Ambient temperature and prevalence of obesity in the Spanish population: The Di@bet.es study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine possible associations between ambient temperature and obesity in the Spanish population using an ecological focus. Methods: The Di@bet.es study is a national, cross-sectional, population-based survey of cardiometabolic risk factors and their association with lifestyle. Sample: 5,061 subjects in 100 clusters. Variables: Clinical, demographic and lifestyle survey, physical examination, and blood sampling. The mean annual temperature ( C) for each study site was collected from the Spanish National Meteorology Agency . Results: The prevalence rates of obesity in the different geographical areas divided according to mean annual temperature quartiles were 26.9% in quartile 1 (10.4-14.5 C), 30.5% in quartile 2 (14.5-15.5 C), 32% in quartile 3 (15.5-17.8 C), and 33.6% in quartile 4 (17.8-21.3 C) (P 5 0.003). Logistic regression analyses including multiple socio-demographic (age, gender, educational level, marital status) and lifestyle (physical activity, Mediterranean diet score, smoking) variables showed that, as compared with quartile 1, the odd ratios for obesity were 1.20 (1.01-1.42), 1.35 (1.12-1.61), and 1.38 (1.14-1.67) in quartiles 2, 3, and 4, respectively (P 5 0.001 for difference, P < 0.001 for trend). Conclusions: Our study reports an association between ambient temperature and obesity in the Spanish population controlled for known confounders.

Cold-induced epigenetic programming of the sperm enhances brown adipose tissue activity in the offspring

“…Our data indicate that CE can be a determinant of the offspring's physiology. This finding is in line with a recent study suggesting that seasonality can affect systemic metabolism 23,[30][31][32][33] and that temperature sensing might influence physiological adaptation. A possible implication for clinical weight-loss studies could be randomization stratified by birth season, however such a mechanism would have to be investigated in a prospective trial.…”

Ambient Fine Particulate Matter, Outdoor Temperature, and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

“…In particular, previous epidemiologic studies have investigated the relationship of single exposures with individual metabolic components rather than with the entire complex of metabolic alterations that constitute metabolic syndrome (11)(12)(13)(14)(15). Furthermore, previous studies have focused mainly on the associations between short-term temperature exposure and metabolic outcomes, which may reflect transient modifications not necessarily related to long-term risks (15,16).…”

Living at a Geographically Higher Elevation Is Associated with Lower Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: Prospective Analysis of the SUN Cohort

“…Our study suggests a potential preventive effect of living at moderately geographical altitude where the participants are exposed to lower pO 2 , pressure, humidity and temperature. In this sense, the prevalence of obesity has been positively associated with ambient temperature in two different observational studies (Valdes et al, 2014; Yang et al, 2015). It is also possible that other factors such as polymorphisms for high altitude adaptation were involved in this effect (Bigham et al, 2013; Huerta-Sanchez et al, 2013; Valverde et al, 2015).…”

“…Concerning modifiable factors, the environment has been suggested to potentially influence the development of metabolic diseases (Friel et al, 2011; Dhurandhar and Keith, 2014; Valdes et al, 2014). Moreover, some studies on subjects living at high altitudes have reported lower incidence rates of conditions linked to MetS such as obesity (Voss et al, 2013; Woolcott et al, 2014; Diaz-Gutierrez et al, 2016), heart disease (Ezzati et al, 2012; Faeh et al, 2016), hypertension (Norboo et al, 2015) or type 2 diabetes (Woolcott et al, 2014).…”