Epidemiology of what to eat in the 21st century.

The purposes of this systematic review were to present and compare recent estimates of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school-aged youth from 34 countries and to examine associations between overweight and selected dietary and physical activity patterns. Data consisted of a cross-sectional survey of 137 593 youth (10-16 years) from the 34 (primarily European) participating countries of the 2001-2002 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was determined based on self-reported height and weight and the international child body mass index standards. Logistic regression was employed to examine associations between overweight status with selected dietary and physical activity patterns. The two countries with the highest prevalence of overweight (pre-obese + obese) and obese youth were Malta (25.4% and 7.9%) and the United States (25.1% and 6.8%) while the two countries with the lowest prevalence were Lithuania (5.1% and 0.4%) and Latvia (5.9% and 0.5%). Overweight and obesity prevalence was particularly high in countries located in North America, Great Britain, and south-western Europe. Within most countries physical activity levels were lower and television viewing times were higher in overweight compared to normal weight youth. In 91% of the countries examined, the frequency of sweets intake was lower in overweight than normal weight youth. Overweight status was not associated with the intake of fruits, vegetables, and soft drinks or time spent on the computer. In conclusion, the adolescent obesity epidemic is a global issue. Increasing physical activity participation and decreasing television viewing should be the focus of strategies aimed at preventing and treating overweight and obesity in youth.

Eating Pattern Analyses: The Whole Is More than the Sum of Its Parts

Objective: Identifying dietary and physical activity (PA) patterns in Russian youths and examining their dependence on gender, age, family characteristics and area of residence features. The research involved 783 school students 10–17 years of age and their parents living in the cities of Moscow and Murmansk. Using the principal component analysis, four integral indices were identified that characterized the habits and dietary patterns, PA and lifestyle. Boys, compared with girls, were more likely to consume unhealthy foods but less likely to practice malnutrition. Within the age ranges of 13–15 years old and 16–17 years old, the proportions of school students with a poor sleep pattern and low PA were higher than in children 10–12 years of age. In smoking families, children were less likely to consume healthy foods and more likely to eat unhealthy foods. In Murmansk school students, compared with their Moscow peers, a reduction in both sleep time and PA was observed less often. Our study demonstrated that the most significant factors of a balanced and healthy diet, rational daily routine and lifestyle in school students were their gender and age characteristics, as well as some contextual factors.

Heart Health: Does Diet Still Matter?

Navratri is one of the most common religious fasts observed among Hindus. A large number of people with diabetes follow Navratris fast irrespective of its health implications, often without proper education and medical advice. The quest for the scientific research on dietary advices for Hindu fasts including Navratris shows paucity of literature comparative to the dietary advices advocated during Ramadan. The eating and physical activity patterns during different fasts vary a lot depending up on social and cultural factors. Even eating pattern is not uniform among all persons following Navratris and is modified as per their region, local culture, and religious beliefs. Dietary advice during Navratris depends upon pattern of fasting, religious beliefs, and local sociocultural factors. In this review, efforts are made to provide pragmatic dietary advice for people with diabetes, modifications in the menus and cooking practices, and timings of the meals for successful blood glucose management during Navratris. This review will also help plan diet and physical activity advice for persons observing other fasts as well.

Confinement is an effective measure to control COVID-19, but it can have repercussions on lifestyle-related behaviors, especially among adolescents. Poor quality diet and low physical activity could trigger weight gain and the appearance of chronic non-communicable diseases at an early age. To investigate the changes in eating and physical activity patterns before and during the first COVID-19 confinement in Chilean adolescents. Chilean adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years were invited to answer an online survey with 47 questions about dietary habits and physical activity. The survey was answered by 420 participants and only four adolescents declined to answer it. Changes in eating patterns were evidenced, such as an increase in lunch consumption from 54.1 to 83%, and a decrease in the consumption of both healthy and unhealthy foods. Also, significant changes were observed in physical activity patterns, and an increase in the time spent sitting, from 4.7 to 5.8 hours during confinement. The first confinement for COVID-19 modified eating and physical activity patterns in Chilean adolescents towards unhealthy habits, which if maintained, could negatively affect their health and quality of life.

BackgroundSimilar to other countries, trends of decreasing levels of physical activity (PA) and an increasing prevalence of unhealthy dietary patterns are observed among girls in Poland. Better understanding of potentially inter-related behaviours within this population can help to design tailored interventions. The purpose of this study was to determine associations between PA patterns and dietary patterns in a representative sample of Polish girls.MethodsGirls aged 13-21 years (n = 1107) were randomly selected for the study. PA was assessed using International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Long (IPAQ-L). Dietary data were collected with food frequency questionnaires. PA patterns and dietary patterns were drawn separately by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Logistic regression was used to find the associations between PA patterns and dietary patterns.ResultsFour major PA patterns (‘School/work activity’, ‘Active recreation’, ‘Yard activity’ and ‘Walking and domestic activity’) and four dietary patterns (‘Traditional Polish’, ‘Fruit & vegetables’, ‘Fast food & sweets’ and ‘Dairy & fats’) were identified. Level of PA was the highest in the upper tertile of ‘School/work activity’ pattern (mean 1372.2 MET-minutes/week, 95 % Confidence Intervals [CI]: 1285.9–1458.5). Girls in upper tertiles of ‘Yard activity’, ‘Active recreation’ and ‘School/work activity’ patterns had significantly higher chances of being in the upper tertile of the ‘Fruit and vegetables’ dietary pattern (odds ratio [OR] 2.17, 95 % CI: 1.50–3.14, p < 0.0001; OR 2.02, 95 % CI: 1.41–2.91; p < 0.001 and OR 1.76, 95 % CI: 1.24–2.51, p < 0.01 respectively; all adjusted for confounders) in comparison to bottom tertiles. Weak, but significant inverse associations were found between upper tertiles of ‘Active recreation’ and ‘Yard activity’ patterns and unhealthy dietary patterns.ConclusionsWe found associations between PA patterns and dietary patterns in the population of Polish girls. Girls with the highest adherence to the ‘School/work activity’ pattern had the highest levels of PA and presented pro-healthy dietary behaviours. School should be recognised as potentially efficient and important setting to maximise girls' PA potential. The after-school time is the area that should also be targeted to increase daily PA or to at least sustain the level of PA after completing education.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3367-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Eating patterns, body composition and cardiometabolic health in menopause

Pediatric overweight, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance can result from unhealthy lifestyle habits and increase morbidity and mortality in adulthood. Herein, we evaluated the relationship between diet and physical activity patterns with the metabolic health of 9-year-old school children. Measurements included anthropometry, adiposity, lipid, and glycemic profiles. Questionnaires evaluated diet and physical activity. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) screened for diet patterns, and multilevel models evaluated diet and physical activity patterns against overweight, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance markers across schools and children. EFA highlighted two diet patterns, Western and Traditional. Food rich in fat, salt, and sugar and fewer vegetables and fruits defined the Western pattern. The Traditional pattern, linked to healthier eating habits, had analogies to the Mediterranean diet. Overall, 39% of the children were overweight (including the obese), while 62% presented cardiovascular risk factors on their lipid profiles. Normal-weight children presented 60% high cholesterol incidence. Global insulin resistance incidence was 4.1%, but almost doubled among the overweight/obese. The Westernized diet consistently linked to worse cardiovascular risk markers, even independently of physical practice. Intensive or competitive physical activity was associated with decreased triglycerides (p = 0.003), regardless of diet. Future prospective studies are warranted to validate these results externally.

Statistics indicate that the morbidity of breast cancer is increasing globally, and its (overall figures) incidence has now surpassed that of lung cancer for the first time. The relation between a whole dietary pattern, rather than of a single food or nutrient, and breast cancer (BC) should be examined for findings to capture the complexities of diet and the potential for synergism between dietary components. Hence, the effects of dietary patterns on breast cancer have recently attracted increasing attention. To systematically review the effects of dietary patterns on breast cancer risk, prognosis, and quality of life in survivors. This systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. Data from Ovid, China Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, CNKI, PubMed, Weipu, The Cochrane Library, Duxiu Data, ProQuest, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus Database were retrieved and evaluated. A total of 47 studies that investigated the association between eating patterns and breast cancer were identified. Ten studies evaluated the effect of the model on treatment outcome and prognosis of breast cancer and two cross-sectional studies examined the influence of dietary patterns on quality of life. The resulting favorable dietary patterns were shown to regulate metabolic biomarkers, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and protective genes, and inhibit cell proliferation and invasion. Numerous studies have examined the effects of healthy eating, plant-based, anti-inflammation, low-fat, and other favorable dietary patterns in relation to breast cancer. However, few studies reported significant associations and the studies had limitations, suggesting that the current findings should be interpreted with caution. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, CRD4202 2350171.

COVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2. Home confinement and movement restrictions can affect lifestyle changes and may lead to non-communicable diseases (NCD). This systematic review will provide a detailed summary of changing patterns of physical activities, diet and sleep among the general public in COVID-19. PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Science Direct, and Scopus will be, among eight bibliographic databases, applied and search work will take one month (from January 2021 until February 2021). Key search terms will include common characteristics of physical activity, dietary pattern, sleeping pattern, and COVID-19. The reviewers will fully apply the inclusion and exclusion criteria framed by PICOS as well as the screening form and the PRISMA flow for selecting the papers eligible for this review. Moreover, the reviewers will use a self-developed excel table to extract the required information on dietary pattern changes, physical activities and sleep patterns changes, and the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies (RoBANS) for practicing quality assessment. We will include only observational studies and analyze the extracted information qualitatively and the review output will be based on the eligible studies' outcomes. Changes in physical activity, dietary and sleep patterns are challenging to the public health professionals regarding the risk factors for NCD, and long-term effects might impact the controlling of the NCD. Evidence-based research information is needed regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are a few global data on changes in physical activity, dietary and sleep patterns. Furthermore, innovative public health interventions or implementations are needed to maintain the positive health status of the population in the long run as the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This systematic review is based on a protocol registered with PROSPERO CRD42021232667.

BackgroundCOVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2. Home confinement and movement restrictions can affect lifestyle changes and may lead to non-communicable diseases (NCD). This systematic review will provide a detailed summary of changing patterns of physical activities, diet and sleep among the general public in COVID-19.MethodsPubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Science Direct, and Scopus will be, among eight bibliographic databases, applied and search work will take one month (from January 2021 until February 2021). Key search terms will include common characteristics of physical activity, dietary pattern, sleeping pattern, and COVID-19. The reviewers will fully apply the inclusion and exclusion criteria framed by PICOS as well as the screening form and the PRISMA flow for selecting the papers eligible for this review. Moreover, the reviewers will use a self-developed excel table to extract the required information on dietary pattern changes, physical activities and sleep patterns changes, and the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies (RoBANS) for practicing quality assessment. We will include only observational studies and analyze the extracted information qualitatively and the review output will be based on the eligible studies’ outcomes.DiscussionChanges in physical activity, dietary and sleep patterns are challenging to the public health professionals regarding the risk factors for NCD, and long-term effects might impact the controlling of the NCD. Evidence-based research information is needed regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are a few global data on changes in physical activity, dietary and sleep patterns. Furthermore, innovative public health interventions or implementations are needed to maintain the positive health status of the population in the long run as the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.Systematic review registrationThis systematic review is based on a protocol registered with PROSPERO CRD42021232667.

When “Stamppot” meets “Nasi lemak” : Dietary taste patterns in the Netherlands and Malaysia

Colon cancer has been associated with several nutrients and foods. The authors used data from a population-based study conducted in Northern California, Utah, and Minnesota to examine associations between dietary eating patterns and risk of developing colon cancer. Through factor analysis, detailed dietary intake data obtained from 1,993 cases (diagnosed in 1991-1994) and 2,410 controls were grouped into factors that were evaluated for relations with lifestyle characteristics and colon cancer risk. Several dietary patterns emerged. The dietary patterns with the most variation were labeled "Western," "prudent," "high fat/sugar dairy," "substituters," and "drinkers." The "Western" dietary pattern was associated with a higher body mass index and a greater intake of total energy and dietary cholesterol. The "prudent" pattern was associated with higher levels of vigorous leisure time physical activity, smaller body size, and higher intakes of dietary fiber and folate. Persons who had high scores on the "drinker" pattern were also more likely to smoke cigarettes. The "Western" dietary pattern was associated with an increased risk of colon cancer in both men and women. The association was strongest among people diagnosed prior to age 67 years (for men, odds ratio (OR)=1.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-3.15; for women, OR=2.02, 95% CI 1.21-3.36) and among men with distal tumors (OR=2.25, 95% CI 1.47-3.46). The "prudent" diet was protective, with the strongest associations being observed among people diagnosed prior to age 67 years (men: OR=0.63, 95% CI 0.43-0.92; women: OR=0.58, 95% CI 0.38-0.87); associations with this dietary pattern were also strong among persons with proximal tumors (men: OR=0.55, 95% CI 0.38-0.80; women: OR=0.64, 95% CI 0.45-0.92). Although "substituters" (people who substituted low fat dairy products for high fat dairy products, margarine for butter, poultry for red meat, and whole grains for refined grains) were at reduced risk of colon cancer, the reduction in risk was not statistically significant. These data support the hypothesis that overall dietary intake pattern is associated with colon cancer, and that the dietary pattern associated with the greatest increase in risk is the one which typifies a Western-style diet.

High NaCl content in food promotes hypervolemia and increased blood pressure (BP). Sensitivity to NaCl was found in 26 % of normotensive human population and in 51 % of hypertensive patients. The aim of the work was to evaluate the impact of renal denervation (RD) on BP in normotensive and hypertensive salt-sensitive rats (Dahl-S and DOCA) consuming a diet enriched with NaCl using meta-analysis. Materials and methods. The meta-analysis included eight studies, which investigated normotensive animals without indicating increased sensitivity to salt, 9 studies which used Dahl-S rats (genetic abnormalities are associated with extensive kidney damage and increased BP with a high-salt diet), and 12 studies which assessed rats with the DOCA model (administration of deoxycorticosterone acetate to normotensive rats causes hypervolemia and increased BP with a high-salt diet). Results. High-salt diet induced severe hypertension in Dahl-S rats even with two kidneys and in DOCA rats with one kidney. According to the results of meta-analysis, total bilateral RD decreased BP by 3–6 % in normotensive, Dahl-S and DOCA rats with two kidneys kept on a high-salt diet. The maximum hypotensive effect of RD (9–12 %) was observed in one-kidney rats with DOCA-salt hypertension. RD did not reduce the “white coat” syndrome in the studied models, but the final conclusion about the effect of RD on BP during emotional stress cannot be made due to the difference in experimental methods and the small number of studies using telemetric BP measurement. Preliminary RD significantly inhibited the development of DOCA-salt, but not Dahl-S hypertension. In normotensive animals and in Dahl-S rats, the RD effect did not depend on the duration of the high-salt diet. The longer DOCA-salt hypertension lasted before RD, the lesser the antihypertensive effect of RD. In Dahl-S rats, sodium excretion decreased during the first 3 weeks after RD, and increased after 4–6 weeks. However, there is no convincing evidence of changes in sodium excretion after RD in rats with DOCA-salt hypertension. Conclusions. With a high-salt diet in normotensive rats and in animals with salt-sensitive hypertension, total RD reduces the baseline BP level. The antihypertensive effect of total RD is greater in DOCA rats compared to Dahl-S rats kept on a high-salt diet.