Components of the metabolic syndrome among a sample of overweight and obese Costa Rican schoolchildren.

Background: The term "pediatric metabolic syndrome" includes a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia (including increased triglycerides and decreased HDL cholesterol), hypertension, and obesity in children. No studies have been performed on this syndrome in a pediatric population in Costa Rica.

Objective: To establish the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in 8- to 10-year-old prepuberal overweight and obese schoolchildren.

Prevalence of mild serum vitamin B(12) deficiency in rural and urban Costa Rican young adults.

Objective: Recent studies have shown an increase of mild serum cobalamin (vitamin B(12)) deficiency in some Latin American countries; however, no data are available from Costa Rica. The purpose of this work was to establish the prevalence of serum vitamin B(12) deficiency among Costa Rican young adults and to study some factors that may help explain the serum cobalamin concentrations.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 400 adults aged 20 to 40 years old from urban and rural areas of the central valley of Costa Rica to determine serum vitamin B(12) levels.

[Serum total homocysteine and lipoproteins levels in young adults from urban and rural areas of Costa Rica].

Serum total homocysteine and lipoproteins levels in young adults from urban and rural areas of Costa Rica. This study evaluated the lipid profile and the serum levels of total homocysteine of 400 adults aged 20 to 40 years, residents of rural and urban areas of the central valley of Costa Rica. The results showed that the proportion of subjects from urban areas with high levels of LDL-C (= 4.