Lifetime Cannabis Use and Incident Hypertension: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study.

Background: Observational evidence investigating associations between cannabis use and hypertension is inconsistent.

Methods: The association between cumulative lifetime cannabis use (cannabis-years) and incident hypertension was examined over 35 years in a sample of CARDIA study (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) participants free of hypertension at baseline. Marginal structural models with inverse probability weighting were used to adjust for potential time-dependent confounding and censoring.

Nontraditional Risk Factors for Peripheral Artery Disease: Setting the Scene.

Atherothrombotic occlusion and narrowing of the arteries supplying blood to the legs, usually referred to as peripheral artery disease, affects 6% of adults and is associated with impaired quality of life and increased risk of major adverse events including death. Peripheral artery disease has been relatively understudied and has not been subject to the same scrutiny and investigation that characterizes coronary artery disease. Importantly, there are subtle differences between peripheral and coronary artery disease with respect to traditional risk factors, and there may be marked differences in nontraditional risk factors.

Polygenic prediction of body mass index and obesity through the life course and across ancestries.

Polygenic scores (PGSs) for body mass index (BMI) may guide early prevention and targeted treatment of obesity. Using genetic data from up to 5.1 million people (4.

Development and Validation of Body Mass Index-Specific Waist Circumference Thresholds in Postmenopausal Women : A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: A 2020 consensus statement proposed body mass index (BMI)-specific waist circumference (WC) thresholds to improve patient care.

Objective: To determine whether stratifying BMI categories by BMI-specific WC thresholds improves mortality risk prediction.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Whole genome sequencing analysis of body mass index identifies novel African ancestry-specific risk allele.

Obesity is a major public health crisis associated with high mortality rates. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) investigating body mass index (BMI) have largely relied on imputed data from European individuals. This study leveraged whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from 88,873 participants from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program, of which 51% were of non-European population groups.

Cocoa Flavanol Supplementation and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: An Ancillary Study of the COSMOS Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Abnormalities of choroidal blood flow in the eye are associated with occurrence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Cocoa flavanols show beneficial effects on vascular risk factors in small and short-term trials and may help reduce AMD risk.

Objective: To examine whether daily supplementation with cocoa extract, a source of flavanols, prevents the development or progression of AMD.

Abdominal myosteatosis is associated with lower processing speed in a multiethnic cohort of older adults.

Background: Prior research linking myosteatosis with cognition in older adults has been conducted in relatively homogenous populations with narrow age ranges. We evaluated if abdominal myosteatosis was associated with processing speed in a multiethnic cohort of middle aged and older adults.

Methods: The sample included 1,268 adults (46-86 years-old, mean 63±9 years, 53 % female, 41 % White, 20 % Black, 14 % Chinese, and 25 % Hispanic), a subset from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Metabolome Alterations Associated with Three-Month Sitting-Time Reduction Among Sedentary Postmenopausal Latinas with Cardiometabolic Disease Risk.

Incidence of cardiometabolic disease among U.S. Hispanics/Latinos is higher than in non-Hispanic Whites.

Sedentary behaviors and venous thromboembolism risk among older women: the Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health study.

Background: Venous stasis, which can occur with prolonged sedentary behavior (SB), is associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk, but VTE risk associated with accelerometer-measured SB has not been quantified.

Objectives: To evaluate accelerometer-based measures of SB in relation to incident VTE.

Methods: We included 5591 participants, aged 63 to 99 years, of the Women's Health Initiative Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health cohort study without prior VTE.

Red Meat Consumption and Hypertension: An Updated Review.

Purpose Of Review: Hypertension (HTN) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The global prevalence of HTN and related CVD mortality continues to rise. The development of HTN is influenced by genetic predisposition and modifiable risk factors, including diet.

Abdominal myosteatosis is associated with lower processing speed in a multiethnic cohort of older adults.

Background: Prior research linking myosteatosis with cognition in older adults has been conducted in relatively homogenous populations with narrow age ranges. We evaluated if abdominal myosteatosis was associated with processing speed in a multiethnic cohort of middle aged and older adults.

Methods: The analytical sample included 1,268 adults (46-86 years old, mean 63±9 years, 53% female of 41% White, 20% Black, 14% Chinese, and 25% Hispanic), a subset from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Epigenome-wide association study meta-analysis of BMI in African American Adults.

Despite considerable advances in identifying risk factors for obesity development, there remains substantial gaps in our knowledge about its etiology. Variation in obesity (defined by BMI) is thought to be due in part to heritable factors; however, obesity-associated genetic variants only account for a small portion of heritability. Epigenetic regulation defined by genetic and/or environmental factors with changes in gene expression, may account for some of this "missing heritability".

Racial/ethnic differences in the associations between social support and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Background: Despite the established link between social support and cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes, few studies have examined racial/ethnic variation in these associations. This study utilized data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) to investigate racial/ethnic differences in perceived social support and in the link between support and incident hard CVD events and mortality.

Method: Participants (N = 6,814) were 45-84 years of age who identified as White, Black, Hispanic/Latino, or Chinese without known clinical CVD at baseline (2000-2002).

Association of creatinine-to-cystatin C ratio with computed tomography measures of skeletal muscle quantity and quality: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.

Background & Aims: Skeletal muscle (SM) health has significant prognostic value in geriatric and chronic disease populations, yet its assessment is frequently omitted due to challenges in evaluation. The creatinine-to-cystatin C ratio (CCR) is a simple serum-based measure that associates well with measured SM quantity (myopenia) and strength, but evidence for its association with SM quality (myosteatosis) is limited and conflicting. This study investigated the association between CCR and computed tomography (CT) measures of myopenia and myosteatosis.

Blood pressure and hypertension in older adults with a history of regular cannabis use: findings from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: Observational evidence investigating associations between cannabis use and blood pressure and hypertension is inconsistent.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from 3,255 participants at Exam 6 (2016-2018) of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) were analyzed, including self-reported cannabis smoking patterns, standardized measures of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP; BP collectively), and hypertension. ANCOVA and multivariable relative risk regression models were used to calculate adjusted means for BP and adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) for prevalent hypertension.

Regular cannabis smoking and carotid artery calcification in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Background: Studies on cannabis use and adverse cardiovascular outcomes have reported conflicting results. Research on its relationship to calcified arterial plaque remains limited.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from 2152 participants at Exam 6 (2016-2018) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) were analyzed, including self-reported cannabis smoking patterns and carotid artery calcification (CAC) as measured via computed tomography.

Neighborhood environments and psychological distress 6-years later: results from the San Diego HCHS/SOL community and surrounding areas study.

Purpose: The current study examined associations of social and built features of neighborhood environments with psychological distress 6 years later and whether these associations were explained by stress and social factors, among Hispanic/Latino adults from the HCHS/SOL and SOL CASAS Ancillary Study.

Methods: In the SOL CASAS Ancillary Study, HCHS/SOL San Diego participants' baseline (2008-2011) home addresses were geocoded, neighborhoods were defined using 800 m radial buffers, and variables representing neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation, social disorder, walkability, and greenness were created. Psychological distress (anxiety and depression symptoms) and proposed pathway variables chronic stress, social support, and family cohesion were assessed at HCHS/SOL Visit 2 (2014-2017).

Associations of Adipokine Levels With Levels of Remnant Cholesterol: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background: The metabolic syndrome phenotype of individuals with obesity is characterized by elevated levels of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and remnant particles, which have been shown to be significantly atherogenic. Understanding the association between adipokines, endogenous hormones produced by adipose tissue, and remnant cholesterol (RC) would give insight into the link between obesity and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Methods And Results: We studied 1791 MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) participants who took part in an ancillary study on body composition with adipokine levels measured (leptin, adiponectin, and resistin) at either visit 2 or visit 3.

Arriba por la Vida Estudio: a randomized controlled trial promoting standing behavior to reduce sitting time among postmenopausal Latinas.

Postmenopausal Hispanic/Latina (N = 254) women with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m were randomized to an intervention to reduce sitting time or a comparison condition for 12 weeks. The standing intervention group received three in-person health-counseling sessions, one home visit, and up to eight motivational interviewing calls. The heart healthy lifestyle comparison group (C) received an equal number of contact hours to discuss healthy aging.

Risk of Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Postmenopausal Women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who lack traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as young females, are observed to experience adverse CVD outcomes. Whether women with IBD have increased CVD risk after the menopause transition is unclear.

Methods: We conducted a survival analysis of Women's Health Initiative (WHI) participants and excluded those with missing IBD diagnosis, model covariate data, follow-up data, or a baseline history of the following CVD outcomes: coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic stroke, venous thromboembolism (VTE), peripheral arterial disease (PAD).