Overweight is increasing in the adolescent population and became a public health problem in the world. This study aimed to identify the body adiposity indices (BAI) with the best capacity to predict excess fat tissue and propose cut-off points for them, according to sex and adolescence period. This is a cross-sectional study. We calculated BMI, conicity index (CI), BAI, body roundness index (BRI), waist:height ratio (WtHR) and waist:hip ratio. Predictive capacity and cut-off points of adiposity indices were established by ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves. We determined AUC-ROC and CI, stratified by sex and adolescence period. The best index to identify excess body fat in 10-13-year-old female adolescents was the WtHR (AUC = 0·92), like the BAI in girls aged from 14 to 16 years old (AUC = 0·87) and 17 to 19 years old (AUC = 0·80). In male adolescents aged from 10 to 13 years old and 14 to 16 years old, the best index was the WtHR (AUC = 0·93 and AUC = 0·8, respectively), like the BAI in boys aged from 17 to 19 years old (AUC = 0·95). The use of indices with specific cut-off points for each period of adolescence and according to sex is important for the reliable diagnosis of excess body fat. It is advisable to use indices together to obtain a more accurate assessment. Thus, the WtHR and BAI are reproducible and reliable, with high sensitivity and specificity values, and can be used together with the BMI.

The aim of the study was to investigate the association between pre-gestational carbohydrate quality index (CQI) and the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Data from the ‘Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra’ (SUN) cohort were used, which includes 3827 women who notified at least one pregnancy between December 1999 and December 2019. We used a validated semi-quantitative 136-item FFQ to evaluate dietary exposures at baseline and at 10-year follow-up. The CQI was defined by four criteria: glycaemic index, whole-grain/total-grain carbohydrate, dietary fibre intake and solid/total carbohydrate ratio. We fitted generalised estimating equations with repeated measurements of the CQI to assess its relationship with incident GDM. A total of 6869 pregnancies and 202 new cases of incident GDM were identified. The inverse association between the global quality of carbohydrate and the development of GDM was not statistically significant: OR the highest v. the lowest CQI category: 0·67, 95 % CI (0·40, 1·10), Pfor trend = 0·10. Participants at the highest CQI category and with daily carbohydrate amounts ≥50 % of total energy intake had the lowest incidence of GDM (OR = 0·29 (95 % CI (0·09, 0·89)) compared with those with the lowest quality (lowest CQI) and quantity (≤40 %). Further studies are needed to overcome the limitations of our study. Those studies should jointly consider the quality and the quantity of dietary carbohydrates, as the quality might be of importance, especially in women with a higher intake of carbohydrates.

1. Two groups of adult rats were placed in a metal-free environment and pair-fed with selenium-supplemented and Se-deficient diets.

2. After 5 months the animals were killed and skeletal muscle concentrations of creatine, creatine phosphate, ATP, protein and Se were determined.

3. Se deficiency was indicated by the low Se content of the skeletal muscle from the deficient animals, but no changes were found in the amounts of the other components.

4. These results suggest that Se may not be involved in creatine metabolism and that Se deficiency may not be concerned independently in the development of nutritional dystrophy, where changes are found in the levels of protein, creatine, creatine phosphate and ATP.

Central Africa is experiencing rapid urbanisation, and this situation comes along with changes in food habits and an increased prevalence of obesity and associated health risks. Factors influencing dietary intake among the diverse African populations are not well understood. Our objective was to characterise the dietary intake and their determinants in the two main ethnic groups experiencing nutrition transition in Cameroon, the Bamiléké and the Béti. We sampled Bamiléké (381) and Béti (347) adults living in both rural and urban, collected socio-demographic variables, assessed dietary patterns by using a food portion photographs book to administrate a FFQ and a 24-h dietary recall technique and derived their BMI from measured weight and height. The dietary patterns of Bamiléké people were composed of more energy-dense foods than the Béti people, regardless of the living area. The energy intake (13·8 (sd 4·6)–15·4 (sd 4·8) MJ v. 9·7 (sd 3·5)–11·2 (sd 3·9 MJ) and the obesity (15–29 % v. 5–8 %) were therefore higher in Bamiléké than in Béti, respectively. Multivariable linear regression analyses showed strong associations of both ethnicities (4·02 MJ; P < 0·001), living area (0·21 MJ; P < 0·001) and education (0·59 MJ; P < 0·048) with energy intake, independently of each other and other socio-demographic factors. The ethnicity factor has been characterised as the more important determinant of diet. Our findings provide new insights and perspectives highlighting the importance of anthropological factors when building prevention campaigns against obesity in Central Africa.