Rate-Limiting Enzymes in Cardiometabolic Health and Aging in Humans.

Introduction: Rate-limiting enzymes (RLEs) are innate slow points in metabolic pathways, and many function in bio-processes related to nutrient sensing. Many RLEs carry causal mutations relevant to inherited metabolic disorders. Because the activity of RLEs in cardiovascular health is poorly characterized, our objective was to assess their involvement in cardiometabolic health and disease and where altered biophysical and biochemical functions can promote disease.

The impact of alcoholic drinks and dietary factors on epigenetic markers associated with triglyceride levels.

Many epigenetic loci have been associated with plasma triglyceride (TG) levels, but epigenetic connections between those loci and dietary exposures are largely unknown. This study aimed to characterize the epigenetic links between diet, lifestyle, and TG. We first conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) for TG in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring population (FHS, = 2,264).

Dietary Responses of Dementia-Related Genes Encoding Metabolic Enzymes.

The age-related loss of the cognitive function is a growing concern for global populations. Many factors that determine cognitive resilience or dementia also have metabolic functions. However, this duality is not universally appreciated when the action of that factor occurs in tissues external to the brain.

Metabolomic profiling in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy eating non-traditional or traditional diets and in healthy controls.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), caused by genetic and environmental factors, usually progresses to heart failure, a major cause of death in elderly people. A diet-associated form of DCM was recently identified in pet dogs eating non-traditional (NT) diets. To identify potential dietary causes, we analyzed metabolomic signatures and gene set/pathway enrichment in (1) all dogs based on disease, diet, and their interactions and (2) dogs with DCM based on diet.

Using Machine Learning to Predict Obesity Based on Genome-Wide and Epigenome-Wide Gene-Gene and Gene-Diet Interactions.

Obesity is associated with many chronic diseases that impair healthy aging and is governed by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors and their complex interactions. This study aimed to develop a model that predicts an individual's risk of obesity by better characterizing these complex relations and interactions focusing on dietary factors. For this purpose, we conducted a combined genome-wide and epigenome-wide scan for body mass index (BMI) and up to three-way interactions among 402,793 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 415,202 DNA methylation sites (DMSs), and 397 dietary and lifestyle factors using the generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) method.

Diet Quality Scores Are Positively Associated with Whole Blood-Derived Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in the Framingham Heart Study.

Background: The association between diet quality and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) remains to be examined.

Objectives: We aimed to study the relation between diet quality and mtDNA-CN.

Methods: We analyzed data from 2931 Framingham Heart Study (FHS) participants (mean age of 57 y, 55% females).

Metabolite patterns link diet, obesity, and type 2 diabetes in a Hispanic population.

Introduction: Obesity is a precursor of type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Objectives: Our aim was to identify metabolic signatures of T2D and dietary factors unique to obesity.

Methods: We examined a subsample of the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS) population with a high prevalence of obesity and T2D at baseline (n = 806) and participants (without T2D at baseline) at 5-year follow-up (n = 412).

Associations of network-derived metabolite clusters with prevalent type 2 diabetes among adults of Puerto Rican descent.

Introduction: We investigated whether network analysis revealed clusters of coregulated metabolites associated with prevalent type 2 diabetes (T2D) among Puerto Rican adults.

Research Design And Methods: We used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to measure fasting plasma metabolites (>600) among participants aged 40-75 years in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS; discovery) and San Juan Overweight Adult Longitudinal Study (SOALS; replication), with (n=357; n=77) and without (n=322; n=934) T2D, respectively. Among BPRHS participants, we used unsupervised partial correlation network-based methods to identify and calculate metabolite cluster scores.

Risk Factors Associated with Vitamin D Status among Older Puerto Rican Adults.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with health problems globally, but there is limited information on vitamin D status and associated risk factors among adults in underserved populations.

Objective: This study aimed to identify risk factors for vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency among Puerto Rican adults from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS).

Methods: A total of 822 adults (45-75 y, at baseline) were included in these analyses.

Diet-derived fruit and vegetable metabolites show sex-specific inverse relationships to osteoporosis status.

Background: The impact of nutrition on the metabolic profile of osteoporosis (OS) is unknown.

Objective: Identify biochemical factors driving the association of fruit and vegetable (FV) intakes with OS prevalence using an untargeted metabolomics approach.

Design: Cross-sectional dietary, anthropometric and plasma metabolite data were examined from the Boston Puerto Rican Osteoporosis Study, n = 600 (46-79 yr).

Carbohydrate and fat intake associated with risk of metabolic diseases through epigenetics of CPT1A.

Background: Epigenome-wide association studies identified the cg00574958 DNA methylation site at the carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1A (CPT1A) gene to be associated with reduced risk of metabolic diseases (hypertriglyceridemia, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome), but the mechanism underlying these associations is unknown.

Objectives: We aimed to elucidate whether carbohydrate and fat intakes modulate cg00574958 methylation and the risk of metabolic diseases.

Methods: We examined associations between carbohydrate (CHO) and fat (FAT) intake, as percentages of total diet energy, and the CHO/FAT ratio with CPT1A-cg00574958, and the risk of metabolic diseases in 3 populations (Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network, n = 978; Framingham Heart Study, n = 2331; and REgistre GIroní del COR study, n = 645) while adjusting for confounding factors.

Statin Use Associates With Risk of Type 2 Diabetes via Epigenetic Patterns at .

Statin is the medication most widely prescribed to reduce plasma cholesterol levels. Yet, how the medication contributes to diabetes risk and impaired glucose metabolism is not clear. This study aims to examine the epigenetic mechanisms of through which statin use associates with risk of type 2 diabetes.

Metabolomic Links between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and Obesity.

Background: Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is highly associated with obesity, but the metabolic mechanism underlying this correlation is not understood.

Objective: Our objective was to examine metabolomic links between SSB intake and obesity to understand metabolic mechanisms.

Design: We examined the association of plasma metabolomic profiles with SSB intake and obesity risk in 781 participants, aged 45-75 y, in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS) using generalized linear models, controlling for potential confounding factors.

Mendelian randomization analysis does not support causal associations of birth weight with hypertension risk and blood pressure in adulthood.

Epidemiology studies suggested that low birthweight was associated with a higher risk of hypertension in later life. However, little is known about the causality of such associations. In our study, we evaluated the causal association of low birthweight with adulthood hypertension following a standard analytic protocol using the study-level data of 183,433 participants from 60 studies (CHARGE-BIG consortium), as well as that with blood pressure using publicly available summary-level genome-wide association data from EGG consortium of 153,781 participants, ICBP consortium and UK Biobank cohort together of 757,601 participants.

Salivary AMY1 Copy Number Variation Modifies Age-Related Type 2 Diabetes Risk.

Background: Copy number variation (CNV) in the salivary amylase gene (AMY1) modulates salivary α-amylase levels and is associated with postprandial glycemic traits. Whether AMY1-CNV plays a role in age-mediated change in insulin resistance (IR) is uncertain.

Methods: We measured AMY1-CNV using duplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in two studies, the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS, n = 749) and the Genetics of Lipid-Lowering Drug and Diet Network study (GOLDN, n = 980), and plasma metabolomic profiles in the BPRHS.

Curcumin supplementation improves heat-stress-induced cardiac injury of mice: physiological and molecular mechanisms.

Heat stress (HS) causes serious physiological dysfunction associated with cardiovascular diseases. Curcumin (CUR) may increase animal survival and lifespan under HS. However, its effects and mechanism on mammal are underexplored.

Dietary Epicatechin, A Novel Anti-aging Bioactive Small Molecule.

Epicatechin (EC), a flavonoid present in various foods including cocoa, dark chocolate, berries, and tea, has recently been reported to promote general health and survival of old mice fed a standard chow diet. This is considered a novel discovery in the field of identifying natural compounds to extend lifespan, given that presumably popular anti-aging natural agents including resveratrol, green tea extract, and curcumin had failed in extending the lifespan of standard chow-diet-fed mice. However, the anti-aging mechanism of EC is not fully understood, thus impeding the potential application of this natural compound in improving a healthy lifespan in humans.

Association of Birth Weight With Type 2 Diabetes and Glycemic Traits: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Importance: Observational studies have shown associations of birth weight with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and glycemic traits, but it remains unclear whether these associations represent causal associations.

Objective: To test the association of birth weight with T2D and glycemic traits using a mendelian randomization analysis.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This mendelian randomization study used a genetic risk score for birth weight that was constructed with 7 genome-wide significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms.

Mediterranean Diet Adherence Modulates Anthropometric Measures by TCF7L2 Genotypes among Puerto Rican Adults.

Background: Transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) genetic variants that predispose individuals to type 2 diabetes (T2D) show inconsistent associations with anthropometric traits. Interaction between TCF7L2 genotypes and dietary factors may help explain these observations.

Objective: We aimed to examine the potential modulation of TCF7L2-rs7903146 and rs12255372 on anthropometric markers by a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet).

A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Blood Disorder-Related Variants Influencing Hemoglobin A With Implications for Glycemic Status in U.S. Hispanics/Latinos.

Objective: We aimed to identify hemoglobin A (HbA)-associated genetic variants and examine their implications for glycemic status evaluated by HbA in U.S. Hispanics/Latinos with diverse genetic ancestries.

Development of a Genetic Score to Predict an Increase in HDL Cholesterol Concentration After a Dietary Intervention in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome.

Background: Dietary intervention (DI) is a primary strategy to attenuate some of the metabolic abnormalities associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS), including low HDL cholesterol. There is no biomarker that can identify individuals who respond to DI by increasing HDL cholesterol.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the predictive power of a genetic predisposition score (GPS) in Mexican adults with MetS to identify HDL cholesterol responders to DI.

Anti-senescence effect and molecular mechanism of the major royal jelly proteins on human embryonic lung fibroblast (HFL-I) cell line.

Royal jelly (RJ) from honeybee has been widely used as a health promotion supplement. The major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs) have been identified as the functional component of RJ. However, the question of whether MRJPs have anti-senescence activity for human cells remains.

Curcumin supplementation increases survival and lifespan in Drosophila under heat stress conditions.

Harsh climate induces physiological stress thus compromising organismal survival. Our previous studies demonstrated that curcumin (CUR) supplementation increased survival of turtle under heat stress (HS). Here, we span this work to investigate the survival and lifespan of HS Drosophila fed a diet supplemented with CUR.