The relationship between sleep and obesity

The relationship between sleep and obesity Vanessa DeClercq and Cindy Forbes Click here to see the full brief Strategies for preventing and treating obesity are complex and far greater than simply eating less and moving more. While multiple factors contribute to the growing obesity epidemic, studies have shown an important association between habitual sleep duration and obesity. Possible mechanisms linking sleep and obesity include changes at the physiological level (hormonal metabolic changes) that may alter hunger and appetite as well as factors that reduce energy expenditure such as reduced thermogenesis, fatigue and decreased physical activity. Reports suggest that the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sleep is U-shaped rather than linear. Although BMI is the most reported measure of obesity, there are other indicators of adiposity such as fat mass, waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio. Recent studies have examined sleep patterns and other adiposity measures such as body composition. For example, Poggiogalle et al. reported a negative association between fat mass and sleep duration and Ford et al. have documented an inverse association with waist circumference. However, the results for BMI are inconsistent, some showing no association and some reporting negative or U-shaped associations. These mixed findings highlight the need for additional study of body composition as it relates to sleep duration. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to examine the association between sleep duration and obesity using multiple measures/indicators of obesity in the Atlantic PATH cohort.

Population Profile: Multiple Sclerosis

Population Profile: Multiple Sclerosis Ellen Sweeney Click here to see the full brief Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive chronic disease of the autoimmune system which affects the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. There are a number of different types of MS with varying symptoms and degrees of severity, including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing remitting MS, primary progressive MS, secondary progressive MS, and progressive-relapsing MS. Symptoms of MS vary between individuals and can include extreme fatigue, as well as difficulties with vision, hearing, balance, and mobility. Prevalence Rates Worldwide, more than 2.3 million people have been diagnosed and are currently living with MS. The global prevalence rate indicates that there are 33 people living with MS per 100,000 people. The highest rates of MS are found in North America (140 per 100,000 people) and Europe (108 per 100,000 people).5,6 Canada has the highest rates in the world with approximately 100,000 Canadians currently living with the disease.

Physical activity levels in Atlantic Canadian cancer survivors

Physical activity levels in Atlantic Canadian cancer survivors Melanie Keats, Cindy Forbes, Scott Grandy, & Yunsong Cui Click here to see the full brief The incidence of cancer within the Canadian population has been slowly increasing since 2009. Currently, it is expected that 2 in 5 Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime, which equates to a national incidence rate of 515.5 new cancer diagnoses per 100,000 people. In Atlantic Canada, the average incidence rate for Nova Scotia (627.3/100,000), New Brunswick (606.7/100,000), Newfoundland (631.6/100,000) and Prince Edward Island (556.9/100,000) combined is 605.6 new diagnoses per 100,000 people, which is markedly higher than the national incidence rate. Of those diagnosed with cancer, 63% will survive at least 5 years after the initial cancer diagnosis. This means, as the overall number of cancer diagnoses increases, a corresponding increase in cancer survivors can be expected. Although this is good news, it is also concerning as the long–term side effects of treatment and the development of comorbidities, such as heart disease, has become a much larger issue for cancer survivors. One factor that contributes to an increased risk of chronic disease is low levels of physical activity. In fact, the World Health Organization states that physical activity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Importantly, physical activity can lead to many improvements in physical functioning and quality of life following a cancer diagnosis. These improvements include enhanced aerobic endurance, muscular strength, fatigue, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, functional ability, and overall quality of life. Emerging research has also suggested a potential all-cause and disease-specific survival advantage. Despite these benefits, many cancer survivors do not accumulate the recommended amount of physical activity per week. Numerous international bodies have developed physical activity guidelines to try and reduce the incidence of morbidity and mortality associated with low levels of physical activity. Current guidelines recommend that an individual should complete 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in order to accumulate health benefits and decrease the risk of morbidity and mortality. Previous research among Canadian cancer survivors has found up to 78% can be inactive. Therefore the purpose of this report is to use a population based sample from Atlantic Canada to describe and compare the physical activity levels of individuals with a self-reported history of cancer with those who have never had a cancer diagnosis.

Statin Use in Atlantic Canada

Statin Use in Atlantic Canada Report by Vanessa DeClercq and Scott A. Grandy Click here to see the full brief High levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol represent a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) [1]. Thus, decreasing LDL cholesterol levels is a key factor in reducing CVD mortality [2]. The drug class statins has proven to be a very effective therapy for reducing LDL-cholesterol levels. Statins also have been shown to reduce inflammation, which plays a prominent role in the development of CVD [2-4]. Based on these therapeutic effects Canadian guidelines now recommend that 1 in 4 Canadians take statins to reduce high LDL cholesterol to reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes [2, 5]. However, a recent report suggests that only 1 in10 Canadians are taking statin drugs [6]. Therefore, the aim of this brief report was to identify the number of Atlantic Canadians with CVD risk factors taking statins and compare this to the Canadian guidelines and the national average for statin usage.

Environments Associated with Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior of Colorectal Cancer Survivors

Authors: Lawrence LM, Stone MR, Rainham DG, Keats MR Journal: Int J Behav Med. 2016 Jun 30 Link to full article Abstract Purpose Physical activity (PA) is an effective intervention for improving the quality of life of colorectal cancer survivors (CRC) and may reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and cancer specific and all-cause mortality. However, most CRC survivors are not sufficiently active to receive these benefits. Sedentary behavior (SB) has also been linked to morbidity and mortality risk independent of activity level, thereby presenting an additional opportunity to improve health outcomes of CRC survivors. The built environment is known to influence PA and SB; however, little is known about where CRC survivors engage in PA and SB. The objective of this exploratory study was to objectively identify locations where CRC survivors engage in PA and SB in order to inform health promoting interventions. Method Activity and location of CRC survivors (n = 31) was monitored for 1 week between January 2014 and April 2015 in Nova Scotia, Canada. Bouts of PA and SB were time-matched with GPS data to attribute bouts to specific geographic locations. Results Participants’ home environment was the main location for both time spent in PA bouts (73.7 %) and time spent in SB bouts (90.5 %). Conclusion This study is the first to objectively identify environments where CRC survivors are active and sedentary. These findings highlight the importance of considering the home environment when developing intervention strategies to increase PA and reduce SB in CRC survivors. Keywords Behavioral medicine; Built environment; Cancer survivorship; Colorectal cancer; GPS; Physical activity; Sedentary behavior

Recombination affects accumulation of damaging and disease-associated mutations in human populations.

Recombination affects accumulation of damaging and disease-associated mutations in human populations. Journal: Nature Genetics| Pages: 400-404 |Date: April 2015 | Authors: Julie G Hussin, Alan Hodgkinson, Youssef Idaghdour, Jean-Christophe Grenier, Jean-Philippe Goulet, Elias Gbeha, Elodie Hip-Ki, Philip Awadalla Many decades of theory have demonstrated that, in non-recombining systems, slightly deleterious mutations accumulate non-reversibly, potentially driving the extinction of many asexual species. Non-recombining chromosomes in sexual organisms are thought to have degenerated in a similar fashion; however, it is not clear the extent to which damaging mutations accumulate along chromosomes with highly variable rates of crossing over. Using high-coverage sequencing data from over 1,400 individuals in the 1000 Genomes and CARTaGENE projects, we show that recombination rate modulates the distribution of putatively deleterious variants across the entire human genome. Exons in regions of low recombination are significantly enriched for deleterious and disease-associated variants, a signature varying in strength across worldwide human populations with different demographic histories. Regions with low recombination rates are enriched for highly conserved genes with essential cellular functions and show an excess of mutations with demonstrated effects on health, a phenomenon likely affecting disease susceptibility in humans. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25685891

Cohorts and consortia conference: a summary report (Banff, Canada, June 17-19, 2009)

Cohorts and consortia conference: a summary report (Banff, Canada, June 17-19, 2009) Journal: Cancer Causes Control | Pages: 463-468 | Date: March 2011 | Authors: Boffetta P, Colditz GA, Potter JD, Kolonel L, Robson PJ, Malekzadeh R, Seminara D, Goode EL, Yoo KY, Demers P, Gallagher R, Prentice R, Yasui Y, O’Doherty K, Petersen GM, Ulrich CM, Csizmadi I, Amankwah EK, Brockton NT, Kopciuk K, McGregor SE, Kelemen LE. Epidemiologic studies have adapted to the genomics era by forming large international consortia to overcome issues of large data volume and small sample size. Whereas both cohort and well-conducted case-control studies can inform disease risk from genetic susceptibility, cohort studies offer the additional advantages of assessing lifestyle and environmental exposure-disease time sequences often over a life course. Consortium involvement poses several logistical and ethical issues to investigators, some of which are unique to cohort studies, including the challenge to harmonize prospectively collected lifestyle and environmental exposures validly across individual studies. An open forum to discuss the opportunities and challenges of large-scale cohorts and their consortia was held in June 2009 in Banff, Canada, and is summarized in this report.   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21203821

Quality, quantity and harmony: the DataSHaPER approach to integrating data across bioclinical studies.

Quality, quantity and harmony: the DataSHaPER approach to integrating data across bioclinical studies. Journal: Int J Epidemiol | Pages: 1383-1393 | Date: September 2012 | Authors: Fortier I, Burton PR, Robson PJ, Ferretti V, Little J, L’Heureux F, Deschênes M, Knoppers BM, Doiron D, Keers JC, Linksted P, Harris JR, Lachance G, Boileau C, Pedersen NL, Hamilton CM, Hveem K, Borugian MJ, Gallagher RP, McLaughlin J, Parker L, Potter JD, Gallacher J, Kaaks R, Liu B, Sprosen T, Vilain A, Atkinson SA, Rengifo A, Morton R, Metspalu A, Wichmann HE, Tremblay M, Chisholm RL, Garcia-Montero A, Hillege H, Litton JE, Palmer LJ, Perola M, Wolffenbuttel BH, Peltonen L, Hudson TJ. BACKGROUND: Vast sample sizes are often essential in the quest to disentangle the complex interplay of the genetic, lifestyle, environmental and social factors that determine the aetiology and progression of chronic diseases. The pooling of information between studies is therefore of central importance to contemporary bioscience. However, there are many technical, ethico-legal and scientific challenges to be overcome if an effective, valid, pooled analysis is to be achieved. Perhaps most critically, any data that are to be analysed in this way must be adequately ‘harmonized’. This implies that the collection and recording of information and data must be done in a manner that is sufficiently similar in the different studies to allow valid synthesis to take place. METHODS: This conceptual article describes the origins, purpose and scientific foundations of the DataSHaPER (DataSchema and Harmonization Platform for Epidemiological Research; http://www.datashaper.org), which has been created by a multidisciplinary consortium of experts that was pulled together and coordinated by three international organizations: P³G (Public Population Project in Genomics), PHOEBE (Promoting Harmonization of Epidemiological Biobanks in Europe) and CPT (Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project). RESULTS: The DataSHaPER provides a flexible, structured approach to the harmonization and pooling of information between studies. Its two primary components, the ‘DataSchema’ and ‘Harmonization Platforms’, together support the preparation of effective data-collection protocols and provide a central reference to facilitate harmonization. The DataSHaPER supports both ‘prospective’ and ‘retrospective’ harmonization. CONCLUSIONS: It is hoped that this article will encourage readers to investigate the project further: the more the research groups and studies are actively involved, the more effective the DataSHaPER programme will ultimately be. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20813861

The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project: building a pan-Canadian research platform for disease prevention.

The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project: building a pan-Canadian research platform for disease prevention. Journal: CMAJ | Pages: 1197-1201 | Date: August 2010 | Authors: Borugian MJ, Robson P, Fortier I, Parker L, McLaughlin J, Knoppers BM, Bédard K, Gallagher RP, Sinclair S, Ferretti V, Whelan H, Hoskin D, Potter JD. As the proportion of the population over age 65 increases in Western countries, the burden of cancer 1 and other chronic diseases is also increasing. If advances in preventing these diseases are to be realized, better information is needed about their causes and the antecedents of the causes. For example, although it is known that many sporadic cancers are caused by a combination of lifestyle factors, exposure to environmental carcinogens and individual genetic makeup, 2,3 detailed knowledge about the interplay among these factors is lacking. Much of our current knowledge about the causes of cancer and most relatively rare chronic diseases has come from retrospective case–control studies, in which the characteristics of patients (cases) are compared with those of age- and sex-matched people who do not have the disease (controls). This design has strengths but also a number of weakneses, including potential recall bias and selection bias 4 (Table 1). To address some of these weaknesses, in particular recall bias and the temporal relation between risk factors and outcomes, prospective cohorts are helpful because participants are enrolled before the onset of disease. In studies with a prospective cohort design, large numbers of participants, who generally have not had cancer or any other significant diagnosis, are recruited and followed over a long time, periodically providing updated health and lifestyle information and biologic samples. Layers of data and samples accumulate over time, allowing an exploration of why cancer develops in some people within the cohort but not others. 6 The disadvantages of such a design (Table 1) are cost and time, as it may be a decade or more before major results are obtained. Fortunately, many shorter-term results are also available, such as information on screening attendance and information on the frequency of major risk factors and health states, as well as environmental and individual determinants of these risk factors, all of which are useful for planning various health services. Furthermore, because many diseases can be studied simultaneously, the cost over time per health outcome studied is substantially lower than the cost of case–control studies for a comparable number of participants. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20421354

Linking Canadian population health data: maximizing the potential of cohort and administrative data

Linking Canadian population health data: maximizing the potential of cohort and administrative data Journal: Can J Public Health| Pages: 258-261 |Date: March 2013 | Authors: Doiron D, Raina P, Fortier I Linkage of data collected by large Canadian cohort studies with provincially managed administrative health databases can offer very interesting avenues for multidisciplinary and cost-effective health research in Canada. Successfully co-analyzing cohort data and administrative health data (AHD) can lead to research results capable of improving the health and well-being of Canadians and enhancing the delivery of health care services. However, such an endeavour will require strong coordination and long-term commitment between all stakeholders involved. The challenges and opportunities of a pan-Canadian cohort-to-AHD data linkage program have been considered by cohort study investigators and data custodians from each Canadian province. Stakeholders acknowledge the important public health benefits of establishing such a program and have established an action plan to move forward. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23823892