Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration disorder characterized by progressive impairments of memory, language, reasoning, and other cognitive functions. Evidence suggests that ...omega-3 fatty acids may act as a possible protection factor in AD.
Objective: To evaluate the results available in the literature involving omega-3 fatty acids supplementation and its effect on cognitive function in AD patients.
Methods: A systematic review of MEDLINE (from PubMed), Excerpta Medica Database, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria consisted in original intervention studies, controlled by placebo, that assessed the impact of supplementation or dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids on cognitive function, in humans with AD, without limitation for prime date of publication.
Results: Initial search resulted in 361 articles. Seven studies fully met the inclusion criteria. Most studies did not find statistically significant results for the omega-3 fatty acids supplementation compared to placebo, and those who show some benefit do it only in a few cognitive assessment scales. However, the effects of omega-3 fatty acids appear to be most effectively demonstrated in patients with very mild AD.
Conclusion: The effects of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation in mild AD corroborate epidemiological observational studies showing that omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial in disease onset, when there is slight impairment of brain function. Although some studies have shown changes in scales of cognitive function in more severe cases, they are not enough to support omega-3 fatty acids supplementation in the treatment of AD.
Background
According to epidemiological and experimental data, high individual dietary antioxidant intake is correlated with reduced cancer risk. The correlations between combined dietary ...antioxidants and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality remain unclear. Consequently, this study focused on evaluating the correlation between the food-derived Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (CDAI) and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
Materials and methods
Two years of data collected from participants aged ≥20 years were included in this prospective cohort study, which was obtained from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2018. The US NHANES adopted a complicated, multistage probability sampling method to collect health data representing the US population. Data collection was done through in-person interviews, virtual physical examinations, and laboratory tests. Mortality-related follow-up statistics from the start of the survey to 31 December 2019 were available. The shape of the correlation between CDAI and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was inspected using a restricted cubic spline model. For CDAI and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, the univariate- and multivariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were estimated and presented as regression coefficients and 95% confidence intervals.
Results
In total, 44,031 NHANES participants represented 339.4 million non-institutionalized residents of the US (age, 47.2 ± 16.9 years; 52.5% women, 70.2% non-Hispanic whites, 10.8% non-Hispanic black people, and 7.5% Mexican Americans). In the 118-month follow-up, 9,249 deaths were reported, including 2,406 deaths resulting from heart disease and 519 deaths due to cerebrovascular disease. In the restricted cubic spline regression models, a linear relationship between CDAI and all-cause mortality was present. The weighted multivariate hazard ratios for all-cause mortality were computed to be 0.97 (0.87–1.07) for Q2, 0.88 (0.81–0.96) for Q3, and 0.90 (0.80–1.00) for Q4 (
P
for trend = 0.009) upon comparison with the lowest quartile of CDAI, and an identical trend was observed for cardiovascular mortality.
Conclusion
A high CDAI was linked to decreased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. The intake of an antioxidant-rich diet significantly prevents cardiovascular mortality. To shed more light on these outcomes, more itemized investigations such as randomized control trials are required.
Both epidemiological studies and randomised controlled trials have shown that meat-eating can be harmful to human health. Meat-eating is also considered to be a moral issue, impacting negatively on ...the environment and the welfare of animals. To date, very little scientific research has aimed to reduce this dietary behavior. Therefore, the current research tests the effectiveness of a 4-week multicomponent intervention designed to reduce meat-eating. Using a randomised controlled trial procedure, thirty-two young men (mean age: 23.5 ± 3.1 years old) were randomly assigned into two equal groups, the intervention vs control group. Based on research in social and health psychology, the intervention was composed of five components expected to reduce meat consumption: a social norm component; an informational/educational component; an appeal to fear; a mind attribution induction; and a goal setting/self-monitoring component. Measures of different types of meat intake (using dietary journals) were taken at baseline (Time 1) as well as 2 (Time 2) and 4 weeks later (Time 3). Emotions and attitudes toward meat-eating and animals were also assessed at Time 3. Significant reductions in total and weekend red meat consumption as well as cold cuts consumed on the weekend were observed in the intervention condition from Time 1 to Time 3. Moreover, reduced positive emotions toward eating meat mediated the reduction in red meat consumption. The component of the intervention that participants most often perceived as having led to a reduction in their meat consumption was the informational component. In conclusion, results provide support for the effectiveness of the multicomponent intervention and for the mediating role of positive emotions when predicting behavioral changes in meat consumption.
Skipping breakfast can be potentially harmful because breakfast consumption is considered one of the important health-related behaviors that benefit physical and mental health. As the rate of ...depression has increased recently, we investigated the association between the frequency of eating breakfast and depression in adults. We obtained the data from the 2013 Korean Community Health Survey; a total of 207,710 survey participants aged 20 years or over were studied. Participants were categorized into three groups by the frequency of breakfast consumption as follows: “seldom,” “sometimes,” and “always.” We performed a multiple logistic regression to investigate the association between breakfast consumption and depressive mood. Subgroup analyses were conducted by stratifying socioeconomic variables controlling for variables known to be associated with depressive symptoms. Participants who had breakfast seldom or sometimes had higher depressive symptoms than those who always ate breakfast (“seldom”: OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.36–1.52; “sometimes”: OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.23–1.40). Subgroup analyses showed that this association was more marked in those who were 80 years or older, those who had low household income, or those with elementary school education level or less. The result of this study suggests that lack of breakfast consumption is associated with depression among adults with different socioeconomic factors.
Understanding food sustainability and healthy diets public awareness is of utmost importance since consumers are the main drivers of global consumption patterns. Using Google Trends data, from 2010 ...to 2021, we aim to explore the temporal dynamics of food sustainability public interest across Europe and its association with interest in sustainability, healthy diet, Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), and flexitarianism. Public interest in food sustainability has increased and is positively associated with the interest in the topic of sustainability. With few exceptions, no general association between food sustainability and healthy diet or MedDiet interest were found. Consistent associations between food sustainability and flexitarianism were found across most of the European regions and countries. Despite the growing interest, only flexitarianism seems to be associated with food sustainability. Understanding consumers' interest in food sustainability is crucial for the transition towards healthy and sustainable diets and to define educational and behavioural interventions.
To assess the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) and diet quality among preschool children and women of reproductive age from Argentina.
Cross-sectional and nationally ...representative survey. The food items were classified according to the NOVA system. Consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains was estimated, and the energy and nutrients related to non-communicable disease (NCD) intake. Linear regression was used to assess the associations.
Argentina.
Children aged 2-5 years (
7022), female adolescent aged 10-19 years (
2165) and women aged 20-49 years (
4414).
UPF represented more than a quarter of total energy intake, 27 % in children, 31 % in female adolescents and 26 % in women. Across all age groups, the major contributors to UPF consumption were cookies and pastries (about 6·0-7·0 %), soft drinks (about 2·7-3·7 %), candies (about 1·8-4·6 %), and juices (about 1·3-1·7 %). The consumption of fresh vegetables, fresh fruits and legumes was negatively associated with UPF consumption. A significant positive association was found between the dietary share of UPF and the dietary content of NCD-promoting nutrients such as free sugars and total saturated and
-fats. In contrast, a significant negative association was found with the content of NCD-protective such as fibre and protein.
UPF were associated with lower consumption of healthy foods and higher intake of nutrients related to NCD in children and women of reproductive age in Argentina. It is necessary to design food policies that simultaneously reduce the consumption of UPF while promoting the intake of fresh and whole foods to improve the dietary quality.
Objective: To determine the status of the Smart Meal provision and the issues faced by companies to promote the application and support continued certification of restaurants and ready-made meal ...companies under the "Healthy Meal and Food Environment" certification system.Methods: We targeted 79 companies—55 restaurants and 24 ready-made meal companies—that were certified in FY2018 and renewed in 2020. From January to February 2020, we investigated the status of Smart Meal provision and issues in addition to the intention to renew using the Web form. In addition, we used the information on the application department, certification time, store location, and number of stars. The results of the quantitative data are shown by frequency distribution, free-form answers are coded, and similar contents are summarized and categorized.Results: In total, 79 companies were analyzed (analysis target rate: 100.0%). 70.9% (n = 56) of companies answered that they would renew. A total of 63.3% (n = 31) of the 49 companies that responded to the items answered that there was a response from the customer, such as Positive evaluation of the menu. In addition, 71.4% (n = 35) of companies answered that there was no change in sales before and after certification, but 81.6% (n = 40) of companies answered that there was a merit of certification. A total of 40.8% (n = 20) of companies responded Issues related to menus.Conclusions: To promote applications for the certification system for restaurants/ready-made meal companies and support their continued certification, it is necessary to solve issues related to menu, including development, cost reduction, and related to dissemination and enlightenment such as raising awareness of Smart Meal.
The regular consumption of vegetables and fruits has been indicated as part of a healthy diet. They are considered healthy foods because they are sources of vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Adequate ...intake of these foods can reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and various types of cancer. The objective of the present study was to determine the consumption habits of vegetables and fruits in two different countries, Portugal and France. For this descriptive study, it was used a questionnaire survey, applied to individuals over 18 years old and carried out through the internet, being disseminated on social networks and by email. The sample was constituted by 640 participants (257 from Portugal and 383 from France). Statistical tools were used for the treatment of data, like the
-Test and chi-square test utilised to compare the results between Portuguese and French consumers. The results showed that the Portuguese eat out more often than the French. Portuguese and French like vegetables equally but the French eat more vegetables and fruit per week on average than the Portuguese. The French like soup as much as the Portuguese but the Portuguese eat soup more regularly than the French and prefer soup with cut pieces, unlike the French which prefer soup with grounded vegetables. The global consumption of vegetables and fruits is low in both countries and should be increased, most especially in Portugal, where the consumption is lower. In conclusion, despite some differences found across consumers according to country, the consumption of these foods is still below the recommendations of the World Health Organisation, and therefore, some more actions are necessary to incentivise a higher consumption of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Probiotics are usually defined as microbial food supplements with beneficial effects on the consumers. Most probiotics fall into the group of organisms' known as lactic acid-producing bacteria and ...are normally consumed in the form of yogurt, fermented milks or other fermented foods. Some of the beneficial effect of lactic acid bacteria consumption include: (i) improving intestinal tract health; (ii) enhancing the immune system, synthesizing and enhancing the bioavailability of nutrients; (iii) reducing symptoms of lactose intolerance, decreasing the prevalence of allergy in susceptible individuals; and (iv) reducing risk of certain cancers. The mechanisms by which probiotics exert their effects are largely unknown, but may involve modifying gut pH, antagonizing pathogens through production of antimicrobial compounds, competing for pathogen binding and receptor sites as well as for available nutrients and growth factors, stimulating immunomodulatory cells, and producing lactase. Selection criteria, efficacy, food and supplement sources and safety issues around probiotics are reviewed. Recent scientific investigation has supported the important role of probiotics as a part of a healthy diet for human as well as for animals and may be an avenue to provide a safe, cost effective, and 'natural' approach that adds a barrier against microbial infection. This paper presents a review of probiotics in health maintenance and disease prevention.
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