Mukbang and Disordered Eating: A Netnographic Analysis of Online Eating Broadcasts

Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry - Mukbang is a recent Internet phenomenon in which video recordings of hosts eating large amounts of food are streamed on an online video platform. It originated...     

Acceptability of HPV Vaccines and Associations with Perceptions Related to HPV and HPV Vaccines Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Hong Kong

HPV vaccines are available to men but there are few studies investigating the acceptability of HPV vaccines among men who have sex with men (MSM), a high risk group. We assessed the intention to take up HPV vaccines among MSM in Hong Kong and the associated factors related to cognitions on HPV and HPV vaccines, basing on the Health Belief Model (n = 542). The acceptability of HPV vaccines was 20% (unconditional on efficacies and price), 29.2% (conditional on efficacies and market price), 51.7% (conditional on efficacies and discounted price) and 79.1% (conditional on efficacies and free price). Adjusting for background variables, composite scores of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barriers and cue to actions were significantly associated with acceptability of HPV vaccines conditional on specific efficacies and the market price. Acceptability of HPV vaccines was highly price sensitive. Future studies need to use conditional measures. Implementation and translational researches are warranted.     

Dieting,Exercise, or Disordered Eating Does Not Account for Extremes of Body Weight within Families

Objective : Families having both members with obesity and thin members should contain substantial information for genetics studies, provided measured phenotype is an accurate indicator of genetic predisposition. We assessed the impact of potentially complicating behavioral factors on obesity phenotypes of family members selected for a long-term project to identify genes for human obesity. Research Methods and Procedures : Ninety-nine Caucasian families were selected for study because they contained both extremely obese and average-weight family members. Family members (n = 492) were queried about their diet and exercise habits, their psychiatric histories as they pertained to eating disorders, and for a subset of subjects (n = 329), a lifetime dieting history and a lifetime maximum weight were recorded. Results : Subjects with average body weights in these families did not appear to be maintaining their weight by dieting and <4% of the average-weight subjects had ever been obese in the past. Discussion : Although dieting and other weight loss practices potentially could either mask or complicate the genotype-phenotype relationship, we found little evidence for this possibility in the families studied.     

Excess Weight and the Risk of Incident Coronary Heart Disease Among Men and Women

Overweight and obesity have been prospectively associated with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Less clear is the relation of excess weight to risk of CHD among men and women with comorbid conditions, and the proportion of CHD risk attributable to excess weight in the US population. To assess the risk of CHD associated with excess weight among men and women with and without associated comorbid conditions, and determine the population attributable risk of CHD associated with excess weight. The study population consisted of two prospective cohorts, the Health Professionals Follow‐up Study (HPFS) (N = 42,351 men; age range at baseline, 39–75 years) and the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) (N = 76,703 women; age range at baseline, 39–65 years). A total of 2,771 incident cases of CHD among the men and 2,359 among the women were documented over the 16 years of follow‐up. Overall, the relative risk (RR) of CHD associated with BMI ≥30 kg/m² compared with BMI 18.5–22.9 kg/m² was 2.13 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.82–2.48) among the men and 2.48 (95% CI, 2.20–2.80) among the women. The risk of CHD increased with BMI, both with and without the presence of comorbid conditions. Our estimates suggest that more than a third of all incident CHD in US men and women may be attributed to excess weight. Excess weight is associated with increased risk of CHD among men and women, both alone and in combination with comorbid conditions, though the results require careful interpretation. A substantial proportion of incident CHD may be attributed to excess weight.     

Weight Control Behaviors Among Adult Men and Women: Cause for Concern?

NEUMARK-SZTAINER, DIANNE, NANCY E. SHERWOOD, SIMONE A. FRENCH, AND ROBERT W. JEFFERY. Weight control behaviors among adult men and women: cause for concern? Obes Res. Objectives To examine gender differences in weight control behaviors; their duration and the consistency of their use over a 3-year period; and variations of these behaviors by body mass index (BMI). Research Methods and Procedures The study population included 714 women and 229 men participating in a community-based weight gain prevention program who completed surveys about their weight control behaviors annually for 3 years. General dieting behaviors (e.g., current, regular, and past dieting), dietary restraint (using Restrained Eating subscale of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire), and specific weight control practices (e.g., increasing exercise, skipping meals, and taking laxatives) were assessed. Results Women were more likely than men to report weight control behaviors, with particularly strong associations found between gender and “history of dieting” (odds ratio = 8.1) and “participation in an organized weight loss program” (odds ratio = 11.7). Among both genders, exercise was the most frequently reported specific weight loss practice (66% of women and 53% of men), followed by decreasing fat intake (62% of women and 48% of men). The use of at least one unhealthy weight control behavior over the past year was reported by 22% of the women and 17% of the men. Gender differences were not found for duration of use of most of the specific weight control practices over the past year, or for consistency of general dieting behaviors and dietary restraint over time. Although both gender and BMI were strongly associated with dieting behaviors, interactions between gender and BMI on prevalence rates of dieting were not significant. Discussion Although weight control behaviors were more prevalent among women than men, in general, large gender differences were not found in the types of behaviors used and the duration and consistency of their use. The high percentages of adults using healthy methods of weight control was encouraging. However, there is still cause for concern, in that unhealthy weight control practices were also reported by a significant percentage of the population.     

Self-Reported Substantial 1-Year Weight Change Among Men and Women in the United States

Population-based data have not been readily available on relatively short-term changes in weight. Therefore, we sought to determine the nature of self-reported substantial (> 10%) weight change over one year in a representative sample of the US population which participated in the 1989 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Across all ages, a larger proportion of women than men reported both weight loss as well as weight gain of any amount (18.9% vs. 16.1% for weight loss and 20.0% vs. 16.1% for weight gain). In sex-specific logistic regression analyses, significant risk factors common to both sexes for substantial weight loss included divorced/separated marital status, smoking, increased number of blood pressure checks, increased BMI (body mass index) and increased number of bed days. Black race reduced the risk of weight loss for both men and women. Sex-specific risk factors for weight loss in men only were widowhood or never married marital status, while increasing age was a protective factor in women only. Concerning weight gain > 10% over the past year, increased number of blood pressure checks and having one or more diabetic parents were significant risk factors among both men and women; while never being married, increased age, BMI, and education exerted a protective effect in both sexes. For women only, risk factors for weight gain included black race, increased number of contacts with a health professional, and being unemployed. Intention to lose weight was associated with both weight gain and weight loss in both sexes, although it did not serve as a confounder in any of these relationships. A greater likelihood of substantial weight loss among women relative to men was diminished for persons with higher BMI, higher number of blood pressure checks, being widowed, divorced or separated, and intention to lose weight. A greater likelihood of substantial weight gain among women relative to men was diminished for persons with low BMI. The results of this cross-sectional study of weight change, involving a one-year follow-up period, generally correspond with the results obtained by longitudinal studies involving a longer follow-up.     

Caloric Restriction and Diet-Induced Weight Loss Do Not Induce Browning of Human Subcutaneous White Adipose Tissue in Women and Men with Obesity

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Influence of Methylphenidate on Eating in Obese Men

Objective: Rapid synaptic dopamine transport or reduced brain dopamine receptor signaling may influence energy intake. Methylphenidate, a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, increases brain synaptic dopamine and produces anorexia, suggesting that it may reduce energy intake. We investigated the effects of two doses of short‐acting methylphenidate on energy intake over one meal in obese adult males. Research Methods and Procedures: Nine obese males (>85th BMI percentile) ingested a placebo or a moderate dose (0.5 mg/kg) or a high dose (1.0 mg/kg) of methylphenidate in a within‐subject double‐blind acute laboratory study. One hour after ingestion, pizza consumption was measured in a naturalistic laboratory setting. Results: Participants reduced energy intake by 23% for the moderate dose vs. the placebo (p < 0.02), but there was no significant difference for the high dose vs. the moderate dose (p > 0.05). Participants consumed 34% fewer kilocalories after ingesting the lowest effective dose of methylphenidate compared with placebo (725.7 ± 404.5 vs.1095 ± 271.1 kcal, p < 0.01). Seven of nine subjects responded to the moderate dose. The increase in perceived drug effect above placebo was correlated with the reduction in energy intake for both the moderate (r = ?0.85, p = 0.004) and the high (r = ?0.75 p = 0.021) doses. Hunger scores were not different across drug doses or placebo before drug administration. Discussion: Methylphenidate reduced energy intake of a highly palatable food over one meal by one‐third in obese adult males. Dopamine transport inhibition may be an effective component of a comprehensive treatment for obesity.     

Body Size Perceptions and Eating Attitudes in Elderly Men

The majority of studies on eating attitudes, dieting and body size perceptions have focused on young adults and women. This study examined these attitudes in 334 black and white men, ages 55 to 98 years, who were members of the Charleston Heart Study cohort. Associations of the eating attitude variable with race, education and weight status were examined. Eighty-two percent of the overweight white men studied had dieted to lose weight, whereas only 49% of slimmer white men had dieted. In contrast, overweight black men did not diet more than slimmer black men. Overall black men dieted less than white men (37% reported dieting). Black men who were high school graduates were 1.3 times more likely to have dieted than were less educated black men. Overweight white men were over twice as likely as slimmer white men to feel guilty after overeating. This difference was not found in overweight versus slimmer black men. Education was not associated with measured body mass index (BMI) or perceived or ideal body size. However, there were some racial differences in these variables. White men preferred to be slightly thinner than black men (ideal BMI 25.6 vs. 26.1 kg/m²), and the difference between actual and desired BMI was 0.6 kg/m² greater in white than in black men. These results indicate that effects of race and weight status on eating restraint and body size perceptions seen in younger subjects and in women are also present, at least to some degree, in elderly men.     

利用氨基酸结构倾向性预测固有不规则蛋白质

为了降低固有不规则蛋白质预测模型中特征矩阵的稀疏性,提高预测模型的性能,提出一种利用氨基酸结构倾向性预测固有不规则蛋白质的方法.利用氨基酸结构倾向性将20种氨基酸进行分类,构建氨基酸简化集合,从间接角度提取氨基酸序列中蕴含的不规则结构特征,利用新的简化集合重新描述氨基酸序列,构建固有不规则蛋白质预测模型.预测结果表明,基于氨基酸结构倾向性的预测模型能够有效地挖掘氨基酸结构倾向性中隐藏的不规则结构特征信息,提高固有不规则蛋白质预测模型的预测精度.     

Associations of Sex Hormone Concentrations with Health and Life Satisfaction in Elderly Men

ObjectiveTo analyze associations between sex hormone concentrations and self-rated health and life satisfaction, neuropsychiatrie symptoms, or diagnosed depression or dementia in elderly men.MethodsThe study subjects were men from the community-based Lieto Study (N = 517). Subjects were excluded from the study if they were taking exogenous sex hormones or medication for prostate cancer or for benign prostatic hyperplasia or if data for calculating body mass index (BMI) were missing. Thus, 466 men (64 to 97 years old; mean age, 72 years; mean BMI, 26.9 kg/m²) remained for further analysis.ResultsAfter adjustment for age, higher levels of testosterone and free testosterone were associated with better self-rated health. After adjustment for age and BMI, no statistically significant associations were found between sex hormone levels and self-rated health or life satisfaction or most neuropsychiatric symptoms in elderly men. Diagnosed depression was associated with a lower serum testosterone concentration. Higher levels of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone were associated with diagnosed dementia.ConclusionIn this population-based study with high attendance rate, low serum testosterone concentration was associated with diagnosed depression. Subclinical hypogonadism may be associated with diagnosed dementia. Single questions on neuropsychiatric symptoms commonly associated with androgen deficiency seemed to have weak or no correlation with testosterone or free testosterone levels among this group of elderly men. (Endocr Pract. 2007;13:743-749)     

Weight Loss Expectations in Patients with Binge‐Eating Disorder

Objective: To study weight loss expectations in patients with binge‐eating disorder and to examine whether expectations differed by sex and motivation for treatment. Research Methods and Procedures: One hundred and thirty patients (104 women and 26 men), aged 23 to 61 (mean age, 43.0 years), with BED completed a measure of desired weights that included their dream weight, happy weight, acceptable weight, and disappointed weight. In a structured interview, participants were asked their primary motivation for seeking treatment (appearance or health) and their lowest adult weight (LAW). Results: The BED participants reported weight loss expectations that far exceeded expert and governmental guidelines. In this sample, desired dream body mass index (BMI), happy BMI, and acceptable BMI averaged reductions in current weight of 36%, 29%, and 23%, respectively. Even the “disappointed” BMI was an average 14% reduction in current weight, and was 1.5 to 3 times greater than the expert recommendation (5% to 10%). Comparisons of desired weights were significantly different for women and men, whereas percent reductions from current weight were not. Although weight goal expectations were significantly lower for those motivated by appearance, compared with those motivated by health, percent reductions for current weight were not. Desired dream weight correlated with reported LAW, and the mean difference between these weights was not significant. Discussion: These findings suggest that patients with BED have weight loss expectations that far exceed expert and governmental guidelines and that these expectations do not differ by sex or motivation for seeking treatment. One possible explanation for these unrealistic desired weights may be the patients’ recollections of their LAWs.     

On the Relation of Attempting to Lose Weight,Restraint, and Binge Eating in Outpatients with Binge Eating Disorder

Objective: To examine the relationship among attempts to lose weight, restraint, and eating behavior in outpatients with binge eating disorder (BED). Research Methods and Procedures: Participants were 93 consecutive outpatients evaluated for a clinical trial who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth edition criteria for BED. The Eating Disorder Examination Interview was administered to assess attempts at weight loss, restraint, different forms of overeating, and the attitudinal psychopathology of eating disorders (i.e., concerns regarding eating, shape, and weight). In addition, the Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire was used to assess cognitive restraint, hunger, and disinhibition. Psychometrically established measures were given to assess body dissatisfaction, depression, and self‐esteem. Results: The majority of participants (75.3%; N = 70) reported attempting to lose weight, but only 37.6% (N = 35) reported dietary restraint on at least half the days of the month. Dietary restraint and cognitive restraint were not associated with any form of binge eating or overeating. Dietary restraint and cognitive restraint were positively correlated with weight concern, shape concern, and body dissatisfaction, and negatively correlated with body mass index. To further examine the interplay between attempting to lose weight and restraint, three study groups were created: unrestrained nonattempters (21.5%, N = 20), unrestrained attempters (40.9%; N = 38), and restrained attempters (34.4%; N = 32). The three groups did not differ significantly on binge eating or other eating behaviors; however, significant differences were observed for weight concern, shape concern, and body dissatisfaction. Discussion: Attempts to lose weight and restraint are not synonymous for patients with BED. Although 75.3% of BED patients reported that they were attempting to lose weight, only 37.6% reported dietary restraint on at least half the days of the previous month. While restraint was negatively associated with body mass index, it was not related to binge eating or overeating. Our findings raise questions about prevailing models that posit restraint as a predominant factor in the maintenance of binge eating in BED.     

Overweight People Have Low Levels of Implicit Weight Bias,but Overweight Nations Have High Levels of Implicit Weight Bias

Although a greater degree of personal obesity is associated with weaker negativity toward overweight people on both explicit (i.e., self-report) and implicit (i.e., indirect behavioral) measures, overweight people still prefer thin people on average. We investigated whether the national and cultural context – particularly the national prevalence of obesity – predicts attitudes toward overweight people independent of personal identity and weight status. Data were collected from a total sample of 338,121 citizens from 71 nations in 22 different languages on the Project Implicit website (https://implicit.harvard.edu/) between May 2006 and October 2010. We investigated the relationship of the explicit and implicit weight bias with the obesity both at the individual (i.e., across individuals) and national (i.e., across nations) level. Explicit weight bias was assessed with self-reported preference between overweight and thin people; implicit weight bias was measured with the Implicit Association Test (IAT). The national estimates of explicit and implicit weight bias were obtained by averaging the individual scores for each nation. Obesity at the individual level was defined as Body Mass Index (BMI) scores, whereas obesity at the national level was defined as three national weight indicators (national BMI, national percentage of overweight and underweight people) obtained from publicly available databases. Across individuals, greater degree of obesity was associated with weaker implicit negativity toward overweight people compared to thin people. Across nations, in contrast, a greater degree of national obesity was associated with stronger implicit negativity toward overweight people compared to thin people. This result indicates a different relationship between obesity and implicit weight bias at the individual and national levels.     

Sleep Disordered Breathing,Fatigue, and Sleepiness in HIV-Infected and -Uninfected Men

Study Objectives

We investigated the association of HIV infection and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with sleep disordered breathing (SDB), fatigue, and sleepiness.

Methods

HIV-uninfected men (HIV−; n = 60), HIV-infected men using HAART (HIV+/HAART+; n = 58), and HIV-infected men not using HAART (HIV+/HAART−; n = 41) recruited from two sites of the Multicenter AIDS cohort study (MACS) underwent a nocturnal sleep study, anthropometric assessment, and questionnaires for fatigue and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. The prevalence of SDB in HIV- men was compared to that in men matched from the Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS).

Results

The prevalence of SDB was unexpectedly high in all groups: 86.7% for HIV−, 70.7% for HIV+/HAART+, and 73.2% for HIV+/HAART−, despite lower body-mass indices (BMI) in HIV+ groups. The higher prevalence in the HIV− men was significant in univariate analyses but not after adjustment for BMI and other variables. SDB was significantly more common in HIV− men in this study than those in SHHS, and was common in participants with BMIs <25 kg/m². HIV+ men reported fatigue more frequently than HIV− men (25.5% vs. 6.7%; p = 0.003), but self-reported sleepiness did not differ among the three groups. Sleepiness, but not fatigue, was significantly associated with SDB.

Conclusions

SDB was highly prevalent in HIV− and HIV+ men, despite a normal or slightly elevated BMI. The high rate of SDB in men who have sex with men deserves further investigation. Sleepiness, but not fatigue, was related to the presence of SDB. Clinicians caring for HIV-infected patients should distinguish between fatigue and sleepiness when considering those at risk for SDB, especially in non-obese men.     

Association of Trauma-Related Disorders and Dissociation with Four Idioms of Distress Among Latino Psychiatric Outpatients

Past research on idioms of distress among U.S. Latinos has revealed that ataque de nervios and altered perceptions, such as hearing and seeing things when alone, are independent markers of higher morbidity and mental health utilization despite having no one-to-one relationships with any single psychiatric diagnosis. It has been proposed that the idioms exert this effect because they are signs of distressing dissociative capacity associated with traumatic exposure. This study examines the relationships in an ethnically diverse Latino psychiatric outpatient sample (N = 230) among interpersonal trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder, dissociative capacity and four cultural idioms of distress associated with the popular overall category of nervios. We particularly explore how these relationships change with varied measures of traumatic exposure, including trauma severity and timing or persistence of trauma. A series of adjusted bivariate regressions assessed the matrix of associations between the idioms and the clinical variables. In this highly traumatized population, we identified a strong ‘nexus’ of associations between dissociation and three of the idioms: currently being ill with nerves, ataque de nervios and altered perceptions. These idioms were largely independent from PTSD and depression and were associated with trauma persistence and severity. A fourth idiom, being nervous since childhood, was not associated with any other variable and may represent a personality trait rather than a diagnosable condition. Our results validate the clinical utility of the construct of nervios as a set of specific idioms associated with dissociation that are useful markers of mental health need among Latinos independently of their association with clinical diagnoses.