title: Deterioration of traditional dietary custom increases the risk of lifestyle-related diseases in young male Africans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) is rapidly increasing worldwide. To investigate the spread of MS risks and its relationship with eating habits including fish intake, we carried out a health examination for young and middle-aged men.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 97 healthy men (20 to 50 years) living in Mwanza, located on the shore of Lake Victoria in Tanzania. The health examination was conducted according to the basic protocol of WHO-CARDIAC (Cardiovascular Diseases and Alimentary Comparison) Study. This survey included anthropometric measurements, a dietary questionnaire, blood pressure measurement, and blood and 24-hour urine (24U) collection. Excretions of sodium, potassium and taurine (Tau) in 24U were estimated as the biomarkers of salt, vegetable and fish product intakes respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this survey, 62.5 % of the young and 63.3% of the middle-aged adults had MS risks. The most prevalent MS risk factor was increased blood pressure (50.0% of young adults and 53.1% of the middle-aged). Tau excretions in 24U and n-3 fatty acid levels in plasma were significantly lower in young adults than those in the middle-aged (both P < 0.05). The eating frequencies of non-traditional foods such as donuts and ice cream showed negative correlations with age (r = -0.282, P < 0.01 and r = -0.246, P < 0.05), while salt intake positively correlated with age (r = 0.236, P < 0.05). Tau excretion in 24U was inversely correlated with atherosclerosis index (r = -0.306, P < 0.01) and fasting blood glucose (r = -0.284, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Young adults in Mwanza had a decreased frequency of eating habit of fish products compared with the middle-aged as indicated by Tau excretion in 24U and n-3 fatty acid level in the plasma, and over half of young adults had one or more MS risks just as the middle-aged. The change in food habit of lowered fish intake and raised exotic food intake might be concluded to increase MS risks in young men.
authors.affiliation: Institute for World Health Development, Mukogawa Women's University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663 8143, Japan. a_hamada@mukogawa-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Atsumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Alfa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muhihi
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Njelekela
authors.forename: Zablon
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Masesa
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mtabaji
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D044383:Black People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000652:urine; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013636:Tanzania; D013654:Taurine / Q000652:urine; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013654:Taurine
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