The American journal of clinical nutrition
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Body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) cutoffs for use with children and adolescents aged 2-18 y that correspond to the well-accepted BMI cutoffs for overweight (> or = 25 but < 30) and obesity (> or = 30) in adults were published recently. ⋯ The %BF values associated with BMI classifications of overweight and obesity vary considerably with age in growing children, particularly in girls.
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Previous studies assessed the influence of parental weight status, sexual maturation, race-ethnicity, and energy expenditure among children, but few examined these issues comprehensively. ⋯ Differences in resting metabolic rate and total energy expenditure among premenarcheal girls were associated with parental weight status and the girls' race-ethnicity, whereas differences in nonresting energy expenditure were associated with pubertal stage and race-ethnicity. Whether the observed differences in energy expenditure persist after puberty and predict weight gain during puberty awaits the results of longitudinal analyses.
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Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is present in milk products and meat from ruminants, appears to have anticarcinogenic activity against breast cancer in animal and in vitro experiments. To date, few epidemiologic data are available in humans. ⋯ The suggested anticarcinogenic property of CLA in animal and tissue culture models could not be confirmed in this epidemiologic study in humans.
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Certain dietary components may play a role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. ⋯ In men, a diet high in whole grains is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes in men that may be mediated by cereal fiber. Efforts should be made to replace refined-grain with whole-grain foods.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677C-->T genotype modulates homocysteine responses to a folate-rich diet or a low-dose folic acid supplement: a randomized controlled trial.
Low folate status and elevated plasma homocysteine are associated with increased risk of neural tube defects and cardiovascular disease. Homocysteine responses to folate may be influenced by genetic variants in folate metabolism. ⋯ A folate-rich diet including folic acid-fortified foods or low-dose supplements effectively increases folate status. TT homozygotes require higher folate intakes than do individuals with the CT or CC genotype to achieve similar tHcy concentrations but are responsive to folate intervention.