Increases in BMI between 3.0 and 7.0 years had stronger associations with adult fat mass and abdominal fat than with (a)FFM; increases in length prior to age 3.0 years were most strongly associated with increases in (a)FFM.

objectives: To describe the relationship between BMI and perceived weight status and to determine how underassessment of weight status is associated with demographic characteristics, self-reported general health, and perceived health risk in relation to one's body weight. Methods and Procedures:In the 2004 Styles surveys, 3,888 US adult participants described their current weight status (underweight, about right, slightly overweight, very overweight), which we compared with self-reported BMI in order to determine concordance. We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate associations between underassessment of body weight and characteristics of interest. Results: Among persons with a BMI ≥25, women were more likely than men to recognize their overweight status (slightly or very overweight; 93.0% of women vs. 73.5% of men) and the extent to which they were overweight: 70.4% of obese women vs. 49.5% of obese men described themselves as very overweight. Among the overweight and obese of both sexes, disagreement with regard to current weight as a health risk was associated with underassessment of weight. Additional factors associated with underassessment were education and race/ethnicity among overweight women; race/ethnicity among overweight men; household income and self-rated health among obese women; and self-rated health among obese men (P < 0.05). Discussion: While most of the obese participants recognized that they were overweight, many of them, particularly among the men, did not realize the extent to which they were overweight. Public health messages may be more effective if they are specifically tailored to target audiences, besides emphasizing the health risks associated with excess body weight. Obesity (2008) 16, 979-986.

No abstract

We assessed the association of four diet quality scores with multiple cardio-metabolic outcomes among Guatemalan young adults experiencing the nutrition transition. We obtained cross-sectional dietary, demographic, anthropometric and cardio-metabolic risk factor data from 1220 Guatemalan adults (mean age 32·7 (SD 5·8) years) in 2002–4, and computed a Recommended Food Score (RFS), Not Recommended Food Score (NRFS), Food Variety Score (FVS) and the Dietary Quality Index-International (DQI-I). All four scores were correlated with energy intake (r 0·23–0·49; all P<0·01), but had varying associations with socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and nutrient intakes. None of the scores was inversely associated with the metabolic syndrome or its components; rather some were positively associated with risk factors. Among both men and women the DQI-I was positively associated with BMI (kg/m2; β = 0·10, 95 % CI 0·003, 0·21 (men); β = 0·07, 95 % CI 0·01, 0·14 (women)) and waist circumference (cm; β = 0·02, 95 % CI 0·01, 0·03 (men); β = 0·02, 95 % CI = 0·01, 0·02 (women)). Among men, the RFS was positively associated with TAG (mg/l; β = 0·11, 95 % CI 0·02, 0·21) and glucose (mg/l; β = 0·13: 95 % CI 0·03, 0·22). We conclude that indices of diet quality are not consistently associated with chronic disease risk factor prevalence in this population of Guatemalan young adults.

Purpose: Blood phenylalanine monitoring is critical for the management of phenylketonuria. We compared three methods for measuring blood phenylalanine concentration: the amino acid analyzer, high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection, and tandem mass spectrometry. Methods: We studied 22 female patients with phenylketonuria, ages 12-48 years, who attended our Metabolic Camp. Blood was collected into heparinized tubes (for analysis by the amino acid analyzer) or filter paper (for analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection and tandem mass spectrometry). Results: Blood phenylalanine concentrations of plasma measured by the amino acid analyzer were significantly higher than those obtained from whole blood on filter paper by high-performance liquid chromatography (difference: 102 M; 95% confidence interval: 23, 181) and tandem mass spectrometry (difference: 137 M; 95% confidence interval: 58, 216).Phenylalanine concentrations from high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry were not significantly different (P ϭ 0.5). Conclusions: When monitoring blood phenylalanine concentrations for dietary compliance, clinicians should be mindful of the method being used; analyses of whole blood on filter paper were consistently approximately 15% lower than analyses of plasma. Genet Med 2007:9(11):761-765.