Eating one egg daily is not associated with increase in CVD or all-cause mortality. The small observed reduction in stroke risk needs to be confirmed. Our findings support current guidelines recommending eggs as part of a healthy diet, and should be considered in other dietary recommendations.

Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is a key pleiotropic cytokine that modulates the inflammatory response. Single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within associated genes may contribute to the metabolic syndrome (MES). We examined the role of the IL‐6 (rs1524107‐C/T) and IL‐6 receptor (IL‐6R, rs8192284‐A/C, Asp358Ala) SNPs in modulating IL‐6 levels and the syndrome. A total of 1,979 older Chinese subjects aged 50–92 years from Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS) were recruited. SNPs were detected using Taqman SNP genotyping kits. IL‐6 was measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The genotype frequencies were 4.9, 33.9, and 61.3% for the IL‐6 CC, CT, and TT, and 12.0, 44.9, and 43.1% for the IL‐6R CC, AC, and AA, respectively. Both SNPs were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The IL‐6 SNP was not associated with IL‐6 levels or the MES, but was dose‐dependently associated with fibrinogen levels, P = 0.049. IL‐6 levels significantly decreased with increasing proportions of the IL‐6R A‐allele 9.8 ± 4.9, 9.3 ± 4.8, and 8.4 ± 4.3, respectively, P = 0.001. Conversely, the A‐allele was associated with elevated triglyceride, P = 0.009, C‐reactive protein, P = 0.047, and potentially with fasting glucose levels, P = 0.077. There was an increasing prevalence of the MES in those carrying the IL‐6R CC, AC, and AA genotypes at 18.1, 21.5, 25.2%, respectively, P = 0.010. The SNP was a significant independent predictor of the MES after adjusting for general obesity, age, gender and lifestyle, and socioeconomic parameters, P = 0.023. These data, which are in accord with studies from white populations suggest the IL‐6R SNP may play a role in the pathogenesis of the MES possibly through modulating IL‐6 levels.

Our results showed that the -1131T>C polymorphism in APOA5 was associated with the MetS because of its strong effect on plasma triglycerides. This may partly explain the higher cardiovascular risk in people with this polymorphism.

No abstract

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene have been associated with hypertriglyceridaemia. We investigated which SNPs in the APOA5 gene were associated with triglyceride levels in two independent Chinese populations. In all, 1375 subjects in the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study were genotyped for five tagging SNPs chosen from HapMap. Replication was sought in 1996 subjects from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study. Among the five SNPs, rs662799 (-1131T4C) was strongly related to log-transformed triglyceride levels among Hong Kong subjects (b¼0.192, P¼2.6Â10 À13 ). Plasma triglyceride level was 36.1% higher in CC compared to TT genotype. This association was confirmed in Guangzhou subjects (b¼0.159, P¼1.3Â10 À12 ), and was significantly irrespective of sex, age group, obesity, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, diabetes, smoking and alcohol drinking. The odds ratios and 95% confidence interval for plasma triglycerides Z1.7 mmol/l associated with TC and CC genotypes were, respectively, 1.81 (1.37-2.39) and 2.22 (1.44-3.43) in Hong Kong and 1.27 (1.05-1.54) and 1.97 (1.42-2.73) in Guangzhou. Haplotype analysis suggested the association was due to rs662799 only. The corroborative findings in two independent populations indicate that the APOA5-1131T4C polymorphism is an important and clinically relevant determinant of plasma triglyceride levels in the Chinese population.

Central adiposity and its indices, but not general adiposity and BMI, were independently associated with lower pulmonary function and higher risk of restrictive respiratory defect in older Chinese.

MetS was associated with subclinical atherosclerosis independent of insulin resistance. The presence of increasing number of MetS risk factors appeared to be more important than the diagnosis of MetS in predicting subclinical atherosclerosis. Early screening for MetS risk factors might identify those at greater cardiovascular risk.

ObjectiveStudies on serum vitamin D in smokers showed conflicting results. We examined the association of smoking status with serum vitamin D in older Chinese men, taking advantage of a community-based sample with natural exposure to vitamin D.DesignCross-sectional study based on the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS).SettingCommunity-based sample from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.Participants612 male participants aged 50+years recruited from 2009 to 2011.ResultsThe mean (SD) of vitamin D concentration was 58.3 (17.2), 57.0 (15.0) and 54.7 (15.4) nmol/L for never, former and current smokers, respectively. Adjusted for multiple confounders, vitamin D decreased from never to former, then to current smokers (P for trend 0.02). Compared to never smokers, current smokers had lower serum concentrations of vitamin D, and the concentrations decreased with the increasing number of cigarettes per day (−3.11 (95% CI −9.05 to 2.82), −3.29 (−8.3 to 1.72) and −4.61 (−8.89 to −0.33) for 1–9, 10–19 and 20+cigarettes per day, respectively; p for trend 0.01), duration of smoking (−1.39 (−6.09 to 3.30) and −5.39 (−9.42 to −1.35) for 1–39 and 40+years, respectively; p for trend 0.008) as well as pack-years (−2.89 (−6.78 to 1.01) and −5.58 (−10.48 to −0.67) for 1–39 and 40+pack-years, respectively; p for trend 0.009). Longer duration of quitting smoking was associated with higher vitamin D than was current smoking (P for trend 0.04).ConclusionsCurrent smokers had lower vitamin D than never smokers, and the association showed a dose–response pattern.