Differences in fatty acid metabolisms in domestic animals: some dilemmas and ideas to address body composition and obesity control

Relatively high amounts of fats or oils (mayor que 40-50 g/kg diet) are frequently used in animal nutrition. Vegetables oils are richer in polyunsaturated fatty acids than animal fats. Most of the works studying the effect of different dietary fat sources are focused either on the existing differences on fat digestibility depending on their fatty acid composition (Wiseman et al., 1991) or on their effect on the carcass fat fatty acid profile (Sanz et al., 1999a). lnformation regarding the effect of dietary fat saturation on fat utilization and deposition it is more limited. lt is generally assumed that, apart from differences in digestion, fatty acids of different composition are equally used for metabolic purposes.

El fitness como factor determinante en el riesgo de discapacidad, su relación con la composición corporal y el estado cognitivo en población mayor institucionalizada y de vida independiente = Fitness as a determinant factor in the risk of disability, and its relationship to body composition and cognitive status in institutionalized elderly population and independent living

La condición física, o como mejor se la conoce hoy en día el “fitness”, es una variable que está cobrando gran protagonismo, especialmente desde la perspectiva de la salud. La mejora de la calidad de vida que se ha experimentado en los últimos años en las sociedades desarrolladas, conlleva un aumento de la esperanza de vida, lo que hace que cada vez más personas vivan más años. Este rápido crecimiento de la población mayor de 60 años hace que, un grupo poblacional prácticamente olvidado desde el punto de vista de la investigación científica en el campo de la actividad física y del deporte, cobre gran relevancia, con el fin de poder ayudar a alcanzar el dicho “no se trata de aportar años a la vida sino vida a lo años”. La presente memoria de Tesis Doctoral tiene como principal objetivo valorar los niveles de fitness en población mayor española, además de analizar la relación existente entre el fitness, sus condicionantes y otros aspectos de la salud, tales como la composición corporal y el estado cognitivo. Entendemos que para poder establecer futuras políticas de salud pública en relación a la actividad física y el envejecimiento activo es necesario conocer cuáles son los niveles de partida de la población mayor en España y sus condicionantes. El trabajo está basado en los datos del estudio multicéntrico EXERNET (Estudio Multi-céntrico para la Evaluación de los Niveles de Condición Física y su relación con Estilos de Vida Saludables en población mayor española no institucionalizada), así como en los datos de dos estudios, llevados a cabo en población mayor institucionalizada. Se han analizado un total de 3136 mayores de vida independiente, procedentes de 6 comunidades autónomas, y 153 mayores institucionalizados en residencias de la Comunidad de Madrid. Los principales resultados de esta tesis son los siguientes: a) Fueron establecidos los valores de referencia, así como las curvas de percentiles, para cada uno de los test de fitness, de acuerdo a la edad y al sexo, en población mayor española de vida independiente y no institucionalizada. b) Los varones obtuvieron mejores niveles de fitness que las mujeres, excepto en los test de flexibilidad; existe una tendencia a disminuir la condición física en ambos sexos a medida que la edad aumenta. c) Niveles bajos de fitness funcional fueron asociados con un aumento en la percepción de problemas. d) El nivel mínimo de fitness funcional a partir del cual los mayores perciben problemas en sus actividades de la vida diaria (AVD) es similar en ambos sexos. e) Niveles elevados de fitness fueron asociados con un menor riesgo de sufrir obesidad sarcopénica y con una mejor salud percibida en los mayores. f) Las personas mayores con obesidad sarcopénica tienen menor capacidad funcional que las personas mayores sanas. g) Niveles elevados de fuerza fueron asociados con un mejor estado cognitivo siendo el estado cognitivo la variable que más influye en el deterioro de la fuerza, incluso más que el sexo y la edad. ABSTRACT Fitness is a variable that is gaining in prominence, especially from the health perspective. Improvement of life quality that has been experienced in the last few years in developed countries, leads to an expanded life expectancy, increasing the numbers of people living longer. This population consisting of people of over 60 years, an almost forgotten population group from the point of view of scientific research in the field of physical activity and sport, is becoming increasingly important, with the main aim of helping to achieve the saying “do not only add years to life, but also add life to years”. The principal aim of the current thesis was to assess physical fitness levels in Spanish elderly people, of over 65 years, analyzing relationship between physical fitness, its determinants, and other aspects of health such as body composition and cognitive status. In order to establish further public health policies in relation to physical activity and active ageing it is necessary to identify the starting physical fitness levels of the Spanish population and their determinants. The work is based on data from the EXERNET multi-center study ("Multi-center Study for the Evaluation of Fitness levels and their relationship to Healthy Lifestyles in noninstitutionalized Spanish elderly"), and on data from two studies conducted in institutionalized elderly people: a total of 3136 non-institutionalized elderly, from 6 Regions of Spain, and 153 institutionalized elderly in nursing homes of Madrid. The main outcomes of this thesis are: a) sex- and age-specific physical fitness normative values and percentile curves for independent and non-institutionalized Spanish elderly were established. b) Greater physical fitness was present in the elderly men than in women, except for the flexibility test, and a trend toward decreased physical fitness in both sexes as their age increased. c) Lower levels of functional fitness were associated with increased perceived problems. d) The minimum functional fitness level at which older adults perceive problems in their ADLs, is similar for both sexes e) Higher levels of physical fitness were associated with a reduced risk of suffering sarcopenic obesity and better perceived health among the elderly. f) The elderly with sarcopenic obesity have lower physical functioning than healthy counterparts. g) Higher strength values were associated with better cognitive status with cognitive status being the most influencing variable in strength deterioration even more than sex and age.

Nutritional intake and body composition of adolescent soccer player of two different levels of performance: a comparative study

Soccer participation worldwide is increasing and every club try to discover new talents. It is well know that there is an important correlation between body composition (BC) and talent detection (TD) and when coaches and selectors choose players, they tend to choose them with optimum BC.

Influence of body composition on gait Kknetics throughout pregnancy and postpartum period

Pregnancy leads to several changes in body composition and morphology of women. It is not clear whether the biomechanical changes occurring in this period are due exclusively to body composition and size or to other physiological factors. The purpose was to quantify the morphology and body composition of women throughout pregnancy and in the postpartum period and identify the contribution of these parameters on the lower limb joints kinetic during gait. Eleven women were assessed longitudinally, regarding anthropometric, body composition, and kinetic parameters of gait. Body composition and body dimensions showed a significant increase during pregnancy and a decrease in the postpartum period. In the postpartum period, body composition was similar to the 1st trimester, except for triceps skinfold, total calf area, and body mass index, with higher results than at the beginning of pregnancy. Regression models were developed to predict women’s internal loading through anthropometric variables. Four models include variables associated with the amount of fat; four models include variables related to overall body weight; three models include fat-free mass; one model includes the shape of the trunk as a predictor variable. Changes in maternal body composition and morphology largely determine kinetic dynamics of the joints in pregnant women.

Water polo throwing speed and body composition: an analysis by playing positions and opposition level

The aim of this study was to develop an anthropometric profile on highly skilled male water polo players by specific playing positions. Also, to identify significant relationships between these features an overhead throwing speed in highly skilled male Water Polo players by specific playing positions. Methods: A total of 94 male water polo players (24.5±5.3 yrs) who were playing in the Spanish King´s cup were studied. Subjects were grouped according to their specific playing positions: 15 goalkeepers, 45 offensive wings, 20 center backs and 14 center forwards. Anthropometric assessment was made following ISAK protocols. Hand grip and throwing speed in several situations were also assessed. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine if significant differences existed among the four playing positions. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients (r) were used to determine the relationships of all anthropometric measures with throwing speed and hand grip. The total player’s somatotype was endomorphic-mesomorphic (2.9–5.8–2.3). Center forwards exhibit important anthropometric differences compared with the other specific playing positions in elite male water polo players, but no differences were found in throwing speed by specific playing positions in each throwing conditions. Moreover, a higher number of relationships between anthropometric and throwing speed were found in wings and also in center backs but no relationships were found in center forwards. The data reflects the importance of muscle mass and upper body in the throwing skill. Coaches can use this information in order to select players for the different specific positions.

Body composition and bone mineral density in male adults with hyperthyroidism. Which association?

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2014

Influence of body composition on gait Kknetics throughout pregnancy and postpartum period

Pregnancy leads to several changes in body composition and morphology of women. It is not clear whether the biomechanical changes occurring in this period are due exclusively to body composition and size or to other physiological factors. The purpose was to quantify the morphology and body composition of women throughout pregnancy and in the postpartum period and identify the contribution of these parameters on the lower limb joints kinetic during gait. Eleven women were assessed longitudinally, regarding anthropometric, body composition, and kinetic parameters of gait. Body composition and body dimensions showed a significant increase during pregnancy and a decrease in the postpartum period. In the postpartum period, body composition was similar to the 1st trimester, except for triceps skinfold, total calf area, and body mass index, with higher results than at the beginning of pregnancy. Regression models were developed to predict women’s internal loading through anthropometric variables. Four models include variables associated with the amount of fat; four models include variables related to overall body weight; three models include fat-free mass; one model includes the shape of the trunk as a predictor variable. Changes in maternal body composition and morphology largely determine kinetic dynamics of the joints in pregnant women.

Some studies on the gross body composition of sixty elderly men.

Special problem (M. N. S.)--Cornell Univ., Feb. 1961.

Physical activity, exercise, and inflammatory markers in older adults: Findings from the health, aging and body composition study

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between physical activity and inflammatory markers, with consideration for body fatness and antioxidant use. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study, using baseline data from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. SETTING: Metropolitan areas surrounding Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Memphis, Tennessee. PARTICIPANTS: Black and white, well-functioning men and women (N=3,075), aged 70 to 79. MEASUREMENTS: Interviewer-administered questionnaires of previous-week household, walking, exercise, and occupational/volunteer physical activities. Analysis of covariance was used to examine the association between activity level and serum C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) with covariate adjustment. Antioxidant supplement use (multivitamin, vitamins E or C, beta carotene) was evaluated as an effect modifier of the association. RESULTS: Higher levels of exercise were associated with lower levels of CRP (P

Protein utilisation and turnover in lines of chickens selected for different aspects of body composition

1. Protein utilisation and turnover were measured in male chickens sampled from a line selected for high breast yield and a randombred control line (lines QL and CL, experiment 1) and in male chickens sampled from lines selected for either high or low abdominal fatness (lines FL and LL, experiment 2). In each experiment, 18 birds per line were given iso-energetic (12.9 MJ ME/kg) diets containing either 120 or 220 g CP/kg from 21 to 29 d (experiment 1) and 33 to 43 d (experiment 2). 2. Measurements were made of growth rate, food intake, body composition, excreta production and N-tau-methylhistidine excretion as a measure of myofibrillar protein breakdown, and fractional rates (%/d) of protein deposition, breakdown and synthesis were calculated. 3. In experiment 1, there were no significant differences between the line means for the fractional measures of protein turnover, but there was marked differential response in the two lines in the fractional rates of protein deposition, breakdown and synthesis, to increase in protein intake. The positive slope of the regressions of fractional (%/d) protein deposition and synthesis rates on protein intake (g/d/kg BW) were approximately 1.4- and 2.0-fold higher respectively in the QL than the CL line birds, and the negative slope of the regression of fractional breakdown rate on protein intake was approximately threefold greater in the CL than the QL line birds. 4. In experiment 2, fractional deposition rate was 6.2% lower, but fractional breakdown rate 9.4% higher in the LL than the FL birds, whilst there was essentially no difference in response of the FL and LL birds in the components of protein turnover to increase in protein intake. Line differences in deposition and breakdown rates were thus a reflection of the considerably higher (20%) food and hence protein intake in the FL than the LL birds. 5. The differential line responses in protein turnover in the two experiments suggest that selection for increased breast muscle yield and for reduced body fatness manipulate different physiological pathways in relation to protein turnover, but neither selection strategy results in an improvement in net protein utilisation at typical levels of protein intake by birds on commercial broiler diets, through a reduction in protein breakdown rate.

Impact of ethnicity upon body composition assessment in Sri Lankan Australian children

Objectives: Obesity is a disease with excess body fat where health is adversely affected. Therefore it is prudent to make the diagnosis of obesity based on the measure of percentage body fat. Body composition of a group of Australian children of Sri Lankan origin were studied to evaluate the applicability of some bedside techniques in the measurement of percentage body fat. Methods: Height (H) and weight (W) was measured and BMI (W/H-2) calculated. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was measured using tetra polar technique with an 800 mu A current of 50 Hz frequency. Total body water was used as a reference method and was determined by deuterium dilution and fat free mass and hence fat mass (FM) derived using age and gender specific constants. Percentage FM was estimated using four predictive equations, which used BIA and anthropometric measurements. Results: Twenty-seven boys and 15 girls were studied with mean ages being 9.1 years and 9.6 years, respectively. Girls had a significantly higher FM compared to boys. The mean percentage FM of boys (22.9 +/- 8.7%) was higher than the limit for obesity and for girls (29.0 +/- 6.0%) it was just below the cut-off. BMI was comparatively low. All but BIA equation in boys under estimated the percentage FM. The impedance index and weight showed a strong association with total body water (r(2)= 0.96, P < 0.001). Except for BIA in boys all other techniques under diagnosed obesity. Conclusions: Sri Lankan Australian children appear to have a high percentage of fat with a low BMI and some of the available indirect techniques are not helpful in the assessment of body composition. Therefore ethnic and/or population specific predictive equations have to be developed for the assessment of body composition, especially in a multicultural society using indirect methods such as BIA or anthropometry.

Hearing sensitivity and bone mineral density in older adults: the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study

Bone mineral density (BMD) may be associated with hearing loss in older adults. Demineralization of the cochlear capsule has been associated with hearing loss in those with Paget's disease of the bone and otosclerosis. Osteoporosis may also result in cochlear capsule demineralization. We hypothesized that lower hip BMD and lower heel ultrasound measurements would be associated with hearing loss in a population-based sample of 2,089 older black and white men and women. Bone parameters and hearing function were measured at the fourth clinical follow-up visit. Audiometric threshold testing was used to measure air- and bone-conduction hearing sensitivity. BMD of the hip and its subregions was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Calcaneal bone measurements [broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), speed of sound (SOS) and the quantitative ultrasound index (QUI)] were obtained using heel ultrasound. After adjusting for known hearing loss risk factors, no association was found between hearing and any of the bone measurements in whites and black women. In black men, however, lower hip BMD was associated with higher odds of hearing loss; for each standard deviation decrease in total hip BMD, the odds of hearing loss were 1.41 (95% confidence interval 1.08, 1.83), 1.39 (95% CI 1.07, 1.82) for femoral neck BMD and 1.65 (95% CI 1.26, 2.16) for trochanter BMD. Conductive hearing loss was associated with lower heel ultrasound measurements, though only among white men. The results of this study are mixed and inconclusive. Lower BMD of the hip and its subregions was associated with hearing loss among black men, but not among whites or black women. Lower measurements on heel ultrasound were associated with conductive hearing loss, though only among white men. These results suggest that axial and appendicular bone parameters may be modestly associated with hearing loss in older men, but not in women.

Body composition in children in remission from acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Background: Changes in body composition are commonly reported in pediatric survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, the effect of ALL and of its treatment on body composition in children in remission from ALL has not been fully examined with the use of a reference method. Objectives: We aimed to determine the body composition and composition of fat-free mass (FFM) in children in remission from ALL. We also aimed to compare the effects that prednisolone and dexamethasone had on the body composition of an ALL survivor population. Design: This cross-sectional study measured height, weight, body volume, total body water, and bone mineral content in 24 children in remission from ALL and 24 age-matched, healthy control subjects. Body composition and FFM composition were evaluated by using the 4-component model. Results: The mean body mass index and fat mass index were significantly (P = 0.05 for both) higher in the ALL survivors than in age-matched control subjects. The composition of the FFM in the 2 treatment groups was not observed to differ significantly. Examination of the composition of FFM made it evident that children in remission from ALL had both significantly greater hydration (P = 0.001) and lower density (P = 0.0001) of FFM than did the control children. Conclusions: Children in remission from ALL may develop excess body fat. To measure body composition accurately in an ALL population, the high hydration and low density of FFM in this population should be taken into consideration.

Volumetric and areal bone mineral density measures are associated with cardiovascular disease in older men and women: The health, aging, and body composition study

The associations of volumetric (vBMD) and areal (aBMD) bone mineral density measures with prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and subclinical peripheral arterial disease (PAD) were investigated in a cohort of older men and women enrolled in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. Participants were 3,075 well-functioning white and black men and women (42% black, 51% women), aged 68-80 years. Total hip, femoral neck, and trochanter aBMD were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Quantitative computed tomography was used to evaluate spine trabecular, integral, and cortical vBMD measures in a subgroup (n = 1,489). Logistic regression was performed to examine associations of BMD measures with CVD and PAD. The prevalence of CVD (defined by coronary heart disease, PAD, cerebrovascular disease, or congestive heart failure) was 29.8%. Among participants without CVD, 10% had subclinical PAD (defined as ankle-arm index < 0.9). Spine vBMD measures were inversely associated with CVD in men (odds ratio of integral [ORintegral] = 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-1.63; ORtrabecular = 1.25, 95% CI 1.02-1.53; ORcortical = 1.36, 95% CI 1.11-1.65). In women, for each standard deviation decrease in integral vBMD, cortical vBMD, or trochanter aBMD, the odds of CVD were significantly increased by 28%, 27%, and 22%, respectively. Total hip aBMD was associated with subclinical PAD in men (OR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.03-1.84) but not in women. All associations were independent of age and shared risk factors between BMD and CVD and were not influenced by inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factors-alpha). In conclusion, our results provide further evidence for an inverse association between BMD and CVD in men and women. Future research should investigate common pathophysiological links for osteoporosis and CVD.