Nutrition and Health

Background: The pink color enhances the perceived sweetness, increasing the individuals' expectation of the presence of sugar/carbohydrate in a beverage. Hence, it is plausible to speculate that providing a pink solution during exercise could induce an ergogenic benefit through a potential placebo effect. Aim: We examined whether ingesting a pink non-caloric, artificially sweetened solution can improve endurance strength exercise performance and psychological responses. Methods: Eighteen strength-trained individuals (34 ± 7 y; 1...

Background: This study seeks to further our understanding of the factors associated with adolescent athletes and disordered eating, by expanding current research into a less-explored eating disorder known as orthorexia. Aim: The aim of the study is to explore the impact of parents' relationships and emotional regulation on the orthorexia nervosa (ON) tendencies of adolescent athletes. Methods: The participants were 303 adolescents, ranging from 15 to 17 years old, of which 139 participated in competitive sport, and 164 did not...

Background: Selenium is an essential micronutrient for human growth and development. Breast milk is usually the primary source of this nutrient for infants which is fundamental for their healthy brain development; its deficiency can lead to severe neurocognitive outcomes. The concentration of selenium in breast milk is dependent on the maternal diet. Aim: This study assessed associations between maternal diet and levels of selenium concentrations in breastmilk and serum of 124 lactating mothers. Methods: Breast milk and serum samples were collected from lactating mothers whose breast-fed infant was at least one month old...

Background: In recent years, there has been an increase in the variety and consumption of commercial infant and toddler food products. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the nutritional profiles of commercial infant and toddler food products sold in Turkey. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of the nutritional composition of products available at in-store and online supermarkets in Turkey was derived from the nutritional information panel on the product label or information provided on manufacturer websites in March 2023...

OBJECTIVE: Patients and the general audience refer social media platforms, such as YouTube, to learn and apply contemporary dietary methods. It is difficult for users to analyze the correctness and quality of information available on open platforms. Using scientific evaluation, this study assessed the quality, reliability, and content of YouTube videos on ketogenic diet (KD). METHODS: Three experienced medical practitioners reviewed and evaluated 95 videos. The quality and reliability of the videos were assessed using the quality criteria for consumer health information and the global quality scale (GQS)...

BACKGROUND: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and anorexia nervosa (AN) are characterized by restrictive eating and micronutrient deficiencies. While zinc deficiency has been identified in AN, zinc level in ARFID has not been systematically assessed. AIM: Examine serum zinc levels and their association with eating pathology, psychopathology, and executive functioning in youth with ARFID and AN. METHODS: This study included 28 adolescents ( M age  = 13, 75% female) receiving treatment for ARFID ( n  = 13) and AN ( n  = 15)...

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality associated with diabetes, which is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. Low-carbohydrate diet has gained popularity as an intervention in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, acting to improve glycemic profile and serum lipids. In its turn, exercise in hypoxia induces specific adaptations, mostly modulated via hypoxia-induced transcription factor signaling cascade, which increases with exposure to altitude, and promotes angiogenesis, glycogen supply, glucose tolerance, and raises GLUT-4 expression...

Based on a recent cross-sectional study using self-report questionnaires, Dinse and colleagues (2023) claim that this study shows that "the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic causes a dysfunctional dietary behavior" (title) and that the "data clearly show that psychological burdens affect an individual's dietary behavior" (abstract). This commentary argues that these claims are unfounded. Specifically, it highlights some issues regarding the statistical analyses that refer to artificial categorization of continuous variables, use of covariates, and interpreting differential associations between two variables as a function of third variables, which would require formal tests of interaction effects...

BACKGROUND: Evidence associating plant-based diets with the proposed 'obsessively healthy eating' eating disorder, orthorexia nervosa, has mostly focused on females. Diet motivations have seldom been assessed. AIM: To compare orthorexic tendencies between vegans/vegetarians and omnivores of both sexes, and reasons behind food choice with an English-validated Food Choice Questionnaire. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 444 males and females were recruited via social media, email, and Amazon MTurk; to investigate eating patterns, orthorexic tendencies using the ORTO-15 questionnaire, and eating motivations using the Food Choice Questionnaire...

BACKGROUND: Women with perinatal depression (PD) are at high risk for unhealthy dietary behaviors and suboptimal child feeding practices. Despite evidence supporting the importance of healthful nutrition-related behaviors during and after pregnancy, few behavioral nutrition interventions for women with PD have been developed. The objectives of this study were to identify nutrition-related challenges and needs among women with PD and to elucidate the role that feeding plays in mother-infant interaction, to inform the development of nutrition interventions...

Purpose: No dietary interventional studies have reported the impact of olive oil on cardiovascular risk markers in groups of different ethnic origins. We report a pilot randomised controlled trial of an intervention supplementing extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) on markers of cardiovascular risk among East Asian Chinese, and European Caucasian individuals. Methods: A cross-over, randomised controlled dietary intervention for 2 weeks was undertaken. Thirty-two adults, healthy, individuals of Chinese and European origin took part in this study...

BACKGROUND: Given China's fast-growing aging population, cognitive decline is a leading public health concern. Eggs are an affordable food rich in several shortfall nutrients that may benefit cognitive health. AIM: This study assessed the longitudinal relationship between whole egg consumption and cognition among older adults in China. METHODS: Individual-level data of 4737 Chinese adults 55+ years came from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) 1997-2006 waves...

Background: One of the side effects of doing sports activities is the increase of free radicals and oxidative stress. Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of increasing endurance training with L-arginine supplementation on oxidative indices in the cardiac organ of male Wistar rats. Methods: 32 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups control, L-arginine, endurance training, and L-arginine plus endurance training. Animals in the endurance training groups completed increasing endurance training on a motorized treadmill (60-min/session, 5 times/week) for 8 weeks...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic upended many aspects of daily life. For some individuals, this was an opportunity to re-evaluate their life and make better choices, while others were overwhelmed with stressors, leading to a deterioration in mental and physical health. AIM: The aim of this narrative systematic review is to explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Mediterranean diet adherence. METHODS: A systematic literature search was carried out on PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science electronic databases utilising the search terms 'Mediterranean diet' AND 'COVID-19'...

BACKGROUND: Although Namibia has made strides in improving the policy enabling environment, eradication of malnutrition is still elusive. OBJECTIVE: This review was aimed at determining the extent to which food and nutrition-related policies in Namibia address malnutrition. METHODS: This study used a qualitative approach by retrospectively analysing policy frameworks that address malnutrition in Namibia from 1991 to 2022. The analysis employed the policy triangle framework to elucidate the contextual factors, content, actors and process involved in the policy development...

Background: Dietary behaviours of adolescence are concerning, and this may impact long-term well-being. Aim: This study examined the socio-ecological determinants of dietary behaviours in a national prospective cohort study of English adolescents. Methods: Latent class analysis was used to identify the typologies of eight dietary behaviours: fruit, vegetable, breakfast, sugar-sweetened beverages, artificial-sweetened beverages, fast-food, bread, and milk from 7402 adolescents aged 13-15 years (mean 13.8 ± 0...

Background: Taste is the characteristic sensory modality of the gustatory system associated with dietary intake. The ability of humans to perceive different tastes is predisposed by the activity of taste receptors. The expression of TAS1R family of genes enables the detection of sweetness and umaminess, whereas TAS2R enables the detection of bitterness. The varying levels of expression of these genes within different organs of the gastro-intestinal tract, regulates the metabolism of biomolecules including carbohydrates and proteins...

BACKGROUND: This study, part of a community-based nutrition study, aimed to understand the participating experiences of a one-month health promotion intervention in children and parents. The intervention aimed at prompting breakfast consumption amongst children. The specific intervention strategies consisted of mobile text messaging relating to how to cook nutritious and fast breakfast, breakfast-related cartoons provided for children, and group information sessions relating to breakfast consumption for parents...

Background: Honey is a product of the hive elaborated by the bees of the species Apis mellifera . As well as Pistacia lentiscus , is a species widely used in traditional medicine that is part of a large family of Anacardiaceae . Aims: To determine the biological properties including the antioxidant activity of the mixture of the extract of P. lentiscus berries associated with honey at different concentrations (0.5%, 2%, 4%, 8% and 12%). Methods: Physicochemical parameters and phenolic compound amounts. The antioxidant activities (reducing power, FRAP, CUPRAC, TAC, DPPH, ABTS, and ferrozine) were also tested...

Background: Curcumin is a polyphenol derived from the Curcuma longa L (turmeric) plant and has gained attention through its perceived anti-inflammatory characteristics. The potential interaction with exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) has led to investigation of curcumin as a post-exercise strategy that may have the potential to lessen acute reductions in functional strength (FS) following physical activity. Aim: The purpose of this review is to assess the evidence examining curcumin in relation to four outcome measures: FS, EIMD, DOMS and inflammation...