Objective: Individuals with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder have greater cardiovascular morbidity than the general population. Longitudinal research on the association between binge eating and metabolic syndrome is limited. We tested the longitudinal association between binge eating and metabolic syndrome and its components in a large population sample of Brazilian adults.Methods: We used data from Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA‐Brasil, N = 15,105). To test for the association between binge eating at baseline (2008–2010) and metabolic syndrome at follow‐up (2012–2014), we used univariable and multivariable logistic regression models progressively adjusting for potential socio‐demographic confounders, number of metabolic syndrome components, and body mass index (BMI) at baseline.Results: In total, 13,388 participants (54.8% female; 52.2% white) had complete data on all variables of interest. Binge eating was associated with increased odds of metabolic syndrome at follow‐up (odds ratio (OR):1.66, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.44, 1.75). However, the size of this association was attenuated after including number of metabolic syndrome components at baseline (OR:1.19, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.35) and was no longer present after adjusting for baseline BMI (OR:1.09, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.25). Binge eating was also associated with higher odds of hypertension (OR:1.14, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.37) and hypertriglyceridemia (OR:1.21, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.37) at the follow‐up assessment after adjustment for all confounders.Conclusions: Individuals who binge eat are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome via increased BMI, and of hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension independently of BMI. If these are causal associations, effective interventions for binge eating could also have beneficial effects on metabolic health outcomes.

A growing burden of mental illness, and in particular depression, among workers is a concern of occupational public health. Scientific evidence has revealed consistent associations of work-related stress, as measured by theoretical models, with depression, but mostly so in developed countries. This contribution explores these associations in a developing Latin American country, Brazil, by applying an internationally established work stress model, the effort-reward imbalance (ERI). This model focuses on the work contract where unjust exchange between high efforts spent and low rewards received in turn contributes to stress-related disorders. The model’s extrinsic (‘effort’, ‘reward’) and intrinsic components (‘over-commitment’), as well as their combination, are hypothesized to be related to a higher risk of depressive episodes (DE). Using cross-sectional data from the ELSA-Brasil study, including 10,034 workers from the public sector, we observed increased prevalence ratio (PR) of DE according to ERI scales. The quartiles of highest ‘effort’ (PR = 1.85; 1.44–2.37), highest ‘over-commitment’ (PR = 3.62; 2.80–4.70) and lowest ‘reward’ (PR = 3.44; 2.55–4.64) were associated with DE, on adjusted models, as well was the E–R ratio (PR = 2.47; 1.92–3.17). An additive interaction was identified between the E–R ratio and ‘over-commitment’. The results support the use of ERI as a screening tool for work stress in the Brazilian context and will offer guidance for worksite health promotion programs.

Neste artigo, relatam-se propriedades psicométricas do Instrumento Abreviado de Avaliação de Qualidade de Vida da Organização Mundial da Saúde (WHOQOL-Bref), composto por 24 questões distribuídas em quatro domínios (físico, psicológico, relações sociais e meio ambiente) e duas questões globais sobre qualidade de vida e saúde global, quando aplicado no Estudo Pró-Saúde (estudo de coorte de trabalhadores de uma universidade no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil), em seu estudo piloto e entre os 3.574 participantes da fase 2 (2001) do estudo. Foi estimada a confiabilidade teste-reteste dos escores, com coeficiente de correlação intraclasse variando entre 0,76 e 0,91 nos diversos domínios. Níveis de consistência interna, avaliados pelo coeficiente alfa de Cronbach, variaram entre 0,69 e 0,79. Na análise de fatores, pelo método de fatores principais iterados e rotação varimax, não foi replicada exatamente a estrutura do instrumento original, verificada em seus testes de campo; uma das possíveis razões para as discrepâncias observadas refere-se à natureza da população de estudo, em idade laboral ativa e relativamente saudável.

Few studies have evaluated the association between diet and mental disorders, and it has been established that ω-3 (n-3) fatty acids may have a beneficial effect for sufferers of anxiety disorders. This study is part of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)—a population-based cohort study on diet and mental health—and searched for associations between anxiety disorders and consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The study had a cross-sectional design, with a total sample of 12,268 adults. Dietary exposure was measured by a quantitative food-frequency questionnaire, and mental diagnoses were assessed by the Clinical Interview Schedule—Revised Version and diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Logistic regression models were built using quintiles of n-3, ω 6 (n-6), n-6/n-3 ratio, and PUFA, using the 1st quintile as reference. Anxiety disorders were identified in 15.4% of the sample. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, cardiovascular risk factors, diet variables, and depression, intakes in the 5th quintile were inversely associated with anxiety disorders for EPA (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.69–0.98), DHA (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.69–0.98), and DPA (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.69–0.98). Participants in the fifth quintile of n-6/n-3 ratio had a positive association with anxiety disorders. Although results suggest a possible protective effect of n-3 fatty acids against anxiety, all associations lost significance after adjustment for multiple comparisons.