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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (2 results)

  • Article
  • Peer Reviewed
UC San Francisco Previously Published Works (2008)

The prevalence and severity of childhood obesity have increased steadily over the post three decades. The human species evolved to rigorously defend its lower limit for weight and adiposity but is tolerant of the upper limit, which, until recent times, was rarely approached. Neuroendocrine mechanisms within the limbic core of the brain prevent starvation (ventromedial hypothalamus), heighten reward (ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens), and attenuate stress (amygdala), in order to promote food-seeking and ingestive behavior and to conserve energy output. In a stressful modern environment with ready access to calorie-dense, highly palatable foods and limited venues for activity, normal, reflexive responsiveness to these three drives makes weight gain all but inevitable. The obesity that ensues often engenders insulin resistance, which undermines the ability of normal hunger and satiety signals to accurately modulate energy intake versus expenditure. Obesity interventions that rely on cognitive information alone cannot free children from this "limbic triangle." Integrated multidisciplinary family- and community-based education, effective stress reduction, and a societal commitment to alter the food and built environments are all necessary components to battle the global obesity epidemic.

    Cover page: Childhood obesity: Adrift in the "Limbic Triangle"
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2016)

    Introduction

    Low levels of food security are associated with dyslipidemia and chronic disease in adults, particularly in women. There is a gap in knowledge about the relationship between food security among youth and dyslipidemia and chronic disease. We investigated the relationship between food security status and dyslipidemia among low-income adolescents.

    Methods

    We analyzed data from adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (N = 1,072) from households with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2010. We used logistic regression to examine the relationship between household food security status and the odds of having abnormalities with fasting total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), serum triglycerides (TGs), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), TG/HDL-C ratio, and apolipoprotein B (Apo B). Models included age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking status, partnered status in the household, and maternal education, with additional adjustment for adiposity.

    Results

    Household food security status was not associated with elevated TC or LDL-C. Adolescents with marginal food security were more likely than food-secure peers to have elevated TGs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-3.05), TG/HDL-C ratio (OR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.11-2.82), and Apo B (OR = 1.98; 95% CI, 1.17-3.36). Female adolescents with marginal food security had greater odds than male adolescents of having low HDL-C (OR = 2.69; 95% CI, 1.14-6.37). No elevated odds of dyslipidemia were found for adolescents with low or very low food security. Adjustment for adiposity did not attenuate estimates.

    Conclusion

    In this nationally representative sample, low-income adolescents living in households with marginal food security had increased odds of having a pattern consistent with atherogenic dyslipidemia, which represents a cardiometabolic burden above their risk from adiposity alone.
      Cover page: Dyslipidemia and Food Security in Low-Income US Adolescents: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003–2010
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