Total and Central Obesity among Elderly Hispanics and the Association with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: To report the prevalence of total and central obesity in a representative sample of Puerto Rican and Dominican elders in Massachusetts, to compare them with a neighborhood‐based group of non‐Hispanic white elders, and to examine associations of obesity indices with the presence of type 2 diabetes. Research Methods and Procedures: We examined the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and central obesity in 596 Hispanics of Caribbean origin, ages 60 to 92 years, and 239 non‐Hispanic whites, and tested linear and logistic regression models to determine associations among body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and diabetes. Results: Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) was prevalent among all ethnic groups, ranging from 17% to 29% for Dominican and Puerto Rican men, respectively, and from 29% to 40% for non‐Hispanic white and Dominican women, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. Among Hispanic men and women, diabetes was prevalent across all BMI and WC categories but tended to be greatest among those with BMI of 25 to 29 kg/m² (41% to 43%). In contrast, diabetes was most prevalent in the obese group (36% to 45%) of non‐Hispanic whites. Both BMI and WC were associated with the presence of diabetes, but the coefficients were greater for non‐Hispanic whites than for Hispanics. Discussion: Caribbean Hispanics and non‐Hispanic whites living in the same Massachusetts localities had high prevalences of overweight and obesity. Total and central obesity exerted a differential effect on the presence of diabetes among ethnic groups; for Hispanics, diabetes was prevalent even among non‐obese individuals, whereas for non‐Hispanic white women, the prevalence of diabetes was strongly associated with total and central obesity. Additional research is needed to investigate the factors associated with the differential effect of obesity on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Hispanic and non‐Hispanic white elders.     

Frequency of family dinner and adolescent body weight status: evidence from the national longitudinal survey of youth, 1997

Objective: To explore associations between overweight status and the frequency of family dinners (FFD) for adolescents and how those associations differ across race and ethnicity. Research Methods and Procedures: A sample of 5014 respondents between 12 and 15 years of age from the 1997 wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) was used. BMI was calculated using self‐reported height and weight; 13.3% of respondents qualified as overweight, 16.4% qualified as at‐risk‐of‐overweight, and 1.9% qualified as underweight. The remainder were normal weight. FFD was defined as the number of times respondents had dinner with their families in a typical week in the past year. Multinomial logistic regression models were estimated separately for non‐Hispanic whites vs. blacks and Hispanics for odds of belonging to the other weight categories compared with normal weight. A supplementary longitudinal analysis estimated the odds of change in overweight status between 1997 and 2000. Results: In 1997, the FFD distribution was as follows: 0, 8.3%; 1 or 2, 7.3%; 3 or 4, 13.4%; 5 or 6, 28.1%; 7, 42%. For whites, higher FFD was associated with reduced odds of being overweight in 1997, reduced odds of becoming overweight, and increased odds of ceasing to be overweight by 2000. No such associations were found for blacks and Hispanics. Discussion: Reasons for racial and ethnic differences in the relationship between FFD and overweight may include differences in the types and portions of food consumed at family meals. More research is needed to verify this.     

Higher post-absorptive skeletal muscle LPL activity in African American vs. non-Hispanic White pre-menopausal women

Objective: Higher post‐absorptive post‐heparin plasma lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity has been reported in African Americans as compared to non‐Hispanic whites but differences in tissue‐specific LPL activity are unclear. Methods and Procedures: Post‐absorptive skeletal muscle (SM)‐LPL (vastus lateralis) and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (AT)‐LPL activity was measured in overweight, sedentary African American females (n = 11) as well as in their non‐Hispanic white counterparts (n = 6) during a period of controlled low fat (30%) diet (for 10 days) combined with physical activity (for days 8–10). Post‐absorptive substrate utilization was measured on day 10; fasting blood levels and SM and AT biopsies were obtained on day 11. Results: African Americans had significantly greater post‐absorptive SM‐LPL activity (P = 0.04) when compared to non‐Hispanic whites. There were no significant differences in post‐absorptive AT‐LPL activity, free fatty acids, and systemic fat oxidation or respiratory quotient between African American and white non‐Hispanic women in this study (P > 0.2 for all). Discussion: During a controlled low fat (30%) diet post‐absorptive vastus lateralis SM‐LPL activity is higher in sedentary pre‐menopausal African American as compared to non‐Hispanic white women.     

Ethnic group differences in cardiometabolic disease risk factors independent of body mass index among American youth

Objective: The purpose of this analysis was to identify any ethnic group differences in the prevalence of cardiometabolic disease risk factors independent of BMI in United States youth. Design and Methods: Data on 3,510 boys and girls aged 8‐11 years from the 1999‐2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed to determine the prevalence of 1 or ≥3 cardiometabolic disease risk factors: abnormal waist circumference and systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), increased concentrations of fasting triglyceride, and decreased concentrations of high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol before and after adjusting for BMI. Results: Abnormal waist circumference and HDL‐cholesterol significantly differed by ethnic group before and after adjusting for BMI (P < 0.01). Non‐Hispanic blacks were significantly less likely to have abnormal HDL‐cholesterol concentrations than were Hispanics and non‐Hispanic whites, but non‐Hispanic whites were significantly more likely to have elevated triglycerides and three or more abnormal cardiometabolic risk factors than non‐Hispanic blacks. Conclusion: These findings point to ethnic group disparities not related to BMI alone, even in children as young as 8‐11 years. Programs to prevent and treat eventual cardiometabolic disease in children could be tailored for specific ethnic backgrounds as a result.     

Hispanic and Asian pubertal girls have higher android/gynoid fat ratio than whites

Objective: To examine differences in body size, composition, and distribution of body fat among Hispanic, white, and Asian adolescents. Research Methods and Procedures: This included cross‐sectional data from the baseline sample of the Adequate Calcium Today trial. Participants included 180 Asian, 234 Hispanic, and 325 white girls 11.8 ± 0.05 years of age from Arizona, California, Hawaii, Indiana, Ohio, and Nevada. Anthropometric and DXA measurements (Lunar Prodigy) were standardized across sites. Tanner pubertal stage was self‐selected from line drawings. Physical activity was assessed by a validated questionnaire. Comparisons between ethnic groups were examined using contrasts in the context of a general linear model. Results: Controlling for pubertal stage and study site only, Asians weighed less than Hispanics and were shorter than Hispanics and whites. Controlling for pubertal stage, height, weight, and study site, Asians had shorter leg lengths, smaller waist circumference, longer trunk lengths, more lean mass, less total fat mass, and less gynoid fat mass than Hispanics and whites; Asians had larger bitrochanteric width than whites; Asians had smaller DXA‐derived android fat mass than Hispanics; and whites had smaller mean android/gynoid fat ratio than Hispanics. However, whites had a smaller android/gynoid fat ratio than both Asians and Hispanics in a model that adjusted for ethnicity, pubertal stage, bitrochanteric width, waist circumference, trunk length, log of physical activity, and study site, which explained 77% of the variation. Discussion: Ethnic differences in fat distribution are partially explained by differences in skeletal dimensions.     

Self-Reported Cancer Prevalence among Hispanics in the US: Results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death among Hispanics in the U.S., yet data on cancer prevalence and risk factors in Hispanics in regard to ancestry remain scarce. This study sought to describe (a) the prevalence of cancer among Hispanics from four major U.S. metropolitan areas, (b) cancer prevalence across Hispanic ancestry, and (c) identify correlates of self-reported cancer prevalence. Participants were 16,415 individuals from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), who self-identified as Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central or South American. All data were collected at a single time point during the HCHS/SOL baseline clinic visit. The overall self-reported prevalence rate of cancer for the population was 4%. The rates varied by Hispanic ancestry group, with individuals of Cuban and Puerto Rican ancestry reporting the highest cancer prevalence. For the entire population, older age (OR = 1.47, p < .001, 95% CI, 1.26–1.71) and having health insurance (OR = 1.93, p < .001, 95% CI, 1.42–2.62) were all significantly associated with greater prevalence, whereas male sex was associated with lower prevalence (OR = 0.56, p < .01, 95% CI, .40-.79). Associations between study covariates and cancer prevalence also varied by Hispanic ancestry. Findings underscore the importance of sociodemographic factors and health insurance in relation to cancer prevalence for Hispanics and highlight variations in cancer prevalence across Hispanic ancestry groups. Characterizing differences in cancer prevalence rates and their correlates is critical to the development and implementation of effective prevention strategies across distinct Hispanic ancestry groups.     

Percent Body Fat and Lean Mass Explain the Gender Difference in Leptin: Analysis and Interpretation of Leptin in Hispanic and Non‐Hispanic White Adults

Objective: To reassess the relationship between body fat and fasting leptin concentrations comparing plasma vs. serum assessments of leptin; ratios vs. regression adjustment for body composition; fat and lean mass vs. percent body fat; and gender‐, ethnic‐, and age‐related variations. Research Methods and Procedures: Subjects included 766 adults from the nondiabetic cohort of the San Luis Valley Diabetes Study examined at follow up (1997 to 1998). Body composition was determined by dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Leptin concentrations were determined after an overnight fast. Results: Fasting serum and plasma assessments of leptin were correlated with percent body fat to the same degree. Women had significantly higher serum leptin concentrations than men when leptin concentrations were divided by body mass index, fat mass in kilograms or percent body fat. The methodological problem inherent in interpreting these ratio measures is pictorially demonstrated. In regression analysis, fat mass alone did not explain the gender difference. However, lean body mass was inversely related to leptin concentrations (p < 0.0001) and explained 71% of the gender difference at a given fat mass. Percent body fat explained all of the gender difference in leptin concentrations in both Hispanics and non‐Hispanic whites. Similar to findings about gender differences, ethnic‐ and age‐related variations in the leptin‐body fat association were minimized when percent body fat was employed as the body fat measure. Discussion: Regression analysis and percent body fat measured with dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry are recommended when assessing the relationship between leptin and body fat. Gender differences in leptin concentrations were accounted for by percent body fat in free living (no diet control), Hispanic and non‐Hispanic white adults.     

Genome‐wide Association Study and Follow‐up Analysis of Adiposity Traits in Hispanic Americans: The IRAS Family Study

We investigated candidate genomic regions associated with computed tomography (CT)–derived measures of adiposity in Hispanics from the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study Family Study (IRASFS). In 1,190 Hispanic individuals from 92 families 3 from the San Luis Valley, Colorado and San Antonio, Texas, we measured CT‐derived visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and visceral:subcutaneous ratio (VSR). A genome‐wide association study (GWAS) was completed using the Illumina HumanHap 300 BeadChip (～317K single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) in 229 individuals from the San Antonio site (stage 1). In total, 297 SNPs with evidence for association with VAT, SAT, or VSR, adjusting for age and sex (P < 0.001), were genotyped in the remaining 961 Hispanic samples. The entire Hispanic cohort (n = 1,190) was then tested for association, adjusting for age, sex, site of recruitment, and admixture estimates (stage 2). In stage 3, additional SNPs were genotyped in four genic regions showing evidence of association in stage 2. Several SNPs were associated in the GWAS (P < 1 × 10^?5) and were confirmed to be significantly associated in the entire Hispanic cohort (P < 0.01), including: rs7543757 for VAT, rs4754373 and rs11212913 for SAT, and rs4541696 and rs4134351 for VSR. Numerous SNPs were associated with multiple adiposity phenotypes. Targeted analysis of four genes whose SNPs were significant in stage 2 suggests candidate genes for influencing the distribution (RGS6) and amount of adiposity (NGEF). Several candidate loci, including RGS6 and NGEF, are associated with CT‐derived adipose fat measures in Hispanic Americans in a three‐stage genetic association study.     

Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes Comorbidity in Adults in the United States: Risk of Overall and Regional Adiposity

Objective: To evaluate the impact of generalized, abdominal, and truncal fat deposits on the risk of hypertension and/or diabetes and to determine whether ethnic differences in these fat patterns are independently associated with increased risk for the hypertension–diabetes comorbidity (HDC). Research Methods and Procedures: Data (n = 7075) from the Third U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used for this investigation. To assess risks of hypertension and/or diabetes that were due to different fat patterns, odds ratios of men and women with various cut‐points of adiposities were compared with normal subjects in logistic regression models, adjusting for age, smoking, and alcohol intake. To evaluate the contribution of ethnic differences in obesity to the risks of HDC, we compared blacks and Hispanics with whites. Results: Generalized and abdominal obesities were independently associated with increased risk of hypertension, diabetes and HDC in white, black, and Hispanic men and women. The risk of HDC due to generalized, truncal, and abdominal obesities tended to be higher in whites than blacks and Hispanics. In men, the contribution of black and Hispanic ethnicities to the increased risk of HDC due to the various obesity phenotypes was ～73% and ～61%, respectively. The corresponding values for black and Hispanic women were ～115% and ～125%, respectively. Conclusions: In addition to advocating behavioral lifestyles to curb the epidemic of obesity among at‐risk populations in the United States, there is also the need for primary health care practitioners to craft their advice to the degree and type of obesity in these at‐risk groups.     

The Mediating Role of Sleep Quality and Quantity in the Link Between Food Insecurity and Obesity Across Race and Ethnicity

Objective

The objective of the study was to examine the mediating role of sleep quality and quantity in the relationship between food insecurity and obesity across races/ethnicities.

Methods

Bivariate negative binomial regression and multinomial logistic regression were used to examine direct associations between food insecurity and sleep quality and quantity among non‐Hispanic Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders (NHPI) relative to non‐Hispanic White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic individuals with obesity. The potential outcomes approach and adjusted Wald test were used to explore the mediating role of sleep quality and quantity and the moderating role of race/ethnicity, respectively.

Results

Among adults with obesity, the study found a positive and direct relationship between food insecurity and trouble falling asleep in each racial/ethnic group. Trouble staying asleep was associated with food insecurity in each racial/ethnic group, except in the Asian group. Positive and direct associations were observed between food insecurity and short/very short sleep. A positive and direct relationship was found between food insecurity and having obesity in each racial/ethnic group, except in the Black group. Sleep quality and sleep quantity partially mediated the relationship between food insecurity and obesity in non‐Hispanic NHPI, White, Asian, and Hispanic individuals. Race/ethnicity moderated the indirect effects of food insecurity on sleep quality and quantity.

Conclusions

Food security and sleep hygiene should be an integral part of the fight against obesity.

     

Food web structure of aphids and their parasitoids in Belgian fruit agroecosystems

Community structures of aphids and their parasitoids were studied in fruit crop habitats of eastern Belgium in 2014 and 2015. Quantitative food webs of these insects were constructed separately for each year, and divided into subwebs on three host‐plant categories, fruit crop plants, non‐crop woody and shrub plants and non‐crop herbaceous plants. The webs were analyzed using the standard food web statistics designed for binary data. During the whole study period, 78 plant species were recorded as host plants of 71 aphid species, from which 48 parasitoid species emerged. The community structure, aphid / parasitoid species‐richness ratio and trophic link number varied between the two years, whereas the realized connectance between parasitoids and aphids was relatively constant. A new plant–aphid–parasitoid association for Europe was recorded. Dominant parasitoid species in the study sites were Ephedrus persicae, Binodoxys angelicae and Praon volucre: the first species was frequently observed on non‐crop trees and shrubs, but the other two on non‐crop herbaceous plants. The potential influence, through indirect interactions, of parasitoids on aphid communities was assessed with quantitative parasitoid‐overlap diagrams. Symmetrical links were uncommon, and abundant aphid species seemed to have large indirect effects on less abundant species. These results show that trophic indirect interactions through parasitoids may govern aphid populations in fruit crop habitats with various non‐crop plants, implying the importance for landscape management and biological control of aphid pests in fruit agroecosystems.     

Si Dios Quiere: Hispanic families' experiences of caring for a seriously mentally ill family member

Among Hispanics, the family is viewed as the primary care giver for seriously mentally ill family members. This paper reports on a study of minority families' conceptions of serious mental illness, of their interaction with mental health resources, and on the burdens experienced by families in caring for a seriously mentally ill family member. The focus of this paper is on Hispanic families in New Jersey, with some comparative data from other ethnic group families. Families' conceptions of serious mental illness are explored and analyzed to demonstrate the importance of concepts of nervios and fallo mental in shaping families' responses to their ill family member. Social support systems for families are also explored with particular attention to the role of religious institutions and religious healing as a major source of solace.     

Trends and Disparities in Provider Diagnosis of Overweight Analysis of NHANES 1999–2004

Rates of overweight and obesity are disproportionately high within minority populations. This study examined the trends in provider diagnosis of overweight from 1999 to 2004 and examined whether there were differences in provider diagnosis based on race/ethnicity. We examined data from 4,071 adults with BMI ≥30 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (1999–2004). Provider diagnosis was determined by self‐report. From 1999 to 2004, the provider diagnosis of overweight decreased from 71 to 64% (P = 0.003). After controlling for potential confounders, non‐Hispanic blacks and Mexican Americans were less likely to report a provider diagnosis of overweight compared to non‐Hispanic whites. Odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) for non‐Hispanic blacks was 0.6 (95% CI, 0.4–0.8) and for Mexican Americans was 0.7 (95% CI, 0.4–1.0) compared to non‐Hispanic whites. Reasons for this disparity warrant further investigation.     

Parental Weight Status and Girls’ Television Viewing,Snacking, and Body Mass Indexes

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether television viewing (TVV) provides a context for patterns of snacking fostering overweight in young girls from overweight and non‐overweight families. Research Methods and Procedures: Participants were 173 non‐Hispanic white girls and their parents from central Pennsylvania, assessed longitudinally when girls were 5, 7, and 9 years old. Path analysis was used to test patterns of relationships among girls’ TVV, snacking while watching television, snacking frequency, fat intake from energy‐dense snack food, and girls’ increase in body mass index (BMI) from age 5 to 9. Results: In both overweight and non‐overweight families, girls who watched more television consumed more snacks in front of the television. In families where neither parent was overweight, television viewing was the only significant predictor of girls’ increase in BMI. In families where one or both parents were overweight, girls who watched more television snacked more frequently, and girls who snacked more frequently had higher intakes of fat from energy‐dense snacks, which predicted their increase in BMI from age 5 to 9. TVV did not directly predict girls’ increase in BMI in girls from overweight families. Discussion: The results of this study support and extend previous findings that have shown that excessive television viewing and snacking patterns are risk factors for the development of overweight in children; however, patterns of relationships may differ based on parental weight status. For overweight families, TVV may provide a context for excessive snack consumption, in addition to inactivity.     

Racial Differences in Urinary F2‐Isoprostane Levels and the Cross‐Sectional Association With bmi

Levels of four urinary F₂‐isoprostanes (F₂‐IsoPs) were examined in a large sample of the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS) multiethnic cohort: 237 African Americans (AAs), 342 non‐Hispanic whites (NHWs), and 275 Hispanic whites (HWs). F₂‐IsoP isomers — iPF2a‐III, 2,3‐dinor‐iPF2a‐III, iPF2a‐VI, and 8,12‐iso‐iPF2a‐VI — were measured in 854 urine samples using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. In AAs, levels of all four F₂‐IsoPs were lower compared with NHWs and HWs (P values <0.05). When stratified by BMI, this gap was not observed among participants with normal BMI but appeared among overweight participants and increased among obese participants. Examining the slopes of the associations between BMI and F₂‐IsoPs showed no association between these variables among AAs (P values >0.2), and positive associations among whites (P values <0.05). Taking into account that positive cross‐sectional associations between systemic F₂‐IsoP levels and BMI have been consistently demonstrated in many study populations, the lack of such an association among AAs reveals a new facet of racial/ethnic differences in obesity‐related risk profiles.     

Developmental Trajectories of Girls' BMI Across Childhood and Adolescence

This study describes qualitatively distinct trajectories of BMI change among girls participating in a longitudinal study of non‐Hispanic, white girls (n = 182) and their parents, assessed at daughters' ages 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 years. Height, weight, body fat, fasting blood glucose and lipids, blood pressure, waist circumference, and pubertal status were measured, and participants self‐reported dietary, physical activity, and television (TV) viewing patterns. Growth mixture models were used to model heterogeneity in girls' BMI trajectories over 10 years. Statistical support was strongest for four distinct BMI trajectories: (i) upward percentile crossing (UPC; n = 25, 14%); (ii) delayed downward percentile crossing (DDPC; n = 37, 20%); (iii) 60th percentile tracking (60PT; n = 52, 29%); and (iv) 50th percentile tracking (50PT; n = 68, 37%). Girls in the UPC group had more metabolic risk factors at age 15 years, even after adjusting for concurrent weight status. Girls in the UPC group had mothers with the highest BMIs at study entry and were breast‐fed for a shorter duration. This novel approach for examining differences in growth trajectories revealed four distinct BMI trajectories that predicted adolescent metabolic health outcomes in girls. The present study provides support for BMI monitoring in girls and for the potential utility of combining data on BMI tracking with data on familial characteristics for the early identification of girls at elevated risk for obesity and metabolic syndrome.     

Variations in BMI and Prevalence of Health Risks in Diverse Racial and Ethnic Populations

When examining health risks associated with the BMI, investigators often rely on the customary BMI thresholds of the 1995 World Health Organization report. However, within‐interval variations in morbidity and mortality can be substantial, and the thresholds do not necessarily correspond to identifiable risk increases. Comparing the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD), asthma, and arthritis among non‐Hispanic whites, blacks, East Asians and Hispanics, we examine differences in the BMI‐health‐risk relationships for small BMI increments. The analysis is based on 11 years of data of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), with a sample size of 337,375 for the combined 1997–2007 Sample Adult. The analysis uses multivariate logistic regression models, employing a nonparametric approach to modeling the BMI‐health‐risk relationship, while relying on narrowly defined BMI categories. Rising BMI levels are associated with higher levels of chronic disease burdens in four major racial and ethnic groups, even after adjusting for many socio‐demographic characteristics and three important health‐related behaviors (smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption). For all population groups, except East Asians, a modestly higher disease risk was noted for persons with a BMI <20 compared with persons with BMI in the range of 20–21. Using five chronic conditions as risk criteria, a categorization of the BMI into normal weight, overweight, or obesity appears arbitrary. Although the prevalence of disease risks differs among racial and ethnic groups regardless of BMI levels, the evidence presented here does not support the notion that the BMI‐health‐risk profile of East Asians and others warrants race‐specific BMI cutoff points.     

Self-reported comorbidities among self-described overweight African-American and Hispanic adults in the United States: results of a national survey

Objective: To examine the concordance between self‐described weight status and BMI, the prevalence of self‐reported comorbidities, and the association between comorbidities and self‐rated health among overweight African‐American and Hispanic US adults. Methods and Procedures: A nationally representative sample of 537 African‐American and 526 Hispanic adults who were identified using a combination of random digit dialing and listed household sampling and self‐described as being slightly or very overweight participated in a telephone interview. Self‐reported height and weight were used to calculate BMI. Results: More than half of African Americans (56%) and one‐third of Hispanics (34%) who self‐described as “slightly” overweight would be classified as obese based on BMI. One‐third (33%) of African Americans reported high blood pressure, followed by arthritis (20%), high cholesterol (18%), and diabetes (15%). Among Hispanics, high cholesterol was the most frequently reported comorbidity (17%), followed by high blood pressure (15%), and difficulty sleeping (12%). Almost three‐quarters of African Americans surveyed (72%) reported that their overall health was good to excellent compared to 62% for Hispanics. Discussion: Self‐reported rates of obesity‐related comorbidities fall below what would be expected based on prevalence data derived from physiologic measures, suggesting a lack of awareness of actual risk. Despite the greater self‐reported prevalence of certain risk factors for poor health, African Americans have a more optimistic view of their overall health and weight status compared to Hispanics. Physicians have an important opportunity to communicate to their minority patients the serious health consequences associated with excess weight.     

Columnar cacti as sources of energy and protein for frugivorous bats in a semi‐arid ecosystem

Columnar cacti constitute the dominant elements in the vegetation structure of arid and semi‐arid New World ecosystems representing a plethora of food resources for vertebrate consumers. Previous stable isotope analysis in Central Mexico showed that columnar cacti are of low importance to build tissue for frugivorous bats. We used carbon stable isotope analysis of whole blood and breath samples collected from four species of frugivorous bats (Sturnira parvidens, Sturnira ludovici, Artibeus jamaicensis, and Artibeus intermedius) to reconstruct the importance of cactus plants in their diet. Breath samples were collected within 10 min (B₁₀) of bat capture and ~12 h after capture (B₇₂₀), representing the oxidation of recently ingested food and of body reserves, respectively. We expected that bats relied primarily on non‐cactus food to construct tissues and fuel oxidative metabolism. Non‐cactus food strongly predominated for tissue building, whereas oxidative metabolism was supported by a moderate preponderance of non‐cactus food for B₁₀ samples, and a moderate preponderance of cactus food or an equal contribution of both sources for B₇₂₀ samples. Artibeus and Surnira species appear to cover a narrow part of the diet with cactus food, confirming that the incorporation of nutrients derived from these plants is not generalized among vertebrate consumers.     

Assimilation of carbon and nitrogen from pollen and nectar by a predaceous larva and its effects on growth and development

Abstract. 1. Predaceous insects may benefit from feeding on non‐prey foods, such as pollen, nectar, and honeydew, because they can provide nutrients that help maintain metabolism and enhance overall nutrient intake. Yet, the extent to which predaceous insects can assimilate non‐prey food and the importance of diet mixing during particular life history stages is poorly understood. In this study the relative contribution of an omnivorous diet to the growth and survivorship of a predaceous larva was tested in a hypothetical situation in which nutritionally optimal prey was not available. The study system comprised a predaceous larva (second‐ and third‐instar larvae of the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea), nutritionally poor prey (larvae of Drosophila melanogaster), and non‐prey food (pollen suspension, a mixture of bee pollen and artificial nectar (1 M sucrose solution)). Chrysoperla carnea larvae in the mixed diet treatment were provided with both Drosophila larvae and pollen suspension, while those reared on the prey and non‐prey diet treatments received only Drosophila larvae or pollen suspension respectively. 2. The inclusion of pollen and sucrose in their diet enhanced the growth of C. carnea larvae. Second instars reared on the mixed diet developed significantly faster than their cohorts reared on the prey diet, however third instars reared on the mixed diet did not develop faster than their cohorts reared on the prey diet. Larvae reared on the mixed diet became larger adults than did those reared on either the prey or non‐prey diets. Third instars reared on the non‐prey diet completed their development while second instars in the non‐prey diet treatment failed to pupate. 3. Stable isotope analysis indicated that the larvae obtained most of their carbon (55–73%) and nitrogen (71–73%) from Drosophila but acquired only a minor amount of carbon (2–5%) and nitrogen (3–11%) from pollen. Larvae reared on the mixed and non‐prey diets acquired a relatively significant amount of carbon (23–51%) from sucrose. 4. A model, which included a novel fractionation factor to account for the isotopic effect of metamorphosis, was developed to explain the proportion of larval growth attributable to each diet item. It explained the adult δ¹³C values to within 0.2‰ and adult δ¹⁵N values to within 0.7‰ in all treatments. 5. Adults fed ¹⁵N‐labelled pollen as larvae retained the ¹⁵N signal of the pollen as adults. 6. The collective results of this study support the view that, despite their dependence on prey arthropods to obtain most of their dietary nitrogen, omnivorous lacewing larvae can enhance their growth and development by supplementing their diets with alternative non‐prey food resources. This finding is consistent with the notion that omnivory has evolved as a feeding strategy to acquire both additional nitrogen as well as trace nutrients.