Browsing by Author "Blanco, Estela"

Now showing 1 - 13 of 13
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Adjusting Ferritin Concentrations for Nonclinical Inflammation in Adolescents with Overweight or Obesity
    (2022) Pompano, Laura M.; Correa-Burrows, Paulina; Burrows, Raquel; Blanco, Estela; Lozoff, Betsy; Gahagan, Sheila
    Objective To compare approaches for adjusting serum ferritin concentrations for inflammation in Chilean adolescents with overweight and obesity.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Association of fasting orexin-A levels with energy intake at breakfast and subsequent snack in Chilean adolescents
    (2022) Lanuza, Fabian; Reyes, Marcela; Blanco, Estela; Burrows, Raquel; Peirano, Patricio; Algarin, Cecilia; Merono, Tomas; Gahagan, Sheila
    Orexin-A, a hormone secreted by orexin neurons, is involved in caloric-intake regulation. Current understanding is based primarily on animal studies. Studies of orexin in humans are scarce, and to our knowledge there are no prior studies in adolescents. We studied fasting Orexin-A levels related to energy intake at breakfast and a subsequent snack in adolescents (n = 668) from a longitudinal study in Chile. Body-Mass Index (BMI), components of the metabolic syndrome and fasting blood levels of leptin, insulin, ghrelin, and orexin-A were measured. Energy intake was calculated based on food weights before and after the standardized breakfast and subsequent snack. High energy intake was defined as = 75th percentile. We assessed the relationship between orexin-A and high energy intake, adjusting for confounders. Higher orexin levels were associated with high breakfast energy intake (OR: 1.21; 95%CI: 0.98-1.49). Conversely, those with higher orexin levels showed a nonsignificant trend for lower odds of high energy intake for the snack (OR: 0.87; 95%CI: 0.70-1.07). There was a significant interaction between high breakfast energy intake and orexin levels. Those who ate more calories at breakfast displayed a lower inhibitory effect of orexin on eating at the snack (p < 0.05). There was no significant interaction between weight status and orexin. In conclusion, orexin-A levels were associated with breakfast energy intake and inversely related with subsequent snack energy intake in participants whose caloric intake at breakfast was within the normal range. Based on these findings, it appears that the association of orexin-A with energy intake depends on eating behavior.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Association of fasting Orexin-A levels with energy intake at breakfast and subsequent snack in Chilean adolescents
    (2022) Rilling, Fabian Lanuza; Reyes, Marcela; Blanco, Estela; Burrows, Raquel; Peirano, Patricio; Algarin, Cecilia; Merono, Tomas; Gahagan, Sheila
    Orexin-A, a hormone secreted by orexin neurons, is involved in caloric-intake regulation. Current understanding is based primarily on animal studies. Studies of orexin in humans are scarce, and to our knowledge there are no prior studies in adolescents. We studied fasting Orexin-A levels related to energy intake at breakfast and a subsequent snack in adolescents (n = 668) from a longitudinal study in Chile. Body-Mass Index (BMI), components of the metabolic syndrome and fasting blood levels of leptin, insulin, ghrelin, and orexin-A were measured. Energy intake was calculated based on food weights before and after the standardized breakfast and subsequent snack. High energy intake was defined as = 75th percentile. We assessed the relationship between orexin-A and high energy intake, adjusting for confounders. Higher orexin levels were associated with high breakfast energy intake (OR: 1.21; 95%CI: 0.98-1.49). Conversely, those with higher orexin levels showed a non-significant trend for lower odds of high energy intake for the snack (OR: 0.87; 95%CI: 0.70-1.07). There was a significant interaction between high breakfast energy intake and orexin levels. Those who ate more calories at breakfast displayed a lower inhibitory effect of orexin on eating at the snack (p < 0.05). There was no significant interaction between weight status and orexin. In conclusion, orexin-A levels were associated with breakfast energy intake and inversely related with subsequent snack energy intake in participants whose caloric intake at breakfast was within the normal range. Based on these findings, it appears that the association of orexin-A with energy intake depends on eating behavior.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Dynamic relationships between body fat and circulating adipokine levels from adolescence to young adulthood: The Santiago Longitudinal Study
    (2022) Kim, Daeeun; Howard, Annie Green; Blanco, Estela; Burrows, Raquel; Correa-Burrows, Paulina; Memili, Aylin; Albala, Cecilia; Santos, Jose L.; Angel, Barbara; Lozoff, Betsy; Justice, Anne E.; Gordon-Larsen, Penny; Gahagan, Sheila; North, Kari E.
    Background and aims: Adipose tissue secretes adipokines such as adiponectin and leptin, playing important roles in energy metabolism. The longitudinal associations between such adipokines and body fat accumulation have not been established, especially during adolescence and young adulthood and in diverse populations. The study aims to assess the longitudinal association between body fat measured with dual X-ray absorptiometry and plasma adipokines from adolescence to young adulthood.Methods and results: Among Hispanic/Latino participants (N Z 537) aged 16.8 (SD: 0.3) years of the Santiago Longitudinal Study, we implemented structural equation modeling to estimate the sex-specific associations between adiposity (body fat percent (BF%) and proportion of trunk fat (PTF)) and adipokines (adiponectin and leptin levels) during adolescence (16 y) and these values after 6 years of follow-up (22 y). In addition, we further investigated whether the associations differed by baseline insulin resistance (IR) status. We found evidence for associations between 16 y BF% and 22 y leptin levels (0 (SE): 0.58 (0.06) for females; 0.53 (0.05) for males), between 16 y PTF and 22 y adiponectin levels (0 (SE):-0.31 (0.06) for females;-0.18 (0.06) for males) and between 16 y adiponectin levels and 22 y BF% (0 (SE): 0.12 (0.04) for both females and males). Conclusion: We observed dynamic relationships between adiposity and adipokines levels from late adolescence to young adulthood in a Hispanic/Latino population further demonstrating the importance of this period of the life course in the development of obesity. (c) 2022 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Early-life adversity is associated with poor iron status in infancy
    (2023) Reid, Brie M.; East, Patricia; Blanco, Estela; Doom, Jenalee R.; Burrows, Raquel A.; Correa-Burrows, Paulina; Lozoff, Betsy; Gahagan, Sheila
    Exposure to early-life adversity (ELA) and iron deficiency early in life are known risk factors for suboptimal brain and socioemotional development. Iron deficiency may arise from and co-occur with ELA, which could negatively affect development. In the present study, we investigated whether ELA is associated with iron deficiency in infants receiving no iron supplementation. This study is a secondary analysis of extant data collected in the 1990s; participants were healthy infants from working-class communities in Santiago, Chile (N = 534, 45.5% female). We measured stressful life events, maternal depression, and low home support for child development during infancy and assessed iron status when the infant was 12 months old. Slightly more than half of the infants were iron-deficient (51%), and 25.8% were iron-deficient anemic at 12 months. Results indicated that ELA was associated with lower iron levels and iron deficiency at 12 months. The findings are consistent with animal and human prenatal models of stress and iron status and provide evidence of the association between postnatal ELA and iron status in humans. The findings also highlight a nutritional pathway by which ELA may impact development and present a nutritionally-focused avenue for future research on ELA and psychopathology.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Eating behavior and body composition in Chilean young adults
    (2021) Pacheco, Lorena S.; Blanco, Estela; Burrows, Raquel; Correa-Burrows, Paulina; Santos Martín, José Luis; Gahagan, Sheila
    Background: Notable weight gain is observed during young adulthood, compared to other adult age groups, yet the relation between eating behavior and body composition at this stage remains poorly understood. Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the association between eating behavior scores (cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating), and body composition in a sample of Chilean young adults. Methods: Logistic and linear regression models assessed the independent associations between cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating, derived from the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18, and body mass index (BMI), percent body fat by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and central obesity, accounting for demographic covariates, stratified by sex, in a sample of 555 participants of the Santiago Longitudinal Study (mean age 22.6 years [SD 0.4]).Results: Cognitive restraint was positively associated with obesity, defined by BMI, % body fat, and central obesity. Emotional eating was related to obesity, defined by % body fat and central obesity in men and women and to obesity, defined by BMI, in women. Cognitive restraint was related to BMI in men and % body fat in women. Uncontrolled eating was not associated with adiposity in men or women. Conclusions: In Chilean young adults, cognitive restraint and emotional eating scores were associated with higher BMI, elevated percent body fat, and greater central obesity.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Fasting levels of appetite regulating hormones predict caloric intake at breakfast in a group of Chilean adolescents
    (2022) Lanuza, Fabian; Reyes, Marcela; Blanco, Estela; Burrows, Raquel; Peirano, Patricio; Algarin, Cecilia; Gahagan, Sheila
    Background: Appetite regulation is integral to food intake and is modulated by complex interactions between internal and external stimuli. Hormonal mechanisms which stimulate or inhibit intake have been characterized, but the physiologic effects of serum levels of such hormones in short-term appetite regulation have received little attention. Aim: To evaluate whether fasting levels of orexigenic/anorexigenic hormones were associated with energy intake at breakfast, served soon after drawing a fasting blood sample, in a group of adolescents. Material and Methods: Anthropometry, body composition and fasting blood levels of leptin, insulin, ghrelin, and orexin-A were measured in 655 Chilean adolescents aged 16.8 +/- 0.3 years (52% males). Energy intake was measured at a semi-standardized breakfast. Associations between hormone levels and energy intake were studied using multivariate linear models. Results: Thirty nine percent of participants were overweight/ obese. After an overnight fast, median values for leptin, insulin, ghrelin and orexin-A were 7.3 ng/mL, 6.7 IU/dL, 200.8 pg/mL, and 16.1 pg/mL, respectively. Participants ate on average 637 +/- 239 calories at breakfast. In multivariable models, insulin levels were inversely and independently associated with caloric intake at breakfast (beta = -18.65; p < 0.05), whereas leptin, ghrelin and orexin-A levels were positively and independently associated with intake: beta= 5.56, beta = 0.34 and beta = 8.40, respectively, p < 0.05. Conclusions: Fasting leptin, ghrelin and orexin-A were positively associated with energy intake during breakfast provided soon after the blood draw. Insulin was negatively associated with energy intake. Modifiable factors influencing levels of appetite regulating hormones could be a potential target for influencing food intake.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Genetic determinants of metabolic biomarkers and their associations with cardiometabolic traits in Hispanic/Latino adolescents
    (2022) Kim, Daeeun; Justice, Anne E.; Chittoor, Geetha; Blanco, Estela; Burrows, Raquel; Graff, Mariaelisa; Green Howard, Annie; Wang, Yujie; Rohde, Rebecca; Buchanan, Victoria L.; Voruganti, V. Saroja; Almeida, Marcio; Peralta, Juan; Lehman, Donna M.; Curran, Joanne E.; Comuzzie, Anthony G.; Duggirala, Ravindranath; Blangero, John; Albala, Cecilia; Santos Martín, José Luis; Angel, Bárbara; Lozoff, Betsy; Gahagan, Sheila; North, Kari E.
    Background: Metabolic regulation plays a significant role in energy homeostasis, and adolescence is a crucial life stage for the development of cardiometabolic disease (CMD). This study aims to investigate the genetic determinants of metabolic biomarkers—adiponectin, leptin, ghrelin, and orexin—and their associations with CMD risk factors. Methods: We characterized the genetic determinants of the biomarkers among Hispanic/Latino adolescents of the Santiago Longitudinal Study (SLS) and identified the cumulative effects of genetic variants on adiponectin and leptin using biomarker polygenic risk scores (PRS). We further investigated the direct and indirect effect of the biomarker PRS on downstream body fat percent (BF%) and glycemic traits using structural equation modeling. Results: We identified putatively novel genetic variants associated with the metabolic biomarkers. A substantial amount of biomarker variance was explained by SLS-specific PRS, and the prediction was improved by including the putatively novel loci. Fasting blood insulin and insulin resistance were associated with PRS for adiponectin, leptin, and ghrelin, and BF% was associated with PRS for adiponectin and leptin. We found evidence of substantial mediation of these associations by the biomarker levels. Conclusions: The genetic underpinnings of metabolic biomarkers can affect the early development of CMD, partly mediated by the biomarkers.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Genome-wide association study identifying novel variant for fasting insulin and allelic heterogeneity in known glycemic loci in Chilean adolescents: The Santiago Longitudinal Study
    (2020) Buchanan, Victoria L.; Wang, Yujie; Blanco, Estela; Graff, Mariaelisa; Albala, Cecilia; Burrows, Raquel; Santos Martín, José Luis; Angel, Bárbara; Lozoff, Betsy; Saroja Voruganti, Venkata; Guo, Xiuqing; taylor, Kent D.; Chen, Yii-Der Ida; Yao, Jie; Tan, Jingyi; Downie, Carolina; Highland, Heather M.; Justice, Anne E.; Gahagan, Sheila; North, Kari E.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Iron Deficiency in Infancy and Neurocognitive and Educational Outcomes in Young Adulthood
    (2021) East, Patricia; Doom, Jenalee R.; Blanco, Estela; Burrows, Raquel; Lozoff, Betsy; Gahagan, Sheila
    This study examines the extent to which iron deficiency in infancy contributes to adverse neurocognitive and educational outcomes in young adulthood directly and indirectly, through its influence on verbal cognition and attention problems in childhood. Young adults (N = 1,000, M age = 21.3 years, 52% female; of Spanish or indigenous descent) from working-class families in Santiago, Chile, completed instruments assessing memory, processing speed, mental flexibility, and educational attainment. Iron status was assessed at ages 6, 12, and 18 months, and verbal intelligence, inattention, and sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms were assessed at age 10. Results indicated that young adults who had iron-deficiency in infancy had poor executive control at age 21. Severity of iron deficiency during infancy was associated with lower verbal IQ and more frequent inattention and SCT symptoms in childhood, and with lower educational attainment in young adulthood through its effect on inattention. No additional indirect effects were found. Interventions directed toward improving cognitive and attention deficits linked to early-life iron deficiency appear warranted and could alter the course to adult functioning. Further research on the impact of such interventions would be helpful.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Iron Deficiency in Infancy and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and ADHD Symptoms in Childhood and Adolescence
    (2023) East, Patricia L.; Doom, Jenalee R.; Blanco, Estela; Burrows, Raquel; Lozoff, Betsy; Gahagan, Sheila
    Objective To determine whether iron deficiency in infancy is associated with sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) or attention-deficit/hyperactive-impulsive (AD-HI) symptoms in childhood and adolescence, and whether such behaviors contribute concurrently and predictively to lower verbal and mathematical abilities. Method Chilean children (N = 959; 50% male, of Spanish or indigenous descent from working-class backgrounds) were rated by mothers for SCT or AD-HI symptoms at ages 5, 10, and 16 years. Children completed standardized tests assessing verbal and mathematical abilities at ages 5, 10, and 16. At ages 12 and 18 months, children were assessed for iron deficiency. Results Adjusting for a comprehensive panel of covariates, greater severity of iron deficiency in infancy was associated with more frequent SCT and AD-HI symptoms at all ages studied. Most effects of iron deficiency on children's verbal and math skills were indirect, mediated through AD-HI behaviors. Children's AD-HI symptoms related to lower verbal and math test scores within age and across age. Conclusions The long-term associations found between infant iron deficiency and SCT and AD-HI behaviors suggest that the neurodevelopmental alterations that stem from postnatal iron deficiency might play an etiological role in the development of ADHD. Screening for early-life nutritional deficiencies among children with SCT or ADHD symptoms might prove useful, and behavioral screening of children with a history of iron deficiency seems warranted. Interventions that support brain development after early nutritional deprivation also would be beneficial.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Iron supplementation given to nonanemic infants: neurocognitive functioning at 16 years
    (2023) East, Patricia L.; Reid, Brie; Blanco, Estela; Burrows, Raquel; Lozoff, Betsy; Gahagan, Sheila
    Objective There is concern that high iron uptake during the critical period of early brain development carries potential risks, especially for nonanemic infants. This study examined the neurocognitive functioning of 16-year-olds who were nonanemic as infants and received iron supplementation. Methods We studied 562 Chilean adolescents (M 16.2 years; 52.7% female) who participated in a randomized controlled iron supplementation trial in infancy. Between 6 and 12 months, 346 consumed an iron-fortified formula (12.7 Fe mg/L) or, if primarily breastfed, liquid vitamins with 15 mg elemental iron as ferrous sulfate, and 216 consumed unmodified cow milk without iron or liquid vitamins without iron if primarily breastfed. Results Compared to adolescents in the no-added iron condition in infancy, those in the iron-supplemented condition had poorer visual-motor integration, quantitative reasoning skills, and incurred more errors on neurocognitive tasks. Consuming larger amounts of iron-fortified formula in infancy was associated with lower arithmetic achievement. Of adolescents who had high hemoglobin at 6 months (Hb >= 125 g/L), those in the iron supplemented condition had poorer performance on arithmetic, quantitative reasoning, and response inhibition tests than those in the no-added iron condition. Of adolescents who had marginally low 6-month hemoglobin (Hb > 100 and < 110 g/L), those who received no-added iron incurred more errors on a visual searching task than those in the iron-supplemented condition. Conclusion The physiologic need for iron during the period of rapid and critical brain development in young infants should be considered vis-a-vis the risks associated with supplementing nonanemic infants with high levels of iron.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Latin America and the Caribbean Code Against cancer 1st edition: Environment, occupation, and cancer
    (2023) Blanco, Estela; Algranti, Eduardo; Abdon Cifuentes, Luis; Lopez-Carrillo, Lizbeth; Mora, Ana M.; Rodriguez-Guzman, Julietta; Andrea Rodriguez-Villamizar, Laura; Veiga, Lene H. S.; Canelo-Aybar, Carlos; Nieto-Gutierrez, Wendy; Feliu, Ariadna; Espina, Carolina; Ferreccio, Catterina
    Within the framework of the Latin America and Caribbean region (LAC) Code Against Cancer 1st edition, the current work presents recommendations to reduce exposure to environmental and occupational carcinogenic agents relevant for LAC. Using the methodology established by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in the World Code Against Cancer Framework and experience from developing the European Code Against Cancer 4th edition, a working group of LAC cancer-prevention experts reviewed the list of Group I IARC carcinogenic agents, identified prevalent environmental and occupational exposures in the region, and proposed evidence-based cancer prevention recommendations suited to the epidemiological, socioeconomic, and cultural conditions of LAC countries. Two sets of recommendations were drafted: those targeting the general public and a second set for policymakers. Outdoor and indoor air pollution, ultra-violet radiation and occupational exposures to silica dust, asbestos, benzene, diesel, and welding fumes were identified as prevalent carcinogens in LAC and as agents that could be reduced or eliminated to prevent cancers. Recommendations for additional risk factors were not included due to insufficient data of their attributable burden in LAC (sunbeds, radon, aflatoxin), or lack of a clear preventive action to be taken by the individual (arsenic in drinking water, medical radiation), or lack of evidence of carcinogenicity effect (bisphenol A, phthalates, and pesticides). A broad consensus was reached on environmental and occupational carcinogenic exposures present throughout the LAC region and on individual-level and public policy-level recommendations to reduce or eliminate these exposures. Key educational content for the dissemination of these recommendations was also developed as part of LAC Code Against Cancer 1st Edition.