Excess fat in the abdomen but not general obesity is associated with poorer metabolic and cardiovascular health in premenopausal and postmenopausal Asian women.

Objectives: To examine the associations of various metabolites and hormones and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with obesity.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 1326 Singaporean women. A DXA-derived percent body fat (PBF) of ≥35% and percent abdominal fat (PAbdF) of >21.

Effects of a brief action and coping planning intervention on completion of preventive exercises prescribed by a physiotherapist among people with knee pain.

Objectives: The present study aimed to test the efficacy of action and coping planning in promoting engagement with preventive exercises among a sample of people with knee pain.

Design: Experimental trial.

Methods: Individuals who presented to a physiotherapist with knee pain (N=373, 57% female; M age=31.

Aging and bone health in Singaporean Chinese pre-menopausal and postmenopausal women.

Objective: The study evaluated relationships between menopausal statuses, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PBF), and exercise with osteoporosis and bone mineral density (BMD) in Singaporean women.

Study Design: This is a cross-sectional study.

Main Outcome Measures: The spine BMD, and femoral neck BMD as well as the prevalence of osteoporosis are the main outcome measures studied.

Aging, lifestyle factors, hormones and bone health in Singaporean men.

Purpose: The present study examined how age, bodyweight, body fat, regular exercise and some endocrine factors are associated with osteoporosis, spine bone mineral density (Sbmd) and femoral neck bone mineral density (Fnbmd) in Singaporean men.

Methods: Body composition and bone scans of lumbar spine at L2-L4 and hip were carried out with duel-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Anthropometric parameters were measured and demographic data, medical history and exercise schedule were collected via a questionnaire.

Association of general and abdominal obesity with age, endocrine and metabolic factors in Asian men.

Objective: This study made use of the percent abdominal fat to define abdominal obesity (AbO) and examined the differential associations of general obesity (GOb) and AbO with age, metabolic and endocrine factors.

Methods: Metabolic, endocrine and anthropometric factors and body composition were measured in 481 Asian men.

Results: A DEXA-derived ≥25% abdominal fat (PAbdF) was used to define men with AbO.

Endocrine factors, memory and perceptual capacities and aging in Asian men.

Background: This cross-sectional study examined the associations of hormones and age with short-term memory and perceptual capacity in 472 healthy Asian men.

Methods: The symbol digit and digit span tests from the Swedish Performance Evaluation System were used to assess perceptual capacity and memory. Linear regression analyses with the stepwise method were carried out with the SPSS 21.

The association of metabolic syndrome and aging with cognition in Asian men.

Background: The present cross-sectional study examined the associations of individual metabolic factors and age with the short-term memory and perceptual capacity in 472 healthy Asian men.

Methods: The symbol digit and digit span tests from the Swedish Performance Evaluation System were used to assess the perceptual capacity and memory cognitive domains. Linear regression with the stepwise method, and multivariate analyses of the General Linear Model with the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were carried out with the SPSS 21.

Associations of physical exercise as a lifestyle habit with lean and fat body mass and handgrip strength and age in Asian men.

Background: We evaluated how the intensity of physical exercise as a lifestyle habit is associated with age, body composition and handgrip strength.

Methods: Total body composition was analyzed using DEXA. Exercise scores were derived from an administered questionnaire and the scoring was calculated using the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET).

The moderating impact of lifestyle factors on sex steroids, sexual activities and aging in Asian men.

The present study sought to evaluate the relative associations of exercise, sleep and other lifestyle habits with aging, sex hormones, percent body fat (%BF) and sexual activities in men living in the community. A better understanding of this complex interrelationship is important in helping the formulation of modalities for a holistic approach to the management of aging men. The results showed that age is a major determinant for many physiological parameters, including sleep, hormonal and metabolic parameters, some lifestyle factors and sexual activities.

Reexamination of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estradiol and estrone levels across the menstrual cycle and in postmenopausal women measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Measuring serum androgen levels in women has been challenging due to limitations in method accuracy, precision sensitivity and specificity at low hormone levels. The clinical significance of changes in sex steroids across the menstrual cycle and lifespan has remained controversial, in part due to these limitations. We used validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays to determine testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) along with estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1) levels across the menstrual cycle of 31 healthy premenopausal females and in 19 postmenopausal females.

Association of age and physical exercise with bodyweight and body composition in Asian Chinese men.

Background: The present study sought to examine the association between physical exercise as a lifestyle habit with anthropometric parameters and body composition and aging in men.

Methods: Intensity of exercise was scored as metabolic equivalent-min/week (MET-min/week) from data of the questionnaire, while anthropometric parameters and body composition were carried out by standard measuring instruments and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner, respectively.

Results: Age was associated with decreases in bodyweight, height, total lean mass and bone mass, but an increase in fat mass.

Association between an intronic apolipoprotein E polymorphism and bone mineral density in Singaporean Chinese females.

Introduction: Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is implicated in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.

Objective: To investigate possible association of the non-classical APOE gene +113C/G (rs440446) intron 1 enhancer polymorphism with bone mineral density (BMD) in a homogeneous Chinese population in Singapore.

Methods: A total of 655 volunteers, males and females, aged between 31 and 72 years, from the public participated.

Sleep, sex steroid hormones, sexual activities, and aging in Asian men.

This was a cross-sectional study to examine the different associations of age and sleep duration with sex steroid hormones and sexual activities in 531 Asian Chinese men aged between 29 and 72 years old. Sleep duration and sexual activities were evaluated through a self-administered questionnaire, and total testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), estradiol (E2), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were measured by established immunoassay methods in a single blood sample collected between 8:00 and 11:00 am. Bioavailable T (BioT) was calculated using the Vermeulen formula.

Simultaneous measurement of serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Background: Recent reports have described inherent problems with androgen immunoassays compared with mass spectrometry analyses.

Methods: We developed a method for measuring serum testosterone (T) and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) simultaneously via liquid-liquid extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with positive-mode electrospray ionization.

Results: The DHT and T calibrators showed a linear response from 0.

Differential impact of aging and gender on lipid and lipoprotein profiles in a cohort of healthy Chinese Singaporeans.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of age and gender on lipid and lipoprotein profiles and the burden of dyslipidemia in a cohort of healthy Chinese Singaporean.

Methods: A total of 1 775 healthy Chinese, 536 men and 1 239 women aged between 30 and 70 years old were involved in the present study.

Results: Gender differences in all lipid and lipoprotein levels were clearly evident.

Interactions among age, adiposity, bodyweight, lifestyle factors and sex steroid hormones in healthy Singaporean Chinese men.

Aim: To examine the inter-relationships among age, lifestyle factors, anthropometric parameters, percent body fat and steroid hormone parameters in 531 healthy Singaporean Chinese men aged between 29 and 72 years old.

Methods: Various lifestyle parameters were quantified through a survey, and testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured using established methods. Anthropometric parameters were collected and computed, and percent body fat (Siri) was measured using the DEXA scanner.

Aging in Asia: a cultural, socio-economical and historical perspective.

Asia has about 60% of the world population and population aging is occurring more rapidly in Asia than in Western countries. The group aged 65 years and above will increase from 207 million in 2000 to 857 million in 2050, a staggering increase of 314%. The diversity in economic, demographic, religious, cultural and geo-political factors in Asia is unparalleled by any other continent, and is, in part, contributory to the rapid rise in population aging.

Are BMI and other anthropometric measures appropriate as indices for obesity? A study in an Asian population.

We have examined the relationships between percentage of body fat (PBF) and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance and how good body mass index (BMI) and other anthropometric measures are as indices of obesity. High PBF levels were associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance. The World Health Organization BMI of 30 kg/m(2) for obesity has low sensitivity, 6.

Determinants of circulating insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 concentrations in a cohort of Singapore men and women.

Variation in the circulating concentrations of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system has been implicated in the etiology of chronic diseases including cancer (prostate, breast, colon, and lung), heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis. We searched for sociodemographic, anthropometric, reproductive, lifestyle, and dietary determinants of IGF-I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) -3 serum concentrations. Serum samples were collected in a Singapore Chinese cohort with a mean age of 61 years.