In most populations studied, birth weight was inversely related to type 2 diabetes risk.

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Abstract-We investigated the effects of 1-week of smoking cessation on ambulatory blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability in 39 normotensive male habitual smokers (meanϮSEM, 32.5Ϯ1.0 years). The ambulatory blood pressure, heart rate, and ECG R-R intervals were measured during a 24-hour period with a portable recorder (TM-2425) on the last day of 1-week smoking and nonsmoking periods. The order of the 2 periods was randomized. In the smoking period, the subjects were instructed to smoke cigarettes according to their usual smoking patterns. A power-spectral analysis of R-R intervals was performed to obtain the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) components. The percentage of differences between adjacent normal R-R intervals Ͼ50 milliseconds (pNN50) was used as a time-domain measure of heart rate variability. The 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure was significantly lower in the nonsmoking period than in the smoking period, by 3.5Ϯ1.1 mm Hg systole [PϽ0.01] and by 1.9Ϯ0.7 mm Hg diastole [PϽ0.05], whereas the nighttime blood pressure did not differ significantly between the 2 periods. The 24-hour heart rate was significantly lower in the nonsmoking period than in the smoking period, by 7.3Ϯ1.0 beats/min (PϽ0.0001). The pNN50 and the 24-hour HF component were significantly higher in the nonsmoking period than in the smoking period (PϽ0.0001 for each). The plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations were significantly lower in the nonsmoking period than in the smoking period (PϽ0.05 for each Key Words: smoking cessation Ⅲ blood pressure monitoring, ambulatory Ⅲ heart rate Ⅲ heart rate variability Ⅲ sympathetic nervous system Ⅲ parasympathetic nervous system C igarette smoking is one of the strongest contributors to the risks of cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, sudden death, peripheral artery disease, and aortic aneurysm. 1 Considerable reductions in the risk of cardiovascular diseases occur immediately after the discontinuation of cigarette smoking. 2 Alterations in blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and autonomic nervous function are thought to be at least in part responsible for the rapid reduction in the risk of cardiovascular diseases after quitting. However, no randomized trials have assessed the effects of smoking cessation on these factors simultaneously in the same individuals. Regarding smoking cessation-induced changes in 24-hour BPs, no investigations have been performed in the manner of interventional trials. To obtain conclusive information on these issues, we investigated the effects of short-term smoking cessation on 24-hour BP, HR, and heart rate variability (HRV) and plasma catecholamine levels in a considerable number of male habitual smokers. Methods SubjectsWe studied 42 normotensive healthy Japanese men who were all habitual cigarette smokers (Ն10 cigarettes daily; range 10 to 80) and stated their desire to stop smoking. The meanϮSEM age was 32.8Ϯ1.1 years. They all agreed to participate in the study after receiving a detailed expla...

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Accumulating evidence suggests a relationship between the gut microbiota and the development of obesity, indicating the potential of probiotics as a therapeutic approach. Bifidobacterium breve B-3 has been shown to exert anti-obesity effects in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. In the present study, the anti-obesity effects of the consumption of B. breve B-3 by healthy pre-obese (25 ≤ BMI < 30) adults were investigated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (trial registration: UMIN-CTR No. 000023919; preregistered on September 2, 2016). Eighty participants were randomized to receive placebo or B. breve B-3 capsules (2 × 1010 CFU/day) daily for 12 weeks. The visceral fat area significantly increased at weeks 4 and 8 in the placebo group only; no significant change was observed in the B-3 group. Body fat mass and percent body fat were significantly lower in the B-3 group than in the placebo group at weeks 8 and 12 (p<0.05, ANCOVA adjusted with baseline values). Although no significant differences were observed in blood parameters between the groups, the intake of B. breve B-3 slightly decreased triglyceride levels and improved HDL cholesterol from the baseline. No serious adverse effects were noted in either group. These results suggest that the probiotic strain B. breve B-3 has potential as a functional food ingredient to reduce body fat in healthy pre-obese individuals.