic density. It is thought to be an another mechanism of serum 25(OH)D level on breast cancer risk in addition to breast density.

Clustering Effects of Metabolic Factors and the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

Background Metabolic syndrome is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Clustering of a combination of individual factors that increase the actual rather than the expected prevalence might be helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to analyze the most influential factors for metabolic syndrome to assess clustering factors of metabolic syndrome. Methods Subjects from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VI were included in the present study. The status of health behaviors was obtained using the questionnaires included in the KNHANES VI. A complex, stratified, and multistage sampling design was used to analyze the data according to statistics from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results A total of 2,101 men and 2,831 women aged older than 20 years were included in this study. In men, drinking alcohol more than twice per week was related with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome; while, in women, exercise was related with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. The clustering effect was observed for more than three metabolic factors. In men, the clustering effect was strongest for the combination of hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. In women, the strongest clustering effect was observed for the combination of abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration. Conclusion The health behaviors affecting metabolic syndrome in men and women included drinking alcohol more than twice a week and exercising more than four times a week, respectively; in addition, hypertriglyceridemia most significantly influenced the clustering effect of metabolic syndrome.

Comparison of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome criteria in metabolically obese, normal weight (MONW) individuals in the prediction of cardiovascular disease risk: analysis of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) in 2010–2012

Body mass index is considered to be insufficient to diagnose obesity in population with metabolic abnormalities. In this study, we aimed to determine the optimal criteria for metabolically obese, normal weight (MONW) with insulin resistance or with metabolic syndrome to provide reliable diagnostic tool for obesity, especially targeting Korean population. This is a cross-sectional study based on the data extracted from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2010–2012. A total of 6274 adults with the normal weight were enrolled, and each subject was classified into either MONW with insulin resistance (MONW-IR) or MONW with metabolic syndrome (MONW-Mets) in order to analyze the risk of cardiovascular events. The Framingham risk score (FRS) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk equation (ASCVD) were used in the process. The odds ratio for the cardiovascular disease risk based on the FRS in the MONW-IR group (1.132; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.854–1.502) was not significantly elevated whereas the odds ratio for the cardiovascular disease risk using the ASCVD in the MONW-IR group (1.809; 95% CI, 1.410–2.322) was significantly increased. The odds ratio for the cardiovascular disease risk in the MONW-Mets group was both significantly increased (2.93; 95% CI, 2.19–3.91 by FRS, 8.44; 95% CI, 6.19–11.49 by ASCVD) as well. However, the risk of cardiovascular disease was not significantly increased after excluding the subjects with diabetes mellitus that were the majority of MONW-IR group. Metabolic syndrome criteria can be considered more useful tool in diagnosing MONW in the Korean population. However, further prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.