Frank B. Hu

Bio: Frank B. Hu is an academic researcher from Harvard University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Type 2 diabetes & Diabetes mellitus. The author has an hindex of 250, co-authored 1675 publications receiving 253464 citations. Previous affiliations of Frank B. Hu include Southwest University & Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Dietary fibers and glycemic load, obesity, and plasma adiponectin levels in women with type 2 diabetes

Abstract: OBJECTIVE —The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of dietary fibers and glycemic load with plasma adiponectin in diabetic women and investigate the modification effect of obesity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —We conducted a cross-sectional analysis in 902 women with type 2 diabetes from the Nurses’ Health Study. Dietary information was obtained using semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires. RESULTS —After adjustment for age, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, aspirin use, HbA 1c , history of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, and postmenopausal hormone use, intakes of cereal fiber and fruit fiber ( P for trend = 0.002 and 0.036, respectively) were significantly associated with an increasing trend of plasma adiponectin concentrations. Further adjustment for BMI did not appreciably change the associations for cereal fiber but attenuated the associations for fruit fiber. Adiponectin concentrations were 24% higher in the highest compared with the lowest quintile of cereal fiber. Dietary glycemic load and glycemic index were significantly associated with lower plasma adiponectin levels, after adjustment for BMI and other covariates ( P for trend = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively). The percent differences in adiponectin concentration between the highest and the lowest quintiles of dietary glycemic load and glycemic index were 17 and 18%, respectively. The associations between dietary factors and plasma adiponectin were consistent across lean (BMI 2 ), overweight (25 ≤ BMI 2 ), and obese subjects (BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 ). CONCLUSIONS —Our data indicate that dietary cereal fiber and glycemic load/index are associated with the circulating adiponectin concentration. Such associations were not modified by obesity status.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of adult height in East Asians identifies 17 novel loci

Abstract: Human height is associated with risk of multiple diseases and is profoundly determined by an individual's genetic makeup and shows a high degree of ethnic heterogeneity. Large-scale genome-wide association (GWA) analyses of adult height in Europeans have identified nearly 180 genetic loci. A recent study showed high replicability of results from Europeans-based GWA studies in Asians; however, population-specific loci may exist due to distinct linkage disequilibrium patterns. We carried out a GWA meta-analysis in 93 926 individuals from East Asia. We identified 98 loci, including 17 novel and 81 previously reported loci, associated with height at P 5%) in Europeans, with comparable frequencies with in Asians, and 7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms are with low frequency (MAF < 5%) in Europeans. In addition, our data suggest that novel biological pathway such as the protein tyrosine phosphatase family is involved in regulation of height. The findings from this study considerably expand our knowledge of the genetic architecture of human height in Asians.

Random-effects regression analysis of correlated grouped-time survival data.

Abstract: Random-effects regression modelling is proposed for analysis of correlated grouped-time survival data Two analysis approaches are considered The first treats survival time as an ordinal outcome, which is either right-censored or not The second approach treats survival time as a set of dichotomous indicators of whether the event occurred for time periods up to the period of the event or censor For either approach both proportional hazards and proportional odds versions of the random-effects model are developed, while partial proportional hazards and odds generalizations are described for the latter approach For estimation, a full-information maximum marginal likelihood solution is implemented using numerical quadrature to integrate over the distribution of multiple random effects The quadrature solution allows some flexibility in the choice of distributions for the random effects; both normal and rectangular distributions are considered in this article An analysis of a dataset where students are clustered within schools is used to illustrate features of random-effects analysis of clustered grouped-time survival data

Sugar-Sweetened Soft Drink Consumption and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer in Two Prospective Cohorts

Abstract: Background: A history of diabetes mellitus and a diet high in glycemic load are both potential risk factors for pancreatic cancer. Sugar-sweetened soft drinks are a prevalent source of readily absorbable sugars and have been associated with an increased risk of obesity and diabetes. We investigated whether higher consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. Methods: We examined the relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and the development of pancreatic cancer in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Among 88,794 women and 49,364 men without cancer at baseline, we documented 379 cases of pancreatic cancer during up to 20 years of follow-up. Soft drink consumption was first assessed at baseline (1980 for the women, 1986 for the men) and updated periodically thereafter. Results: Compared with participants who largely abstained from sugar-sweetened soft drinks, those who consumed more than three sugar-sweetened soft drinks weekly experienced overall a multivariate relative risk (RR) of pancreatic cancer of 1.13 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.81-1.58; P for trend = 0.47]. Women in the highest category of sugar-sweetened soft drink intake did experience a significant increase in risk (RR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.02-2.41; P for trend = 0.05), whereas there was no association between sweetened soft drink intake and pancreatic cancer among men. Among women, the risk associated with higher sugar-sweetened soft drink was limited to those with elevated body mass index (>25 kg/m2; RR, 1.89; 95% CI, 0.96-3.72) or with low physical activity (RR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.06-3.85). In contrast, consumption of diet soft drinks was not associated with an elevated pancreatic cancer risk in either cohort. Conclusion: Although soft drink consumption did not influence pancreatic cancer risk among men, consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks may be associated with a modest but significant increase in risk among women who have an underlying degree of insulin resistance.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Abstract: Once foods in the United States were fortified with vitamin D, rickets appeared to have been conquered, and many considered major health problems from vitamin D deficiency resolved. But vitamin D deficiency is common. This review considers the role of vitamin D in skeletal and nonskeletal health and suggests strategies for the prevention and treatment of vitamin D deficiency.

Diagnosis and Management of the Metabolic Syndrome An American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Scientific Statement

Abstract: The metabolic syndrome has received increased attention in the past few years. This statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is intended to provide up-to-date guidance for professionals on the diagnosis and management of the metabolic syndrome in adults. The metabolic syndrome is a constellation of interrelated risk factors of metabolic origin— metabolic risk factors —that appear to directly promote the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).1 Patients with the metabolic syndrome also are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Another set of conditions, the underlying risk factors , give rise to the metabolic risk factors. In the past few years, several expert groups have attempted to set forth simple diagnostic criteria to be used in clinical practice to identify patients who manifest the multiple components of the metabolic syndrome. These criteria have varied somewhat in specific elements, but in general they include a combination of both underlying and metabolic risk factors. The most widely recognized of the metabolic risk factors are atherogenic dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, and elevated plasma glucose. Individuals with these characteristics commonly manifest a prothrombotic state and a pro-inflammatory state as well. Atherogenic dyslipidemia consists of an aggregation of lipoprotein abnormalities including elevated serum triglyceride and apolipoprotein B (apoB), increased small LDL particles, and a reduced level of HDL cholesterol (HDL-C). The metabolic syndrome is often referred to as if it were a discrete entity with a single cause. Available data suggest that it truly is a syndrome, ie, a grouping of ASCVD risk factors, but one that probably has more than one cause. Regardless of cause, the syndrome identifies individuals at an elevated risk for ASCVD. The magnitude of the increased risk can vary according to which components of the syndrome are …