The rise in nutrition-related morbidity and mortality requires public health intervention programs targeting nutritional behavior. In addition to socio-economical, socio-cultural, psychological ...determinants, taste is one of the main factors that influence food choices. Differences in taste perception and sensitivity may be explained by genetic variations, therefore the knowledge of the extent to which genetic factors influence the development of individual taste preferences and eating patterns is important for public policy actions addressing nutritional behaviors. Our aim was to review genetic polymorphisms accounting for variability in taste and food preferences to contribute to an improved understanding of development of taste and food preferences.
The electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched using MeSH in PubMed and free text terms for articles published between January 1, 2000 and April 13, 2018. The search strategy was conducted following the PRISMA statement. The quality of the included studies was assessed by the validated Q-Genie tool.
Following the PRISMA flowchart, finally 103 articles were included in the review. Among the reviewed studies, 43 were rated to have good quality, 47 were rated to have moderate quality, and 13 were rated to have low quality. The majority of the studies assessed the association of genetic variants with the bitter taste modality, followed by articles analyzing the impact of polymorphisms on sweet and fat preferences. The number of studies investigating the association between umami, salty, and sour taste qualities and genetic polymorphisms was limited.
Our findings suggest that a significant association exists between TAS2R38 variants (rs713598, rs1726866, rs10246939) and bitter and sweet taste preference. Other confirmed results are related to rs1761667 (CD36) and fat taste responsiveness. Otherwise further research is essential to confirm results of studies related to genetic variants and individual taste sensitivity. This knowledge may enhance our understanding of the development of individual taste and related food preferences and food choices that will aid the development of tailored public health strategy to reduce nutrition-related disease and morbidity.
Iron metabolism and anemia may play an important role in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate ...biomarkers of anemia and iron metabolism (hemoglobin, ferritin, transferrin, soluble transferrin receptor, hepcidin, haptoglobin, unsaturated iron-binding capacity, erythropoietin, free erythrocyte protoporphyrine, and erythrocyte indices) in patients diagnosed with COVID-19, and explored their prognostic value. Six bibliographic databases were searched up to August 3rd 2020. We included 189 unique studies, with data from 57,563 COVID-19 patients. Pooled mean hemoglobin and ferritin levels in COVID-19 patients across all ages were 129.7 g/L (95% Confidence Interval (CI), 128.51; 130.88) and 777.33 ng/mL (95% CI, 701.33; 852.77), respectively. Hemoglobin levels were lower with older age, higher percentage of subjects with diabetes, hypertension and overall comorbidities, and admitted to intensive care. Ferritin level increased with older age, increasing proportion of hypertensive study participants, and increasing proportion of mortality. Compared to moderate cases, severe COVID-19 cases had lower hemoglobin weighted mean difference (WMD), − 4.08 g/L (95% CI − 5.12; − 3.05) and red blood cell count WMD, − 0.16 × 10
12
/L (95% CI − 0.31; − 0.014), and higher ferritin WMD, − 473.25 ng/mL (95% CI 382.52; 563.98) and red cell distribution width WMD, 1.82% (95% CI 0.10; 3.55). A significant difference in mean ferritin levels of 606.37 ng/mL (95% CI 461.86; 750.88) was found between survivors and non-survivors, but not in hemoglobin levels. Future studies should explore the impact of iron metabolism and anemia in the pathophysiology, prognosis, and treatment of COVID-19.
Ultra-processed foods (UPF) and eating out of home (OH) are changing nutrition, particularly among youth in constrained settings. We aimed to assess the role of eating OH intensity on the ...associations of UPF and unprocessed or minimally processed foods (UMPF) with BMI among Albanian youth.
Cross-sectional.
Albania, a south-eastern European country.
281 youth, predominantly females.
UPF and UMPF were defined based on NOVA, while eating OH intensity based on energy percentage from OH foods. Multivariable models tested associations of UPF and UMPF with BMI stratified by eating OH intensity, controlled for relevant covariates including diet quality, portion size and costs.
The respondents age ranged between 18 and 23 years with a female predominance (87·5 %). Mean energy from UPF and UMPF was 846 (sd: 573·0) and 802·9 (422·5) kcals, respectively. Among substantial at home eaters UPF intake was not associated (
= −0·07, 95 % CI (−0·13, 0·267)) with BMI; however, UMPF negatively associated with BMI (
= −0·24, 95 % CI (−0·43, −0·06)). Among those defined as substantial OH eaters, UPF (
= 0·24, 95 % CI (0·08, 0·40)) and UMPF (
= 0·18, 95 % CI (0·04, 0·33)) were positively associated with BMI.
Our findings provide evidence for the hypothesis that eating OH plays an important role in the association of UPF and UMPF with BMI in youth. While causality cannot be established due to cross-sectional design, to the best of our knowledge, we provide the first assessment of UPF and UMPF intake in a south-eastern European setting, while highlighting the need for establishing and integrating youth nutrition into national nutritional surveillance systems for key dietary risk factors in Albania.
A specific phenotypic variant of obesity is metabolically healthy (MHO), which is characterized by normal blood pressure and lipid and glucose profiles, in contrast to the metabolically unhealthy ...variant (MUO). The genetic causes underlying the differences between these phenotypes are not yet clear. This study aims to explore the differences between MHO and MUO and the contribution of genetic factors (single nucleotide polymorphisms-SNPs) in 398 Hungarian adults (81 MHO and 317 MUO). For this investigation, an optimized genetic risk score (oGRS) was calculated using 67 SNPs (related to obesity and to lipid and glucose metabolism). Nineteen SNPs were identified whose combined effect was strongly associated with an increased risk of MUO (OR = 1.77,
< 0.001). Four of them (rs10838687 in
, rs693 in
, rs1111875 in
, and rs2000813 in
) significantly increased the risk of MUO (OR = 1.76,
< 0.001). Genetic risk groups based on oGRS were significantly associated with the risk of developing MUO at a younger age. We have identified a cluster of SNPs that contribute to the development of the metabolically unhealthy phenotype among Hungarian adults suffering from obesity. Our findings emphasize the significance of considering the combined effect(s) of multiple genes and SNPs in ascertaining cardiometabolic risk in obesity in future genetic screening programs.
Eating out of home (OH) is increasingly popular in Balkan countries, among them Albania. To date there is only anecdotal evidence regarding nutritional quality of food consumed OH and the ...contribution to diet. This study assessed intake of foods and drinks consumed OH and at home (AH), as well as their nutritional contribution to the daily diet of university students in Tirana, Albania. Using a single day Automated Multiple Pass Method (AMPM) 24-hour dietary recall, we examined food intake among 289 students aged 18-24 years old, from three major universities in Albania. Contribution of eating OH to total energy intake per day, as well as to daily consumption of macronutrients by eating OH intensity tertiles were assessed. Foods and drinks consumed OH contributed 46.9% 95%CI:41.4-52.8 of total daily energy intake, representing, on average, 1169.1kcal 95%CI:1088.3-1249.9. Sweets, soft drinks and meat products were more frequently consumed OH, while fruits and vegetables consumption was extremely low. The average quantity of sugars and dietary fats per day was higher AH, 76.9g 95%CI:70.3-83.5 and 173.7g 95%CI:163.2-184.2 respectively, compared to OH, 33.7g 95%CI:30.4-37.0 and 142.0g 95%CI:131.5-152.5 respectively. Dietary composition of AH intake was richer in sugars, total fats and proteins, while OH intake was richer in saturated fats. The overall diet appeared unhealthy, when nutrients were assessed as energy percentage against WHO proposed nutrient standards for sugar and saturated fats. Eating OH, even though was associated with lower fruits and vegetables intake, was not clearly associated with poor diet quality, as AH foods were also characterized by increased saturated fats and sugars intake as energy percentage. This study provides data on the first assessment of current dietary patterns of the studied population and can be used as baseline for designing and conducting future studies and interventions targeting malnutrition in all its forms.
Not all evidence is equal. Evidence-based public health and medicine emanate from the principle that there is a hierarchy of evidence, with systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs) being at the ...top, as the highest level of evidence. Despite this, it is common in literature to find SRMAs with methodological issues that can distort the results and can thus have serious public health or clinical implications. During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the importance of evidence and the way in which evidence was produced was stress tested and revealed a wide array of methodological biases that might have led to misleading conclusions and recommendations. We provide a critical examination of methodological biases in selected SRMAs on COVID-19, which have been widely used to guide or justify some pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical interventions with high public health and clinical significance, such as mask wearing, asymptomatic transmission, and ivermectin. Through these selected examples, we highlight the need to address biases related to the methodological quality and relevance of study designs and effect size computations and considerations for critical appraisal of available data in the evidence synthesis process for better quality evidence. Such considerations help researchers and decision makers avoid misleading conclusions, while encouraging the provision of the best policy recommendations for individual and public health.
Purpose
Oat supplementation interventions (OSIs) may have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, dietary background can modulate such effect. This systematic review ...assesses the effects of OSIs on CVD risk markers among adults, accounting for different dietary backgrounds or control arms.
Methods
We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that assessed the effect of oat, oat beta-glucan-rich extracts or avenanthramides on CVD risk markers.
Results
Seventy-four RCTs, including 4937 predominantly hypercholesterolemic, obese subjects, with mild metabolic disturbances, were included in the systematic review. Of these, 59 RCTs contributed to the meta-analyses. Subjects receiving an OSI, compared to control arms without oats, had improved levels of total cholesterol (TC) weighted mean difference and (95% CI) − 0.42 mmol/L, (− 0.61; − 0.22), LDL cholesterol − 0.29 mmol/L, (− 0.37; − 0.20), glucose − 0.25 nmol/L, (− 0.36; − 0.14), body mass index − 0.13 kg/m
2
, (− 0.26; − 0.01), weight − 0.94 kg, (− 1.84: − 0.05), and waist circumference − 1.06 cm, (− 1.85; − 0.27). RCTs on inflammation and/or oxidative stress markers were scarce and with inconsistent findings. RCTs comparing an OSI to heterogeneous interventions (e.g., wheat, eggs, rice, etc.), showed lowered levels of glycated haemoglobin, diastolic blood pressure, HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B. The majority of included RCTs (81.1%) had some concerns for risk of bias.
Conclusion
Dietary OSIs resulted in lowered levels of blood lipids and improvements in anthropometric parameters among participants with predominantly mild metabolic disturbances, regardless of dietary background or control. Further high-quality trials are warranted to establish the role of OSIs on blood pressure, glucose homeostasis and inflammation markers.
Inequalities in diet quality are increasingly reported, but such studies among Roma are scarce and challenging. Here we attempt to examine diet quality and adherence to food based dietary guidelines ...among Hungarian Roma (HR) ethnic minority living in segregated settlements while comparing a sample of Hungarian adults from the general population (HG). Data were obtained from a complex comparative health survey conducted in Northeast Hungary in 2018, including sociodemographic and physical examination data. Dietary data were collected using two non-consecutive 24-h dietary recalls. We assessed diet quality based on using a 13-component Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015, range 0-100). Differences in median intakes of food and nutrients and HEI-2015 scores were evaluated by Mann-Whitney test or Kruskal-Wallis test. Quantile regression was used to adjust HEI-2015 scores for socioeconomic factors including age, sex, educational status, and perceived financial status. This analysis included 393 and 415 subjects, aged between 18 to 70 years, of HR and HG populations, respectively. Results showed overall low median HEI-2015 scores for both HR and HG, with significantly lower total score among HR participants (41.6, interquartile range (IQR): 39.5-42.8) compared to HG (47.2, IQR: 45.7-51.1). Scores for individual components, such as intake of fruits, greens and beans, whole grains, seafood, and plant proteins were particularly suboptimal among both groups, but significantly lower among the HR population. Scores for refined grains, sodium, saturated fats and added sugar reflected high intakes of these components but did not differ between study groups. Our findings revealed an unfavorable diet quality among the HR compared to HG and a potentially increased risk for diet-related NCDs. Future health intervention programs are warranted to address dietary disparities of segregated minorities in Hungary while considering ethnic and cultural differences.
Nutritional epidemiology studies on Roma people are scarce and, to date, their nutrient-based dietary patterns with regards to both healthy and sustainable dietary considerations have never been ...reported. We report, for the first time, adherence to healthy and sustainable dietary patterns using scoring and regression models, based on recommendations defined by the World Health Organization, in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study and the EAT-Lancet report, as well as dietary quality based on Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) among the Hungarian Roma (HR) population living in North East Hungary, with Hungarian general (HG) adults as reference. Data were obtained from a complex, comparative health survey involving dietary assessment, structured questionnaire-based interview, physical and laboratory examinations on 359 HG and 344 HR subjects in Northeast Hungary. Poisson regressions were fit to models that included DASH, EAT, DII and Healthy Diet Indicator as dependent variables to assess the influence of ethnicity on healthy and sustainable nutrient-based patterns. Adjusted models controlled for all relevant covariates using the residual method indicated poor dietary quality with regards to the selected dietary patterns. These associations were not ethnicity-sensitive, except for DII, where Roma ethnicity was linked to a decrease of DII score (β = -0.455, 95%CI: -0.720; -0.191,
< 0.05). Currently, HR dietary patterns appear to be relatively unhealthy and unsustainable, rendering them vulnerable to elevated risk of ill-health. Nevertheless, their dietary patterns did not strongly differ from HG, which may contribute to Hungarians being one of the most obese and malnourished nations in Europe. Further prospective research on the potential public and environmental health effects of these findings is warranted.
Nutrition studies among Roma are scarce and to date no quantified dietary data are available. This report provides, for the first time, quantified dietary data and comprehensive anthropometric ...information for the Hungarian Roma (HR) population, with Hungarian general (HG) adults as reference. Data were obtained from a complex comparative health survey, involving 387 and 410 subjects of HR and HG populations, respectively. Using corporal measurements, body composition indicators were constructed, while daily nutrient intakes were evaluated in comparison with internationally accepted guidelines on nutrient requirements and recommended intakes. Associations between Roma ethnicity and nutrient intakes, as well as odds of achieving dietary recommendations were explored using regression models, adjusted for relevant covariates (i.e., age, gender, education, marital status and perceived financial status). Results showed occasional differences for selected nutrient intakes between the groups, with HR's intake being less favorable. Total fat intake, predominantly animal-sourced, exceeded recommendations among HR (36.1 g, 95% confidence interval (CI): 35.2-37.0) and was not dissimilar to HG group (37.1 g, 95% CI: 36.3-38.0). Sodium intake among HR was significantly lower (5094.4 mg, 95% CI: 4866.0-5322.8) compared to HG (5644.0 mg, 95% CI: 5351.9-5936.0), but significantly greater than recommended intake in both groups. HR had greater estimated body fatness (25.6-35.1%) and higher average body mass index (BMI, 27.7 kg/m
, 95% CI: 26.9-28.4), compared to HG. In addition, HR had lower odds of achieving dietary recommendations (odds ratio (OR) = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.67-0.97,
< 0.05). Findings warrant further research, while highlighting the importance of establishing and integrating Roma nutrition into national surveillance and monitoring systems for key dietary risk factors.
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