Journal of internal medicine
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A Mediterranean lifestyle may prevent and mitigate cardiometabolic disorders. We explored whether adherence to a Mediterranean lifestyle was prospectively associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. ⋯ Our results showed that greater adherence to a MEDLIFE reduced the risk of subsequent MetS development and increased the likelihood of reversing preexisting MetS among patients with CHD at baseline.
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Emerging research suggests that exposures occurring years before conception are important determinants of the health of future offspring and subsequent generations. Environmental exposures of both the father and mother, or exposure to disease processes such as obesity or infections, may influence germline cells and thereby cause a cascade of health outcomes in multiple subsequent generations. There is now increasing evidence that respiratory health is influenced by parental exposures that occur long before conception. ⋯ The results are strengthened by mechanistic research from animal models and (scarce) human studies that have identified molecular mechanisms that can explain the epidemiological findings, suggesting transfer of epigenetic signals through germline cells, with susceptibility windows in utero (both male and female line) and prepuberty (male line). The concept that our lifestyles and behaviours may influence the health of our future children represents a new paradigm. This raises concerns for future health in decades to come with respect to harmful exposures but may also open for radical rethinking of preventive strategies that may improve health in multiple generations, reverse the imprint of our parents and forefathers, and underpin strategies that can break the vicious circle of propagation of health inequalities across generations.
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Severe COVID-19 increases the risk for long-term respiratory impairment, but data after mild COVID-19 are scarce. Our aims were to determine risk factors for reduced respiratory function 3-6 months after COVID-19 infection and to investigate if reduced respiratory function would relate to impairment of exercise performance and breathlessness. ⋯ Reduced DLCO was the major respiratory impairment 3-6 months following COVID-19, with hospitalization as the most important risk factor. The lack of association between impaired DLCO and pathological physiological responses to exertion suggests that these physiological responses are not primarily related to decreased lung function.
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Approximately one third of thromboembolic (TE) events are related to obesity, but to which extent elevated body mass index (BMI) during the distinct periods of childhood and puberty contributes is not known. We aimed to evaluate the impact of high BMI during childhood and puberty for the risk of adult venous and arterial thromboembolic events (VTE, ATE, respectively) in men. ⋯ Young adult overweight was a strong determinant, and childhood overweight a moderate determinant, of the risk of VTE in adult men.