Estimated stearoyl-CoA desaturase activity mediates the associations of total cysteine with adiposity: The Maastricht Study.

Background: Plasma sulfur amino acids (SAAs), particularly cysteine, are associated with obesity. One proposed mechanism is the altered regulation of the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) enzyme. Changes in the SCD enzyme activity have been linked to obesity, as well as to plasma SAA concentrations.

Fasting plasma methylglyoxal concentrations are associated with higher numbers of circulating intermediate and non-classical monocytes but with lower activation of intermediate monocytes: the Maastricht Study.

Purpose: Elevated methylglyoxal (MGO) levels and altered immune cell responses are observed in diabetes. MGO is thought to modulate immune cell activation. The current study investigated whether fasting or post-glucose-load plasma MGO concentrations are associated with circulating immune cell counts and activation in a large cohort study.

Forns index and fatty liver index, but not FIB-4, are associated with indices of glycaemia, pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes: analysis of The Maastricht Study.

Objective: Glucose metabolism status (GMS) is linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Higher levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are observed in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and NAFLD. We examined the association between GMS, non-invasive tests and AGEs, with liver steatosis and fibrosis.

Metabolomics profiling of Type D personality traits.

Objective: Type D (Distressed) personality combines negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI) and is associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Here, we examined the association of Type D traits with 230 (predominantly) lipid metabolites and metabolite ratios.

Methods: Four Dutch cohorts were included, comprising 10,834 individuals.

Subclassification of obesity for precision prediction of cardiometabolic diseases.

Obesity and cardiometabolic disease often, but not always, coincide. Distinguishing subpopulations within which cardiometabolic risk diverges from the risk expected for a given body mass index (BMI) may facilitate precision prevention of cardiometabolic diseases. Accordingly, we performed unsupervised clustering in four European population-based cohorts (N ≈ 173,000).

Methylglyoxal mediates the association between 2-hour plasma glucose and HbA1c with inflammation: The Maastricht Study.

Context: Glucose excursions in persons with diabetes may drive chronic inflammation. Methylglyoxal (MGO) is formed from glucose, is elevated in persons with diabetes, and is a potent glycating agent linked with inflammation.

Objective: We investigated whether glucose excursions are associated with low-grade inflammation and whether MGO mediates this association.

Early life socioeconomic inequalities and type 2 diabetes incidence: Longitudinal analyses in the Maastricht study.

Aim: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a common chronic disease that disproportionally affects groups with a low socioeconomic position (SEP). This study aimed to examine associations between childhood SEP and incident T2D, independent of adult SEP.

Methods: Longitudinal data from The Maastricht Study were used (N=6,727, 55.

Greater exposure to PM and PM was associated with lower corneal nerve measures: the Maastricht study - a cross-sectional study.

Background: Epidemiological and toxicological studies indicate that increased exposure to air pollutants can lead to neurodegenerative diseases. To further confirm this relationship, we evaluated the association between exposure to ambient air pollutants and corneal nerve measures as a surrogate for neurodegeneration, using corneal confocal microscopy.

Methods: We used population-based observational cross-sectional data from The Maastricht Study including N = 3635 participants (mean age 59.

Associations of neighborhood social cohesion and changes in BMI-The Maastricht Study.

The role of the social environment can facilitate positive health outcomes through active community engagement, normalization of healthy behaviors, and stress buffering. We aim to examine the associations of neighborhood social cohesion with changes in BMI over time. A total of 7641 participants from The Maastricht Study between the ages of 40 and 75 years were analyzed.

Social cohesion and associations with sedentary time, physical activity and dietary quality in The Maastricht Study.

Intro: We aim to investigate the relationship between social cohesion and sedentary behavior (SB), total physical activity (PA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and dietary quality. Additionally, we assess whether these associations are independent of neighborhood walkability and the food environment.

Methods: A total of 7641 participants from The Maastricht Study in the Netherlands between the ages of 40 and 75 years were analyzed.

Retinal microvascular function and incidence and trajectories of clinically relevant depressive symptoms: the Maastricht Study.

Background: Cerebral microvascular dysfunction may contribute to depression via disruption of brain structures involved in mood regulation, but evidence is limited. We investigated the association of retinal microvascular function, a proxy for microvascular function in the brain, with incidence and trajectories of clinically relevant depressive symptoms.

Methods: Longitudinal data are from The Maastricht Study of 5952 participants (59.

Microvascular Dysfunction and Whole-Brain White Matter Connectivity: The Maastricht Study.

Background: Microvascular dysfunction is involved in the development of various cerebral disorders. It may contribute to these disorders by disrupting white matter tracts and altering brain connectivity, but evidence is scarce. We investigated the association between multiple biomarkers of microvascular function and whole-brain white matter connectivity.

Dietary sulfur amino acid restriction in humans with overweight and obesity: a translational randomized controlled trial.

Background: Dietary sulfur amino acid restriction (SAAR) improves metabolic health in animals. In this study, we investigated the effect of dietary SAAR on body weight, body composition, resting metabolic rate, gene expression profiles in white adipose tissue (WAT), and an extensive blood biomarker profile in humans with overweight or obesity.

Methods: N = 59 participants with overweight or obesity (73% women) were randomized stratified by sex to an 8-week plant-based dietary intervention low (~ 2 g/day, SAAR) or high (~ 5.

Socioeconomic inequalities in health-related functioning among people with type 2 Diabetes: longitudinal analyses in the Maastricht Study.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a common chronic disease that disproportionally affects disadvantaged groups. People with a low socioeconomic position (SEP) have increased risk of T2DM and people with a low SEP and T2DM have higher HbA-levels compared to people with T2DM and high SEP. The aim of this study is to analyze longitudinal socioeconomic differences in health-related functioning in people with T2DM.

Association of physical activity with endothelial dysfunction among adults with and without chronic kidney disease: The Maastricht Study.

Background And Aims: Physical activity (PA) constitutes an established protective factor while sedentary behavior (SB) an emerging independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. This study evaluated the association of PA and SB with endothelial dysfunction (ED) depending on kidney function status.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from the prospective, population-based Maastricht Study were used.

Traditional lifestyle factors partly mediate the association of socioeconomic position with intrahepatic lipid content: The Maastricht study.

Background & Aims: Recent studies have unveiled an association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and intrahepatic lipid (IHL) content. The aim of this study was to examine to what extent traditional lifestyle factors mediate the relationship between SEP and IHL content, independent of aetiology, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: We used cross-sectional data derived from The Maastricht Study (N = 4,001; mean age: 60 years, 49% women, 32% low education level, 21% diabetes, 21% NAFLD).

Thinner inner retinal layers are associated with lower cognitive performance, lower brain volume, and altered white matter network structure-The Maastricht Study.

Introduction: The retina may provide non-invasive, scalable biomarkers for monitoring cerebral neurodegeneration.

Methods: We used cross-sectional data from The Maastricht study (n = 3436; mean age 59.3 years; 48% men; and 21% with type 2 diabetes [the latter oversampled by design]).

(Pre)diabetes and a higher level of glycaemic measures are continuously associated with corneal neurodegeneration assessed by corneal confocal microscopy: the Maastricht Study.

Aims/hypothesis: To assess the associations between glucose metabolism status and a range of continuous measures of glycaemia with corneal nerve fibre measures, as assessed using corneal confocal microscopy.

Methods: We used population-based observational cross-sectional data from the Maastricht Study of N=3471 participants (mean age 59.4 years, 48.

Both short and long sleep durations are associated with type 2 diabetes, independent from traditional lifestyle risk factors-The Maastricht Study.

Objectives: This study examined the cross-sectional association between sleep duration, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes, and its independence from the traditional lifestyle risk factors diet, physical activity, smoking behavior, and alcohol consumption.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from 5561 people aged 40-75 years recruited into The Maastricht Study between 2010 and 2018 were used (1:1 female:male and mean age: 60.1 years [standard deviation: 8.

Quantifying postprandial glucose responses using a hybrid modeling approach: Combining mechanistic and data-driven models in The Maastricht Study.

Computational models of human glucose homeostasis can provide insight into the physiological processes underlying the observed inter-individual variability in glucose regulation. Modelling approaches ranging from "bottom-up" mechanistic models to "top-down" data-driven techniques have been applied to untangle the complex interactions underlying progressive disturbances in glucose homeostasis. While both approaches offer distinct benefits, a combined approach taking the best of both worlds has yet to be explored.