OBJETIVO: Casamento interétnico entre brasileiros nikkeis e não nikkeis pode favorecer a ocidentalização da dieta. Compararam-se consumo alimentar, dados clínico-laboratoriais e frequências de doenças metabólicas em população nipo-brasileira, com casamento intraétnico ou interétnico. MÉTODOS: Empregaram-se teste t, Mann-Whitney, qui-quadrado e coeficiente de Pearson. RESULTADOS: Em 1009 nipo-brasileiros havia 18,9% de casamentos interétnicos, mais frequentes entre homens nikkeis. Estes apresentaram maiores médias de IMC, cintura, pressão arterial, glicemia e triglicérides que mulheres. As frequências de obesidade, hipertrigliceridemia e síndrome metabólica foram 47,7%, 68,1% e 45,2%, sendo maiores nos casamentos interétnicos comparados aos intraétnicos. Comparando-se indivíduos com casamento interétnico, hipertrigliceridemia foi mais frequente nos homens e HDL-c baixo nas mulheres. O consumo de calorias, gorduras e dos grupos de álcool, doces e óleos foram maiores nos casamentos interétnicos. Indivíduos casados intraetnicamente consumiam mais carboidratos, proteínas, fibras, vitaminas, minerais, hortaliças, frutas/sucos, cereais e missoshiru. Comparando-se indivíduos com casamento interétnico, homens nikkeis apresentavam padrão mais ocidental que mulheres nikkeis. CONCLUSÃO: Casamento interétnico associa-se a hábitos alimentares menos saudáveis e pior perfil de risco cardiometabólico.

Background: The American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI), revising the National Cholesterol Evaluation Program for Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) have proposed defi nitions of metabolic syndrome that take into account waist circumference thresholds according to ethnicity. In this study we estimated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a Japanese-Brazilian population using NCEP defi nitions for Westerners (NCEPwe) and Asians (NCEPas), and IDF for Japanese (IDF). Methods: A total of 650 Japanese-Brazilians living in a developed Brazilian city and aged 30-88 years were included. Results: Metabolic syndrome prevalence according to NCEPwe, NCEPas, and IDF was, respectively, 46.5%, 56.5%, and 48.3%. Only 43.5% of subjects did not have metabolic syndrome by any of the 3 defi nitions, and 38.3% fulfi lled metabolic syndrome criteria for all 3 defi nitions. Ten percent of subjects were positive for metabolic syndrome based on NCEPas and IDF, but not for NCEPwe. Because IDF requires abdominal obesity as a criterion, the frequency of subjects without metabolic syndrome according to IDF, but with metabolic syndrome by NCEPwe and NCEPas was 8.2%. Conclusions: Independent of the metabolic syndrome defi nition, Japanese-Brazilians present an elevated metabolic syndrome prevalence, which was higher when using NCEP criteria for Asians, followed by the IDF defi nition for Japanese.

A identificação de fatores associados ao consumo de frutas, verduras e legumes constitui-se em ferramenta chave na elaboração de programas de intervenção mais eficazes, visando o aumento no consumo desses alimentos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi identificar, em análise transversal, fatores associados ao consumo adequado de frutas, verduras e legumes (> 400g/dia) em 581 nipo-brasileiros adultos, de 1ª e 2ª gerações, residentes em Bauru, SP, Brasil. O consumo alimentar foi avaliado por meio de três inquéritos recordatórios de 24 horas. Em modelos de regressão logística ajustados, verificou-se que o relato de um maior número de refeições diárias estava associado à maior chance [OR (IC 95%)]: [1,31 (1,05; 1,63)] de consumo adequado de frutas, verduras e legumes. Por outro lado, indivíduos no terceiro tercil de consumo de ácidos graxos saturados apresentaram menor chance de consumo adequado destes alimentos [0,35 (0,21; 0,60)]. Verificou-se maior tendência de consumo adequado de frutas, verduras e legumes entre indivíduos de maior idade. Os resultados sugerem que programas de intervenção mais intensivos são necessários entre indivíduos jovens e com consumo elevados de ácidos graxos saturados. Além disso, o estímulo ao maior fracionamento da dieta poderá favorecer a adesão às metas de consumo de frutas, verduras e legumes.

Our findings support the evidence of an independent protective effect of omega-3 fatty acid and of a higher omega-3:omega-6 fatty acid ratio on the glucose metabolism of high-risk individuals.

SummaryBackgroundPrevalence of individuals with a high cardiovascular risk is elevated in elderly populations. Although metabolic syndrome (MS) increases cardiovascular risk, information is scarce on the prevalence of MS in the elderly. In this study we assessed MS prevalence in a population of elderly Japanese-Brazilians using different MS definitions according to waist circumference cutoff values.Material/MethodsWe studied 339 elderly subjects, 44.8% males, aged between 60 to 88 years (70.1±6.8). MS was defined according to criteria proposed by the Joint Interim Statement in 2009. As waist circumference cutoff point values remain controversial for Asian and Japanese populations, we employed 3 different cutoffs that are commonly used in Japanese epidemiological studies: 1) ≥90 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women; 2) ≥85 cm for men and ≥90 cm for women; 3) ≥85 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women.ResultsMS prevalence ranged from 59.9% to 65.8% according to the different definitions. We observed 90% concordance and no statistical difference (p>0.05) in MS prevalence between the 3 definitions. MS diagnosis according to all 3 cutoff values was found in 55.8% of our population, while in only 34.2% was MS discarded by all cutoffs. The prevalence of altered MS components was as follows: arterial blood pressure 82%, fasting glycemia 65.8%, triglyceride 43.4%, and HDL-C levels 36.9%.ConclusionsElderly Japanese-Brazilians present high metabolic syndrome prevalence independent of waist circumference cutoff values. Concordance between the 3 definitions is high, suggesting that all 3 cutoff values yield similar metabolic syndrome prevalence values in this population.

Objective: To describe the results of a nutritional intervention programme among Japanese-Brazilians according to gender. Design: A non-controlled experimental study. Setting: The research included three points of clinical, nutritional and physical activity evaluation: at baseline (in 2005), after the first year and at the end of the second year (in 2007). The paired Student t test and multiple linear regression analysis were used to evaluate changes in the subjects' profile (clinical, nutritional and physical activity variables). Subjects: Japanese-Brazilians (n 575) of both genders, aged over 30 years. Results: We verified statistically significant reductions in body weight (0?9 kg), waist circumference (2?9 cm), blood pressure, fasting blood glucose (.3 mg/dl) and total cholesterol (.20 mg/dl) and its fractions, in both genders. We also found reductions in intake of energy (among men), protein (among women) and fat (both genders) and increases in intake of total fibre (among women) and carbohydrate (among men). Conclusions: The intervention programme indicated meaningful benefits for the intervention subjects, with changes in their habits that led to a 'healthier' lifestyle positively impacting their nutritional and metabolic profile. Keywords Nutritional epidemiology Cardiovascular risk factorsJapanese-Brazilians Nutritional intervention study Globally, CVD are the main cause of morbidity and mortality. They present multiple factors and several common mechanisms, and are highly influenced by inflammatory activity. Among the common and modifiable risk factors associated with CVD are diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, dyslipdaemia, hypertriacylglycerolaemia and obesity. Addressing the risk factors decreases the incidence and development of these diseases (1,2) .It is known that Japanese people who live in Japan present lower CVD morbidity and mortality rates than Japanese immigrants and their descendents who live in the Americas (3) . Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside Japan (around 1 280 000 people) and more than 70 % of this total lives in the south-east region, mainly in the State of São Paulo (4) . The size of this community, along with the results of American studies about the prevalence of type 2 DM among Japanese descendents in the USA (5) , led to the creation of the JapaneseBrazilian Diabetes Study Group (JBDSG). The results of studies of this group of researchers, carried out according to WHO guidelines (6) , have shown that the prevalence of type 2 DM was 25?5 % for men and 19?9 % for women in 1993, increasing to 40?6 % and 32?4 %, respectively, in 2000 (7) . Significant increases in BMI and in all other risk factors of the metabolic syndrome have also been noticed (8) . These findings indicate the existence of a strong genetic predisposition associated with unfavourable y See Appendix for list of members of the Japanese-Brazilian Diabetes Study Group.