Miae Doo

Obesity: Interactions of Genome and Nutrients Intake

Obesity has become one of the major public health problems all over the world. Recent novel eras of research are opening for the effective management of obesity though gene and nutrient intake interactions because the causes of obesity are complex and multifactorial. Through GWASs (genome-wide association studies) and genetic variations (SNPs, single nucleotide polymorphisms), as the genetic factors are likely to determine individuals’ obesity predisposition. The understanding of genetic approaches in nutritional sciences is referred as “nutrigenomics”. Nutrigenomics explores the interaction between genetic factors and dietary nutrient intake on various disease phenotypes such as obesity. Therefore, this novel approach might suggest a solution for the effective prevention and treatment of obesity through individual genetic profiles and help improve health conditions.

Anti-stress effects of ginseng via down-regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) gene expression in immobilization-stressed rats and PC12 cells.

Catecholamines are among the first molecules that displayed a kind of response to prolonged or repeated stress. It is well established that long-term stress leads to the induction of catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes such as tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) in adrenal medulla. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of ginseng on TH and DBH mRNA expression. Repeated (2 h daily, 14 days) immobilization stress resulted in a significant increase of TH and DBH mRNA levels in rat adrenal medulla. However, ginseng treatment reversed the stress-induced increase of TH and DBH mRNA expression in the immobilization-stressed rats. Nicotine as a ligand of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) in adrenal medulla stimulates catecholamine secretion and activates TH and DBH gene expression. Nicotine treatment increased mRNA levels of TH and DBH by 3.3- and 3.1-fold in PC12 cells. The ginseng total saponin exhibited a significant reversal in the nicotine-induced increase of TH and DBH mRNA expression, decreasing the mRNA levels of TH and DBH by 57.2% and 48.9%, respectively in PC12 cells. In conclusion, immobilization stress induced catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes gene expression, while ginseng appeared to restore homeostasis via suppression of TH and DBH gene expression. In part, the regulatory activity in the TH and DBH gene expression of ginseng may account for the anti-stress action produced by ginseng.

Association between sleep duration and obesity is modified by dietary macronutrients intake in Korean

BACKGROUND Short sleep duration has been reported to be inversely associated with risk of obesity. METHODS The effects of sleep duration on obesity-related variables and the interaction of sleep duration and dietary macronutrients consumption on risk of obesity were analysed in 14,111 subjects aged 20-79 from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. RESULTS Sleep restriction to less than 7h per day resulted in higher body mass index, plasma triglyceride level, and obesity prevalence for women, but not for men. Protein intake was significantly lower in subjects with lower sleep duration for both men and women. The subjects with short sleep duration were significantly higher fat consumption for men, whereas carbohydrate consumption for women. Among subjects whose carbohydrate consumption was above the median, subjects with sleep duration of less than 7h per day increased their odds of being obese (OR=1.255, 95% CI: 1.073-1.476, P<0.001) compared to subjects with sleep duration more than 7h per day for women. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that sleep duration positively correlated with protein consumption, but negatively correlated with carbohydrate consumption, which might lead to high risk of obesity for women. Also, our findings support a significant association between sleep duration and obesity-related variables and this association has been potentially modified by dietary macronutrients consumption in women subjects.

Green Tea (-)-Epigallotocatechin-3-Gallate Induces PGC-1α Gene Expression in HepG2 Cells and 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is one of the most popular beverages in the world and has been acknowledged for centuries as having significant health benefits. (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant catechin in green tea, and it has been reported to have health benefit effects. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator (PGC)-1α is a crucial regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and hepatic gluconeogenesis. The objective of this study was to investigate whether EGCG from green tea can affect the ability of transcriptional regulation on PGC-1α mRNA expression in HepG2 cells and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. To study the molecular mechanism that allows EGCG to control PGC-1α expression, the promoter activity levels of PGC-1α were examined. The PGC-1α mRNA level was measured using quantitative real-time PCR. The −970/+412 bp of PGC-1α promoter was subcloned into the pGL3-Basic vector that includes luciferase as a reporter gene. EGCG was found to up-regulate the PGC-1α mRNA levels significantly with 10 μmol/L of EGCG in HepG2 cells and differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. PGC-1α promoter activity was also increased by treatment with 10 μmol/L of EGCG in both cells. These results suggest that EGCG may induce PGC-1α gene expression, potentially through promoter activation.

Association between ESR1 rs1884051 polymorphism and dietary total energy and plant protein intake on obesity in Korean men

ESR1 has been listed in the Human Obesity Gene Map as candidate gene associated with obesity. Thus, in this study, we investigated the effect of the ESR1 rs1884051 polymorphism on obesity-related variables, together with their modulations by dietary intake in Korean men. The obesity-related variables and dietary intake of 3,039 Korean men aged 40-59 years from KoGES database were analyzed. Body weight (P = 0.007), BMI (P = 0.003), waist-hip ratio (= 0.011), fat body mass (P = 0.010), and body fat percentage (P = 0.040) were significantly lower in subjects with the minor T allele of ESR1 rs1884051 than in subjects carrying the C allele. Moreover, the rs1884051 T allele was associated with a decreased risk of obesity prevalence (P = 0.040). Among the subjects whose total energy intake was below the median, carrier of the minor T allele of ESR1 rs1884051 had a lower BMI (P = 0.003) when compared with subjects carrying the C allele. In addition, among subjects whose plant protein intake was above the median, carrier of the minor T allele of ESR1 rs1884051 had a lower BMI (P = 0.044) compared with subjects carrying the C allele. Our findings demonstrate that there is a significant association between the ESR1 rs1884051 variant and obesity-related variables and this association can be potentially modified by dietary energy and plant protein intake.

Associations of daily sleep duration and dietary macronutrient consumption with obesity and dyslipidemia in Koreans: A cross-sectional study.

AbstractDaily sleep duration is known to be associated with obesity and dyslipidemia.This study was performed to examine the interactions between daily sleep duration and the risks of obesity and dyslipidemia according to dietary macronutrient consumption in 14,680 Korean adults using the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Sleep duration was inversely associated with body mass index (P < 0.001), waist circumference (P < 0.001), total cholesterol (P < 0.001), and low-density lipoprotein -cholesterol (P = 0.001). Participants with short sleep durations consumed less dietary protein (P < 0.001) and fat (P < 0.001), and consumed more dietary carbohydrates (P < 0.001). Among participants with the shortest sleep duration (⩽5 hours a day), the odds ratio of obesity was found to increase in the high fat consumption group (1.393, 95% confidence interval 1.083–1.790) and decrease in the high carbohydrate consumption group (0.770, 95% confidence interval 0.604–0.983). High fat and low carbohydrate consumption were confirmed to be associated with the risk of obesity in the shortest sleep duration group (⩽5 hours a day).These findings indicate that sleep duration was negatively associated with obesity and dyslipidemia-related indices in Korean adults. Additionally, the association of short sleep duration with the risk of obesity was potentially changed by dietary fat and carbohydrate consumption.

Association between ADIPOQ Gene Polymorphism rs182052 and Obesity in Korean Women

Abstract The association between adiponectin concentration and obesity have been reported and genetic variations of the ADIPOQ gene are known to influence the plasmatic concentration of adiponectin. Therefore, we investigated the effect of AIPOQ single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on obesity-related variables, and their modulation by dietary intakes in Korean women. The subjects con-sisted of 3,217 Korean women aged 40-59 years partic-ipating in the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study (KoGES). The general characteristics, anthropometric vari-ables, serum blood profiles were measured. Dietary in-take was analyzed using the Food Frequency Question-naire. Subjects with the T allele of AIPOQ rs182052 showed significantly higher obesity-related variables such as weight (p=0.005), BMI (p＜0.000), fat body mass (p=0.005), and waist-hip ratio (p=0.007) than those with the C allele. Moreover, the rs182052 T allele was associated with an increased risk of obesity prevalence (p=0.019). However, there were not any significant inter-actions observed between the genotype of ADIPOQ rs182052 and dietary intake on BMI and fat body mass. These findings suggest that the obesity-related variables may be more dominantly affected by the genotype of ADIPOQ rs182052 than dietary intake in middle aged Korean women.Keywords: ADIPOQ, single nucleotide polymorphism, rs182052, obesity, gene-diet interactions

Association between perceived stress, alcohol consumption levels and obesity in Koreans.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Coping with stress often leads to unhealthy behaviors that can have an impact on the development of obesity. Therefore, this study is investigate the effect of perceived stress level on alcohol consumption habits, as well as the effect of the interaction between alcohol consumption habits and stress level on obesity in Koreans. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN We analyzed perceived stress, alcohol consumption habits (alcohol consumption status, quantity, and alcohol use disorders identification test) and the anthropometrics of 6,229 subjects from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The gender-based differences of the effect of the perceived level of stress on alcohol consumption habits and anthropometric measurements, as well as the interaction of the perceived level of stress and alcohol consumption habits on prevalence or ORs of obesity were analyzed. RESULTS The subjects with high perceived stress showed higher proportions for unhealthy alcohol consumption habits than those with low perceived stress [ORs (95% CIs)=1.35 (1.19-1.54), 1.95 (1.68-2.26), and 1.87 (1.60-2.19) for alcohol consumption status, alcohol consumption quantity, and alcohol use disorders identification test, respectively]. Men showed significant interactions between the perceived stress and all alcohol consumption habits with respect to obesity [ORs (95% CIs)=1.28 (1.06-1.55), 1.81 (1.52-2.16), and 1.40 (1.17-1.68) for alcohol consumption status, alcohol consumption quantity, and alcohol use disorders identification test, respectively]. Among women, interactions between the perceived stress and alcohol consumption status [ORs (95% CIs)=0.70 (0.60-0.83)] and alcohol consumption quantity [ORs (95% CIs)=0.93 (0.54-1.36)] in relation to obesity were found to be significant. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that the perceived stress influenced alcohol consumption habits that may have impacted obesity.

Associations between Self-Reported Sleep Quality and Duration and Dietary Consumptions, Psychological Symptoms, and Obesity in Korean Adults

Sleep pattern disruptions have been reported to be associated with an increased risk of obesity. This study was performed to investigate the association between sleep quality and sleep duration with dietary consumption, psychological factors, and obesity in Korean adults. A total of 288 Korean men and women who visited a public health center were included in this study. Data on general characteristics, health-related habits, psychological symptoms, dietary intake, and sleep patterns (including quality and duration) were collected using self-report questionnaires. Approximately half of the included Korean adults experienced sleep of low quality and short duration. Subjects who reported short sleep durations had a significantly higher weight (P=0.015), body mass index (P<0.001), and prevalence of obesity (P=0.012) than those reporting proper sleep durations. After adjustment for covariates, subjects reporting short sleep durations consumed more dietary carbohydrates (P=0.043) and higher levels of perceived stress (P=0.001), depression (P=0.001), and anxiety (P<0.001) than subjects reporting proper sleep durations. However, obesity-related variables, dietary intake and psychosocial symptoms did not differ significantly by reported sleep quality. The results of this study demonstrated that sleep duration but not sleep quality was associated with dietary macronutrient intake and psychological symptoms, which might affect obesity.

Ascending aortic diameter is associated with hypertension in Korean men

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between ascending aortic diameter (AAD) as measured with low-dose chest computed tomography (LDCT) and hypertension in Korean men. METHODS Korean men (n=1,050) who were screened for lung cancer using LDCT imaging at a health promotion center in Seoul, Korea between January 1 and December 31were recruited for the study. AAD is the longest length of ascending aorta measured from approximately 15 mm above left main coronary ostium to the mid-slice level of the right pulmonary artery. RESULTS AAD were divided into quartiles, and the degree of hypertension was determined based on the quartiles of the AAD using logistic regression. Odds ratios (OR) for the proportion of hypertension in Q2 (1.70, 95% CI: 1.11-2.59), Q3 (2.72, 95% CI: 1.81-4.09) and Q4 (3.94, 95% CI: 2.63-5.89) were significantly greater than that of Q1 (P for trend < 0.001). Even after controlling for confounding covariates of age, BMI, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, fasting glucose, GGT, ALT, eGFR, smoking status and alcohol intake, there was significant correlation. CONCLUSION AAD was significantly associated with the degree of hypertension.