Jasminka Ilich

Florida State University | FSU · Institute for Successful Longevity

Osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA), also known as osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO) syndrome, is a condition with simultaneous deterioration of bone (osteopenia/osteoporosis) and muscle (sarcopenia/dynapenia) and increased presence of adipose tissue, either as an overt overweight/obesity and/or as redistributed fat and/or as infiltrated fat into bone and...

The role of dairy foods and calcium/vitamin D supplements in cardiometabolic diseases is unknown. The objective of this secondary analysis is to investigate cardiometabolic risk factors changes after a 6-month weight-loss intervention in overweight/obese postmenopausal women divided in three groups: Ca+vitamin D supplements (S); low-fat dairy foods...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, with African Americans experiencing higher age-adjusted mortality compared to Whites. African American women in particular carry a high CVD burden due to more exposure to adverse personal and socioenvironmental challenges. Church-based interventions can im...

Osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome, the coexistence of osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and adiposity (either excess or redistributed/infiltrated), has been studied globally in different populations and regions (mostly in East Asia, less in Europe and North America), resulting in varied prevalence. We aimed to determine the prevalence of OSA in a la...

The objectives were to examine if there is a causal relationship between osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome (coexistence of osteopenia/osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and excess adiposity) and cardiometabolic disorders or if these disorders initiate the development of OSA and its worsening. The search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sci...

Adiposity is central to aging and several chronic diseases. Adiposity encompasses not just the excess adipose tissue but also body fat redistribution, fat infiltration, hypertrophy of adipocytes, and the shifting of mesenchymal stem cell commitment to adipogenesis. Bone marrow adipose tissue expansion, inflammatory adipokines, and adipocyte-derived...

Osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome denotes the confluence of bone, muscle, and adipose tissue deterioration. Being a complex entity, numerous uncertainties about OSA still exist, despite the extensive research on the topic. Our objectives were to evaluate human studies addressing dietary intake/nutritional status and the quantity/types of phy...

Osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome denotes the confluence of bone, muscle, and adipose tissue deterioration. Being a complex entity, numerous uncertainties about OSA still exist, despite the extensive research on the topic. Our objectives were to evaluate human studies addressing dietary intake/nutritional status, and the quantity/types of ph...

Due to increased life spans and senescence in society, there is a growing need for supplements that enable healthy aging. Aging is accompanied by changes in body composition such as loss of bone and muscle mass and increase/redistribution of adipose tissue. These changes may, at least in part, be alleviated by exercise, adequate diet and possibly s...

Background While obesity is recognisably associated with changes in heart rate variability (HRV), the association between skeletal muscle mass and HRV is less clear. Aims In this cross sectional study, we analysed the association of body fat (four parameters) and muscle mass (five parameters) with indicators of HRV activity. Subjects and methods...

The aim was to evaluate body composition and prevalence of osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) in nursing home residents (NHR) and to assess their nutritional status. This research builds on our pilot study (conducted prior COVID-19 pandemic) that revealed high OSA prevalence and poor nutritional status in NHR. The current study included newly recruite...

Background Cardiovascular disease CVD), the leading cause of death in the U.S, is a particular problem for African Americans (AAs). Church-based health interventions are effective in reducing CVD risk, yet few have been successfully disseminated. This paper describes the model development, preliminary health outcomes, and lessons learned from the H...

Both lower life satisfaction (LLS) and chronic inflammation are underlying conditions for numerous diseases. We investigated their associations in African American adults, within the context of three hypotheses: (a) perceived LLS will be positively associated with inflammation measured by serum C-reactive protein (CRP); (b) this association will be...

Objective Chronic stress has been related to impaired body composition (bone, muscle, adipose tissue), and disturbed autonomic nervous system (ANS), the latter regulated by hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between salivary cortisol, body composition and heart rate variability (HRV—highly i...

Objectives Elderly are at the highest risk for COVID-19 infections. The risk is heightened among NHR for several reasons, including unhealthy body composition and poor nutrition. Previously, we showed high prevalence of osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA; concomitant osteoporosis, sarcopenia and adiposity) in NRH. Objective of this study was to assess...

The population of older adults, especially those living in the nursing homes, is growing. The sedentary lifestyle and possible poor nutrition in nursing homes place residents (NHRs) at risk for body composition impairments, malnutrition, and, subsequently, numerous chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to assess body composition (including bo...

The objectives are to present an updated synopsis on osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome and evaluate the roles of selected micronutrients in its prevention and management. OSA refers to the concurrent deterioration of bone (osteopenia/osteoporosis), muscle (sarcopenia) and adipose tissue expansion. It portrays the most advanced stage in a con...

Objective: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be a leading cause of death for U.S. adults, especially African Americans (AA). Yet, few studies have examined a comprehensive set of metabolic health and health behavior factors related to CVD risk in this population. This study investigated the relationship between serum leptin and anthropometr...

Abstract Background: Hypertension is a significant global public health problem and the data suggest a wide health disparity in hypertension prevalence worldwide. Our objective was to assess some epidemiological determinants in individuals ≥ 50 years influencing blood pressure/hypertension in United States and Croatia and derive some meaningful con...

As more insight is gained into personalized health care, the importance of personalized nutritional and behavioral approaches is even more relevant in the COVID-19 era, in addition to the need for further elucidation regarding several diseases/conditions. One of these concerning body composition (in this context; bone, lean and adipose tissue) is o...

Rationale: Metabolic syndrome is increasingly common and rises the risk of other comorbidities. We aimed to assess the prevalence of and some epidemiological determinants influencing metabolic syndrome in individuals ≥50y in the United States and Croatia. Methods: We used American National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (N=1, 556...

Introduction Chronic stress and low-grade chronic inflammation (LGCI) influence body composition and are key underlying factors in health and disease. New syndrome, osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO), signifies the simultaneous impairment of bone, muscle, and adipose tissues and has been associated with poor diet and metabolic derangements. Hyperactivat...

Chronic stress and low-grade chronic inflammation (LGCI) are key underlying factors formany diseases, including bone and body composition impairments. Objectives of this narrativereview were to examine the mechanisms by which chronic stress and LGCI may influenceosteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome, originally named as ostoesarcopenic obesity (...

Introduction: Church-based interventions have been shown to improve the dietary health of underserved populations, yet few studies have examined sustainability of health behavior change over time. This paper examines dietary outcomes over a 24-month period (baseline and 6, 18, and 24 months) for fruit and vegetable and fat consumption behaviors of...

Several studies have investigated the possibility of dairy foods and calcium (Ca) mediating weight and body composition, but a consensus has not been reached. We aimed to investigate weight-loss-related outcomes during intervention with low-fat dairy foods or Ca + vitamin D supplements, both as complements to hypocaloric diets. Overweight/obese Cau...

Identifying a New Syndrome and Recognizing Its Consequences Osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO) syndrome is a newly identified condition characterized by concurrent occurrence of impaired bone health (osteopenia/osteoporosis), reduced muscle mass or strength (sarcopenia or dynapenia), and increased adiposity. Important point to note in this definition i...

Osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO) syndrome describes the simultaneous deterioration of bone, muscle and excess fat, resulting in reduced functionality and systemic metabolic dysregulation. The key component contributing to this may be ectopic fat in the viscera, bone and muscle. OSO research to date is summarized, and the revised criteria for its ident...

We recently showed that using micronutrient ratios in nutritional research might provide more insights into how diet affects metabolism and health outcomes, based on the notion that nutrients, unlike drugs, are not consumed one at a time and do not target a single metabolic pathway. In this paper, we present a concept of macronutrient ratios, inclu...

Esophageal cancer (EC) is frequently associated with gastrointestinal side effects that contribute to high rates of malnutrition. The objective of this review was to summarize the research on nutritional interventions during EC treatment and formulate recommendations for nutrition care. Recommendations include (1) nutritional assessment using scree...

In N = 400 women (46.9 ± 15.5 years), the prevalence of severe (< 25 nmol/l) and mild (≥ 25 and < 50 nmol/l) 25(OH)D deficiency was 7 and 32.2%, respectively, while 60.8% women had adequate status. Serum iPTH increased (> 37.0 pg/ml) when 25(OH)D was < 46.9 nmol/l. BMD was not significantly lower in the participants with iPTH > 37.0 pg/ml. Purpose...

Osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO) is a recently identified geriatric syndrome characterized by the concurrent presence of osteopenia/osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and increased adiposity, the latter either as overt overweight or fat redistribution/infiltration into bone and muscle tissues. The diagnostic criteria for OSO are just being established, but the...

Objective: African Americans (AAs) experience greater prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to other ethnic/racial groups. Low-grade chronic inflammation (often quantified by serum C-reactive protein CRP) is a well-documented risk factor for CVD. A healthy diet is plentiful in antioxidant nutrients and is associated with a lower infla...

This study examined lower life satisfaction, active coping and cardiovascular disease risk factors (diastolic and systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and circumferences) in older African Americans over the phases of an 18-month church-based intervention, using a quasi-experimental design. Participants (n = 89) were 45 years of age and older f...

The 2015 US dietary guidelines advise the importance of good dietary patterns for health, which includes all nutrients. Micronutrients are rarely, if ever, consumed separately, they are not tissue specific in their actions and at the molecular level they are multitaskers. Metabolism functions within a seemingly random cellular milieu however ratios...

African Americans (AAs) have high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), possibly resulting from higher obesity rates and accompanying serum leptin levels. This study examines the relationship between serum leptin levels, physical health (diastolic and systolic blood pressure [DBP, SBP], Body Mass Index [BMI]) and health behaviors (hours of sl...

Identifying a new syndrome and recognizing its consequences: Osteosarcopenic obesity syndrome (OSO) is a newly identified condition characterized by concurrent occurrence of impaired bone health (osteopenia/osteoporosis), reduced muscle mass or strength (sarcopenia or dynapenia) and increased adiposity. Important point to note in this definition i...

Aging affects almost all physiological processes, but changes in body composition and body phenotype are most observable. In this review, we focus on these changes, including loss of bone and muscle and increase in body fat or redistribution of the latter, possibly leading to osteosarcopenic obesity syndrome. We also address low-grade chronic infla...

Abstract: Aims: This study examined the dietary and anthropometric components of diabetic patients with or without diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). Methods: Eighty-two adult subjects were recruited in Tallahassee, FL (USA) and categorized into one of three groups: subjects without diabetes, patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) but not foot ulcers, and p...

Osteosarcopenic obesity syndrome (OSO) has recently been identified as a condition encompassing osteopenia/osteoporosis, sarcopenia and obesity. OSO is especially deleterious in older adults (even if they are not obese by conventional measures), due to age-related redistribution of fat and its infiltration into bone and muscle. Osteoporosis and bon...

Background A strong relationship exists between hypertension and body weight. Research has linked both higher blood pressure and body weight with lower vitamin D status. Objective This study assessed the vitamin D status of a low-income, urban, black community in South Africa, to examine whether serum levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] are a...

Background: Methods based on spot urine samples (a single sample at one time-point) have been identified as a possible alternative approach to 24-hour urine samples for determining mean population salt intake. Objective: The aim of this study is to identify a reliable method for estimating mean population salt intake from spot urine samples. Thi...

African Americans have higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to other racial groups. Modifiable and non-modifiable factors play a role in the development of both diseases. This study assessed diabetes indicators in relation to other CVD risk factors taking into account confounders, among African America...

Conditions related to body composition and aging, such as osteopenic obesity, sarcopenia/sarcopenic obesity, and the newly termed osteosarcopenic obesity (triad of bone muscle and adipose tissue impairment), are beginning to gain recognition. However there is still a lack of definitive diagnostic criteria for these conditions. Little is known about...

Objectives To examine differences in hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations between Caucasian and African American (AA) postmenopausal women, as well as the effects of dietary calcium, protein and vitamin D intakes on 25(OH)D, PTH, and body adiposity using structural equation modeling (SEM). Design Population-...

Background: Aging, chronic inflammation and/or many chronic conditions may result in loss of bone, loss of muscle and increased adiposity, manifested either overtly (overweight) or furtively as fat infiltration into bone and muscle. This combined condition has been identified as osteosarcopenic obesity. Micronutrients are required, not just to pre...

Background: Osteosarcopenic obesity, the combined deterioration of bone, muscle and fat tissues, could become the ultimate trajectory of aging. Aging stem cells are deregulated by low-grade chronic inflammation and possibly by diet. The metabolic shift of stem cells towards adipogenesis results in osteo obesity, sarco obesity and obesity. Macronut...

Osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO) is a recently identified syndrome characterized by simultaneous presence of osteopenia/osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and increased adiposity (either as overt overweight or fat redistribution and infiltration into bone and muscle). Our objective was to examine possible dietary macro and micro nutrient patterns, possibly lea...

Conventionally, evaluating dietary intakes of minerals in relation to their recommendations are considered on an individual basis. However, minerals are consumed in food together, and not one at a time. The objective was to analyze NHANES data from 2011–2012 and assess mineral intakes of middle‐age population, calculate the mineral ratios and compa...

Conventionally, dietary vitamin intakes and their DRIs are considered on a one by one basis. However, vitamins in food are consumed together, and not one at a time. Therefore, the objective was to analyze NHANES data from 2011–2012 to assess vitamin intakes of middle‐age population, calculate the vitamin ratios and compare them to the DRIs. Summari...

Spreading awareness that the combination of muscle and bone deterioration might place the affected individuals at a higher risk for falls, fractures and subsequent increased morbidities, is clinically and scientifically important. We congratulate the authors for the comprehensive assessment of participants’ nutritional status via serum biomarkers a...

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin essential for hematopoietic and neurological functions in the body. It is obtained primarily from animal sources such as meat and fish. Many breakfast cereals and nondairy beverages such as soymilk are fortified with vitamin B12. When vitamin B12 from animal foods enters the stomach i...

Background: High rates of vitamin D deficiency have been reported in athletes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations between vitamin D and bone health, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations in female runners who trained at 30.4° degrees north. Methods: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), PTH, body composition, and bo...

Increasing evidence points to a role of altered microbiota on inflammation, obesity, and other chronic conditions. This commentary addresses the connection between osteosarcopenic obesity syndrome, an impairment in bone, muscle, and adipose tissues that occurs concurrently, with the altered microbiota in elderly individuals, particularly those livi...

Breast cancer survivors (BCS) exhibit decreased physical function and quality of life (QOL) following cancer treatments. Resistance training (RT) may elicit positive changes in physical and mental well-being. This study assessed 27 BCS, pre-and post-intervention (six months) on the following variables: muscular strength (via one repetition maximum...

We determined the prevalence of osteosarcopenic obesity (loss of bone and muscle coexistent with increased adiposity) in overweight/obese postmenopausal women and compared their functionality to obese-only women. Results showed that osteosarcopenic obese women were outperformed by obese-only women in handgrip strength and walking/balance abilities...

It is not clear how distribution of adipose and lean tissue affects bone mineral density (BMD) and what are the consequences of weight loss on BMD and bone turnover markers. Leptin/adiponectin have been studied as mediators of changes in body composition and bone outcomes. Our objective was to examine the interrelationship of leptin/adiponectin wit...

Osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO) is newly identified syndrome which reconciles osteopenia/osteoporosis with sarcopenia and adiposity. Neither complete diagnostic criteria nor full clinical characteristics of this syndrome are defined or understood. Our objective was to examine various nutritional parameters in women with OSO and compare them to obese‐...

Diabetes affects 382 million people worldwide and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) predominates. The American Association of Diabetes Educators has identified seven behaviors (AADE7™) needed to reach clinical targets for people with diabetes and prediabetes. The objective of this study was to test the eDSME, a pilot web based Diabetes Self‐Management Educati...

African‐Americans (AA) have disproportionately higher risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to other ethnicities. Various factors play role in the development of either one of the diseases. Our objective was to assess diabetes indicators in relation to CVD risk factors in AA adult women and men, taking into account p...

Serum CRP is an indirect marker of inflammation and is prominent in the etiology of chronic disease. Racial/ethnic differences in serum CRP may contribute to disparities for chronic disease prevalence in African Americans (AA). Antioxidants mediate inflammation and may reduce risk for chronic disease. Our purpose was to examine the relationship bet...

The aim was to investigate the relationships among lean mass (LM), fat mass (FM), and bone mineral density (BMD) in women stratified by body mass index (BMI) (BMI - normal-weight, overweight, obese) and to determine threshold at which body fat assumes negative relationship with BMD. This was a cross-sectional study in 471 healthy Caucasian women, a...

Our cross-sectional study investigated the relationships between regional bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition variables, including total body lean mass (LM) and fat mass (FM), as well as muscular strength in overweight and obese African-American (AA) women with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Forty-four women ranging in age from 39 to 61 yea...

Abstract Some of the universal characteristics of pre-agricultural hominin diets are strikingly different from the modern human diet. Hominin dietary choices were limited to wild plant and wild animal foods, while the modern diet includes more than 70 % of energy consumed from refined sugars, refined vegetable oils, and highly processed cereals and...

Osteopenia/osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and obesity are commonly observed in the process of aging, and recent evidence suggests a potential interconnection of these syndromes with common pathophysiology. The term osteosarcopenic obesity has been coined to describe the concurrent appearance of obesity in individuals with low bone and muscle mass. Altho...

Objective: To examine (a) inter-individual variation in African Americans' fruit and vegetable social support, behavior, and consumption trajectories by estimating latent growth curves (LGCs) and (b) the associations between these trajectories over time. Design: As part of a larger intervention study, data were collected from mid-life and older...

Background: This study examined the association between advanced glycation end-products (AGE) and serum markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in diabetic patients with or without diabetic foot ulcers. Methods: Eighty-two adult participants were recruited and assigned to one of three groups: 1) non-diabetic control; 2) diabetic participants w...

With the abundance of dietary advice coming from different sources and origins, it is important to identify those coming from the official government or other legitimate non-profit organizations which have been accepted and approved by the USA government. This review gives a brief history of dietary recommendations and their evolvement over time, a...

There are 25.8 million people with diabetes in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet). This number is expected to increase by 1 million per year. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) occur in patients with a history of poorly controlled blood glucose. Almost 30% of people with diabetes aged 40 years...

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of resistance training (RT) and dried plum (DP) consumption on strength, body composition, blood markers of bone, and inflammation in breast cancer survivors (BCS). Twenty-three BCS (RT, n = 12; RT+DP, n = 11), aged 64 ± 7 years, were evaluated at baseline and after 6 months of intervention on th...

The incidence of preventable chronic diseases is disproportionally high among African Americans and could be reduced through diet and physical activity interventions. Our objective was to systematically review the literature on clinical outcomes of diet and physical activity interventions conducted among adult African American populations in the Un...