ORCID Profile
0000-0003-1267-1189
Current Organisation
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 23-07-2020
DOI: 10.2196/17329
Abstract: The prevalence of obesity and diabetes in Samoa, like many other Pacific Island nations, has reached epidemic proportions. Although the etiology of these conditions can be largely attributed to the rapidly changing economic and nutritional environment, a recently identified genetic variant, rs373863828 (CREB 3 regulatory factor, CREBRF: c.1370G A p.[R457Q]) is associated with increased odds of obesity, but paradoxically, decreased odds of diabetes. The overarching goal of the Soifua Manuia (Good Health) study was to precisely characterize the association of the CREBRF variant with metabolic (body composition and glucose homeostasis) and behavioral traits (dietary intake, physical activity, sleep, and weight control behaviors) that influence energy homeostasis in 500 adults. A cohort of adult Samoans who participated in a genome-wide association study of adiposity in Samoa in 2010 was followed up, based on the presence or absence of the CREBRF variant, between August 2017 and March 2019. Over a period of 7-10 days, each participant completed the main study protocol, which consisted of anthropometric measurements (weight, height, circumferences, and skinfolds), body composition assessment (bioelectrical impedance and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), point-of-care glycated hemoglobin measurement, a fasting blood draw and oral glucose tolerance test, urine collection, blood pressure measurement, hand grip strength measurement, objective physical activity and sleep apnea monitoring, and questionnaire measures (eg, health interview, cigarette and alcohol use, food frequency questionnaire, socioeconomic position, stress, social support, food and water insecurity, sleep, body image, and dietary preferences). In January 2019, a subs le of the study participants (n=118) completed a buttock fat biopsy procedure to collect subcutaneous adipose tissue s les. Enrollment of 519 participants was completed in March 2019. Data analyses are ongoing, with results expected in 2020 and 2021. While the genetic variant rs373863828, in CREBRF, has the largest known effect size of any identified common obesity gene, very little is currently understood about the mechanisms by which it confers increased odds of obesity but paradoxically lowered odds of type 2 diabetes. The results of this study will provide insights into how the gene functions on a whole-body level, which could provide novel targets to prevent or treat obesity, diabetes, and associated metabolic disorders. This study represents the human arm of a comprehensive and integrated approach involving humans as well as preclinical models that will provide novel insights into metabolic disease. RR1-10.2196/17329
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-11-2022
DOI: 10.1002/AJHB.23838
Abstract: In 1999, a set of highly accurate Polynesian‐specific equations to estimate adult body fat from non‐invasive field measures of age, sex, height, and weight (Equation 1), age, sex, height, weight, and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) resistance (Equation 2), and age, sex, height, weight, and the sum of two skinfold thicknesses (Equation 3) were published. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the equation‐based estimators in a s le of Samoan adults recruited 20 years later between 2017 and 2019. Age, sex, height, weight, BIA resistance, skinfold thickness, and fat mass as measured using dual energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) were available for 432 Samoan adults (mean age 50.9 years, 56% female) seen in 2017/2019. We compared equation‐derived fat mass and DXA‐derived fat mass using scatterplots and Pearson correlation coefficients. We then updated the equation coefficient estimates in a training set (2/3 of the s le) and evaluated the performance of the updated equations in a testing set (the remaining 1/3 of the s le). Equation‐derived fat mass was strongly correlated with DXA‐derived fat mass for Equation (1) ( r 2 = 0.95, n = 432), Equation (2) ( r 2 = 0.97, n = 425), and Equation (3) ( r 2 = 0.95, n = 426). Updating the equation coefficient estimates resulted in mostly similar coefficients and nearly identical testing set performance for Equation (1) ( r 2 = 0.96, n = 153), Equation (2) ( r 2 = 0.98, n = 150), and Equation (3) ( r 2 = 0.96, n = 150). The Polynesian‐specific body fat estimation equations remained stable despite changing social and environmental factors and marked increase in obesity prevalence in Samoa.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 06-12-2019
Abstract: he prevalence of obesity and diabetes in Samoa, like many other Pacific Island nations, has reached epidemic proportions. Although the etiology of these conditions can be largely attributed to the rapidly changing economic and nutritional environment, a recently identified genetic variant, rs373863828 (CREB 3 regulatory factor, CREBRF: c.1370G& A p.[R457Q]) is associated with increased odds of obesity, but paradoxically, decreased odds of diabetes. he overarching goal of the Soifua Manuia (Good Health) study was to precisely characterize the association of the i CREBRF /i variant with metabolic (body composition and glucose homeostasis) and behavioral traits (dietary intake, physical activity, sleep, and weight control behaviors) that influence energy homeostasis in 500 adults. cohort of adult Samoans who participated in a genome-wide association study of adiposity in Samoa in 2010 was followed up, based on the presence or absence of the i CREBRF /i variant, between August 2017 and March 2019. Over a period of 7-10 days, each participant completed the main study protocol, which consisted of anthropometric measurements (weight, height, circumferences, and skinfolds), body composition assessment (bioelectrical impedance and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), point-of-care glycated hemoglobin measurement, a fasting blood draw and oral glucose tolerance test, urine collection, blood pressure measurement, hand grip strength measurement, objective physical activity and sleep apnea monitoring, and questionnaire measures (eg, health interview, cigarette and alcohol use, food frequency questionnaire, socioeconomic position, stress, social support, food and water insecurity, sleep, body image, and dietary preferences). In January 2019, a subs le of the study participants (n=118) completed a buttock fat biopsy procedure to collect subcutaneous adipose tissue s les. nrollment of 519 participants was completed in March 2019. Data analyses are ongoing, with results expected in 2020 and 2021. hile the genetic variant rs373863828, in CREBRF, has the largest known effect size of any identified common obesity gene, very little is currently understood about the mechanisms by which it confers increased odds of obesity but paradoxically lowered odds of type 2 diabetes. The results of this study will provide insights into how the gene functions on a whole-body level, which could provide novel targets to prevent or treat obesity, diabetes, and associated metabolic disorders. This study represents the human arm of a comprehensive and integrated approach involving humans as well as preclinical models that will provide novel insights into metabolic disease. R1-10.2196/17329
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 12-02-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.11.21251582
Abstract: The minor allele of rs373863828, a missense variant in CREBRF , is associated with higher BMI but lower odds of type 2 diabetes in Pacific Islanders. To test if this protective effect operates through metabolically favorable body fat distribution, we examined the association of the minor A allele with body composition, measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), in a cross-sectional study of n =421 Samoan adults. We replicated our earlier finding that this allele was associated with higher weight and BMI, although it was statistically significant only in women. There was no significant association of genotype with percent body fat, visceral adiposity or fat distribution, although in women, the A allele was associated with greater total fat mass ( p =0.02), android ( p =0.009) and trunk fat ( p =0.01). In both sexes, age- and height-adjusted average lean mass was significantly greater per copy of the A allele: 2.16 kg/copy in women and 1.73 kg/copy in men. These data do not support a primary role of fat distribution in mediating the association between rs373863828 genotype and type 2 diabetes risk. We suggest an alternative hypothesis: those with the A allele may more efficiently regulate blood glucose because of their greater absolute lean mass.
No related grants have been discovered for Alysa Pomer.