Areca Nut Chewing Is Associated With Metabolic Syndrome
Role of tumor necrosis factor-α, leptin, and white blood cell count in betel nut chewing–related metabolic derangements
- Fu-Mei Chung, MS12,
- Dao-Ming Chang, MD15,
- Miao-Pei Chen, MS1,
- Jack C.-R. Tsai, MD, MPH13,
- Yi-Hsin Yang, PHD4,
- Tien-Yu Shieh, PHD4,
- Shyi-Jang Shin, MD, PHD3,
- Tony Hsiu-Hsi Chen, PHD5,
- Tong-Yuan Tai, MD, PHD6 and
- Yau-Jiunn Lee, MD, PHD1
- 1Department of Clinical Research, Pingtung Christian Hospital, Pingtung, Taiwan
- 2Graduate Institute of Dental Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- 3Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- 4Graduate Institute of Oral Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- 5Institute of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- 6Department of Internal Medicine, Ren-Ji Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Address correspondence to Dr. Yau-Jiunn Lee, Department of Clinical Research, Pingtung Christian Hospital, No. 60 Da-Lien Rd., Pingtung, 90000, Taiwan. E-mail: t3275{at}ms25.hinet.net
Areca nut (Areca catechu)/betel quid (BQ) is said to be the fourth most commonly used psychoactive substance in the world and is chewed regularly by at least 10% of the world’s population (1). High prevalences of BQ chewing were observed especially in South and Southeast Asia (1). High prevalences of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome were also observed in this area (2). Specific areca alkaloids act as competitive inhibitors of γ-aminobutyric acid receptors …
