Elevada prevalência de obesidade abdominal em idosos e associação com diabetes, hipertensão e doenças respiratóriasHigh prevalence of abdominal obesity among the elderly and its association with diabetes, hypertension and respiratory diseases

Objective: To evaluate the association between triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol (TG/ HDL-c) ratio and cardiovascular risk factors among the elderly. Method: A cross-sectional epidemiological study with a random sample of elderly persons (n=349) of both genders, who received care under the Family Health Strategy in the municipality of Viçosa, in the state of Minas Gerais, was performed. Cardiovascular risk was calculated by the relationship between the TG and the HDL-c levels, with values greater than 3.5 considered a risk. Social and economic variables, lifestyle, noncommunicable chronic diseases, serum glucose levels, waist circumference (WC) and body mass index were evaluated. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the association between the TG/HDL-c ratio and other variables. Variables associated with the dependent variable with a level of significance lower than 0.20 in univariate regression analysis were included in the final model (stepwise-forward), applying a significance level of p<0.05. Results: The highest TG/HDL-c ratio values were associated with the presence of hypertension, having been or currently be a smoker, having elevated serum glucose and an increased waist circumference. Conclusion: The findings reflect the importance of studies on cardiovascular risk in the elderly, as health professionals should be familiar with the parameters that classify at risk individuals. The TG/HDL-c ratio is a reliable classification method that is easy to apply and correlates closely with adverse health effects.

Background: Nutritional interventions may have positive effects on sarcopenia and body composition. Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) consumption and a healthy traditional Brazilian diet (DieTBra) on improving sarcopenia indicators and reducing total body fat in severe obesity. Methods: A randomized controlled trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02463435) conducted with 111 severely obese participants randomized into three treatment groups—(1) EVOO (52 mL/day), (2) DieTBra, (3) DieTBra + EVOO (52 mL/day)—for 12 weeks. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and sarcopenia by walking speed and handgrip strength. Results: Significant reductions in total body fat (p = 0.041) and body weight (p = 0.003) were observed in the DieTBra group. In the DietBra + olive oil group there was also a significant reduction in body weight (0.001) compared to the olive oil-only group. ANCOVA analyses showed reductions in total body fat in the DieTBra (p = 0.016) and DieTBra + olive oil (p = 0.004) groups. Individuals in the DieTBra group had significant improvements in their walking speed (p = 0.042) and handgrip strength (p = 0.044). Conclusions: DieTBra contributes to improvements in handgrip strength, walking speed, and total body fat in severely obese adults. The major study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02463435).

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