Motivations for avoiding wheat consumption in Australia: results from a population survey

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of and explanations for wheat avoidance, including reported symptoms, diagnoses and information sources influencing the decision to avoid wheat, and to investigate potential psychological predictors of this behaviour.DesignCross-sectional population survey.SettingThe study was conducted in Australia, using a nationwide postal omnibus survey.SubjectsAdults aged 18 years and over (n1184; 52·9 % female) selected at random from the Australian Electoral Roll.ResultsWith cases of stated and suspected coeliac disease (1·2 %) excluded, 7·3 % of the sample reported adverse physiological effects, predominantly gastrointestinal, that they associated with wheat consumption. Few among this group (5·7 %) claimed a formally diagnosed intolerance or allergy requiring avoidance of wheat-based foods. Symptomatic wheat avoidance was highly correlated with dairy avoidance and predicted by gender (female), lesser receptiveness to conventional medicine and greater receptiveness to complementary medicine, but not by neuroticism, reasoning style or tendency to worry about illness.ConclusionsThe data indicate that many adult Australians are consciously avoiding consumption of wheat foods, predominantly without any formal diagnosis. Reported symptoms suggest a physiological but not allergenic basis to this behaviour. Questions to be answered concern whether symptoms are attributed correctly to wheat, the agents (wheat components, dietary factors or additives) and physiological mechanism(s) involved, the nutritional adequacy of avoiders’ diets, and the clinical and psychosocial processes that lead a substantial number of adults to avoid consuming wheat (or any other dietary factor) apparently independently of a medical diagnosis.

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A STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF DIETARY FACTORS ON FUNCTIONAL GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS IN WOMEN OF HA’IL REGION IN SAUDI ARABIA

Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research ◽

10.22159/ajpcr.2018.v11i8.25980 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 202 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ramadevi Kundur ◽

Kalyan Viswanath Reddy Lingala ◽

Abeer Rawaf Moayd Alrshedi

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Gastrointestinal Disorders ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

High Fiber ◽

Gas Formation ◽

Highly Correlated

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) among the women population of the Ha’il region in Saudi Arabia. It also includes the analysis of the effect of dietary factors on FGIDs and to evaluate if any significant correlation exists between the type of diet and FGIDs.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Maternity and Children’s Hospital and Ha’il General Hospital in the Ha’il Province of Saudi Arabia with 501 random women patients who had visited these hospitals. Data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using the statistical program SPSS-21.Results: In this study, 50% of the women population in Ha’il had at least one of the FGIDs. Acidity (14.4%) is the prominent FGID followed by gas (11.8%) and abdominal pain (11.4%). The FGIDs increase with age, irrespective of dietary factors. Gas formation was observed to be significantly correlated with age (p<0.05), and unhealthy diet was highly correlated to acidity (p<0.01) and gas formation (p<0.01).Conclusion: FGIDs were observed to be considerably lower if a healthy diet was maintained at least up to 40 years of age. High fiber and protein-rich diet along with fresh fruits and vegetables are known to reduce FGID symptoms to a great extent; hence, dietary changes along with physical activity could help reduce the occurrence of FGIDs.

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Food avoidance in an Australian adult population sample: the case of dairy products

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980015003250 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (9) ◽

pp. 1616-1623 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Bella Yantcheva ◽

Sinéad Golley ◽

David Topping ◽

Philip Mohr

Keyword(s):

Dairy Products ◽

Adult Population ◽

Population Sample ◽

Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽

Physiological Mechanism ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Medical Evidence ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Dairy Foods ◽

Significant Public Health

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of and explanations for the avoidance of dairy foods, including symptoms attributed to their consumption, diagnoses and psychological predictors of avoidance. Also considered were comparisons with symptom-related avoidance of wheat in the same sample.DesignCross-sectional population survey.SettingThe study was conducted in Australia using a national postal omnibus survey.SubjectsAdults aged 18 years and over (n 1184; 52·9 % female) selected at random from the Australian Electoral Roll.ResultsDespite few claims of formally diagnosed allergy or intolerance, 11·8 % of the sample reported avoiding dairy products because of adverse physiological effects, which commonly included gastrointestinal symptoms. Unlike wheat (3·5 %) or wheat-and-dairy (3·6 %) avoidance, dairy avoidance (8·2 %) was predicted by age (negatively) and worry about illness (positively).ConclusionsThe findings are further evidence of a widespread tendency for consumers to exercise control over their health by eliminating dietary factors considered suspect without medical evidence or oversight. Unanswered questions include the decision processes underlying dairy avoidance, whether symptoms are attributed correctly, the agents and physiological mechanism(s) involved, the relative contributions of symptom severity and vigilance to the association with illness worry, and the nutritional adequacy of dairy avoiders’ diets. Irrespective of the accuracy of self-diagnoses, if the elimination of suspect foods is an end in itself the paradoxical possibility for nutritional imbalances may have significant public health implications.

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The association between dietary inflammatory index and risk of central obesity in adults: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831/a000648 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 90 (5-6) ◽

pp. 535-552 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mahdieh Abbasalizad Farhangi ◽

Mahdi Vajdi

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Central Obesity ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Weighted Mean Difference ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Inflammatory Status ◽

Obesity Indices

Abstract. Backgrounds: Central obesity, as a pivotal component of metabolic syndrome is associated with numerous co-morbidities. Dietary factors influence central obesity by increased inflammatory status. However, recent studies didn’t evaluate the association between central obesity and dietary inflammation index (DII®) that give score to dietary factors according to their inflammatory potential. In the current systematic review and meta-analysis, we summarized the studies that investigated the association between DII® with central obesity indices in the general populations. Methods: In a systematic search from PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Sciences and Cochrane electronic databases, we collected relevant studies written in English and published until 30 October 2019. The population of included studies were apparently healthy subjects or individuals with obesity or obesity-related diseases. Observational studies that evaluated the association between DII® and indices of central obesity including WC or WHR were included. Results: Totally thirty-two studies were included; thirty studies were cross-sectional and two were cohort studies with 103071 participants. Meta-analysis of observational studies showed that higher DII® scores were associated with 1.81 cm increase in WC (Pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) = 1.813; CI: 0.785–2.841; p = 0.001). Also, a non-significant increase in the odds of having higher WC (OR = 1.162; CI: 0.95–1.43; p = 0.154) in the highest DII category was also observed. In subgroup analysis, the continent, dietary assessment tool and gender were the heterogeneity sources. Conclusion: The findings proposed that adherence to diets with high DII® scores was associated with increased WC. Further studies with interventional designs are necessary to elucidate the causality inference between DII® and central obesity indices.

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Contributory Factors for Obesity in Elderly: Review of the Literature

10.35262/jiag.v15i3.138-145 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Nur Raihan Ismail ◽

Noor Aman Hamid

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

The Elderly ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Health Concern ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Contributory Factors ◽

The Past ◽

Prevalence Of Obesity ◽

Program Intervention ◽

Future Education

Introduction: The prevalence of obesity has been rising, adding to morbidity and mortality. As the proportion of elderly aged 60 years and above grows, so too the prevalence of obesity among this population. Obesity in the elderly is a rapidly growing public health concern as it contributes to significant changes in the health of older people. Objective: This review aims to assess the contributory factors for obesity in the elderly over the past decade. Methods: A literature search was conducted. The search was restricted to articles written in the English language published from 2008 to 2018. Qualitative studies were excluded. Results: A total of 19 full articles were retrieved, of which 18 cross-sectional and one cohort were included. The contributory factors were divided into three components: (a) socio demographic characteristics, (b) medical history and dietary factors and (c) environmental factors. Conclusions: This review informs an emerging knowledge regarding contributory factors for obesity and has implications for future education and program intervention in fighting obesity in the elderly.

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Psychological impact in the time of COVID-19: A cross-sectional population survey study during confinement

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/1359105320985580 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 135910532098558

Author(s):

Carmina Castellano-Tejedor ◽

María Torres-Serrano ◽

Andrés Cencerrado

Keyword(s):

Chronic Conditions ◽

Population Survey ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Survey Study ◽

Psychological Interventions ◽

Community Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Young Females ◽

The World ◽

The Impact

The transformation that COVID-19 has brought upon the world is unparalleled. The impact on mental health is equally unprecedented and yet unexplored in depth. An online-based survey was administered to 413 community-based adults during COVID-19 confinement to explore psychological impact and identify high risk profiles. Young females concerned about the future, expressing high COVID-related distress, already following psychological therapy and suffering from pre-existing chronic conditions, were those at highest risk of psychological impact due to the COVID-19 situation. Findings could be employed to design tailored psychological interventions in the early stages of the outbreak to avoid the onset/exacerbation of psychopathology.

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Full, partial and modified permutations of the Mayo Score: Characterizing clinical and patient-reported outcomes in ulcerative colitis patients

Crohn's & Colitis 360 ◽

10.1093/crocol/otab007 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

April N Naegeli ◽

Theresa Hunter ◽

Yan Dong ◽

Ben Hoskin ◽

Chloe Middleton-Dalby ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ulcerative Colitis ◽

Patient Reported Outcomes ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Assessment Scores ◽

Mayo Score ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Practice Trials ◽

Highly Correlated

Abstract Background Understanding ulcerative colitis (UC) disease activity assessed via the full, modified or partial Mayo Score may help clinicians apply results from clinical trials to practice and facilitate interpretation of recent and older studies. Methods Mayo Score variables were assessed in a cross-sectional study of 2608 UC patients. Results Permutations of Mayo Scores were highly correlated, and models predicting the omitted variable from each permutation demonstrated significant agreement between predicted and observed values. Conclusions Partial/modified Mayo Scores may be used to predict endoscopic and Physician's Global Assessment scores, and serve as proxies for the full Mayo Score in clinical practice/trials.

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Phase angle and Mediterranean diet in patients with acne: Two easy tools for assessing the clinical severity of disease

Journal of Translational Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12967-021-02826-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Luigi Barrea ◽

Marianna Donnarumma ◽

Sara Cacciapuoti ◽

Giovanna Muscogiuri ◽

Ludovica De Gregorio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Phase Angle ◽

Inflammatory Diseases ◽

Bioelectrical Impedance ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Clinical Severity ◽

Control Group ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Severe Acne

Abstract Background Acne is a chronic, inflammatory and debilitating skin disorder. Dietary factors and nutritional status are among the exacerbating factors of acne. Phase angle (PhA), a direct measure of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), represents an indicator of the chronic inflammatory state. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a healthy dietary pattern that can exert anti-inflammatory effects in several inflammatory diseases. We aimed to investigate the difference in PhA and adherence to the MD and their associations with the severity of acne in a sample of naïve treatment patients with acne compared to control group. Materials In this cross-sectional, case–control, observational study, we enrolled 51 patients with acne and 51 control individuals. Body composition was evaluated by a BIA phase-sensitive system (50 kHz BIA 101 RJL, Akern Bioresearch, Florence, Italy, Akern). For adherence to the MD, we have used the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) questionnaire. The clinical severity of acne was assessed by using the global acne grading system (GAGS), a quantitative scoring system to assess acne severity. Results Patients with acne had a worse body composition, in particular smaller PhA (p = 0.003), and a lower adherence to the MD (p < 0.001) than the control group, in spite of no differences in gender, age and BMI between the two groups. Stratifying patients with acne according to GAGS categories, both PhA (p = 0.006) and PREDIMED score (p = 0.007) decreased significantly in severe acne than mild/moderate acne. The GAGS score was negative correlations with PhA (r = − 0.478, p < 0.001) and PREDIMED score (r = − 0.504, p < 0.001). The results of the multivariate analysis showed PhA and PREDIMED score were the major determinants of GAGS score (p < 0.001). The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis reporting a value of PhA of ≤ 6.1° and a PREDIMED score of ≤ 9 identified patients with acne with the highest clinical severity of the disease. Conclusions Novel correlations were reported between PhA and the degree of adherence to the MD with acne severity. Of interest, PhA and PREDIMED scores might represent possible markers of the severity of acne in a clinical setting. This study highlights how a cooperation between dermatologist and nutritionists might provide a combination key in the complex management of acne patients.

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Correlations between Coffee Consumption and Metabolic Phenotypes, Plasma Folate, and Vitamin B12: NHANES 2003 to 2006

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13041348 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1348

Author(s):

Pratibha V. Nerurkar ◽

Krupa Gandhi ◽

John J. Chen

Keyword(s):

Vitamin B12 ◽

Dietary Intervention ◽

Low Cost ◽

Coffee Consumption ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Metabolic Phenotypes ◽

Plasma Folate ◽

Prospective Longitudinal

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is prevalent not only among the overweight and obese but also normal weight individuals, and the phenotype is referred to as a metabolically unhealthy phenotype (MUHP). Besides normal weight individuals, overweight/obese individuals are also protected from MetS, and the phenotype is known as a metabolically healthy phenotype (MHP). Epidemiological studies indicate that coffee and micronutrients such as plasma folate or vitamin B12 (vit. B12) are inversely associated with MetS. However, correlations among coffee consumption metabolic phenotypes, plasma folate, and vit. B12 remain unknown. Our objective was to investigate the correlation between coffee consumption, metabolic phenotypes, plasma folate, and vit. B12 as well as to understand associations between plasma folate, vit. B12, and metabolic phenotypes. Associations among coffee consumption metabolic phenotypes, plasma folate, and vit. B12 were assessed in a cross-sectional study of 2201 participants, 18 years or older, from 2003–2004 and 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). MUHP was classified as having > three metabolic abnormalities. Coffee consumption was not associated with metabolic phenotypes, but negatively correlated with several metabolic variables, including BMI (p < 0.001). Plasma folate was positively associated with MUHP (p < 0.004), while vit. B12 was inversely associated with MUHP (p < 0.035). Our results suggest the potential protective impact of coffee on individual components of MetS and indicate a positive correlation between coffee consumption and MUHP among overweight individuals. Identifying possible dietary factors may provide practical and low-cost dietary intervention targets, specifically for early intervention. Larger and randomized intervention studies and prospective longitudinal studies are required to further evaluate these associations.

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Dietary Factors of blaNDM Carriage in Health Community Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18115959 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 5959

Author(s):

Shuangfang Hu ◽

Ziquan Lv ◽

Qiumei Xiang ◽

Yang Wang ◽

Jianzhong Shen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Coarse Grain ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Community ◽

Health Communities ◽

Tuber Crops

Aim: There is an ongoing debate as to what extent antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can be transmitted from dietary to humans via the consumption of food products. We investigated this association between dietary and global spreading carbapenem-resistant gene blaNDM Methods: We did a cross-sectional study to assess the risk factors for carrier of blaNDM in health community. Healthy adults were recruited from the residents attending Community Healthcare Service in Shenzhen City (Guangdong Province, China), through 1February 2018 to 31December 2019, and 718 pre-participants were included in this study. Questionnaire were obtained and the qualitative food frequency questionnaire (Q-FFQ) were used to assess dietary intake. qPCR was applied to confirm the carrier of blaNDM in participants’fecal samples. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of each outcome according to each dietary factor before and after prosperity score matching (PSM). Results: we showed that a high intake of coarse grain (OR 1.003; 95% CI 1.001–1.005, p < 0.01) and root and tuber crops (OR 1.003; 95% CI 1.001–1.004, p < 0.05) were independent risk factor for blaNDM carrier in health communities, suggesting a possible transfer of AMRbetweendietary andhumans. Surprisingly, we also showed an association between a higher intake of poultry as a protective, which may be explained by the beneficial effects on the gut microbiota. Conclusion: Dietary factors such as intake of coarse grain, root and tuber crops and poultry were associated with blaNDM carrier in health communities. The influence of dietary factorson blaNDM carrier in the present study provides insights for the tangible dietary advice with guidelines to the routine of people with the risk of blaNDM carrier. This demonstrates the role of dietary intake in the prevention of blaNDM carrier, since prevention is the best way to control modifiable risk factors. A lower carrier rate of blaNDM is helpful to reduce the possibility of transmission and pathogenicity. Further studies on food, microbiota and antimicrobial resistance are necessary to confirm this possible association and unravel underlying mechanisms.

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