The lockdowns resulting from the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted deeply on all life activities, including diet. We performed a systematic review to investigate ...changes in food intake, eating behaviors, and diet quality during lockdown as compared with before the lockdown. A literature search was performed using 3 electronic databases from inception until 13 June 2021. Observational studies evaluating changes in general populations during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were eligible. Of 1963 studies retrieved from the search strategy, 95 met inclusion criteria (85 in adults, 10 in children/adolescents), and the majority were of high quality (72.6%). Most of the studies were web-based surveys using convenience sampling, mainly focused on variations in the consumption of foods and eating behaviors during lockdown, whereas only 15 studies analyzed diet quality through dietary indices. On the basis of the definition of a healthful diet as reflected by a traditional Mediterranean diet, an increase in recommended foods such as fruit and vegetables, legumes, cereals, and olive oil was observed, although a sharp decrease in fish intake and an increase in dairy products were documented. Accordingly, a reduction in foods that should be eaten less frequently was reported—namely, red and processed meat. However, a higher consumption of unhealthy foods (e.g., snacks and sweets) was also observed. Results indicated improved diet quality in Europe, especially among Mediterranean countries, with the exception of France, while a switch to poor nutrient patterns was observed in Colombia and Saudi Arabia. Analyses of eating behaviors suggest an increase in food intake, number of daily meals, and snacking. In conclusion, changes in intake of major food groups, apart from fish intake, were in line with the definition of a traditional Mediterranean diet, indicating a consistent moderate improvement in dietary habits worldwide. This review protocol was registered at https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ as CRD42020225292.
Statement of Significance: This is the first systematic review to conduct a comprehensive analysis of changes in different aspects of nutrition during the COVID-19 nationwide lockdowns. The present study summarizes evidence from studies published until the first half of 2021.
As promising compounds to lower Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) are emerging, the need for a precise characterization and comparability of the Lp(a)-associated cardiovascular risk is increasing. Therefore, we ...aimed to evaluate the distribution of Lp(a) concentrations across the European population, to characterize the association with cardiovascular outcomes and to provide high comparability of the Lp(a)-associated cardiovascular risk by use of centrally determined Lp(a) concentrations.
Based on the Biomarkers for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Europe (BiomarCaRE)-project, we analysed data of 56 804 participants from 7 prospective population-based cohorts across Europe with a maximum follow-up of 24 years. All Lp(a) measurements were performed in the central BiomarCaRE laboratory (Biokit Quantia Lp(a)-Test; Abbott Diagnostics). The three endpoints considered were incident major coronary events (MCE), incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, and total mortality. We found lower Lp(a) levels in Northern European cohorts (median 4.9 mg/dL) compared to central (median 7.9 mg/dL) and Southern European cohorts (10.9 mg/dL) (Jonckheere-Terpstra test P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier curves showed the highest event rate of MCE and CVD events for Lp(a) levels ≥90th percentile (log-rank test: P < 0.001 for MCE and CVD). Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors revealed a significant association of Lp(a) levels with MCE and CVD with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.30 for MCE 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15‒1.46 and of 1.25 for CVD (95% CI 1.12‒1.39) for Lp(a) levels in the 67‒89th percentile and a HR of 1.49 for MCE (95% CI 1.29‒1.73) and of 1.44 for CVD (95% CI 1.25‒1.65) for Lp(a) levels ≥ 90th percentile vs. Lp(a) levels in the lowest third (P < 0.001 for all). There was no significant association between Lp(a) levels and total mortality. Subgroup analysis for a continuous version of cube root transformed Lp(a) identified the highest Lp(a)-associated risk in individuals with diabetes HR for MCE 1.31 (95% CI 1.15‒1.50) and for CVD 1.22 (95% CI 1.08‒1.38) compared to those without diabetes HR for MCE 1.15 (95% CI 1.08‒1.21; HR for CVD 1.13 (1.07-1.19) while no difference of the Lp(a)- associated risk were seen for other cardiovascular high risk states. The addition of Lp(a) levels to a prognostic model for MCE and CVD revealed only a marginal but significant C-index discrimination measure increase (0.001 for MCE and CVD; P < 0.05) and net reclassification improvement (0.010 for MCE and 0.011 for CVD).
In this large dataset on harmonized Lp(a) determination, we observed regional differences within the European population. Elevated Lp(a) was robustly associated with an increased risk for MCE and CVD in particular among individuals with diabetes. These results may lead to better identification of target populations who might benefit from future Lp(a)-lowering therapies.
Abstract
Aims
There is inconsistent evidence on the relation of alcohol intake with incident atrial fibrillation (AF), in particular at lower doses. We assessed the association between alcohol ...consumption, biomarkers, and incident AF across the spectrum of alcohol intake in European cohorts.
Methods and results
In a community-based pooled cohort, we followed 107 845 individuals for the association between alcohol consumption, including types of alcohol and drinking patterns, and incident AF. We collected information on classical cardiovascular risk factors and incident heart failure (HF) and measured the biomarkers N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and high-sensitivity troponin I. The median age of individuals was 47.8 years, 48.3% were men. The median alcohol consumption was 3 g/day. N = 5854 individuals developed AF (median follow-up time: 13.9 years). In a sex- and cohort-stratified Cox regression analysis alcohol consumption was non-linearly and positively associated with incident AF. The hazard ratio for one drink (12 g) per day was 1.16, 95% CI 1.11–1.22, P < 0.001. Associations were similar across types of alcohol. In contrast, alcohol consumption at lower doses was associated with reduced risk of incident HF. The association between alcohol consumption and incident AF was neither fully explained by cardiac biomarker concentrations nor by the occurrence of HF.
Conclusions
In contrast to other cardiovascular diseases such as HF, even modest habitual alcohol intake of 1.2 drinks/day was associated with an increased risk of AF, which needs to be considered in AF prevention.
Graphical Abstract
Hazard ratio for incident atrial fibrillation for alcohol consumption in gram per day by non-linear Cox regression plotted on the log-scale (N = 92 452). The model uses age as time scale and is sex and cohort stratified. The reference value is 0 g/day.
Purpose
Dietary guidelines recommend to limit egg consumption to 4 servings per week but the relation between egg intake and health outcomes is still controversial. To evaluate the association of egg ...consumption and mortality risk in Italian adults and to investigate nutritional factors and serum lipids as potentially explaining such associations.
Methods
Longitudinal analysis on 20,562 men and women aged ≥ 35y, free from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer belonging to the Moli-sani Study cohort (enrolled 2005–2010) followed up for a median of 8.2 years.
Results
In multivariable-adjusted analysis as compared to low intake (> 0 ≤ 1 egg/week), eating > 4 eggs/week led to an increased risk of all-cause (Hazard ratio HR = 1.50; 95%CI 1.13–1.99), CVD (HR = 1.75; 1.07–2.87) and cancer mortality (HR = 1.52; 0.99–2.33). Similarly, an intake of 2–4 eggs/week was associated with higher all-cause (HR = 1.22; 1.01–1.46) and CVD mortality risk (HR = 1.43; 1.03–1.97). An increase of 1 egg per week was associated with higher mortality risk among high-risk individuals, such as those with hypertension and hyperlipidaemia. Dietary cholesterol explained about 43.0% and 39.3% (
p
values < 0.0001) of the association of eggs with all-cause and CVD mortality, respectively, while serum lipids (
e.g.,
total cholesterol) accounted for a small proportion of egg-mortality relation.
Conclusions
Among Italian adults, high egg consumption leads to an increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality, with the risk being evident even at the recommended intake of 2–4 eggs per week. A substantial part of this association was likely due to the egg contribution to dietary cholesterol. Our findings suggest limiting the consumption of eggs in the diet and these results should be considered in the development of dietary guidelines and updates.
In previous studies evaluating whether different alcoholic beverages would protect against cardiovascular disease, a J-shaped relationship for increasing wine consumption and vascular risk was found; ...however a similar association for beer or spirits could not be established. An updated meta-analysis on the relationship between wine, beer or spirit consumption and vascular events was performed. Articles were retrieved through March 2011 by PubMed and EMBASE search and a weighed least-squares regression analysis pooled data derived from studies that gave quantitative estimation of the vascular risk associated with the alcoholic beverages. From 16 studies, evidence confirms a J-shaped relationship between wine intake and vascular risk. A significant maximal protection—average 31% (95% confidence interval (CI): 19-42%) was observed at 21 g/day of alcohol. Similarly, from 13 studies a J-shaped relationship was apparent for beer (maximal protection: 42% (95% CI: 19-58%) at 43 g/day of alcohol). From 12 studies reporting separate data on wine or beer consumption, two closely overlapping dose-response curves were obtained (maximal protection of 33% at 25 g/day of alcohol). This meta-analysis confirms the J-shaped association between wine consumption and vascular risk and provides, for the first time, evidence for a similar relationship between beer and vascular risk. In the metaanalysis of 10 studies on spirit consumption and vascular risk, no J-shaped relationship could be found.
Purpose
To examine the relationship between psychological distress resulting from the COVID-19 lockdown and dietary changes.
Methods
Cross-sectional analysis from 2 retrospective Italian cohorts ...recruited from May to September 2020: (1) The Moli-LOCK cohort consists of 1401 participants from the Moli-sani Study (
n
= 24,325) who were administered a telephone-based questionnaire to assess lifestyles and psychological factors during confinement; (2) the ALT RISCOVID-19 is a web-based survey of 1340 individuals distributed throughout Italy who self-responded to the same questionnaire using Google® forms.
Psychological distress was measured by assessments of depression (PHQ-9 and depressive items from the Screening Questionnaire for Disaster Mental Health- SQD-D), anxiety (GAD-7), stress (PSS-4), and post-traumatic stress disorder (SQD-P). Diet quality was assessed either as changes in consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) or adherence to Mediterranean diet (MD).
Results
In ALT RISCOVID-19, increased UPF intake was directly associated with depression (both PHQ-9 and SQD-D;
p
< 0.0001), anxiety (
p
< 0.0001), stress (
p
= 0.001) and SQD-P (
p
= 0.001); similar results were obtained in the Moli-LOCK cohort except for perceived stress. When psychometric scales were analysed simultaneously, only depression (SQD-D) remained associated with UPF (both cohorts). In both cohorts, psychological distress poorly influenced changes toward an MD, except for depression (SQD-D) that resulted inversely associated in the ALT RISCOVID-19 participants (β = − 0.16; 95% CI − 0.26, − 0.06).
Conclusions
Psychological distress from the COVID-19 confinement is directly associated with unhealthy dietary modifications in two Italian cohorts. In view of possible future restrictive measures to contain pandemic, public health actions are warranted to mitigate the impact of psychological distress on diet quality.
Deep Neural Networks (DNN) have been recently developed for the estimation of Biological Age (BA), the hypothetical underlying age of an organism, which can differ from its chronological age (CA). ...Although promising, these population-specific algorithms warrant further characterization and validation, since their biological, clinical and environmental correlates remain largely unexplored. Here, an accurate DNN was trained to compute BA based on 36 circulating biomarkers in an Italian population (N = 23,858; age ≥ 35 years; 51.7% women). This estimate was heavily influenced by markers of metabolic, heart, kidney and liver function. The resulting Δage (BA–CA) significantly predicted mortality and hospitalization risk for all and specific causes. Slowed biological aging (Δage < 0) was associated with higher physical and mental wellbeing, healthy lifestyles (e.g. adherence to Mediterranean diet) and higher socioeconomic status (educational attainment, household income and occupational status), while accelerated aging (Δage > 0) was associated with smoking and obesity. Together, lifestyles and socioeconomic variables explained ~48% of the total variance in Δage, potentially suggesting the existence of a genetic basis. These findings validate blood-based biological aging as a marker of public health in adult Italians and provide a robust body of knowledge on its biological architecture, clinical implications and potential environmental influences.
Breakfast quality, together with regularity of breakfast, has been suggested to be associated with cardiometabolic health advantages. We aimed to evaluate the quality of breakfast and its ...socioeconomic and psychosocial correlates in a large sample of the Italian population.
Cross-sectional analyses on 7,673 adult and 505 children/adolescent regular breakfast eaters from the Italian Nutrition & Health Survey (INHES; 2010-2013). Dietary data were collected through a single 24-h dietary recall. Breakfast quality was assessed through the Breakfast Quality Index (BQI) combining intake of ten food groups, energy, and nutrients of public health concern, and potentially ranging from 0 to 10. The association of sociodemographic and psychosocial factors with BQI were analyzed by multivariable-adjusted linear regression models.
The average BQI was 4.65 (SD ± 1.13) and 4.97 (SD ± 1.00) in adults and children/adolescents, respectively. Amongst adults, older age (β = 0.19; 95%CI 0.06 to 0.31 for > 65 vs. 20-40 years) and having a high educational level (β = 0.13; 0.03 to 0.23; for postsecondary vs. up to elementary) were independent predictors of better breakfast quality, while men reported lower BQI (β = -0.08; -0.14 to -0.02 vs. women). Perceived stress levels at home and work and financial stress were inversely associated with BQI. Children/adolescents living in Central and Southern Italian regions had lower BQI compared to residents in Northern Italy (β = -0.55; -0.91 to -0.19 and β = -0.24; -0.47 to -0.01, respectively).
In adults, breakfast quality was associated with age, sex, and educational level. Perceived stress levels were inversely associated with the quality of breakfast. In children/adolescents, a north-south gradient in breakfast quality was observed.
Background Several randomized clinical trials evaluated whether preoperative supplementation of omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids protects against postoperative atrial fibrillation after ...cardiac surgery, a condition associated with increased cardiac and cerebral mortality. However, their efficacy remains still controversial. An updated meta-analysis was performed to clarify if preoperative n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation prevents postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods Articles were retrieved until November 2012 by screening electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) and cross references. Two of us independently reviewed articles and agreed to select 8 randomized clinical trials. For each study, the incidence of atrial fibrillation in both the intervention and placebo groups was extracted to calculate odd ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Weighted study-specific estimates were combined using fixed (Mantel-Haenszel method) and random-effects (DerSimonian-Laird method) models. Results This meta-analysis includes 2687 patients (1337 in the intervention group) who underwent cardiac surgery. Pooled analysis using fixed-effects models showed a significant reduction (average, 16%; 95% CI, 1%-29%) in postoperative atrial fibrillation by preoperative n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. There was a low heterogeneity among studies ( P = .07 and I2 = 46%). By using a random-effects model, the reduction averaged 25% (odds ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.57-1.00; P = .05). When isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery was only considered (7 studies), a significant protection averaging 34% was observed in a fixed model (odds ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.50-0.87; P = .003; I2 = 26%, P = .23). Conclusions A preoperative supplementation of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids significantly prevents the occurrence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, in particular coronary artery bypass surgery.
to investigate the relation of pulmonary function impairment with mortality and the possible mediation by low-grade inflammation in a general adult population.
A prospective investigation was ...conducted on 14,503 individuals from the Moli-sani study (apparently free from lung disease and acute inflammatory status at baseline; 2005–2010).
The 2012 Global Lung Function Initiative percent predicted (% pred) value of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flow at 25–75% of FVC (FEF25-75) and FEV1 quotient (FEV1Q) index were used. C-reactive protein and blood cell counts were measured and a score of subclinical inflammation (INFLA-score) was calculated.
Over a median follow-up of 8.6y, 503 deaths (28.9% cardiovascular) were ascertained. Total mortality increased by 19% for each decrease in 1 standard deviation of FEV1% pred or FVC% pred (Hazard Ratio:1.19; 95% CI:1.11–1.28 and 1.19; 1.10–1.28, respectively). Comparable findings for FEV1Q (1.30; 1.15–1.47) were observed. A statistically significant increased risk in cardiovascular mortality of 23%, 32% and 49% was observed for 1 standard deviation decrease of FEV1% pred, FVC% pred and FEV1Q, respectively. INFLA-score mediated the association of FEV1% pred and FEV1Q with cardiovascular mortality by 22.3% and 20.1%, respectively. Subjects with FEV1, FVC lower than normal limit showed increased risk both in total and cardiovascular mortality. Abnormal FEF25-75 values were associated with 33% (1.33; 1.02–1.74) total mortality risk.
Obstructive lung function impairment was associated with decreased survival. Low-grade inflammation mainly mediated the association of FEV1 with cardiovascular mortality.
•Lung function parameters were inversely associated with low-grade inflammation.•Lung function decline was associated with a high total and cardiovascular mortality.•Low-grade inflammation mediates the link between FEV1 and cardiovascular mortality.
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