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Biomedical subjects

M Z Nichaman

Publications and source records attributed to M Z Nichaman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Obesity in Hispanic Americans.

The prevalence of obesity among Hispanic American populations is generally greater than among white populations in the United States. Among Mexican Americans, the prevalence of obesity was higher than among either Cuban Americans or Puerto Ricans. It is well known that the prevalence of diabetes increases with increasing levels of obesity or body mass index. However, it does not appear that the high prevalence of obesity in Mexican Americans completely accounts for the higher prevalence of diabetes seen in this ethnic group. Among Mexican Americans, the association of selected cardiovascular disease risk factors, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol subfractions and systolic blood pressure, was similar to that seen among other U.S. populations. Individuals with diabetes had higher values than seen among those without diabetes. In a comparison of nutrient intake in two Mexican-American populations, one rural and one urban, there were no major differences other than higher calorie intakes in the rural population compared with the urban population. In addition, the diet in the rural population, based on higher levels of the Keys score, was more atherogenic than that of the urban population.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Intake and food sources of dietary fat among schoolchildren in The Woodlands, Texas.

To investigate the nutrient intake and food use patterns among schoolchildren, diet was assessed among 138 children and adolescents in grades 5 through 12 using three random, nonconsecutive, 1-day food records. Mean intake of total fat, saturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat as percent of calories was 35.6%, 13.4%, and 6.6%, respectively. Among all subjects, 17% consumed diets containing less than 30% of calories from fat, 34% consumed greater than or equal to 38% of calories from fat, 7% consumed less than 10% of calories from saturated fatty acids, and greater than 97% ate less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day. While intake of calories, sodium, and beta-carotene per 1000 kcal was higher in subjects consuming higher fat diets, intake of other micronutrients was either higher among those eating low-fat diets or did not differ by level of fat intake. Differences were seen in the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol that individual food sources contributed to the diets of subjects eating high and low fat diets. These cross-sectional data show that a substantial proportion of children and adolescents in this population are consuming diets low in fat and cholesterol without systematic differences in intake of other nutrients, suggesting that current dietary guidelines regarding fat intake are attainable within the current food use pattern of healthy, school-aged children and adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

An assessment of caloric intake as an indicator of physical activity.

Caloric intake has been suggested as a surrogate measure of physical activity, provided that energy balance is maintained. In this study we assessed caloric intake in relation to other measures of physical activity in a free-living population by a single 24-hr recall in white adult males, ages 22-79 years, examined in 1957-1960 as part of the U.S. Railroad Study. Intake was positively related to leisure time and occupational activity. Men with higher levels of caloric intake had lower exercise test heart rates indicating that they were probably more fit. Caloric intake was also significantly and inversely related to body mass index, the sum of the triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness measurements, blood pressure, and total serum cholesterol. These results suggest that caloric intake, even as measured in a 24-hr dietary recall, is an indicator of physical activity level. Therefore, caloric intake may be a useful indicator of physical activity in some population-based epidemiologic studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Development of a food frequency instrument: ethnic differences in food sources.

Dietary intake was assessed among 431 black, white, and Mexican American men and women in southeast Texas using 24-hour dietary recall interviews. These data were collected to provide information on ethnic-specific food sources of selected nutrients; this information was used to construct a food frequency questionnaire for a study of nutrient intake and cancer. Nutrient content of total fat, total vitamin A, and vitamin C was determined for all foods consumed and was aggregated across unique food codes. These aggregated food codes were then ranked according to the contribution of each food to the total population intake of each nutrient. Ethnic differences existed in food sources of nutrients that would not be identified if data from only the analysis of the combined data set were used. Generally, however, the food sources identified from analyses of the combined data set included those foods that were important nutrient sources for each of the ethnic groups as well.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Leisure time physical activity and coronary heart disease death. The US Railroad Study.

Seventeen to 20 years of mortality follow-up were used to study the relation of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) to coronary heart disease mortality and to all-cause mortality in white male US railroad workers (n = 3,043). This cohort was initially examined from 1957 to 1960, reexamined from 1962 to 1964, and followed until 1977 or death. LTPA was ascertained by a precursor of the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire. The risk estimate for coronary heart disease death, after adjusting for age, was 1.39 for sedentary men who expended 40 kcal/wk in LTPA compared with very active men who expended 3,632 kcal/wk. This relation was attenuated by adjusting for other coronary heart disease risk factors, but it remained independent and significant. Caloric expenditure in light and moderate activity, as well as that performed in any intense activity, showed independent relations to cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality. Associations were slightly stronger in occupationally sedentary men. These results support the hypothesis that physical activity protects against death from coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality.

Coronary Disease↗
PubMed1989

Food group contributions to nutrient intake in whites, blacks, and Mexican Americans in Texas.

The existence of three different ethnic groups, living within a defined geographic area in Texas and maintaining fairly distinct life-styles, provided an excellent opportunity to compare their dietary behaviors. Information about food consumption was obtained by 24-hour dietary recall from a group of 431 whites, blacks, and Mexican Americans residing in two counties in southeast Texas. Food group and subgroup contributions to 11 nutrients were calculated. The intake patterns of Mexican Americans demonstrated both an adherence to traditional or familiar Mexican food items, such as beans and tortillas, and a preference for foods not previously reported to be commonly consumed by that ethnic group, specifically beef. The current study provides a base of information necessary to implement dietary changes acceptable within the context of a particular culture's world view. Results revealed differences in food intake patterns that would be helpful in designing practical nutrition education programs specifically targeted toward these ethnic groups. For example, inadequate sources of nutrients were identified, as were sources of excess fat.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Long-term follow-up of weight status of subjects in a behavioral weight control program.

Few studies have examined the long-term effectiveness of behavioral weight control programs. Interpretation of the results from these studies has been limited due to small sample size, use of only one sex, and the number of evaluation parameters. A 2-year follow-up study was designed to assess the effectiveness of a behavioral weight control program on 123 obese male and 386 obese female subjects. Body weights were measured by dietitians at baseline and after an 8-week treatment program. Two-year follow-up weights were self-reported from a mailed questionnaire. The subjects' mean weight at baseline was 185.6 +/- 43.4 lb (no. = 509). Their mean percent over ideal body weight at baseline was 29.7%. Following an 8-week treatment period, mean weight was 176.4 +/- 41.3 lb (no. = 509), yielding a mean weight loss of 9.2 +/- 6.4 lb. Weight change after the 8-week treatment period ranged from a loss of 37 lb to a gain of 5 lb. The 2-year follow-up study showed that mean weight of the 498 subjects was 179.8 +/- 42.9 lb, yielding a mean weight loss of 5.8 +/- 15.5 lb. Weight change ranged from a loss of 71 lb to a gain of 47 lb. After 2 years, 325 subjects (65.3%) were still below their baseline weights, 182 subjects (36.6% of the entire study group) had maintained or enhanced the weight loss achieved during treatment, and 80 subjects (16.1%) weighed at least 10% less than their baseline weight.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Nutrient intakes of whites, blacks, and Mexican Americans in southeast Texas.

Ethnic groups in the United States exhibit different patterns of cardiovascular disease and cancer morbidity and mortality. This has, in part, been attributed to differences in dietary intake. However, there is limited comparative information available regarding the dietary patterns of whites, blacks, and Hispanics residing in the same geographic area. Selected nutrient intakes were obtained by an interviewer-administered 24-hr dietary recall from 231 white, 102 black, and 98 Mexican-American persons residing in the same communities in Southeast Texas. Mean caloric intakes were highest for whites, followed by Mexican Americans and blacks. Mexican Americans had carbohydrate intakes that were significantly higher, but total fat intakes that were significantly lower, than those of whites. Blacks of both sexes had the highest cholesterol intakes and black males had the highest saturated fat intakes. Neither was significantly higher than that of whites or Mexican Americans. Overall, the mean vitamin A and C values were highest for blacks and lowest for whites, although the differences were not statistically significant. Mean calcium and phosphorus intakes were significantly higher for whites compared with those for blacks and Mexican Americans. Blacks had significantly lower mean fiber values than whites or Mexican Americans. International ethnic differences in disease distribution have long been used to provide clues to etiologic factors. National ethnic differences in disease distribution related to dietary intake can further elucidate these causative and/or preventive factors. However, to do so will require additional attention to dietary methodology of the type presented here.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Carotene intake and the risk of laryngeal cancer in coastal Texas.

Between 1976 and 1980, data were collected for a case-comparison study of laryngeal cancer in white males aged 30-79 years in six Texas counties using all histologically confirmed incident cases and a population-based comparison group. Dietary interviews were obtained from 151 living cases and 178 living comparison subjects. A significant inverse association (odds ratio (OR) = 2.1) was found between low carotene intake and the risk of laryngeal cancer, but no association was found with total vitamin A or retinol intake. The inverse association with carotene intake was strongest among those who had stopped smoking 2-10 years before (OR = 5.9). The same risk for vitamin A intake was found by using a short list of foods based on contribution to variation in intake as was found by using a longer list based on per cent contribution to total intake. Definition of carotene as that which comes only from plant sources gives an estimate similar to a more complex method that takes into account carotene derived from both plant and animal sources.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Estimating prevalence of adverse reactions to foods: principles and constraints.

Future research in the area of adverse reactions to foods should use the basic principles of epidemiology to allow the prevalence of these adverse reactions to be established. The process of incorporating these principles into future research will aid in the identification of the etiology of adverse reactions through the clarification of definitions, refining of testing and assessment procedures for classifying reactions, and the identification of the populations who are indeed at risk for the numerous types of reactions that may occur. Although the evaluation of adverse reactions is a challenging problem, it is a problem that can be overcome.

Aspirin↗
PubMed1985

Ischemic heart disease: footprints through the data.

This study addresses the question of whether the rise in ischemic heart disease mortality has been just "a paper epidemic" as asserted in an earlier issue of this journal. Age-standardized death rates, proportions expected to die, mean ages at death, and cause specific contributions to changes in overall life expectancies were calculated for acute and chronic ischemic heart disease and for males and females for the years 1931 to 1980 using published vital statistics data. These multiple analyses reveal: a true epidemic of acute ischemic heart disease has occurred, affecting males exclusively or to a greater degree than females and it is now on the decline, fairly stable and more nearly comparable mortality for both males and females for chronic ischemic heart disease, and continuing problems of classification obscure the true levels of mortality for both the acute and chronic entities.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1985

Diet diversity and nutrient intake.

Variety is espoused as a key to dietary adequacy, yet data from new shortcut dietary measures suggest that intakes of relatively few foods can accurately classify individuals according to nutrient intake. This study examines diet diversity, caloric intake, and nutrient density values as contributors to the level of selected nutrients in the diets of 1,747 white men and 1,898 white women, 18 to 34 years old, completing the 24-hour recall in NHANES II. Nutrient intake was directly related to both number of foods eaten and total calories consumed, as well as to nutrient density values. For fat, saturated fat, and potassium, higher caloric consumption alone may account for substantial differences in nutrient intakes between the lowest and highest quartiles. For cholesterol, calcium, and vitamin A, differences in dietary density were more important in explaining nutrient intake differences. Both caloric intake and nutrient density influence sodium intake from food sources. For some nutrients, an overall measure of diversity may be useful for estimating intakes. For others, nutrient-specific diversity indexes would likely be needed. Knowledge of specific foods in diets with high levels of nutrients could aid the construction of food frequency instruments.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Attained growth status of selected groups of Israeli children.

Analyses of available growth data from different groups of Israeli children revealed wide differences in attained growth in groups of children whose parents immigrated from different countries. By means of analyses of variance, it was shown that these differences in growth are most likely due to differences in the socioeconomic level of the family, rather than being related to parental country of origin. The data also suggest that nutrition problems among Israeli children, although not very severe, reflect a moderate degree of maldistribution of available food resources in different socioeconomic and cultural subgroups. The data also support the applicability and usefulness of a reference population data base drawn from children in the United States, in evaluating the attained growth status of children in different population groups.

Child↗