We carried out a trans-ancestry genome-wide association and replication study of blood pressure phenotypes among up to 320,251 individuals of East Asian, European and South Asian ancestry. We find genetic variants at 12 new loci to be associated with blood pressure (P = 3.9 × 10−11 to 5.0 × 10−21). The sentinel blood pressure SNPs are enriched for association with DNA methylation at multiple nearby CpG sites, suggesting that, at some of the loci identified, DNA methylation may lie on the regulatory pathway linking sequence variation to blood pressure. The sentinel SNPs at the 12 new loci point to genes involved in vascular smooth muscle (IGFBP3, KCNK3, PDE3A and PRDM6) and renal (ARHGAP24, OSR1, SLC22A7 and TBX2) function. The new and known genetic variants predict increased left ventricular mass, circulating levels of NT-proBNP, and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality (P = 0.04 to 8.6 × 10−6). Our results provide new evidence for the role of DNA methylation in blood pressure regulation.

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Objective: Although several studies have reported associations of depressive state with specific nutrients and foods, few studies examined the association with dietary patterns in adults. We investigated the association between major dietary patterns and depressive symptoms in Japanese. Methods: Subjects were 521 municipal employees (309 men and 212 women), aged 21-67 years, who participated in a health survey at the time of periodic checkup. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. Dietary patterns were derived by using principal component analysis of the consumption of 52 food and beverage items, which was assessed by a validated brief diet history questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios of depressive symptoms (CES-D X16) with adjustment for potential confounding variables. Results: We identified three dietary patterns. A healthy Japanese dietary pattern characterized by high intakes of vegetables, fruit, mushrooms and soy products was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of having depressive symptoms for the lowest through highest tertiles of the healthy Japanese dietary pattern score were 1.00 (reference), 0.99 (0.62-1.59) and 0.44 (0.25-0.78), respectively (P for trend ¼ 0.006). Other dietary patterns were not appreciably associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a healthy Japanese dietary pattern may be related to decreased prevalence of depressive status.

MATSUSHITA, YUMI, NOBUO YOSHIIKE, FUMI KANEDA, KATSUSHI YOSHITA, AND HIDEMI TAKIMOTO. Trends in childhood obesity in Japan over the last 25 years from the National Nutrition Survey. Obes Res. 2004;12:205-214. Objective: To describe the 25-year changes in BMI (measured in kilograms per meters squared) and the prevalence of obesity in Japanese children with special reference to urban-rural differences. Research Methods and Procedures:We used the data sets from the cross-sectional annual nationwide surveys (National Nutrition Survey, Japan) conducted from 1976 to 2000 and comprising 29,052 boys and 27,552 girls between 6 and 14 years of age. We carried out the trend analyses with the data on sex and age groups and on residential areas according to the size of the municipality (metropolitan areas, cities, and small towns). Results: The mean (age-adjusted) BMI increased by ϩ0.32 kg/m 2 per 10 years in boys and by ϩ0.24 kg/m 2 per 10 years in girls, increases that were remarkable in small towns. The prevalence of obese boys and girls increased from 6.1% and 7.1%, respectively, in the time-period 1976 to 1980, to 11.1% and 10.2% in 1996 to 2000. The increasing trend was most evident in 9-to 11-year-old children of both sexes living in small towns, whereas no changes were observed in girls in metropolitan areas. Discussion: Our data clearly show increasing trends in obesity prevalence in Japanese school children. Degrees of the increasing trends, however, differed across sex and age groups and residential areas, demonstrating a particular phenomenon that girls in metropolitan areas were unlikely to become obese. These epidemiological aspects indicate the priorities for intervention in population strategies to control obesity in children.

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215Akiko NANRI, et al.: Lifestyle Intervention and Metabolic Syndrome decreased. Conclusions: Although the tailor-made lifestyle modification program among men with MS did not provide an additional benefit in decreasing the prevalence of MS, it may help weight control and improve glucose metabolism. (J Occup Health 2012; 54: 215-222) Key words: Intervention, Lifestyle, Metabolic syndrome Metabolic syndrome (MS), which consists of abdominal obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of MS has been remarkably increasing worldwide over the past two decades 1) . In Japan, in particular, the prevalence of MS was 26.9% for adult men and 9.9% for adult women in 2007 2) . Therefore, an effective strategy against MS is urgently needed.Lifestyle modification against overweight, physical inactivity and an atherogenic diet have been recommended as a foundation for management of MS 1). A few controlled-intervention studies among subjects with MS have examined the effect of lifestyle intervention. In a Korean study among subjects with MS 3) , the prevalence of MS did not significantly differ between intervention and control groups after six months. On the other hand, in an Italian study among subjects with MS and those who had two MS components and a high level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) 4) , the intervention group showed a significantly greater reduction in the prevalence of MS than the control group. In some Japanese studies, lifestyle intervention in adults who had an unfavorable profile in terms of cardiometabolic risk factors 5-7) has been shown to improve components of MS. To our knowledge, however, no study has examined the effect of intervention among subjects who met the Japanese definition of MS in Japan. Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, International Clinical Research Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine-Objectives:The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) has been remarkably increasing worldwide. However, few studies have examined the effect of lifestyle intervention among subjects with MS. We investigated the effect of a sixmonth lifestyle modification program on the prevalence of MS and its associated biomarkers among Japanese men with MS. Methods: Subjects were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n=53) or control (n=54) group. Subjects in the intervention group received a lifestyle modification program focused on exercise and diet behavior from a trained occupational health nurse at the baseline and at one and three months. The effect of intervention was assessed by differences in changes in the prevalence of MS, its components and associated biomarkers between the two groups. Results: Of the 107 participants, 102 completed the survey at the end of six months (intervention group, n=49; control group, n=53). During the study period, the prevalence of MS decreased to 65.3% and 62.3% in the intervention group and control group, respectively....

In a population with high fish and seafood intake, fish consumption was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in men but not in women.

OBJECTIVEAlthough abdominal obesity and related metabolic abnormalities are hypothesized to promote colorectal carcinogenesis, direct confirmation of this effect is required. Here, we examined the relation of early-stage colorectal neoplasia to visceral fat area and markers of insulin resistance.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSSubjects were participants in a comprehensive health screening conducted at the Hitachi Health Care Center, Ibaraki, Japan. During a 3-year period (2004–2007), a total of 108 patients with early-stage colorectal neoplasia, including 22 with early cancer, were identified among individuals who received both colorectal cancer screening and abdominal computed tomography scanning. Three control subjects matched to each case subject were randomly selected from those whose screening results were negative. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of measures of obesity and markers of insulin resistance with colorectal neoplasia, with adjustment for smoking and alcohol drinking.RESULTSVisceral fat area, but not subcutaneous fat area, was significantly positively associated with colorectal cancer, with odds ratios (95% CI) for the lowest to highest tertile of visceral fat area of 1 (reference), 2.17 (0.45–10.46), and 5.92 (1.22–28.65), respectively (Ptrend = 0.02). Markers of insulin resistance, particularly fasting glucose, were also positively associated with colorectal cancer risk. In contrast, no associations were observed for colorectal adenomas.CONCLUSIONSThese results suggest that visceral adipose tissue accumulation and insulin resistance may promote the development of early-stage cancer but not adenoma in the colorectum.