The Mediterranean diet is considered as the foremost dietary regimen and its adoption is associated with the prevention of degenerative diseases and an extended longevity. The preeminent features of ...the Mediterranean diet have been agreed upon and the consumption of olive oil stands out as the most peculiar one. Indeed, the use of olive oil as the nearly exclusive dietary fat is what mostly characterizes the Mediterranean area. Plenty of epidemiological studies have correlated that the consumption of olive oil was associated with better overall health. Indeed, extra virgin olive oil contains (poly)phenolic compounds that are being actively investigated for their purported biological and pharma-nutritional properties. On 18 and 19 May 2018, several experts convened in Jaen (Spain) to discuss the most recent research on the benefits of olive oil and its components. We reported a summary of that meeting (reviewing several topics related to olive oil, not limited to health) and concluded that substantial evidence is accruing to support the widespread opinion that extra virgin olive oil should, indeed, be the fat of choice when it comes to human health and sustainable agronomy.
The PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) randomized primary prevention trial showed that a Mediterranean diet enriched with either extravirgin olive oil or mixed nuts reduces the incidence of ...stroke, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular mortality. We assessed the effect of these diets on the incidence of atrial fibrillation in the PREDIMED trial.
Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 diets: Mediterranean diet supplemented with extravirgin olive oil, Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts, or advice to follow a low-fat diet (control group). Incident atrial fibrillation was adjudicated during follow-up by an events committee blinded to dietary group allocation. Among 6705 participants without prevalent atrial fibrillation at randomization, we observed 72 new cases of atrial fibrillation in the Mediterranean diet with extravirgin olive oil group, 82 in the Mediterranean diet with mixed nuts group, and 92 in the control group after median follow-up of 4.7 years. The Mediterranean diet with extravirgin olive oil significantly reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.85 compared with the control group). No effect was found for the Mediterranean diet with nuts (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-1.20).
In the absence of proven interventions for the primary prevention of atrial fibrillation, this post hoc analysis of the PREDIMED trial suggests that extravirgin olive oil in the context of a Mediterranean dietary pattern may reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation.
http://www.controlled-trials.com. Unique identifier: ISRCTN35739639.
Chronic inflammation is associated with noncommunicable diseases, including obesity, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and CVDs. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to have strong anti-inflammatory ...effects, attributed in part to the polyphenol richness of many of its components.
This study aimed to assess the value of polyphenols as a urinary biomarker of an anti-inflammatory diet and their influence on MetS status.
A longitudinal analysis was performed in Spain considering 543 participants with high CVD risk in a PREDIMED study. Approximately 52% of the participants were women and 48% were men with a mean age of 67.5 (5.9) y. Total polyphenol excretion (TPE) in urine was determined at baseline and 5 y of intervention using a validated Folin–Ciocalteu spectrophotometric method, and the dietary inflammatory index (DII) was calculated from a validated 137-item food-frequency questionnaire. Three categories were built according to tertiles of change in the DII score. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to assess the association of changes in TPE with changes in the DII scores and with MetS status at 5 y.
Tertiles 2 and 3 compared with tertile 1 presented a lower anti-inflammatory potential of the diet and were inversely associated with TPE in women −0.30 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g creatinine; 95% CI: −0.46, −0.15; P value = 0.006 and −0.29 mg GAE/g creatinine; 95% CI: −0.43, −0.15; P value = 0.005, respectively. The mean changes in TPE were 7.9 (56.1) mg GAE/g creatinine in women and 7.7 (48.2) mg GAE/g creatinine in men. In addition, TPE was inversely associated with changes in MetS status −0.06 (−0.09; −0.02), P value = 0.009 in both men and women.
Urinary polyphenols may be a potential biomarker of anti-inflammatory diet consumption in women and are prospectively associated with improvement in MetS.
Background:Epidemiological data on chromium (Cr) exposure and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are still limited. Toenail Cr level (TCL) provides a time-integrated measure reflecting ...long-term Cr exposure. We measured TCL to assess the hypothesis that long-term Cr exposure was inversely associated with incident CVD in a population at high risk for CVD.Methods and Results:The associations between TCL and CVD were evaluated in a case-control study nested within the “PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea” (PREDIMED) trial. We randomly selected 147 of the 288 patients diagnosed with CVD during follow-up and matched them on age and sex to 271 controls. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was used to assess TCL. In-person interviews, medical record reviews, and validated questionnaires were used to assess covariates. The fully adjusted OR for the highest vs. lowest quartile of toenail Cr was 0.54 (95% CI: 0.26–1.14; Ptrend=0.189) for the nested case-control study. On stratification for diabetes mellitus (DM), OR was 1.37 (95% CI: 0.54–3.46; Ptrend=0.364) for the DM group, and 0.25 (95% CI: 0.08–0.80; Ptrend=0.030) for the non-DM group (P for interaction=0.078).Conclusions:The present findings, although not statistically significant, are consistent with previously reported inverse associations between TCL and CVD. These results, especially for non-DM patients, increase the limited epidemiological knowledge about the possible protective role of Cr against CVD. (Trial registration: www.controlled-trials.com; ISRCTN35739639.)
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•Virgin olive oil enriched with bioactive compounds from the olive fruit (polyphenols and triterpenic acids), improves postprandial insulin release and peripheral tissue ...sensitivity.•Matsuda index of insulin sensitivity improves after the intake of bioactive compounds-enriched virgin olive oil.•The insulinogenic index improved after the intake of polyphenol-enriched virgin olive oil.
Scope. The postprandial effects of virgin olive oils (VOOs) enriched with phenolic compounds and triterpenes from the olive fruit on plasma glucose and insulin (primary outcomes), and gastrointestinal hormones responses were evaluated in healthy adults.
Single doses (30 mL) of three oils were evaluated: optimized polyphenols-rich VOO (OVOO); functional olive oil (FOO): OVOO enriched with triterpene acids; and VOO with low content of polyphenols. Postprandial plasma insulin release was lower after the intake of the FOO compared to VOO, while plasma glucose levels were lower after the intake of the VOO compared to OVOO. Matsuda's index of insulin sensitivity improved after the intake of FOO and OVOO, while the insulinogenic index and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) tended to improve after the intake of OVOO.
The enrichment of VOOs with bioactive compounds from the olive fruit increases its benefits, improving postprandial insulin release and peripheral tissue sensitivity.
The creation of branded content through the podcast is gaining weight in brand communication strategies. With branded content, brands reach new consumers with contents imbued with their values and ...personality and no persuasive intrusions. However, there are branded podcasts with a marked brand presence aimed at the selling or contracting of the products or services the brand represents. The main aim of this study is to propose a classification of branded podcasts based on the presence of the brand in the audio narrative and to analyse whether a high degree of branding in the branded podcast undermines the unintrusive nature of branded content and whether this converts the format into one of conventional advertising. To this end, we developed a proprietary qualitative-quantitative deductive method adapted to the research subject with which we examined 10 branded podcasts. Among the main conclusions, we highlight that the presence of a high degree of branding in the content undermines the brand-free nature of the branded content technique. When the brand’s presence is high and its persuasive intention is perceived, the branded podcast acquires the intrinsic character of conventional advertising.
Beverages are an important part of the diet, but their environmental impact has been scarcely assessed. The aim of this study was to assess how changes in beverage consumption over a one-year period ...can impact the environmental sustainability of the diet. This is a one-year longitudinal study of 55-75-year-old participants with metabolic syndrome (n = 1122) within the frame of the PREDIMED-Plus study. Food and beverage intake were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire and a validated beverage-specific questionnaire. The Agribalyse
3.0.1 database was used to calculate environmental impact parameters such as greenhouse gas emission, energy, water, and land use. A sustainability beverage score was created by considering the evaluated environmental markers. A higher beverage sustainability score was obtained when decreasing the consumption of bottled water, natural and packed fruit juice, milk, and drinkable dairy, soups and broths, sorbets and jellies, soft drinks, tea without sugar, beer (with and without alcohol), and wine, as well as when increasing the consumption of tap water and coffee with milk and without sugar. Beverage consumption should be considered when assessing the environmental impact of a diet. Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN89898870. Registered 5 September 2013.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial for safeguarding the well-being and quality of life perception, appropriate growth, and development of children and adolescents, while also mitigating the ...risk of future adult-onset diseases.
To assess associations between perceived quality of life and healthy lifestyle and related outcomes in Spanish children and adolescents.
Cross-sectional analysis of 8-16-year-old children and adolescents (n = 3534) were included in the nationwide study of Physical Activity, Sedentarism, and Obesity in Spanish Youth (PASOS). Data were collected through (1) questionnaires on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), healthy lifestyle outcomes (dietary intake, physical fitness, sleep, and screen time), and (2) anthropometric measurements for weight status assessment. Data were analysed by logistic regression, using the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as the grouping variable.
Participants with a lower HRQoL were those with a lower adherence to the MedDiet and lower achievement of the recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables. They were also less likely to follow the recommendations for screen time and sleep (with the exception of the weekend) compared to participants with a higher HRQoL. Participants with a lower HRQoL showed a lower healthy weight status and poorer physical fitness than those with a higher HRQoL.
Healthy eating habits, healthy weight status (normal weight), appropriate sleep time, physical fitness, and limited screen time play a crucial role in the perceived quality of life in children and adolescents.
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