Background: In the Mexican population metabolic syndrome (MS) is highly prevalent. It is well documented that regular physical activity (PA) prevents coronary diseases, type 2 diabetes and MS. Most studies of PA have focused on moderate-vigorous leisure-time activity, because it involves higher energy expenditures, increase physical fitness, and decrease the risk of MS. However, for most people it is difficult to get a significant amount of PA from only moderately-vigorous leisure activity, so workplace activity may be an option for working populations, because, although may not be as vigorous in terms of cardio-respiratory efforts, it comprises a considerable proportion of the total daily activity with important energy expenditure. Since studies have also documented that different types and intensity of daily PA, including low-intensity, seem to confer important health benefits such as prevent MS, we sought to assess the impact of different amounts of leisuretime and workplace activities, including low-intensity level on MS prevention, in a sample of urban Mexican adults.

Background/Objective: Insulin resistance (IR) is a metabolic disorder that is increasing worldwide and has been associated with several negative health outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between different dietary patterns and IR among Mexican children and adolescents. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis on baseline data from Mexican children and adolescents aged 7–18 years participating in the Health Workers Cohort Study.We included 916 children and adolescents of both sexes. Fasting serum glucose and insulin levels were determined by standardized methods. We defined IR using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) as ≥3.5. Factor analysis was used to identify dietary patterns. The associations of interest, those between IR and dietary patterns, were analyzed with multiple logistic regression models. Results: IR prevalence was 20.3% among girls and boys aged 7–18 years, for whom the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 29.7%. We identified 3 major dietary patterns in this group: ‘Western’, ‘prudent’ and ‘high protein/fat’. For the purposes of this analysis we compared the upper versus the lower quintile of each dietary pattern. Independently of other covariates, participants in the highest quintile of the Western pattern had 92% greater odds of IR (OR 1.92, 95% CI: 1.08–3.43) compared with those in the lowest quintile. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that high carbohydrate diets like our Western dietary pattern may increase IR in young people. This result emphasizes the importance of preventive nutrition interventions geared toward Mexican children and adolescents.

Background/Aims: It was the aim of this study to evaluate the relationships between sweetened beverage (SB) consumption and the following indicators of overweight/fatness among Mexican adolescents: body mass index, body composition and body fat distribution. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from adolescents participating in the baseline assessment of the Health Workers Cohort Study. Information on sociodemographic conditions, sexual maturation, dietary patterns and physical activity was collected via self-administered questionnaires. SB consumption was evaluated through a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric measures were assessed with standardized procedures. The associations of interest were evaluated by means of multivariate regression and logistic regression models. Results: A total of 1,055 adolescents, 10–19 years old (mean age 14.5 ± 2.5 years), were evaluated. The overweight/obesity prevalence was 31.6% among girls and 31.9% among boys. We found that for each additional SB serving consumed daily, the subject’s body mass index increased by on average 0.33 (p < 0.001). Subjects consuming 3 daily servings of SB face a 2.1 times greater risk of proportionally excess body fat than those who consume less than 1 SB a day. Conclusions: Our data support the hypothesis that the consumption of SB increases the risk of overweight and/or obesity and encourages excess body fat and central obesity in Mexican adolescents.

Our results indicate that PA may reduce risk of depression in Mexican adults. These findings have potential applications for depression prevention programs in target populations with similar social and cultural contexts.