Standard measures of obesity, i.e., body weight and BMI, suggest that Asian American people have a lower obesity prevalence than other racial groups in the United States. However, Asian American people face a unique challenge in their pattern of adiposity with central obesity, which raises the risk for multiple comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease, at a lower BMI compared with other populations. Several organizations recommend lower BMI cutoffs for obesity in Asian people (BMI ≥25.0 or ≥27.5 kg/m2) instead of the standard ≥30.0 kg/m2 threshold. The risks of obesity and related comorbidities in this population are further influenced by diet, physical activity, perceptions of health, and access to information and therapies. Asian‐specific parameters for assessing obesity should become a standard part of clinical practice. Asian American people should equally be offered subgroup‐specific tailored interventions owing to heterogeneity of this population. Access to medications and surgery should be improved, in part by updating US indications for therapies to reflect race‐specific obesity thresholds and through inclusion of Asian American people of all subtypes with lower BMI values in clinical trials.
Food insecurity in the United States has been exacerbated due to the socioeconomic strain of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Populations experiencing poverty and, as a consequence, food insecurity in the United States are disproportionately affected by obesity, which was identified early in the pandemic as a major risk factor for increased susceptibility to COVID-19 infection and mortality. Given the focus on obesity and its role in immune dysregulation, it is also important to note the role of micronutrient deficiency, another sequalae of food insecurity. Micronutrients play an important role in the ability of the immune system to mount an appropriate response. Moreover, OBESE individuals are more likely to be micronutrient deficient. This review will explore the role of micronutrients, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin C, and zinc in respiratory immunity and COVID-19 and how micronutrient deficiency may be a possible confounder in obesity’s association with severe outcomes. By illuminating the role of micronutrients in COVID-19, this paper expands the discussion from food insecurity and obesity to include micronutrient deficiency and how all of these interact in respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19.
Background Avocados are a rich dietary source of monounsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds. Clinical studies have demonstrated that oral consumption of carotenoids improved skin aging. However, no studies have investigated whether oral intake of avocado will reduce skin aging. Objectives We therefore performed this pilot study to assess whether oral consumption of one avocado daily for 8 weeks can reduce skin aging in healthy overweight women assessing skin physical characteristics and resistance to UVB radiation. Methods Thirty‐nine female participants (age 27–73 years) with Fitzpatrick skin type II‐IV were randomly assigned to consume either one avocado daily or continue habitual diet for 8 weeks. Facial skin elasticity, firmness, pigmentation, sebum, and hydration were determined using a cutometer on the forehead and under eye. Minimal erythema dose (MED) was determined by standardized protocol at inner arm. Results Elasticity and firmness were increased at forehead comparing 8 weeks to baseline in the avocado group. Comparing avocado to control, change in firmness marker from baseline to week 8 indicated a significant increase in forehead skin firmness in the avocado group. We did not observe any change in hydration, pigmentation, sebum, and UVB resistance between the avocado and control group, although changes in melanin and erythema were observed in both groups over time. Conclusions Our findings suggest that daily oral avocado consumption may lead to enhanced elasticity and firmness of the facial skin in healthy women. Further studies of other skin locations are required to establish the connection between avocado consumption and skin aging.
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