Background and Aims: The protective effect of garlic against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been reported in animal studies. However, in humans, the association between garlic consumption and NAFLD is unclear. The study sought to explore the association between habitual raw garlic intake and newly diagnosed NAFLD among Chinese adults. Methods: We performed a study of 11,326 men and 12,780 women aged 20-90 years. Habitual food intake was assessed using a validated and standardized 100-item food frequency questionnaire. Diagnosis of NAFLD was based on the liver ultrasonography and self-reported alcohol intake. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of raw garlic intake with newly diagnosed NAFLD. Results: The prevalence of newly diagnosed NAFLD was 28.9% in men and 10.1% in women, respectively. In men, the fully adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of having NAFLD across increasing frequency of raw garlic intake were 1.00 (reference) for <1 time/week, 0.81 (0.73, 0.90) for 1-3 times/week, 0.66 (0.54, 0.80) for 4-6 times/week, and 0.71 (0.55, 0.90) for >= 7 times/week (P for trend <0.0001). The odds ratio for NAFLD associated with each 1 g of raw garlic/1000 kcal was 0.93 (0.90, 0.97) in men. In women, no significant association between raw garlic intake and NAFLD was identified. These associations between raw garlic intake and NAFLD were consistent in several sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Frequent consumption of raw garlic is inversely associated with NAFLD in Chinese men. Further investigations are needed to confirm this finding.

Introduction: Prediabetes has been a growing health problem in China, and it is a high-risk state for developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In previous studies, low grip strength has been associated with diabetes. However, few population-based studies have examined the relationship between grip strength and prediabetes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether grip strength is related to prediabetes in a large-scale adult population. Methods: A total of 27,295 participants aged 20 to 90 years were included from the 2013-2016 Tianjin Chronic Low-grade Systemic Inflammation and Health Cohort Study. Grip strength was assessed using an electronic hand-grip dynamometer and the greatest force was normalized to body weight. Prediabetes was diagnosed based on the American Diabetes Association criteria. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted in 2018 to assess the relationship of grip strength to the prevalence of prediabetes, while controlling for age, BMI, smoking, drinking, physical activities, dietary patterns, and other confounders. Results: Of the 27,295 participants, 28.5% (7,783) had prediabetes. After adjusting for potential confounders, a one unit increase in grip strength per body weight was associated with 52% lower odds of having prediabetes for men (OR=0.48, 95% CI=0.30, 0.74, p<0.01) and 62% lower odds of having prediabetes for women (OR=0.38, 95% CI=0.20, 0.70, p<0.01). Conclusions: Increased grip strength is independently associated with lower prevalence of prediabetes in Chinese adults, suggesting that grip strength may be a useful marker for screening individuals at risk of prediabetes. (C) 2019 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SummaryObjectiveHandgrip strength (HGS) begins an accelerating decline around 50 years. Many of the studies performed in old adults have demonstrated a significant relationship between vitamin D and HGS, but the studies performed in participants with a broad age range have yielded conflicting results. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between vitamin D and HGS using age 50 as a specific cut‐off.DesignPopulation‐based, cross‐sectional study.ParticipantsTotally 5102 participants (2911 males, 2191 females) from the TCLSIH Cohort.MeasurementsSerum concentration of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured using an enzyme immunoassay. We divided participants into quartiles according to 25(OH)D, and the ranges for increasing quartiles were as follows: (males [≥50 years]: 10.94‐31.85, 31.88‐43.01, 43.20‐56.06, 56.20‐143.0; males [<50 years]: 11.11‐34.68, 34.71‐46.91, 46.96‐59.45, 59.50‐143.7; females [≥50 years]: 7.21‐30.01, 30.02‐40.18, 40.21‐52.44, 52.49‐275.4; females [<50 years]: 5.29‐28.91, 28.92‐40.19, 40.20‐51.90, 51.91‐140.2). HGS was measured with a hydraulic hand‐held dynamometer. Analysis of covariance was employed to explore the relationship.ResultsAmong males aged above 50 years, the means (95% confidence interval) for HGS per body weight across the categories of serum 25(OH)D concentration were 0.523 (0.430‐0.638), 0.545 (0.447‐0.664), 0.543 (0.446‐0.661), 0.546 (0.449‐0.664) (Ptrend < 0.01) after adjustment for potential confounding factors. However, no relationships were observed between serum 25(OH)D concentration and HGS in males aged below 50 years and females in the whole age range.ConclusionsSerum 25(OH)D concentration was significantly related to HGS in males aged above 50 years, independent of confounding factors. Future studies are needed to clarify the age and sex relationship between serum 25(OH)D concentration and HGS.

Background: The prevalence of depression in the general population has risen sharply over the past few decades and has become a major health problem throughout the world. Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of depression. To better understand the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of depression we can use the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) because it is a simple and effective marker of inflammation and immunity. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among adults from the healthy general population in Tianjin, China. NLR was measured according to the complete blood count. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and a cutoff score of 45 was used to indicate the presence of depressive symptoms in the study participants. The relationship between NLR and the prevalence of depressive symptoms was evaluated separately for men and women using the multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: In the present study, the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 17.0% among all participants. In women, the multivariable-adjusted OR of having depressive symptoms was 1.28 (95% CI 1.10, 1.49; p for trend < 0.01) for the fifth compared with the first quintile of NLR, and was 1.22 (95% CI 1.07, 1.39; p < 0.01) per unit increase of NLR. However, no significant association was found between NLR and depressive symptoms in men. Conclusion: This study suggests that increased NLR levels are independently related to depressive symptoms in women, but not in men. Further research is required to investigate this relationship with longitudinal data to establish the temporal ordering between these variables.

Background and aims Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a combination of metabolic disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and inflammation is considered as a pathological basis for MetS. Immunoglobulins (Igs) are the major secretory products of the adaptive immune system. However, no large-scale population study has focused on a possible relationship between Igs and MetS. We designed a cross-sectional study to investigate the relationship between Igs and prevalence of MetS in a large-scale adult population. Methods and results A total of 10,289 participants were recruited among residents in Tianjin, China. Metabolic syndrome was defined in accordance with the criteria of the American Heart Association scientific statements of 2009. Serum levels of Igs were determined by immunonephelometry. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between the quintiles of serum levels of Igs and the prevalence of MetS. The overall prevalence of MetS was 36.1%. The mean (standard deviation) values of Igs (IgG, IgE, IgM, and IgA) were 1205.7 (249.3) mg/dL, 93.1 (238.9) IU/mL, 105.7 (57.3) mg/dL, and 236.2 (97.6) mg/dL, respectively. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of MetS for the highest quintile of Igs (IgG, IgE, IgM, and IgA), when compared to the lowest quintile, were 0.81 (0.70, 0.95), 0.97 (0.83, 1.12), 1.13 (0.97, 1.33), and 1.52 (1.30, 1.77), respectively. Conclusions This study demonstrated that decreased IgG and increased IgA are independently related to a higher prevalence of MetS. The results indicate that the Igs might be useful predictive factors for MetS in the general adult population.