Browsing by Subject "African-origin populations"

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    The associations between alcohol intake and cardiometabolic risk in African-origin adults spanning the epidemiologic transition
    (2021-12-04) Baghdan, Danny; Dugas, Lara R; Choo-Kang, Candice; Plange-Rhule, Jacob; Bovet, Pascal; Viswanathan, Bharathi; Forrester, Terrence; Lambert, Estelle V; Riesen, Walter; Korte, Wolfgang; Choudhry, Mashkoor A; Luke, Amy
    Background Cardiometabolic (CM) risk affects approximately 25% of adults globally, and is diagnosed by meeting 3 out of 5 of the following CM risk factors: elevated blood pressure, high triglycerides, elevated blood sugar, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, and abdominal obesity. Adults with CM risk are approximately 22% more likely to have higher mortality rates, and alcohol consumption may be associated with higher CM risk. While previous studies have investigated this potential connection, the majority of them did not include African-origin adults. Therefore, the study aimed to explore the association between alcohol intake and CM risk in 5 African-origin cohorts, spanning the epidemiologic transition in Ghana, South Africa, Jamaica, Seychelles and the United States of America. Methods Measurements included clinical measures for CM risk and self-reported alcohol consumption. Each participant was categorized into one of three drinking categories: non-drinker, light drinker (1–3 drinks daily for men and 1–2 drinks daily for women) and heavy drinker (4 or more drinks every day for men and 3 or more drinks per day for women). Using non-drinker status as the reference, the association between alcohol consumption status and prevalence of each of the five CM risk factors and overall elevated CM risk (having 3 out of 5 risk factors) was explored, adjusting for site, age and sex. Associations were explored using logistic regression and significance was determined using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals. Results Neither light nor heavy drinking was associated with increased odds for having higher CM risk compared to nondrinkers (OR = 1.05, p = 0.792 and OR = 1.11, p = 0.489, respectively). However, light drinking was associated with lower odds for having low high density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol (OR = 0.69, p = 0.002) and increased risk for high triglycerides (OR = 1.48, p = 0.030). Heavy drinking was associated with elevated blood pressure (OR = 1.59, p = 0.002), high triglycerides (OR = 1.73, p = 0.006) and decreased risk of low HDL-cholesterol (OR = 0.621, p < 0.0005). Finally, country-specific analyses indicated that the relationship between heavy drinking and elevated CM risk varied widely across sites. Conclusion While several CM risk factors were associated with alcohol consumption, the associations were inconsistent and varied widely across five international cohorts of African-origin. Future studies should focus on understanding the individual site-related effects.
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    Open Access
    The 8-year incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes in five African-origin populations
    (2024) Conradie, Catharina Beatrix; Dugas, Lara
    Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) have become worldwide pandemics, particularly in low middle-income countries and among African-origin populations. The Modeling of Epidemiological Transition Study (METS, 2009) enrolled 2,506 African-origin participants, aged 25-45, from five countries and its ancillary study; METS-Microbiome, continued yearly research visits in 2,085 participants (2018-2019). The countries represent the full epidemiological transition spectrum, represented by the Human Development Index: Ghana (low), South Africa and Jamaica, (middle), Seychelles (high) and the United States (US) (very high). Research visits included anthropometrics, body composition measurements, social history, socio-demographics and health questionnaires, physical activity by accelerometer and clinical measurements. Overall, 732 participants had complete measurements from both METS (baseline) and METS-Microbiome (follow-up). At baseline, the US participants had the highest obesity prevalence (61.0%) and Ghanaians the lowest (11.5%). However, the obesity prevalence increased significantly, most notably among the Ghanaians (125%; p<0.001), and Seychellois (60.7%; p<0.01). Significant obesity predictors included being females, waist circumference and fat mass (p<0.001). The interaction term for follow-up length and site was significant with higher odds of obesity compared to baseline; Ghana (OR 6.62, 95%CI 1.56-28.35), Jamaica (OR 4.57, 95%CI 1.06-8.88) and Seychelles (OR 4.31, 95%CI 1.12-16.57). The US participants had the highest T2D prevalence (10,0%) and Jamaicans (0%) at baseline. However, the Seychellois experienced a 600% increase in T2D prevalence (p<0.01) accompanied by the highest T2D and obesity incidence rate. The interaction term for follow up length and site was similarly significant with higher odds of T2D at follow-up; Seychellois (OR 10.00, 95%CI 1.83-54.52) and US (OR 2.33, 95%CI 1.17-4.66). Age (p=0.002) and waist circumference (p=0.016) were significant T2D predictors. In conclusion, the study underscores significant increases in obesity and T2D rates, not only in high-income countries but also in rapid transitioning settings, highlighting concerns about healthcare resources readiness for the growing global burden of non-communicable diseases.