European journal of clinical nutrition
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Sodium, potassium, body mass, alcohol and blood pressure in three United Kingdom centres (the INTERSALT study).
Standardised data on blood pressure, 24 h urinary electrolyte excretion, body mass index (BMI) and alcohol intake were collected as part of the INTERSALT study in 598 men and women aged 20-59 years, selected randomly from three population groups in the United Kingdom. For the three centres combined, mean systolic blood pressure was 121.4 mm Hg and diastolic pressure 72.1 mm Hg, urinary sodium excretion 152.1 mmol/24 h, urinary potassium excretion 61.0 mmol/24 h, urinary sodium/potassium ratio 2.64 and BMI 25.2 kg/m2. Prevalence of heavy alcohol drinking in men (greater than or equal to 300 ml/week) was 27.5 per cent. ⋯ The potential of this multifactorial approach to blood pressure control was illustrated by stratifying individuals within each of the United Kingdom centres by sodium and potassium excretion, BMI and alcohol intake. The 20 (out of 299) men considered at 'lower risk' for high blood pressure with respect to the above variables had systolic pressure lower by 11 mm Hg (P less than 0.01); for the 27 (out of 299) 'lower risk' women, systolic pressure was lower by 5 mm Hg (P = 0.06). These non-pharmacological approaches towards more favourable blood pressure levels could be accompanied by reductions in mortality from stroke and coronary heart disease.
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In walking and in running the progression of the body involves at each step changes in kinetic energy, Ek, due to acceleration and deceleration, and changes of potential energy, Ep, due to vertical displacement. The energy costs of walking and running are minimized by two different mechanisms. In walking an alternate exchange of Ek and Ep takes place at each step, so that the muscles have only to restore the small part of the energy that is not recovered. ⋯ However, walking at low speed with a load not exceeding 5-10 per cent of the body weight is not more expensive than unloaded walking. Moreover, it has been observed that African women walking at their optimal speed can carry on their heads loads of up to 20 per cent of their body weight without any extra cost. A possible explanation of this finding could be that a different distribution of the body mass, with a higher position of the centre of gravity of the body, further increases the recovery of energy at each step.
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Information on food intake during weaning was collected as part of a mixed-longitudinal study on the nutritional status and growth of the 1985 Dutch birth cohort of infants on macrobiotic diets (n = 53) and a matched control group on omnivorous diets (m = 57). Weighed food records over 3d, including breast-milk, were obtained on 49 macrobiotic and 57 control infants at 2-monthly intervals between the ages of 6 and 16 months. Intake of energy and nutrients was calculated using the Dutch food composition table which was supplemented by our own analyses of 50 macrobiotic foods. ⋯ Calcium intake was 280 mg/d; correction for calcium derived from hard tap-water raised the calcium intake to 308 mg in the macrobiotic age group of 14 months. The evidence of biochemical deficiencies of iron, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin D and calcium is discussed. It is suggested that the macrobiotic diet should be supplemented with fat, fatty fish and dairy products.
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A mixed-longitudinal study was carried out in the 1985 Dutch birth cohort of macrobiotic infants aged 4-18 months (n = 53) and 57 omnivorous control infants matched for month of birth, sex, parity, educational level of the father and the residential area. Study methods included regular anthropometric measurements and a psychomotor testing. Reported birth weight was 180 g lower in the macrobiotic group than in the control group and was positively associated with maternal weight increase during pregnancy. ⋯ The paediatrician observed major wasting of skin and muscles in 30 per cent of them. The growth rate for weight and arm circumference was independently associated with the energy intake and the protein content of the macrobiotic diet. Growth in length was positively associated with protein content of the diet, but not with energy intake.