More Adherence To A Mediterranean Dietary Pattern is Associated With A Lower Insomnia Score

Background: Previous studies has shown that low quality diet is correlated with chronic sleep disorders. Mediterranean dietary pattern is considered as a high quality diet which has been shown to have beneficial effects on overall health. Thus, the aim of our study was to investigate the correlation between adherence to Mediterranean dietary pattern and insomnia score in a population of adolescent girls.Methods: Total Data of 734 adolescent girls between 12-18 years old has been considered in this cross-sectional study. To assess dietary intake, a food frequency questionnaire was used. To assess the inherence to Mediterranean dietary style, a modified model of Mediterranean diet was applied and the scores were ranged from 0-9. A valideated version of Insomnia Severity Index questionnaire wss used to assess insomnia. To explore the associations between MED-style diet and insomnia, logistic regression was conducted in crude and adjusted models.Results: The participants with higher adherence to MED-style diet had higher intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, total energy intake, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, potassium, Beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron and folate. A significant inverse association between adherence to the MED-style diet score and insomnia score was obtained in crude model (β= -0.125; P-value = 0.019) and also after adjustment for confounding variables (β= -0.120; P=0.048).Conclusion: There is an inverse relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean dietary style and the prevalence of insomnia among Iranian adolescent girls. Prospective studies are necessary to confirm these results and clarify whether a causal relationship exists.

The mediterranean diet: Healthy and sustainable dietary pattern in the time of Sars-Cov-2

COVID-19, first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 quickly spread worldwide leading to serious health, social and economic consequences. A crucial role in the pathogenesis of severe disease has been attributed to the inflammatory status, that in more severe cases may evolve in an overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (“cytokine storm)” and fatal outcome. Non-communicable diseases, nutritional disorders and advanced age, conditions associated with a low-grade systemic inflammation and immune function alterations, have been identified as major risks for severe COVID-19. General recommendations for fighting COVID-19 highlighted the paramount importance of adopting a healthy plant-based dietary pattern and healthy lifestyle. The Mediterranean dietary pattern is considered as one of the healthiest dietary patterns, and its benefits are supported by a large body of evidence. Furthermore, it is considered as a sustainable lifestyle model. The aim of this research was to update the multiple benefits of the Mediterranean dietary pattern on physical and mental health, focusing on the effects that it may have in combating COVID-19. The potential effects and mechanisms of action of the main bioactive components of Mediterranean diet were also analyzed. Considering its effects in modulating inflammation and oxidative stress and supporting the immune system, the Mediterranean dietary pattern may be considered the most promising dietary approach to combat COVID-19.

Changing Dietary Behavior for Better Biodiversity Preservation: A Preliminary Study

Broadly consumed dietary patterns, such as the European and Western ones, are exerting pressures on biodiversity both in Europe and globally, and shifting toward a sustainable dietary pattern has thus become a must. This paper constitutes a preliminary communication of the results of a research project on the issue. In this study, the pressures of three dietary patterns (European, Western, and Mediterranean) on biodiversity are addressed in terms of land use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and eutrophication impact indicators. The environmental impacts are calculated based on a compositional analysis of each dietary pattern and the environmental footprints of the corresponding food groups. Food balance sheets published by the FAO are used as a basis for the compositional analysis, while the environmental footprints of each of the representative food products are retrieved from related life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. The results show that a shift from the European to the Mediterranean dietary pattern would lead to 10 m2/capita/day land savings, 240 L/capita/day water savings, 3 kg CO2/capita/day reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and 20 gPO4eq/capita/day reductions in eutrophication potential. Likewise, a shift from the Western to the Mediterranean dietary pattern would lead to 18 m2/capita/day land savings, 100 L/capita/day water savings, 4 kg CO2/capita/day reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and 16 gPO4eq/capita/day reduction in eutrophication potential. Based on these findings, it is clear that this shift is urgently needed as a step toward environmentally sustainable dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean one, to preserve biodiversity for future generations.

Association between Mediterranean Dietary Pattern and Breakfast Quality with Physical Fitness in School Children: The HIIT Project

Dietary habits have been linked with health in childhood. However, few studies have examined the association between healthy dietary patterns and physical fitness. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the associations of adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) and breakfast quality with physical fitness in children. Further to this, we examined the role of physical activity in these associations. A total of 175 children (86 girls, 9.7 ± 0.3 years) participated. Adherence to MDP and breakfast quality were assessed by the KIDMED questionnaire and 24 h recall, respectively. Cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and speed–agility were assessed. Physical activity was evaluated by wrist-worn accelerometers. Greater adherence to the MDP was related with higher cardiorespiratory fitness, lower-limbs muscular strength, and speed–agility (all β ≥ 0.189, all p ≤ 0.02). No significant associations were observed between breakfast quality and physical fitness (all p > 0.05). However, all the significant associations disappeared after adjusting for physical activity (all p > 0.05). Our study sheds light on the relevance of adhering to the MDP over physical fitness in school children. However, there is no association between breakfast quality and physical fitness. Furthermore, physical activity seems to explain, at least partially, these findings.

‘Focus on diet quality’: A qualitative study of clinicians’ perspectives of use of the Mediterranean dietary pattern for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Practice guidelines for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) recommend promoting the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) which is cardioprotective and may improve hepatic steatosis. This study aimed to explore multidisciplinary clinicians’ perspectives on whether the MDP is recommended in routine management of NAFLD and barriers and facilitators to its implementation in a multiethnic setting. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted with 14 clinicians (7 doctors, 3 nurses, 3 dietitians and 1 exercise physiologist) routinely managing patients with NAFLD in metropolitan hospital outpatient clinics in Australia. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. Clinician’s described that lifestyle modification was their primary treatment for NAFLD and promoting diet was recognised as everyone’s role, whereby doctors and nurses raise awareness and dietitians provide individualisation. The MDP was regarded as the most evidence-based diet choice currently and was frequently recommended in routine care. Facilitators to MDP implementation in practice were: improvement in diet quality as a parallel goal to weight loss; in-depth knowledge of the dietary pattern; access to patient education and monitoring resources; service culture, including an interdisciplinary clinic goal; and knowledge sharing from expert dietitians. Barriers included perceived challenges for patients from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds; and limited clinician training, time and resourcing to support behaviour change. Integration of MDP in routine management of NAFLD in specialist clinics was facilitated by a focus on diet quality, knowledge sharing, belief in evidence and an interdisciplinary team. Innovations to service delivery could better support and empower patients to change dietary behaviour long-term.

Association between Dietary Patterns and Serum Hepatic Enzyme Levels in Adults with Dyslipidemia and Impaired Fasting Plasma Glucose

We investigated the association between dietary patterns and serum hepatic enzyme levels in adults with dyslipidemia and impaired fasting glucose in Taiwan. A total of 15,005 subjects (5452 men and 9553 women) aged 35–69 years were selected. Two major dietary patterns were identified by principal component analysis: Western dietary pattern and Mediterranean dietary pattern. Subjects in the highest quartile (Q4) of the Western dietary pattern showed an increased risk of elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.06–1.45, p-trend = 0.01). Fur-thermore, in the highest quartile of the Western dietary pattern, subjects with high waist circum-ference were observed to have a greater risk for developing abnormal serum ALT levels compared to those in the lowest quartile (Q1) (OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.04–1.97, p-trend = 0.01). In the highest quartile of the Western dietary pattern, only women were at an increased risk for having abnormal serum ALT levels (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04–1.59, p-trend = 0.03). By contrast, in the highest quartile of the Mediterranean dietary pattern, only men were at a reduced risk for having abnormal serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.53–0.97, p-trend = 0.048). We report a positive association between the Western dietary pattern and abnormal serum ALT levels.