scholarly journals Impact of BMI and waist circumference on epigenome-wide DNA methylation and identification of epigenetic biomarkers in blood: an EWAS in multi-ethnic Asian individuals

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuqing Chen ◽  
Irfahan Kassam ◽  
Suk Hiang Lau ◽  
Jaspal S. Kooner ◽  
Rory Wilson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The prevalence of obesity and its related chronic diseases have been increasing especially in Asian countries. Obesity-related genetic variants have been identified, but these explain little of the variation in BMI. Recent studies reported associations between DNA methylation and obesity, mostly in non-Asian populations. Methods We performed an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) on general adiposity (body mass index, BMI) and abdominal adiposity (waist circumference, WC) in 409 multi-ethnic Asian individuals and replicated BMI and waist-associated DNA methylation CpGs identified in other populations. The cross-lagged panel model and Mendelian randomization were used to assess the temporal relationship between methylation and BMI. The temporal relationship between the identified CpGs and inflammation and metabolic markers was also examined. Results EWAS identified 116 DNA methylation CpGs independently associated with BMI and eight independently associated with WC at false discovery rate PFDR < 0.05 in 409 Asian samples. We replicated 110 BMI-associated CpGs previously reported in Europeans and identified six novel BMI-associated CpGs and two novel WC-associated CpGs. We observed high consistency in association direction of effect compared to studies in other populations. Causal relationship analyses indicated that BMI was more likely to be the cause of DNA methylation alteration, rather than the consequence. The causal analyses using BMI-associated methylation risk score also suggested that higher levels of the inflammation marker IL-6 were likely the consequence of methylation change. Conclusion Our study provides evidence of an association between obesity and DNA methylation in multi-ethnic Asians and suggests that obesity can drive methylation change. The results also suggested possible causal influence that obesity-related methylation changes might have on inflammation and lipoprotein levels.

Author(s):  
Stefan Rossner

Obesity is defined as an excess of body fat that is sufficient to adversely affect health. The prevalence of obesity has been difficult to study because many countries have had their own specific criteria for the classification of different degrees of overweight. However, during the 1990s, the body mass index (weight in kg/height in metres squared), or BMI, became a universally accepted measure of the degree of overweight and now identical limits are recommended. The most frequently accepted classification of overweight and obesity in adults by the WHO is shown in Table 12.1.1.1 (1). In many community studies in affluent societies this scheme has been simplified and cut-off points of 25 and 30 kg/m2 are used for descriptive purposes of overweight and obesity. Both the prevalence of very low BMI (below 18.5 kg/m2) and very high BMI (40 kg/m2 or higher) are usually low, in the order of 1–2% or less. There are some indications that the limits used to designate obesity or overweight in Asian populations may be lowered by several units of BMI; this would greatly affect estimates of the prevalence of obesity. In countries such as China and India with each over a billion inhabitants, small changes in the criteria for overweight or obesity potentially increase the world estimate of obesity by several hundred million (currently estimates are about 250 million worldwide). The distribution of abdominal fat should be considered for an accurate classification of overweight and obesity with respect to the health risks (Table 12.1.1.2). Traditionally this has been indicated by a relatively high waist-to-hip circumference ratio; however, the waist circumference alone may be a better and simpler measure of abdominal fatness (2). In 1998 the National Institutes of Health adopted the BMI classification and combined this with limits for waist measurement (3). This classification proposes that the combination of overweight (BMI between 25 and 30 kg/m2) and moderate obesity (BMI between 30 and 35 kg/m2) with a large waist circumference (greater than or equal to 102 cm in men or greater than or equal to 88 cm in women) carries additional risk (3).


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aya Sasaki ◽  
Margaret E. Eng ◽  
Abigail H. Lee ◽  
Alisa Kostaki ◽  
Stephen G. Matthews

AbstractSynthetic glucocorticoids (sGC) are administered to women at risk of preterm delivery, approximately 10% of all pregnancies. In animal models, offspring exposed to elevated glucocorticoids, either by administration of sGC or endogenous glucocorticoids as a result of maternal stress, show increased risk of developing behavioral, endocrine, and metabolic dysregulation. DNA methylation may play a critical role in long-lasting programming of gene regulation underlying these phenotypes. However, peripheral tissues such as blood are often the only accessible source of DNA for epigenetic analyses in humans. Here, we examined the hypothesis that prenatal sGC administration alters DNA methylation signatures in guinea pig offspring hippocampus and whole blood. We compared these signatures across the two tissue types to assess epigenetic biomarkers of common molecular pathways affected by sGC exposure. Guinea pigs were treated with sGC or saline in late gestation. Genome-wide modifications of DNA methylation were analyzed at single nucleotide resolution using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing in juvenile female offspring. Results indicate that there are tissue-specific as well as common methylation signatures of prenatal sGC exposure. Over 90% of the common methylation signatures associated with sGC exposure showed the same directionality of change in methylation. Among differentially methylated genes, 134 were modified in both hippocampus and blood, of which 61 showed methylation changes at identical CpG sites. Gene pathway analyses indicated that prenatal sGC exposure alters the methylation status of gene clusters involved in brain development. These data indicate concordance across tissues of epigenetic programming in response to alterations in glucocorticoid signaling.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Zheng ◽  
Min Jiang ◽  
Yanxia Xie

Abstract Background Waist circumference (WC) and uric acid (UA) are significantly related. Still, their temporal sequence and how the sequence works on future risk of triglyceride glucose (TyG) are unknown, especially in the Chinese population. Methods Cross-lagged panel model was used to analyze the reciprocal, longitudinal relationships among a set of interrelated variables. The mediation model was constructed to test the effect of the relationship between WC and UA on TyG. Results A total of 5727 subjects were enrolled in our study population, of which 53.5% were women, and the mean age was 59.0 (standard deviation, 8.62) years. After adjusting for traditional confounding factors, the results showed that a higher level of baseline WC was significantly associated with a higher level of follow-up UA (β = 0.003, P = 0.031) and follow-up TyG (β = 0.003, P < 0.001);. Simultaneously, there was no statistical association between the level of baseline UA and the level of follow-up WC (β = − 0.009, P = 0.951). The mediation effects of UA on WC-TyG were estimated to be 18.1% in adults, and 36.2% in women. Conclusions The current study demonstrated that higher baseline level of WC probably preceded UA’ level in general population. In addition, UA mediated the relationship of WC to TyG, especially in females. And the possible mechanism would require further clarification.


2013 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 913-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mônica Santos ◽  
Hannah Monteiro Fonseca ◽  
Alex Panizza Jalkh ◽  
Gabriela Piraice Gomes ◽  
Andrea de Souza Cavalcante

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of multifactorial etiology, with participation of genetic, autoimmune and environmental factors. Recent studies have demonstrated the role of inflammatory cells and mediators in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, which is now defined as a systemic and autoimmune inflammatory disease that may be associated with other diseases of inflammatory nature. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the occurrence of obesity and dyslipidemia in patients with psoriasis treated at a dermatology clinic in Manaus. METHODS: We performed a prospective descriptive study to assess the prevalence of obesity and dyslipidemia in patients with psoriasis. Besides the recommended dermatological care, a physical examination was performed to measure weight, height and waist circumference. RESULTS: We included 72 patients, 44 (61.1%) female and 28 (38.9%) male, with a mean age of 51.0 years ± 15.9 years. As for body mass index (BMI), 16 (22.2%) were overweight and 20 (27.8%) were obese. In the analysis of waist circumference in relation to gender, we found that 79.5% of women surveyed had central obesity, a percentage statistically higher than that observed among men (42.9%) at the 5% level of significance (p = 0.001). Regarding the diagnosis of dyslipidemia, 29 (65.9%) females and 22 (78.6%) males showed alterations in lipid profile. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of dyslipidemia and obesity in patients with psoriasis can affect life quality and expectancy, increasing the risk of systemic and metabolic diseases, which makes periodic investigation of these comorbidities in patients with psoriasis mandatory.


Author(s):  
Sanam Anwar ◽  
Bushra Aleem ◽  
Hajir H. Rashid ◽  
Ghadeer J. Moslhey

Background: The global prevalence of obesity has been increasing. Body mass index, waist circumference and waist height ratio have been widely used for nutritional assessment. Waist height ratio has the advantage of taking into account abdominal obesity as well as height associated with body fat accumulation or distribution. The objective of this study was to suggest cut off points for waist circumference and waist height ratio to identify overweight in Omani adults.Methods: Weight, height, waist circumference and waist height ratio were measured for all participants. Pearson’s correlation was used to determine correlation of BMI with waist circumference and waist height ratio. ROC curve was used to identify AUC and specific cut off point for anthropometric indicators.Results: The largest proportion of overweight was picked up by waist height ratio across both the genders. Correlation of BMI with waist height ratio was stronger (r=0.699) than correlation with waist circumference (r=0.589) for both the genders. Maximum AUC was for waist height ratio in males (AUC=0.833, 95% CI=0.791-0.875). The specific cut off point for waist circumference in males and females was 89.5cm and 87.6cm respectively. The specific cut off point for waist height ratio in males and females was 0.53 and 0.57 respectively.Conclusions: Maximum participants were found overweight by waist height ratio followed by waist circumference and the least by BMI. The higher cut off points should be used in this population for identifying overweight people.


2021 ◽  
pp. 109980042110390
Author(s):  
Amanda Elswick Gentry ◽  
Jo Robins ◽  
Mat Makowski ◽  
Wendy Kliewer

Background: Cardiovascular disease disproportionately affects African Americans as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Among African Americans, compared to other racial groups, cardiovascular disease onset occurs at an earlier age due to a higher prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors, particularly obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Emerging evidence suggests that heritable epigenetic processes are related to increased cardiovascular disease risk, but this is largely unexplored in adolescents or across generations. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional descriptive pilot study in low-income African American mother-adolescent dyads, we examined associations between DNA methylation and the cardiometabolic indicators of body mass index, waist circumference, and insulin resistance. Results: Four adjacent cytosine and guanine nucleotides (CpG) sites were significantly differentially methylated and associated with C-reactive protein (CRP), 62 with waist circumference, and none to insulin resistance in models for both mothers and adolescents. Conclusion: Further study of the relations among psychological and environmental stressors, indicators of cardiovascular disease, risk, and epigenetic factors will improve understanding of cardiovascular disease risk so that preventive measures can be instituted earlier and more effectively. To our knowledge this work is the first to examine DNA methylation and cardiometabolic risk outcomes in mother-adolescent dyads.


2018 ◽  
pp. 165-183
Author(s):  
Subha Subramanian ◽  
James B. Potash

Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation (DNAm), histone acetylation and methylation, and those directed by small RNAs, are widely studied in psychiatry and may play a role in the etiology and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. This chapter provides a brief overview of the mechanisms regulating these epigenetic marks and the challenges in obtaining biologically meaningful epigenetic data, given the inaccessibility of the living human brain. Significant results to date from studies on the epigenetics of psychiatric disorders are presented, including the impact of stress on DNAm in psychiatric risk genes such as FKBP5, and the impact of drugs of abuse and of psychiatric medications on histone modifications. Future directions are discussed, including the study of newly discovered aspects of DNAm: 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and non-CpG methylation. Ongoing work aims to uncover neurobiological mechanisms of illness and to find epigenetic biomarkers in peripheral tissues that inform diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic response.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (43) ◽  
pp. 26977-26984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina M. Rapuano ◽  
Jennifer S. Laurent ◽  
Donald J. Hagler ◽  
Sean N. Hatton ◽  
Wesley K. Thompson ◽  
...  

The prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents worldwide has quadrupled since 1975 and is a key predictor of obesity later in life. Previous work has consistently observed relationships between macroscale measures of reward-related brain regions (e.g., the nucleus accumbens [NAcc]) and unhealthy eating behaviors and outcomes; however, the mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear. Recent work has highlighted a potential role of neuroinflammation in the NAcc in animal models of diet-induced obesity. Here, we leverage a diffusion MRI technique, restriction spectrum imaging, to probe the microstructure (cellular density) of subcortical brain regions. More specifically, we test the hypothesis that the cell density of reward-related regions is associated with obesity-related metrics and early weight gain. In a large cohort of nine- and ten-year-olds enrolled in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, we demonstrate that cellular density in the NAcc is related to individual differences in waist circumference at baseline and is predictive of increases in waist circumference after 1 y. These findings suggest a neurobiological mechanism for pediatric obesity consistent with rodent work showing that high saturated fat diets increase gliosis and neuroinflammation in reward-related brain regions, which in turn lead to further unhealthy eating and obesity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1885-1893
Author(s):  
Nilcemar Rodrigues Carvalho Cruz ◽  
Pollyanna Costa Cardoso ◽  
Thaisa Netto Souza Valente Frossard ◽  
Fernanda de Oliveira Ferreira ◽  
Stela Brener ◽  
...  

Abstract Childhood hypertension is becoming more common with the increasing numbers of child obesity, which has encouraged new studies to identify a good anthropometric marker for high blood pressure levels. The objective this study was to identify the best anthropometric predictor of risk of hypertension in children between 8-10 years of age. The Children were evaluated for socioeconomic status and their blood pressure (BP), weight, height, waist circumference (WC) and percentage of body fat (PBF) were measured. The study included 445 children, of which 50.1% were females. The prevalence of obesity defined by body mass index (BMI) was 14.6%. Increased BP was found in 3.4% and 2.2% of the children, considering the pre-hypertension and hypertension classifications respectively. The arithmetic mean of BP value correlated significantly with BMI, WC and PBF. After height control, the correlations that were maintained significant were between WC and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and between WC and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). The variable with the highest predictive power of the occurrence of hypertension was WC. The results indicate that, in this population of children between 8 and 10 years old, WC is a measurement of higher value in predicting increased BP.


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