Objective: To describe the relation between body composition and age measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in healthy Japanese adults. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects and measurements: The subjects were 2411 healthy Japanese adults (males 625, females 1786, age 20 ± 79 y) who attended the Fukuoka Health Promotion Center, Fukuoka, Japan for health check-up. Body composition was determined by DXA (QDR-2000, Hologic) for the whole body and three anatomical regions of arms, legs and trunk. Results:The mean values of body mass index (BMI) and percentage fat mass (%FM) were 23.2 AE 3.1 (s.d.) kgam 2 and 21.8 AE 6.8% for males and 22.1 AE 3.3 kgam 2 and 32.0 AE 7.5% for females, respectively. For males, curvilinear relations with the peaks in their forties or ®fties were seen for the variables associated adiposity, ie BMI, waist and hip circumference, waist ± hip ratio, total or regional fat mass (FM), %FM and ratio of trunk FM to leg FM. For females, most of these variables increased linearly in older subjects. Lean mass (LM), bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) of the whole body and appendicular LM were relatively constant until the forties and then decreased in both sexes. The rates of decrease in the total or appendicular LM were larger for males than for females, whereas those in BMC or BMD were larger for females than for males. Conclusions: This study presents the ®rst detailed data on body composition in Japanese, which may be useful when comparing with populations of different racial and ethnic backgrounds and studying ill subjects.

1. Obesity is known to increase the risk for atherosclerotic diseases. Serum levels of cellular adhesion molecules are reported to be indices of atherosclerosis. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of weight reduction on soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin). 2. Eighteen non-diabetic normotensive obese women participated in a 3 month lifestyle-modification programme (intervention group). The programme consisted of lectures on diet, exercise sessions and behavioural modification by weight charting. Fourteen women who did not enter the programme served as controls. Body fat mass (FM) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Soluble ICAM-1 and sE-selectin were measured by ELISA. 3. After 3 months, sICAM-1 and sE-selectin, as well as body FM, decreased in the intervention group (P < 0.001), while no changes were observed in the control group. The baseline sE-selectin was positively correlated with total body FM, trunk FM and percentage body fat (r = 0.50-0.57; P < 0.01), but not with leg FM. The change in sE-selectin was also correlated with changes in total body FM and trunk FM (both r = 0.46; P < 0.01). Baseline sICAM-1 was not significantly correlated with these variables. The associations between changes in sICAM-1 and changes in total body FM or trunk FM were of borderline significance (both r = 0.34; P = 0.06). Linear regression analysis indicated that the change in sE-selectin was explained by the change in trunk FM (R2 = 0.18; P < 0.01). 4. Soluble ICAM-1 and sE-selectin were positively correlated with obesity, especially with central obesity. Weight reduction resulted in decreases in soluble adhesion molecules, which may suggest a downregulation of endothelial activation.

SUMMARYThe effects of exercise and mild calorie restriction on heart rate variability (HRV) were investigated in 12 mildly obese, normotensive Japanese women aged 45.8±4.2 (SEM) years with a body mass index (BMI) of 27.3±0.4 kg/m 2 . The subjects participated in a 3-month program aimed at increasing physical activity and modifying eating behavior (intervention group). The control group consisted of 12 women (age 50.1±4.8 years, BMI 27.2±0.6 kg/m 2 ) who did not attend the program. The frequency domain of HRV was calculated from 5-min Holter recordings while the subjects rested in a supine position. After 3 months, BMI decreased to 25.0±0.5 kg/m 2 (p<0.001 vs baseline) in the intervention group, which was accompanied by decreases in body fat mass, waist circumference, serum total cholesterol and triglycerides, and improvement in insulin sensitivity. The mean and SD of the RR intervals, total power, and low and high frequency power of HRV significantly increased after the intervention, whereas no significant changes were seen for the controls. The changes in these HRV variables (calculated by subtracting the baseline values from the follow-up values) negatively correlated with the change in waist circumference, with the Pearson correlation coefficients being between −0.50 and −0.62 (p<0.05). A negative correlation was also seen between the changes in high frequency power and insulin resistance estimated by homeostasis model assessment (r=−0.49, p<0.05). The combination of exercise and mild calorie restriction led to changes in HRV indicative of an improvement in parasympathetic modulation. (Jpn Heart J 2001; 42: 459-469)

1. The pro-inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is considered to be involved in the development of atherosclerosis by inducing local inflammatory responses in the vascular wall. Because TNF-alpha is also known to affect lipid and glucose metabolism, the association between the circulating concentration of TNF-alpha and atherogenic risk factors was examined in 82 apparently healthy Japanese women (aged 19-69 years; mean age 48.5 years). 2. The mean (+/-SD) serum TNF-alpha concentration was 2.7+/-0.9 pg/mL (range 1.4-5.9 pg/mL). The TNF-alpha concentration showed significant correlations with age (r = 0.28; P = 0.01), body mass index (r = 0.27; P = 0.01), the waist-hip ratio (r = 0.41; P = 0.0002), percentage body fat (r = 0.30; P = 0.006), systolic (r = 0.32; P = 0.004) and diastolic (r = 0.24; P = 0.03) blood pressure, total cholesterol (r = 0.27; P = 0.02) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C; r = 0.36; P = 0.001), while the correlations with high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (r = -0.20; P = 0.08) and insulin resistance estimated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA(IR); r = 0.16; P = 0.15) were not statistically significant. 3. When adjusted for age and menopause, TNF-alpha was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.25; P = 0.02) and LDL-C (r = 0.27; P = 0.02). The association between TNF-alpha and LDL-C remained significant when adjustment was made for age, menopause and the waist-hip ratio (r = 0.24; P = 0.03). 4. Our results indicate that TNF-alpha may play a role in modulating blood pressure and LDL-C.