Smoking results in accumulation of ectopic fat in the liver.

Objective: An association between smoking and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has been reported. However, objective quantification of intrahepatic fat via magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in relation to smoking has rarely been performed in previous studies. Moreover, the possible pathways via which smoking could induce ectopic fat accumulation have not yet been addressed.

Independent association of liver fat accumulation with insulin resistance.

Background: To examine the association of intrahepatic fat with homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), a marker of insulin resistance, in Japanese adults, and whether intrahepatic fat is associated with insulin resistance independent of waist circumference and other measures of obesity.

Methods: Fifty-three individuals aged 37-69 were studied. Spectrum obtained using a 3-T magnetic resonance imager was analysed with LCModel to quantify intrahepatic fat.

Higher dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid is associated with lower insulin resistance in middle-aged Japanese.

Objective: To investigate the associations between dietary intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (plant-derived alpha-linolenic acid: ALA, and marine-derived eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid: EPA+DHA) and insulin resistance (IR) in a lean population with high n-3 PUFA intake.

Method: We cross-sectionally studied 3383 Japanese local government workers aged 35-66 in 2002. IR was defined as the highest quartile of homeostasis model assessment, and nutrient intake was estimated from a diet history questionnaire.

Changes in activities of daily living, physical fitness, and depressive symptoms after six-month periodic well-rounded exercise programs for older adults living in nursing homes or special nursing facilities.

A 6-month, twice weekly, well-rounded exercise program (47 sessions in total) comprised of a combination of aerobic, resistance and flexibility training was provided for institutionalized older adults aged 60 to 93. We analyzed the data of 18 older adults who could stand and had attended more than 10% of the classes (mean participation rate: 54%) to examine changes in activities of daily living (ADL), physical fitness tests and depressive moods. The mean (+/- standard deviation, range) age of the participants was 71.

Uric acid and left ventricular hypertrophy in Japanese men.

Background: Experimental studies have reported that allopurinol protects hypertensive rats from left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) with negligible effects on blood pressure (BP). Uric acid (UA) was thought to induce cardiomyocyte growth and interstitial fibrosis of the heart, partly via activation of the renin-angiotensin system. In the present study, the relationship between serum UA levels and electrocardiographically-diagnosed LVH (ECG-LVH) was examined in Japanese men not taking medication for hypertension (HTN), which could confound the association.

Self-reported medical history was generally accurate among Japanese workplace population.

Objective: To assess the validity of self-reported medical history of several diseases among the Japanese population, and to clarify to what extent the self-reported year of diagnosis for chronic diseases is different from the physician's reports.

Study Design And Setting: Subjects were 8,947 persons who responded to questions about medical history in a self-administered questionnaire. Of them, 854 subjects reported one or more medical histories and gave permission to contact their physician.

Having more healthy practice was associated with low white blood cell counts in middle-aged Japanese male and female workers.

White blood cell (WBC) count is well known to be an independent risk marker for cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study is to examine the relationships of WBC counts to seven health practices including obesity, eating habits, smoking, alcohol intake, sleeping, physical activity, and perceived mental stress, and then clustering the relevant healthy practices. The subjects were 1,492 male and 316 female Japanese workers aged 40 yr and over in 2002.

Low leptin but high insulin resistance of smokers in Japanese men.

Aims: To investigate the association between smoking and leptin, and to discuss their influence on diabetes in a large-scale study of Japanese men.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2002. The subjects were 2836 men aged 35-66.

Contribution of adipocytokines to low-grade inflammatory state as expressed by circulating C-reactive protein in Japanese men: comparison of leptin and adiponectin.

Background: Circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of inflammation and is associated with the incidence of cardiovascular events. Although it has been known that adiponectin protects, whereas leptin accelerates, the development of atherosclerotic diseases, the comparative strength of their reciprocal effects on circulating CRP remains unclear.

Methods: We studied a population of 2049 Japanese men aged 35 to 66.

Association between low birth weight and elevated white blood cell count in adulthood within a Japanese population.

Background: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the association between low birth weight and increased adulthood risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. However, the precise mechanism underlying the association remains poorly understood. We investigated the association between birth weight and adult white blood cell (WBC) count in a Japanese population.

Eating fast leads to insulin resistance: findings in middle-aged Japanese men and women.

Objective: To examine relationships between speed of eating and insulin resistance.

Methods: Cross-sectional study of 2704 male (mean age and BMI: 48.2 y and 23.

Smoking status and adiponectin in healthy Japanese men and women.

Background: Recent studies promisingly indicate that adiponectin plays an important and fundamental role in the development and progression of metabolic and atherosclerosis disorders. Smoking is known as one of the most important risk factors of atherosclerosis, and its relation with metabolic disorders has also been reported. We therefore investigated the association between cigarette smoking and adiponectin concentration in a large sample of Japanese men and women.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein is quite low in Japanese men at high coronary risk.

Background: Although numerous studies have demonstrated a positive association of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) with the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), little information exists regarding this issue in Japanese.

Methods And Results: The association between CRP and the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) was investigated in 2,523 middle-aged Japanese men without a medical history of CHD. CRP was significantly associated with this score obtained from all FRS factors.

Further inflammatory information on metabolic syndrome by adiponectin evaluation.

Background: Despite a close association of adiponectin with metabolic syndrome (MetS), its usefulness as an additional MetS factor has not been well investigated.

Methods: We studied 2327 apparently healthy Japanese male office workers aged 35 to 66 years old and investigated cross-sectionally whether categorization by serum adiponectin distinguished participants' levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) beyond the conventional MetS.

Results: In a linear regression analysis, adiponectin was associated with CRP independently of all MetS factors (beta=-0.

Adiponectin level and left ventricular hypertrophy in Japanese men.

A recent study has demonstrated that adiponectin inhibited hypertrophic signaling in the myocardium of mice, implying that a decrease in the blood adiponectin level could cause cardiac muscle hypertrophy. We hypothesized that a relationship might exist between the serum adiponectin level and electrocardiographically diagnosed left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH), and we examined this hypothesis by epidemiological study of 2839 Japanese male workers who were not taking medications for hypertension. ECG-LVH was defined as meeting Sokolow-Lyon voltage criteria and/or Cornell voltage-duration product.

The transition to menopause reinforces adiponectin production and its contribution to improvement of insulin-resistant state.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of menopausal status on the serum adiponectin concentration and investigate whether the contribution of adiponectin to insulin resistance is modified by menopausal status.

Subjects: We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study of 207 premenopausal and 206 postmenopausal Japanese women.

Measurements: Data on anthropometric characteristics, fasting serum adiponectin, glucose and insulin concentrations were used.

Birth weight and adult hypertension: cross-sectional study in a Japanese workplace population.

Background: Low birth weight has been associated with adult hypertension in several Western populations. This association needs to be evaluated in Japanese people.

Methods And Results: A population-based cross-sectional study of 3,107 subjects (2,303 males and 804 females) aged 35-66 years was conducted.