Associations between skeletal muscle mass and elevated blood pressure are independent of body fat: a cross-sectional study in young adult women of African ancestry.

Although research on the relationship between lean body mass and blood pressure (BP) has been inconsistent, most studies reported that measures of lean body mass are associated with a higher risk of hypertension. We explored relationships between body composition (fat and skeletal muscle mass) and BP in 1162 young adult African women. DXA-derived measures of whole body, central and arm fat mass were associated with higher systolic and diastolic BP, while leg fat percentage was associated with lower systolic and diastolic BP.

Food insecurity and coping strategies associate with higher risk of anxiety and depression among South African households with children.

Objective: To investigate food insecurity and related coping strategies, and their associations with the risk of anxiety and depression, among South African households with children.

Design: Nationally representative cross-sectional study. Tools for assessing food insecurity, coping strategies, risk of anxiety and depression were assessed from the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project, Coping Strategies Index, Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, respectively.

Socioeconomic position, perceived weight, lifestyle risk, and multimorbidity in young adults aged 18 to 35 years: a Multi-country Study.

Background: Multimorbidity-risk is established early in life, therefore reducing modifiable risk factors such as overweight or obesity may, in part, tackle the burden of multimorbidity in later life.

Methods: We made use of a cross-sectional online survey that included young adults (18-35yrs old) from three countries - Kenya, South Africa, and the United Kingdom (n = 3000). Information pertaining to socio-demographic, health, lifestyle, and perceived weight was collected.

The impact of HIV and ART exposure during pregnancy on fetal growth: a prospective study in a South African cohort.

Background: In utero exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and antiretroviral (ART) is associated with adverse birth outcomes, which are often attributed to alterations in placental morphology. This study used structural equation models (SEMs) to examine the impact of HIV and ART exposure on fetal growth outcomes and whether these associations are mediated by placental morphology in urban-dwelling Black South African women.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included pregnant women living with HIV (WLWH, n = 122) and not living with HIV (WNLWH, n = 250) that underwent repeated ultrasonography during pregnancy, and at delivery, to determine fetal growth parameters in Soweto, South Africa.

The Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns on Alcohol Consumption and Tobacco Smoking Behaviour in South Africa: A National Survey.

Introduction: During the first phase of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic lockdowns in South Africa (SA), both alcohol and tobacco were considered non-essential goods and their sales were initially prohibited and further restricted to certain days and timeframes. This study investigates self-reported changes in alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking behaviour in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in SA.

Methods: A cross-sectional national survey was conducted in October 2021 (before the Omicron wave 4 and while SA was in low-level lockdown) among 3,402 nationally representative respondents (weighted to 39,640,674) aged 18 years and older.

Food insecurity and coping strategies and their association with anxiety and depression: a nationally representative South African survey.

Objective: To investigate food insecurity and related coping strategies among South African households and their associations with anxiety and depression.

Design: Cross-sectional study. Food insecurity and coping strategies were assessed using a modified Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project and the Coping Strategies Index questionnaires.

Association between socio-economic status and non-communicable disease risk in young adults from Kenya, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

There is a pressing need for global health preventions to curb the escalating burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Utilising multi-country study designs can improve our understanding of how socio-economic context shapes the aetiology of NCDs, and this has great potential to advance global health interventions. We examined the association between socio-economic status (SES) and NCD risk, and the potential confounding effects of smoking and alcohol intake in young adults (18-35-year-olds) from Kenya, South Africa (SA), and the United Kingdom (UK).

The prevalence of probable depression and probable anxiety, and associations with adverse childhood experiences and socio-demographics: A national survey in South Africa.

Objective And Methods: Mental health problems among adults are a growing public health concern, and middle-income countries such as South Africa are disproportionally affected. Using a large scale nationally representative weighted survey, we assessed the prevalence of probable depression, probable anxiety, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and explored associations between probable depression, probable anxiety, ACEs, socio-economic status, and demographic characteristics.

Results: Nationally, 25.

Social vulnerability and its association with food insecurity in the South African population: findings from a National Survey.

Social vulnerability refers to the attributes of society that make people and places susceptible to natural disasters, adverse health outcomes, and social inequalities. Using a social vulnerability index (SVI), we investigated social vulnerability prevalence and its relationship with food insecurity in South Africa (SA). In this nationally representative cross-sectional survey, we calculated SVI scores from 3402 respondents (median age, 35 (26-46) years) using an SVI developed by the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) adapted for a South African context.

Targeted proteomics of appendicular skeletal muscle mass and handgrip strength in black South Africans: a cross-sectional study.

Although appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) and handgrip strength (HGS) are key components of sarcopenia, their underlying biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. We aimed to investigate associations of circulating biomarkers with ASM and HGS in middle-aged black South Africans. This study consisted of 934 black South Africans (469 men and 465 women, aged 41-72 years) from the Middle-aged Soweto cohort.

Associations Between and Polymorphisms, and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Black South Africans.

Research in European and Asian populations has reported associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in and and circulating glucocorticoid concentrations, and some key cardiometabolic risk factors. This study aimed to investigate these associations in black South African adults, who are disproportionally affected by the metabolic syndrome and its related cardiometabolic risk factors. The dataset included black South African adults ( = 4,431; 56.

Glucocorticoids associate with cardiometabolic risk factors in black South Africans.

Circulating glucocorticoids are associated with metabolic syndrome and related cardiometabolic risk factors in non-Africans. This study investigated these associations in Africans, whose metabolic phenotype reportedly differs from Europeans. Adiposity, blood pressure, glycaemia, insulin resistance, and lipid profile, were measured in 316 African men and 788 African women living in Soweto, Johannesburg.

Comparative effects of commonly used commercially available non-nutritive sweeteners on diabetes-related parameters in non-diabetic rats.

Studies of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) in diabetes models have been limited to their pure forms or NNS-sweetened products. Hence, we conducted a comparative study on the effects of commercial table-top NNS on diabetes-related parameters in non-diabetic rats. Normal animals were fed for 5 weeks with aqueous solutions of aspartame-, sucralose-, stevia-, sodium cyclamate- and saccharin-based commercial NNS at concentrations equivalent to the sweetness of 10% sucrose solution and thereafter food intake, blood glucose, lipid profile, and biochemical parameters were measured.

Commercially available non-nutritive sweeteners modulate the antioxidant status of type 2 diabetic rats.

Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are increasingly being used by diabetics, but little is known about their effects on antioxidant status. We investigated the effects of ad libitum consumption of commercially available NNS (aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, and cyclamate-based sweeteners) on antioxidative markers in a rat model of type 2 diabetes (T2D). NNS consumption reduced (p < 0.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus in African women.

Compared to global estimates, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest projected rates of increase in type 2 diabetes (T2D) over the next 25years. This is attributed to the ageing population, increasing urbanisation and the associated lifestyle changes. Although the prevalence does not differ by gender, deaths attributable to T2D in SSA are greater in women, likely due to differences in beliefs and access to care.