Plasma levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids and multiple sclerosis susceptibility in a US case-control study.

Background: There are plausible mechanisms, yet mixed evidence, that higher polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) levels reduces the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). Prior studies relied on dietary surveys to estimate levels.

Objective: We tested associations between plasma levels of n-3 and n-6 PUFAs and likelihood of MS onset or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) using data from the MS Sunshine Study, a case-control study conducted in the United States.

Defining childhood hypertension: is it too complicated? An evaluation of the potential impact of different approaches in an Australian paediatric population.

Objectives: Current American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and European Society of Hypertension (ESH) thresholds defining hypertension in children use blood pressure (BP) normalised to age, sex and height. However, scare data exists regarding the relative importance of these variables to accurately model the 95th quantile of BP. We hypothesised that height alone may fit the population data equally well compared to more complex definitions.

Early versus late parenteral nutrition in term and late preterm infants: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: There is limited evidence regarding the optimal time to commence parenteral nutrition (PN) in term and late preterm infants.

Design: Single-centre, non-blinded, exploratory randomised controlled trial.

Setting: A level-3 neonatal unit in a stand-alone paediatric hospital.

Diet to Stop Hypertension: Should Fats be Included?

Purpose Of Review: International guidelines emphasize advice to incorporate dietary measures for the prevention and in the management of hypertension. Current data show that modest reductions in weight can have an impact on blood pressure. Reducing salt and marine oils have also shown consistent benefit in reducing blood pressure.

Adiposity associates with lower plasma resolvin E1 (Rve1): a population study.

Background: Inadequate inflammation resolution may contribute to persistent low-grade inflammation that accompanies many chronic conditions. Resolution of inflammation is an active process driven by Specialized Pro-resolving Mediators (SPM) that derive from long chain n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. This study examined plasma SPM in relation to sex differences, lifestyle and a broad range cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in 978, 27-year olds from the Australian Raine Study.

Effects of an Unripe Avocado Extract on Glycaemic Control in Individuals with Obesity: A Double-Blinded, Parallel, Randomised Clinical Trial.

Background: Unripe avocados () are naturally enriched in mannoheptulose (MH), which is a candidate caloric restriction mimetic.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of a diet supplement made from unripe avocado on glucose tolerance, and cardiometabolic risk factors in free-living nondiabetic adults with obesity.

Methods: In a double-blinded, randomised controlled trial, 60 adults (female n = 47, age 48 ± 13 years, BMI 34.

Relationship between TV Watching during Childhood and Adolescence, and Artery Function in Adulthood.

Purpose: Artery dysfunction is an early, integral stage in atherogenesis that predicts future cardiovascular events. Sedentary behavior, such as TV watching, is highly prevalent and associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This study investigated whether patterns of TV watching throughout childhood and adolescence were associated with artery function in adulthood.

Improved arterial inflammation with high dose omega-3 fatty acids in patients with elevated lipoprotein(a): Selective effect of eicosapentaenoic acid?

Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a causal risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, there are no approved and effective treatments for lowering Lp(a) and the associated cardiovascular risks. Omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3FAs), primarily eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have both triglyceride-lowering and anti-inflammatory properties.

Fetal Growth Trajectories and Measures of Insulin Resistance in Young Adults.

Context: Events during gestation greatly influence the risk of cardiometabolic diseases including diabetes in offspring during later life.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate relationships between serial ultrasound-derived fetal growth trajectories and markers of insulin resistance in young adults in the Raine Study, an Australian pregnancy cohort.

Methods: Linear mixed modeling examined the relationship between fetal growth trajectory groups, constructed using serial ultrasound-based abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL), and head circumference (HC) from 1333 mother-fetal pairs, and offspring Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), as a marker of diabetes risk, at 20 (n = 414), 22 (n = 385), and 27 (n = 431) years.

Normative cut-offs for polycystic ovary syndrome diagnostic features in adolescents using cluster analysis.

Objective: The diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remains challenging with international guidelines prioritising accurate cut-offs for individual diagnostic features. These diagnostic cut-offs are currently based on arbitrary percentiles, often from poorly characterised cohorts, and are dependent on variable laboratory ranges defined by assay manufacturers, limiting diagnostic accuracy. Cluster analysis is the recommended approach for defining normative cut-offs within populations for clinical syndromes.

Dairy Foods: Beneficial Effects of Fermented Products on Cardiometabolic Health.

Purpose Of Review: This review of recent observational studies and understanding of the complex nature of dairy foods is intended to reappraise the effects of different types of dairy foods on cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Recent Findings: Recent guidelines from major cardiovascular societies suggest that apart from the adverse effect of butter, consumption of more complex dairy products notably fermented varieties and yogurt in particular, appear to be inversely associated with outcomes of CVD and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Reduced fat in dairy food remains preferred for people at increased CVD risk.

A Review of Low-Density Lipoprotein-Lowering Diets in the Age of Anti-Sense Technology.

This narrative review discusses an important issue, the primary role of diet in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) concentrations in polygenic hypercholesterolemia. Two effective drugs, statins, and ezetimibe, that lower LDLc > 20% are relatively inexpensive and potential competitors to strict dieting. Biochemical and genomic studies have shown that proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) plays an important role in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and lipid metabolism.

Long-term dietary nitrate supplementation slows the progression of established atherosclerosis in ApoE mice fed a high fat diet.

Background And Aims: Atherosclerosis is associated with a reduction in the bioavailability and/or bioactivity of endogenous nitric oxide (NO). Dietary nitrate has been proposed as an alternate source when endogenous NO production is reduced. Our previous study demonstrated a protective effect of dietary nitrate on the development of atherosclerosis in the apoE mouse model.

Australian Atherosclerosis Society Position Statement on Lipoprotein(a): Clinical and Implementation Recommendations.

This position statement provides guidance to cardiologists and related specialists on the management of adult patients with elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]. Elevated Lp(a) is an independent and causal risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). While circulating Lp(a) levels are largely determined by ancestry, they are also influenced by ethnicity, hormones, renal function, and acute inflammatory events, such that measurement should be done after accounting for these factors.

Effect of Oral Contraception on Screening Tests for Primary Aldosteronism: A 10-Year Longitudinal Study.

Context: Primary aldosteronism (PA) and oral contraception (OC) can both cause hypertension in young women. However, the effect of OC on the screening test for PA, the aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR), is not clear.

Objective: We evaluated the impact of OC on the screening test for PA.

Implicating genes, pleiotropy, and sexual dimorphism at blood lipid loci through multi-ancestry meta-analysis.

Background: Genetic variants within nearly 1000 loci are known to contribute to modulation of blood lipid levels. However, the biological pathways underlying these associations are frequently unknown, limiting understanding of these findings and hindering downstream translational efforts such as drug target discovery.

Results: To expand our understanding of the underlying biological pathways and mechanisms controlling blood lipid levels, we leverage a large multi-ancestry meta-analysis (N = 1,654,960) of blood lipids to prioritize putative causal genes for 2286 lipid associations using six gene prediction approaches.

Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and Features of the Metabolic Syndrome in Males from Childhood into Adulthood.

Phthalate metabolites are detectable within the majority of the population. Evidence suggests that a prenatal exposure to phthalates may be associated with the subsequent risks of obesity and elevated blood pressure. We hypothesised that a prenatal exposure to phthalates would lead to an increase in adverse cardiometabolic parameters through childhood and adulthood.

Willingness to be tested for a secondary cause of hypertension: a survey of the Australian general community.

Background: Primary aldosteronism (PA) represents the most common and potentially curable cause of secondary hypertension. However, PA is not commonly screened for, and up to 34% of patients who screen positive do not complete the full diagnostic process. This suggests that the diagnostic process may pose a barrier to patients and may contribute to the under-diagnosis of PA.

Relationship between dietary intake and erythrocyte PUFA in adolescents from a Western Australian cohort.

Background: Population-based studies show that the intake of omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are associated with a range of health conditions. Therefore, the reliability of food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) as rapid and easily accessible screening tools for PUFA intake deserve investigation.

Objective: We aimed to assess the relationship between erythrocyte fatty acids and fatty acid intake collected using the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) food frequency questionnaire in an adolescent cohort.