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Self-reported rate of eating is associated with higher circulating ALT activity in middle-aged apparently healthy Japanese men

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European Journal of Nutrition Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Elevated circulating activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), a marker for liver injury, and the lifestyle of a higher rate of eating in healthy and preclinical subjects are associated with increased risk of obesity and diabetes. In this study, we examined the associations between self-reported rate of eating and circulating ALT activity in middle-aged apparently healthy Japanese men.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 3,929 apparently healthy men aged 40–59 years (mean ± SD age, 49.2 ± 5.8 years; BMI, 23.5 ± 2.8 kg/m2) who participated in health checkups in Japan. We analyzed their clinical serum parameters and lifestyle factors, including self-reported rate of eating. Associations between self-reported rate of eating and liver injury markers [ALT, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GTP), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)], other clinical parameters or lifestyle factors were determined using analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s test. Multivariate logistic regression analyses (MLRA) were performed with ALT activity as the dependent variable and independent variables that included self-reported rate of eating.

Results

MLRA showed that ALT activity showed trends for higher self-reported rate of eating after adjustment for age, energy intake, and smoking status. The association between ALT activity and self-reported rate of eating disappeared after adjustment for BMI.

Conclusion

The results of this study show that ALT activity is positively associated with self-reported rate of eating in middle-aged apparently healthy Japanese men.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Drs. S. Sasaki and K. Murakami for providing the BDHQ and for helpful discussions. K Mochizuki did the analysis, contributed to data collection, and wrote the manuscript; R. Miyauchi, Y. Misaki, N. Kasezawa, K. Tohyama contributed to data collection; N. Hariya contributed to data analysis; and T. Goda organized this study. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. This work was supported by the Global COE Program, the Center of Excellence for Evolutionary Human Health Sciences, from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, and by a grant from Suzuken Memorial Foundation.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Nutritional Physiology and Global COE Program, Graduate School of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan

    Kazuki Mochizuki, Rie Miyauchi, Yasumi Misaki & Toshinao Goda

  2. Department of Local Produce and Food Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan

    Kazuki Mochizuki

  3. SBS Shizuoka Health Promotion Center, Shizuoka, Japan

    Nobuhiko Kasezawa & Kazushige Tohyama

  4. Department of Nutrition, School of Food and Nutritonal Sciences, The University of Shizuoka, 52-1 Yada, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka, 422-8526, Japan

    Toshinao Goda

  5. Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan

    Natsuyo Hariya

Authors
  1. Kazuki Mochizuki
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  2. Rie Miyauchi
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  3. Natsuyo Hariya
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  4. Yasumi Misaki
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  5. Nobuhiko Kasezawa
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  6. Kazushige Tohyama
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  7. Toshinao Goda
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Toshinao Goda.

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Mochizuki, K., Miyauchi, R., Hariya, N. et al. Self-reported rate of eating is associated with higher circulating ALT activity in middle-aged apparently healthy Japanese men. Eur J Nutr 52, 985–990 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-012-0405-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-012-0405-6

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