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Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences Mar 2024Malnutrition in children is mainly caused by the lack of protein and fat intake which harms their ability to grow and survive. Accurate data on the benefits of...
BACKGROUND
Malnutrition in children is mainly caused by the lack of protein and fat intake which harms their ability to grow and survive. Accurate data on the benefits of fish-based foods on the nutritional status of children is limited. The present systematic review aimed to provide an overview of published articles on the nutritional value of fish-based foods for children.
METHODS
A systematic review was performed during 2000-2021 by searching Science Direct, Cochrane Library, PubMed, ProQuest, and Wiley Online Library databases. The full text of selected articles in English was screened based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Included articles were all experimental studies (randomized control trial, quasi-randomized trial) or mixed methods studies involving malnourished children. The study was reported under the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane tool.
RESULTS
A total of 330,859 articles were screened, out of which eight articles were included in the systematic review. Interventions included fish-based foods and beverages such as wafer bars, Jemawut-tuna cookies, Amizate in chocolate drink, dried fish powder, flaxseed oil supplemented with fish oil capsules, and porridge fortified with fish powder. Primary or secondary outcomes were the determination of zinc level, height growth, erythrocyte n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content, safety and acceptability, intestinal integrity, and cognitive development. The results showed that dried fish powder produced the most significant effect on body weight.
CONCLUSION
The consumption of dried fish powder had positive effects on the recovery of malnourished children.
Topics: Child; Humans; Child Nutrition Disorders; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Malnutrition; Powders; Nutritive Value; Fish Products
PubMed: 38584649
DOI: 10.30476/ijms.2023.96986.2863 -
European Review For Medical and... Mar 2024Nutrition plays a significant role in preserving the balance of the human body. Considering each person's particular characteristics, diet can directly and indirectly...
OBJECTIVE
Nutrition plays a significant role in preserving the balance of the human body. Considering each person's particular characteristics, diet can directly and indirectly alter the body's immune response. The purpose of this study is to draw attention to the connection between a vegetarian diet and its impact on oral health.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
To determine the connection between a vegetarian diet and dental health, a search of the literature was conducted on the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. English language and a publication year between January 1, 2013, and March 1, 2023, were the inclusion criteria for the search.
RESULTS
There were 167 articles in total that addressed the subject of interest, and 18 of them were chosen for qualitative analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that a vegetarian diet may alter oral health, namely periodontal health, tooth erosion, and oral microbiome. Even if the data collected prevents the effect of a vegetarian diet on oral health from being confirmed, this study acts as a starting point for future, more focused research.
Topics: Humans; Oral Health; Diet, Vegetarian; Diet; Nutritional Status; Bibliometrics
PubMed: 38567575
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202403_35716 -
Nutrition Research (New York, N.Y.) May 2024The quality of a mother's diet is important to ensure child growth and development and keep women healthy. This systematic review aimed to identify the outcomes of a... (Review)
Review
The quality of a mother's diet is important to ensure child growth and development and keep women healthy. This systematic review aimed to identify the outcomes of a carbohydrate-restricted diet during lactation. PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and LILACS were searched for studies published between 2012 and 2023; 16 studies were selected, all of them case reports or care series. The carbohydrate restriction described in the papers mainly was ketogenic, low-carb, low-carbohydrate and high-fat, and modified ketogenic diets. The main goal of women undertaking these diets was weight loss, with therapeutic purposes (monitored and supervised by health professionals) in only 2 cases: (1) ketogenic diet therapy for treatment of seizures in the infant and (2) to reduce symptoms of mother's gastroesophageal reflux. Most articles reported that lactating women were hospitalized, experiencing symptoms such as vomiting, muscle weakness, nausea, abdominal pain, general malaise, and fatigue. However, articles did not mention poor outcomes for the infants. Most of the studies in this review were published in the past 3 years, indicating a possible increase in cases of women practicing carbohydrate restriction during lactation for weight loss caused by body dissatisfaction. In conclusion, carbohydrate restriction during lactation may be harmful to the lactating woman and contribute to the state of lactational ketoacidosis, but infant outcomes are mainly a change in feeding patterns. Thus, education on food and nutrition is necessary for this population.
Topics: Humans; Lactation; Female; Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted; Diet, Ketogenic; Weight Loss; Dietary Carbohydrates; Breast Feeding; Adult; Ketosis; Infant; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
PubMed: 38565002
DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2024.02.007 -
Artificial Intelligence in Medicine May 2024Diabetes is a non-communicable disease that has reached epidemic proportions, affecting 537 million people globally. Artificial Intelligence can support patients or... (Review)
Review
Diabetes is a non-communicable disease that has reached epidemic proportions, affecting 537 million people globally. Artificial Intelligence can support patients or clinicians in diabetes nutrition therapy - the first medical therapy in most cases of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. In particular, ontology-based recommender and decision support systems can deliver a computable representation of experts' knowledge, thus delivering patient-tailored nutritional recommendations or supporting clinical personnel in identifying the most suitable diet. This work proposes a systematic literature review of the domain ontologies describing diabetes in such systems, identifying their underlying conceptualizations, the users targeted by the systems, the type(s) of diabetes tackled, and the nutritional recommendations provided. This review also delves into the structure of the domain ontologies, highlighting several aspects that may hinder (or foster) their adoption in recommender and decision support systems for diabetes nutrition therapy. The results of this review process allow to underline how recommendations are formulated and the role of clinical experts in developing domain ontologies, outlining the research trends characterizing this research area. The results also allow for identifying research directions that can foster a preeminent role for clinical experts and clinical guidelines in a cooperative effort to make ontologies more interoperable - thus enabling them to play a significant role in the decision-making processes about diabetes nutrition therapy.
Topics: Humans; Artificial Intelligence; Biological Ontologies; Decision Support Systems, Clinical; Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Nutrition Therapy
PubMed: 38564880
DOI: 10.1016/j.artmed.2024.102859 -
Nutrition, Metabolism, and... May 2024A systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials was conducted to collate evidence from studies implementing ancient grains and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
AIMS
A systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials was conducted to collate evidence from studies implementing ancient grains and investigate the impact of ancient grain consumption on health outcomes of patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM).
DATA SYNTHESIS
Twenty-nine randomized controlled trials were included, and 13 were meta-analyzed. Interventions ranged from 1 day to 24 weeks; most samples were affected by DM type 2 (n = 28 studies) and the ancient grains used were oats (n = 10 studies), brown rice (n = 6 studies), buckwheat (n = 4 studies), chia (n = 3 studies), Job's Tears (n = 2 studies), and barley, Khorasan and millet (n = 1 study). Thirteen studies that used oats, brown rice, and chia provided data for a quantitative synthesis. Four studies using oats showed a small to moderate beneficial effect on health outcomes including LDL-c (n = 717, MD: 0.30 mmol/l, 95% CI: 0.42 to -0.17, Z = 4.61, p < 0.05, I = 0%), and TC (n = 717, MD: 0.44 mmol/l, 95% CI: 0.63 to -0.24, Z = 4.40, p < 0.05, I = 0%). Pooled analyses of studies using chia and millet did not show significant effects on selected outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS
For adults affected by DM type 2, the use of oats may improve lipidic profile. Further experimental designs are needed in interventional research to better understand the effects of ancient grains on diabetes health outcomes.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION
CRD42023422386.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Edible Grain; Lipids; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 38553358
DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2024.03.005 -
Nutrients Mar 2024Adopting a plant-based diet (PBD) has been shown to reduce the risk of developing certain diseases and is linked to environmental benefits. This review synthesises the...
Adopting a plant-based diet (PBD) has been shown to reduce the risk of developing certain diseases and is linked to environmental benefits. This review synthesises the evidence on the barriers adults aged 18 to 65 living in high-income countries (HIC) may experience when adopting a PBD. A systematic literature review was conducted using four search databases: Medline, Embase, Global Health, and Web of Science. Barriers were mapped to behaviour change strategies using the COM-B model. Ten studies were included in the final review, including 1740 participants. Five were qualitative, four were cross-sectional, and one was a pre- and-post-intervention study. In total, 40 barriers were identified and synthesised into 11 themes: financial, lack of knowledge, emotional, health, convenience, social, enjoyment of meat, environmental, accessibility, personal ability, and media. Of the 40 barriers, nutritional intake/requirements (categorised into the "health" theme) had the most evidence. This barrier encompassed concerns around being able to meet nutritional needs if an individual were to adopt a PBD. Habits (in the "personal ability" theme), which included established eating habits and habitual behaviours relating to animal-source foods, had the second most evidence alongside the barrier of not knowing what to eat as part of a PBD (in the "lack of knowledge" theme). Education interventions and communication/marketing policies were the behaviour change mechanisms mapped onto these barriers. Future interventions should focus on informing individuals about what to consume as part of a nutritionally balanced PBD and facilitating habitual dietary change.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Developed Countries; Diet; Diet, Plant-Based; Feeding Behavior; Income; Adolescent; Young Adult; Middle Aged
PubMed: 38542734
DOI: 10.3390/nu16060823 -
Nutrients Mar 2024The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is the dietary pattern par excellence for managing and preventing metabolic diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). The MedDiet... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is the dietary pattern par excellence for managing and preventing metabolic diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). The MedDiet incorporates spices and aromatic herbs, which are abundant sources of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of all aromatic herbs and spices included in the MedDiet, such as black cumin, clove, parsley, saffron, thyme, ginger, black pepper, rosemary, turmeric, basil, oregano, and cinnamon, on the glycemic profile in T2DM subjects.
METHODS
PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched for interventional studies investigating the effect of these aromatic herbs and spices on the glycemic profile in T2DM subjects.
RESULTS
This systematic review retrieved 6958 studies, of which 77 were included in the qualitative synthesis and 45 were included in the meta-analysis. Our results showed that cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, black cumin, and saffron significantly improved the fasting glucose levels in T2DM subjects. The most significant decreases in fasting glucose were achieved after supplementation with black cumin, followed by cinnamon and ginger, which achieved a decrease of between 27 and 17 mg/dL.
CONCLUSIONS
Only ginger and black cumin reported a significant improvement in glycated hemoglobin, and only cinnamon and ginger showed a significant decrease in insulin.
Topics: Humans; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diet, Mediterranean; Spices; Zingiber officinale; Crocus; Glucose
PubMed: 38542668
DOI: 10.3390/nu16060756 -
Cureus Feb 2024Epilepsy, a widespread neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, affects millions globally, with a significant impact on the pediatric population.... (Review)
Review
Epilepsy, a widespread neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, affects millions globally, with a significant impact on the pediatric population. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) constitute the primary treatment; however, drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), especially in children, poses a therapeutic challenge. Alternative interventions, such as surgery, vagus nerve stimulation, and the ketogenic diet (KD), have been explored. This systematic review aims to investigate various types of KDs, their distinctions, their effectiveness, and their safety concerning the reduction of seizure frequency, achieving seizure freedom, and the occurrence of adverse events. The study adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search was conducted using databases such as PubMed Central (PMC), MedLine, and Science Direct to identify relevant articles. Eligibility criteria and quality assessment tools were applied to evaluate the potential risk of bias and select 11 articles for inclusion in this review. The selected articles encompassed four randomized controlled trials (RCTs), two systematic reviews, and five narrative reviews. The data collected for this review was completed on October 2, 2023. Challenges, such as palatability, cultural factors, and adherence difficulties, were identified. Family or caregiver involvement plays a pivotal role in treatment success. Despite numerous RCTs and reviews, information gaps persist, hindering conclusive outcomes. Evaluating the risk-benefit ratio is crucial, considering potential side effects. The highly individualized nature of KD therapy, influenced by diverse seizure types and syndromes, necessitates a trial-and-error approach monitored by a multidisciplinary team. Long-term safety and efficacy demand continuous real-life patient data review. In summary, while KD presents a promising alternative for DRE, its success relies on meticulous planning, individualized implementation, and ongoing research to address existing challenges and information gaps.
PubMed: 38533170
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.54863 -
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research Mar 2024Dementia affects 5-8% of the population aged over 65 years (~50 million worldwide). Several factors are associated with increased risk, including diet. The... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Dementia affects 5-8% of the population aged over 65 years (~50 million worldwide). Several factors are associated with increased risk, including diet. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has shown potential protective effects against several chronic diseases.
AIMS
This systematic review with meta-analysis aim was to assess the association between adherence to the MedDiet and the risk of dementia in the elderly.
METHODS
PRISMA-2020 guidelines were followed. PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus were searched on 17 July 2023. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale tool was used to assess the risk of bias. The protocol was pre-registered in PROSPERO (registration number: CRD 42023444368). Heterogeneity was assessed using the I test. Publication bias was assessed by visual inspection of the funnel plot and by Egger's regression asymmetry test. The final effect size was reported as OR or HR, depending on the study design of the included studies.
RESULTS
Out of 682 records, 21 were included in the analysis. The pooled OR was 0.89 (95% CI = 0.84-0.94) based on 65,955 participants (I = 69.94). When only cohort studies were included, HR was 0.84 (95% CI = 0.76-0.94) based on 55,205 participants (I = 89.70). When only Alzheimer Disease was considered OR was 0.73 (95% CI = 0.62-0.85) based on 38,292 participants (I = 63.85).
DISCUSSION
Despite the relatively low risk reduction associated with higher adherence to MedDiet among elderly, it should be considered that this population is the most affected.
CONCLUSIONS
Adherence to MedDiet could be an effective non-pharmacological measure to reduce the burden of dementia, even among elderly.
Topics: Aged; Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Diet, Mediterranean; Cohort Studies; Risk; Research Design
PubMed: 38519775
DOI: 10.1007/s40520-024-02718-6 -
BMC Pulmonary Medicine Mar 2024In the early literature, unintentional vitamin C deficiency in humans was associated with heart failure. Experimental vitamin C deficiency in guinea pigs caused...
BACKGROUND
In the early literature, unintentional vitamin C deficiency in humans was associated with heart failure. Experimental vitamin C deficiency in guinea pigs caused enlargement of the heart. The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze case reports on vitamin C and pulmonary hypertension.
METHODS
We searched Pubmed and Scopus for case studies in which vitamin C deficiency was considered to be the cause of pulmonary hypertension. We selected reports in which pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed by echocardiography or catheterization, for any age, sex, or dosage of vitamin C. We extracted quantitative data for our analysis. We used the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) as the outcome of primary interest.
RESULTS
We identified 32 case reports, 21 of which were published in the last 5 years. Dyspnea was reported in 69%, edema in 53% and fatigue in 28% of the patients. Vitamin C plasma levels, measured in 27 cases, were undetectable in 24 and very low in 3 cases. Diet was poor in 30 cases and 17 cases had neuropsychiatric disorders. Right ventricular enlargement was reported in 24 cases. During periods of vitamin C deficiency, the median mPAP was 48 mmHg (range 29-77 mmHg; N = 28). After the start of vitamin C administration, the median mPAP was 20 mmHg (range 12-33 mmHg; N = 18). For the latter 18 cases, mPAP was 2.4-fold (median) higher during vitamin C deficiency. Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) during vitamin C deficiency was reported for 9 cases, ranging from 4.1 to 41 Wood units. PVR was 9-fold (median; N = 5) higher during vitamin C deficiency than during vitamin C administration. In 8 cases, there was direct evidence that the cases were pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). Probably the majority of the remaining cases were also PAH.
CONCLUSIONS
The cases analyzed in our study indicate that pulmonary hypertension can be one explanation for the reported heart failure of scurvy patients in the early literature. It would seem sensible to measure plasma vitamin C levels of patients with PH and examine the effects of vitamin C administration.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Guinea Pigs; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Scurvy; Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension; Vascular Resistance; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency; Heart Failure; Ascorbic Acid
PubMed: 38504249
DOI: 10.1186/s12890-024-02941-x