Handgrip strength (HGS) is a well-established indicator of muscle strength and can help to identify risk of sarcopenic obesity in children. This study explores the relationship between adiposity and muscular strength in healthy Chilean adolescents. Adolescents (n = 491) aged 10–17 were selected from five schools in Santiago, Chile. HGS was determined by dynamometry. Anthropometry (weight, height, waist and mid arm circumference), physical activity and socioeconomic status were also measured. Relative HGS (RHGS) was calculated by dividing maximum HGS of the dominant hand by body-mass index (BMI) and low RHGS was categorized as <25^th percentile by sex. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between two markers of adiposity (abdominal obesity category by waist circumference and nutritional status measured by BMI category) and low RHGS, adjusting for possible confounding variables. Participants were on average 13.6y (2.4), 32.8% were overweight or obese and 37.5% were at risk of or had abdominal obesity. RHGS was 1.25 kg/kg/m² overall, with a significant difference by sex (1.51 for boys versus 1.14 for girls). In adjusted analyses, boys and girls with risk of abdominal obesity, had 3.3 (1.6–6.6) and 4.1 (1.8–9.3) increased odds of low RHGS, respectively, compared to boys and girls with normal waist circumference. Those with abdominal obesity compared to normal WC, had 8.5 (3.4–21.4) and 6.5 (2.0–21.3) increased odds of low RHGS for boys and girls, respectively. We observed similar associations for BMI category. In our sample of healthy adolescents, higher adiposity related to greater odds of low muscle strength measured by dynamometry. Considering the demographic shift from a young to an aging population in many countries, along with the increasing prevalence of obesity beginning in childhood, understanding how adiposity relates to low muscle strength is of growing importance.

Obesity is currently a serious worldwide public health problem, reaching pandemic levels. For decades, dietary and behavioral approaches have failed to prevent this disease from expanding, and health authorities are challenged by the elevated prevalence of co-morbid conditions. Understanding how obesity-associated diseases develop from a basic science approach is recognized as an urgent task to face this growing problem. White adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ, with a crucial influence on whole-body homeostasis. White adipose tissue dysfunction plays a key role linking obesity with its associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Among the regulators of white adipose tissue physiology, the calcium-sensing receptor has arisen as a potential mediator of white adipose tissue dysfunction. Expression of the receptor has been described in human preadipocytes, adipocytes, and the human adipose cell lines LS14 and SW872. The evidence suggests that calcium-sensing receptor activation in the visceral (i.e. unhealthy) white adipose tissue is associated with an increased proliferation of adipose progenitor cells and elevated adipocyte differentiation. In addition, exposure of adipose cells to calcium-sensing receptor activators in vitro elevates proinflammatory cytokine expression and secretion. An increased proinflammatory environment in white adipose tissue plays a key role in the development of white adipose tissue dysfunction that leads to peripheral organ fat deposition and insulin resistance, among other consequences. We propose that calcium-sensing receptor may be one relevant therapeutic target in the struggle to confront the health consequences of the current worldwide obesity pandemic.

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. A good quality breakfast must include dairy products, cereals, and fruits. The aim of this study is to determine breakfast dietary patterns and their nutritional quality among Chilean university students. A cross-sectional non-probabilistic study was conducted in 200 university students between 18 and 27 years in Santiago, Chile. To identify dietary patterns and breakfast quality, a breakfast food survey was conducted. Patterns were identified by factor analysis. Most of the subjects (53%) ate breakfast daily, with a higher prevalence among females (60.2% vs. 43.7%, p < 0.05); 68% did not consume fruits and 17.5% had good breakfast quality, with no differences by sex. Four breakfast dietary patterns were identified: “dairy & cereals”, “healthy”, “traditional salty” and “traditional sweet” that together explained 35.6% of the total variance. There was no sex difference in predominant dietary patterns. The “dairy & cereals” and “traditional sweet” patterns were associated with regularly eating breakfast (β: −0.47, p = 0.001; β: −0.32, p = 0.020) and the “healthy” pattern with BMI ≥25 kg/m² (β: 0.35, p = 0.024). In conclusion, breakfast quality was inadequate due to low fruit consumption and energy intake. The four identified patterns included cereals, bread, dairy, fats and sugars. Results may be usual in the planning of future interventions aimed at improving breakfast consumption and quality in university students.

Active commuting is associated with a lower adiposity and lower risk for obesity in Chilean adults.

Aims The aim was to translate and culturally adapt the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0) to the Chilean population, evaluate its psychometric properties in a non-clinical sample, and assess the correlations between symptoms count of food addiction (FA) with demographic and anthropometric variables. Methods and participants We evaluated 301 participants (59.1% women) with a mean age of 29.7 ± 12.4 years recruited from two universities and two businesses (non-clinical sample). The Chilean YFAS 2.0 was administered, and anthropometric measurements were carried out. The internal consistency of the items was estimated, and factor structure was tested by confirmatory factor analysis. Test–retest reliability was also examined. The correlations between symptoms count of FA and weight, waist circumference (WC), Body Mass Index (BMI), percentage of body fat (BF%), and lean mass were evaluated. Results The Chilean YFAS 2.0 presented good internal consistency, and confirmatory factor analysis supported the one-factor structure, in accordance with the original version. The ICC indicated excellent test–retest reliability. The prevalence of FA was 10.3%, and the symptom count of FA was 2.1 ± 2.8. A small positive correlation between WC, BMI, and BF % and FA symptom count was found. Conclusion The Chilean YFAS 2.0 may be a useful tool to investigate FA in Chile. Level of evidence Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.