BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the relationship of anemia and body mass index among adult women in Jiangsu Province, China. Data were collected in a sub-national cross-sectional survey, and 1,537 women aged 20 years and above were included in the analyses. Subjects were classified by body mass index (BMI) categories as underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese according to the Chinese standard. Central obesity was defined as a waist circumference ≥ 80 cm. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin concentration < 12 g/dl. Prevalence ratios (PRs) of the relationship between anemia and BMI or waist circumference were calculated using Poisson regression.FindingsOverall, 31.1% of the Chinese women were anemic. The prevalence of overweight, obesity and central obesity was 34.2%, 5.8% and 36.2%, respectively. The obese group had the highest concentrations of hemoglobin compared with other BMI groups. After adjustment for confounders, overweight and obese women had a lower PR for anemia (PR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.62-0.89; PR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.43-0.79). Central obesity was inversely associated with anemia.ConclusionIn this Chinese population, women with overweight/obesity or central obesity were less likely to be anemic as compared to normal weight women. No measures are required currently to target anemia specifically for overweight and obese people in China.

Animal studies and one large cross-sectional study of 752 healthy Chinese men and women suggest that monosodium glutamate (MSG) may be associated with overweight/obesity, and these findings raise public concern over the use of MSG as a flavour enhancer in many commercial foods. The aim of this analysis was to investigate a possible association between MSG intake and obesity, and determine whether a greater MSG intake is associated with a clinically significant weight gain over 5 years. Data from 1282 Chinese men and women who participated in the Jiangsu Nutrition Study were analysed. In the present study, MSG intake and body weight were quantitatively assessed in 2002 and followed up in 2007. MSG intake was not associated with significant weight gain after adjusting for age, sex, multiple lifestyle factors and energy intake. When total glutamate intake was added to the model, an inverse association between MSG intake and 5 % weight gain was found (P¼0·028), but when the model was adjusted for either rice intake or food patterns, this association was abolished. These findings indicate that when other food items or dietary patterns are accounted for, no association exists between MSG intake and weight gain.

OBJECTIVE -To investigate the association between iron status, iron intake, and diabetes among Chinese adults.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -This cross-sectional household survey was carried out in 2002 in Jiangsu Province, China. The sample contained 2,849 men and women aged Ն20 years with a response rate of 89.0%. Iron intake was assessed by food weighing plus consecutive individual 3-day food records. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), serum ferritin, and hemoglobin were measured.RESULTS -The prevalence of anemia was 18.3% in men and 31.5% in women. Mean hemoglobin and serum ferritin increased across groups with increasing FPG. The prevalence of anemia among women was 15.0% in individuals with FPG Ͼ7.0 mmol/l compared with 32.6% in individuals with FPG Ͻ5.6 mmol/l. There was a similar, however not significant, trend among men. In women, after adjusting for known risk factors, the odds ratio (OR) of diabetes was 2.15 (95% CI 1.03-4.51) for subjects in the upper quartile of hemoglobin compared with the rest, and the corresponding OR for the upper quartile of serum ferritin was 3.79 (1.72-8.36). Iron intake was positively associated with diabetes in women; fourth quartile intake of iron yielded an OR of 5.53 (1.47-20.44) compared with the first quartile in the multivariate analyses. In men, similar trends were suggested, although they were not statistically significant.CONCLUSIONS -Iron status and iron intake was independently associated with risk of diabetes in Chinese women but not in men. Diabetes Care 29:1878 -1883, 2006T here is an increasing concern about the relationship between iron status and type 2 diabetes (1-6). Excessive body iron is found to be associated with diabetes and the metabolic syndrome (7,8). One prospective cohort study in the U.S. showed that heme iron intake from red meat sources was positively associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas total iron intake and heme iron intake from non-red meat sources were not associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes (9). Anemia is a big health problem in many developing countries. The prevalence of anemia in China is high (15.2% on average) (10). Although there are different factors associated with low hemoglobin level, the most common cause of anemia in developing countries is iron deficiency (11). Interestingly, in a study from China, iron deficiency anemia was found to be independently associated with a reduced prevalence of gestational diabetes (12). One assumption was that this association could be an indicator of general nutritional deficiency.The Chinese food pattern is unique in that it is characterized by a high intake of cereals and vegetables and a low intake of animal foods. This would imply that the intake of heme iron is low and the bioavailability of dietary iron is low. We therefore set out to examine the association between hemoglobin, serum ferritin level, iron intake, and diabetes in a crosssectional study in the Jiangsu Province of China.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -I n 2 0 0 2 , C h i n a launched a national nutrition and hea...

Objective: To investigate the association between a vegetable-rich food pattern and obesity among Chinese adults. Design: A food pattern rich in vegetables is associated with lower risk of obesity and non-communicable chronic disease in Western countries. A similar food pattern is found in the Chinese population but the cooking method is different. A crosssectional household survey of 2849 men and women aged 20 years and over was undertaken in 2002 in Jiangsu Province (response rate, 89.0%). Food intake was assessed by food frequency questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to identify food patterns. Nutrient intake was measured by food weighing plus consecutive individual 3-day food records. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured. Results: The prevalence of general obesity (BMI X28 kg m À2 ) was 8.0% in men and 12.7% in women, central obesity was 19.5% (X90 cm) and 38.2% (X80 cm), respectively. A four-factor solution explained 28.5% of the total variance in food frequency intake. The vegetable-rich food pattern (whole grains, fruits and vegetables) was positively associated with vegetable oil and energy intake. Prevalence of obesity/central obesity increased across the quartiles of vegetable-rich food pattern. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and four distinct food patterns, the vegetable-rich pattern was independently associated with obesity. Compared with the lowest quartile of vegetable-rich pattern, the highest quartile had higher risk of general obesity (men, prevalence ratio (PR): 1.82, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-3.14; women, PR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.45-3.49). Conclusion: The vegetable-rich food pattern was associated with higher risk of obesity/central obesity in Chinese adults in both genders. This association can be linked to the high intake of energy due to generous use of oil for stir-frying the vegetables.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between food patterns and anaemia among Chinese adults. It was a crosssectional household survey undertaken in 2002. The sample contained 2849 men and women aged 20 years and above, and had a response rate of 89·0 %. Factor analysis was used to identify food patterns based on a food-frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to relate food patterns to anaemia. A four-factor solution explained 30·5 % of the total variance. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors and four distinct food patterns, the 'traditional' (rice, vegetable, wheat flour), 'sweet tooth' (drinks, cake) and 'healthy' (whole grains, fruits, vegetables) patterns were independently associated with anaemia. 'Traditional' and 'sweet tooth' patterns were positively associated with anaemia, whereas the association with 'healthy' food pattern was negative. No association was observed between the 'macho' pattern (meat and alcohol) and anaemia. Compared with the lowest quartile (Q1) of the 'traditional' pattern, the highest quartile (Q4) had a higher risk of anaemia (men: odds ratio (OR) 2·60, 95 % CI 1·38, 4·88; women: OR 3·40, 95 % CI 2·14, 5·39). For the 'sweet tooth' pattern, compared with the lowest quartile (Q1), the OR of the highest quartile was 2·34 (95 % CI 1·47, 3·73) for men and 2·02 (95 %CI 1·31, 3·13) for women. The fourth quartile of healthy food was associated with a lower risk of anaemia (men: OR 0·50, 95 % CI 0·31, 0·79; women: OR 0·51, 95 % CI 0·34, 0·75). Women in the north had a higher risk of anaemia (OR 2·49, 95 %CI 1·80, 3·43). Food patterns were associated with anaemia in this area with a high prevalence of anaemia.