Estimating Usual Intake in the 2nd Bavarian Food Consumption Survey: Comparison of the Results Derived by the National Cancer Institute Method and a Basic Individual Means Approach.

Background: The valid estimation of the usual dietary intake remains a challenge till date. We applied the method suggested by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to data from the 2nd Bavarian Food Consumption Survey (BVS II) and compared it to an individual means approach.

Methods: Within the cross-sectional BVS II, 1,050 Bavarian residents aged 13-80 years participated in a personal interview and completed three 24-h dietary recalls by telephone interview.

Leptin plasma levels in the general population: influence of age, gender, body weight and medical history.

The polypeptide leptin exerts a multitude of regulatory functions. It has been implicated in the pathophysiology of inflammatory, metabolic and psychiatric disorders and has been found to be differentially expressed in men and women. Although a clear increase of leptin levels with age has been repeatedly observed in men, the association of leptin levels and age in women is an issue of scientific discussion.

TNF-alpha, soluble TNF receptor and interleukin-6 plasma levels in the general population.

The cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), soluble TNF receptors p55 and p75, and interleukin 6 (IL-6) are involved in host defense against several microbiological agents, in the process of inflammation and also in body weight regulation. In the present study, we sought to assess the influence of age, gender, smoking, and body mass index on plasma levels of TNF-alpha, TNF receptors, and IL-6 in more than 550 adult subjects randomly selected from the Bavarian population. None of the cytokine parameters had a normal distribution and all distributions were significantly skewed.

Plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors in patients with narcolepsy.

Background: Narcolepsy is a disabling sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. Recent studies suggest that the immune system might play a pathogenic role pointing to a possible involvement of inflammatory cytokines.

Methods: We investigated a sample of 30 patients with narcolepsy in comparison with 120 sex- and age-matched and 101 sex-, body mass index (BMI)-, and age-matched randomly selected normal controls.

Estimated physical activity in Bavaria, Germany, and its implications for obesity risk: results from the BVS-II Study.

Background: Adequate physical activity (PA) is considered as a key factor in the fight against the obesity epidemic. Therefore, detailed description of the actual PA and its components in the population is necessary. Additionally, this study aims to investigate the association between PA and obesity risk in a representative population sample in Bavaria, Germany.