1,720,977 research outputs found
Metabolic Food Waste and Ecological Impact of Obesity in FAO World's Region
Full text linkObesity represents a titanic cost for the world's health systems but also a substantial ecological cost to the environment. High energy foods have been shown to be the major contributor to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, challenging the diet-environment-health triangle. The waste of resources and the unnecessary ecological cost due to an excessive consumption of foods leading to obesity have been ignored so far. Metabolic Food Waste [MFW(kg of food)] corresponds to the amount of food leading to Excess Body Fat (EBF) and its impact on the environment, expressed as carbon [MFW(kgCO2eq)], water [MFW(x 10 L)] and land footprint [MFW(x 10 m2)]. We aim to estimate the MFW(kg of food) in the seven FAO regions, Europe (EU), North America and Oceania (NAO), Latin America (LA), Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Industrialized Asia (IA), North Africa, West and Central Asia (NAWCA) and South and Southeast Asia (SSEA), and evaluate its impact on ecological footprints. The overall impact of MFW(tons of food) in the world corresponds to 140.7 gigatons associated to overweight and obesity. Between the different regions, EU is responsible of the greatest amount of MFW(tons of food) volume (39.2 gigatons), followed by NAO (32.5 gigatons). In terms of ecological impact, EU and NAO displayed the highest values for all three MFW footprints, about 14 times more than SSA. We provide evidence of the enormous amount of food lost through obesity and its ecological impact. Reducing metabolic food waste associated with obesity will contribute in reducing the ecological impact of unbalanced dietary patterns through an improvement of human health
Unsustainability of Obesity: Metabolic Food Waste
No full textThe obesity burden, with 1.5 billion overweight (OW) and 500 million obese (OB) worldwide, significantly increased the risk of degenerative diseases. Excessive consumption of foods that are energy dense lead to obesity, which represents a titanic cost for not only the world's health systems but also a substantial ecological cost to the environment. The waste of resources and the unnecessary green house gas emissions (GHGs) emission, due to "obesigen" consumption of foods, have been ignored so far in practical assessments of ecological impacts. Our position is that food eaten above physiological needs, manifesting as obesity, should be considered waste. In this study, we developed a new indicator, metabolic food waste [MFW(kg of food)], corresponding to the amount of food leading to excess body fat and its impact on environment expressed as carbon [Formula: see text], water [MFW(×10 L)], and land footprint [Formula: see text]. Results shows that the average amount of MFW(kg of food) was of 63.1 and 127.2 kg/capita in a observational study on 60 OW and OB subjects. Animal products contributed mostly to MFW(kg of food) in both OW (24.3 kg) and OB (46.5 kg), followed by cereals, legumes and starchy roots (19.4 kg OW; 38.9 kg OB), sugar and sweets (9.0 kg OW; 16.4 kg OB), and alcoholic beverages (7.5 kg OW; 20.1 kg OB). When dietary intake corresponding to MFW was transformed in ecological indexes, animal products displayed the highest values for carbon emissions, water consumption, and land use in both OW and OB followed by cereals, legumes, and starchy roots. The estimated MFW(kg of food) of the Italian population resulted to be 2.081 million kilograms of food for OB and OW. Reducing obesity will make a contribution toward achieving sustainable and functional diets, preserving and re-allocating natural resources for fighting hunger and malnutrition, and reducing GHGs emissions. Although further evidences in epidemiological studies are needed, MFW represents an innovative and reliable tool to unravel the diet-environment-health trilemma
The Ecological Impact and the Metabolic Food Waste of Overweight and Obese Individuals Living in Mediterranean and North European Countries
No full textThe limited impact of low-volume recreational dance on three-compartment body composition and apparent bone mineral density in young girls
Full text linkRecreational dance is practiced worldwide as a multidimensional physical activity with a potential for prevention of a sedentary lifestyle and overweight/obesity. This study explored in young (7-15 year; n = 21) girls the effect of long-term (>1 year) exposure to recreational (2 h/w) dancing on three-compartment body composition. Recreational dancers (RD) were compared with recreational (≤4 h/w) artistic gymnasts (RG, n = 22) and physically active young girls not involved in structured extracurricular physical activity (control; C, n = 22), adjusting for confounding variables (age, body mass, menarche). We hypothesized for RD an intermediate body composition between RG and C. The three groups had similar age and body mass index. Body composition indices in RD were intermediate between that of C and RG, but RD values were not statistically significantly different vs. C. This agreed with the not statistically significant higher energy expenditure (MET-min/w) in RD vs. C (1357.7 ± 805.32 and 1090.9 ± 596.63, p = 0.172). In conclusion, long-term recreational dance exposure at low volume had limited positive effect on body composition of young girls vs. unstructured extracurricular physical activity. Future work will explore the potential of recreational dance at higher volume (3-4 h/w) to improve body composition in young girls
Effects of high consumption of vegetables on clinical, immunological, and antioxidant markers in subjects at risk of cardiovascular diseases
Full text linkHigh intakes of vegetables have been associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, the effect of vegetables on immune function and antioxidant status in human studies have provided contrasting results. In the present study, after a week of run-in period, 38 subjects at risk of CVD were randomly assigned to one of the following 4-week interventions: low vegetable consumption (800 g of vegetables/week) or high vegetable consumption (4200 g of vegetables/week). Vegetables included carrots, topinambur (Jerusalem artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus), tomatoes, red cabbage, and sweet peppers. Blood and salivary samples were collected before and after intervention periods. In addition to clinical, immunological, and antioxidant markers, leukocyte and lymphocyte expression of the gut-homing β7 integrin was evaluated. No significant changes were detected in clinical, immunological, and antioxidant markers in biological samples, except for an increase in white blood cell count for the low vegetable consumption group (p < 0 05). The study provides additional evidence about the uncertainty of providing a clear evidence for vegetables in modulating markers of immune function and antioxidant status. Further studies are needed in order to unravel the mechanism of effect of vegetable consumption in cardiovascular prevention
Lifestyle of a population of Italian university students
No full textEntering the university world represents a critical moment for students, characterized by high levels of stress and depression, negative changes in eating habits and lifestyle, which leads them to be considered a population at high risk of malnutrition and/or obesity, metabolic and, in the long run, cardiovascular diseases1. Interest in healthy eating can result in an obsession known as orthorexia, frequent among students in the biomedical and sports context2. A high adherence to the Mediterranean diet seems to bring significant and different health benefits3. The aim of this study was to evaluate adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and the relationship between lifestyle and biomarkers of the metabolic status. Students (N=126) of La Sapienza University of Rome completed questionnaires on self-medication, eating habits, level of physical activity, orthorexia and lifestyle. Clinical metabolic status parameters were evaluated by self-diagnosis of capillary blood sampling. Among the participants 79% presented a medium-low adherence to the Mediterranean diet and 25% reported orthorexic eating behaviuors. Only 15% and 4% showed high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, respectively. However, more than 50% reported eating out at least 2 times a week. Although university students seem to pursue an wholesome lifestyle, most of them tend not to follow a healthy and balanced diet. It is necessary to design promotion programs for diets and healthy lifestyles in university students.
Referencias bibliográficas
[1] Lupi S, Bagordo F, Stefanati A, et al. Assessment of lifestyle and eating habits among undergraduate students in northern Italy. Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2015;51(2):154‐161.
[2] Oberle CD, Watkins RS, Burkot AJ. Orthorexic eating behaviors related to exercise addiction and internal motivations in a sample of university students. Eat Weight Disord. 2018;23(1):67‐74.
[3] O'Neil A, Quirk SE, Housden S, et al. Relationship between diet and mental health in children and adolescents: a systematic review. Am J Public Health. 2014;104(10):e31‐e42
Estilos de vida y hábitos alimenticios en relación con la composición corporal de individuos deportivos
No full textEl ejercicio físico y la actividad deportiva son fundamentales para promover y mantener una salud óptima, y es universalmente reconocido el papel principal de la dieta en el deporte1,2. En ese trabajo se propuso una comparación de las elecciones alimentarias en dos grupos de deportistas, para investigar posibles problemas críticos en la dieta. Fueron rellenados cuestionarios para evaluar el nivel de actividad física, la atención que los sujetos le dan en su vida a la nutrición, la condición de bienestar psicofísico, y el grado de adherencia a la dieta Mediterránea. Se han analizado parámetros bioquímicos, medidos por muestreo capilar, y evaluado la composición corporal. Todos los sujetos rellenaron un diario de 7 días para evaluar el consumo de alimentos. Se reclutaron 23 deportistas, divididos en 2 grupos según el porcentaje de masa grasa: menos del 20% (grupo A) o superior al 20% (grupo B). Han sido estadísticamente significativas las diferencias en el porcentaje de masa grasa (p <0,001), en el índice de masa corporal (p <0.05) y niveles de grasa visceral (p <0.01). Se encontraron diferencias significativas en la adherencia a la dieta Mediterránea (p <0.01), para la condición de bienestar psicofisico (p <0.05) y para la importancia y preocupación que los sujetos prestan por la alimentación (p <0,05). Surgieron diferencias significativas en la contribución de proteínas (p <0,01) y fibra dietética (p <0,05). No hubo diferencias apreciables para los valores de glucosa, triglicéridos y colesterol en sangre. De los resultados se puede afirmar que existen diferencias en la elección de alimentos entre deportistas que tienen un porcentaje diferente de masa grasa
Overlap of orthorexia, eating attitude and psychological distress in some Italian and Spanish university students
Full text linkBACKGROUND: Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is the persistent concern of maintaining the self-imposed diet to improve one's health. Many factors have been associated to ON in univ-ersity students. AIM: To assess the prevalence of ON in Italian and Spanish university students in relation to eating attitude and psychological distress, and the possible overlaps between ON (evaluated with different scored questionnaires from the originally proposed ORTO-15), distress and risk of eating disorders. METHODS: This study was carried out on 160 students recruited at La Sapienza University of Rome and at the Catholic University of Murcia. Questionnaires were administered to evaluate ON (ORTO-15 and sub-scores), body concerns (Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, MBSRQ, and Body Uneasiness test, BUT), psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, K10), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire, IPAQ), eating attitude (Eating Attitudes Test, EAT-26) and malnutrition (Starvation Symptom Inventory, SSI). Sex differences, within the same country, and differences between Italian and Spanish students, within the same sex, were evaluated. RESULTS: The ORTO-15 positive subjects, assessed with the originally proposed cut-off, were above 70% in both Italian and Spanish students, with a higher prevalence in the Spanish sample (Italian females 76.3%, Italian males 70.7%; Spanish females 97.0%, Spanish males 96.3%). According to ORTO-7, about 30% of Italian and 48% of Spanish students were positive to ON with no significant sex differences. When excluding students underweight (UW), overweight (OW) or obese (OB), as well as those potentially at risk of eating disorders or presenting mild, moderate and severe distress, in the resultant normal weight (NW)-K10(neg)-EAT-26(neg) subgroup, we did not find many correlations observed in the whole sample, including those between ORTO scores and BUT, SSI, Total MBSRQ and some of its components. Moreover, ORTO-7 resulted in the only ON score unrelated with Body Mass Index, MBSRQ components and IPAQ-assessed intense activity, in the NW-K10(neg)-EAT-26(neg) subgroup. After this sort of “exclusion diagnosis”, the prevalence of ON of these students on the overall sample resulted in 16.9%, 12.2%, 15.2% and 25.9% for Italian females, Italian males, Spanish females and Spanish males, respectively. CONCLUSION: In some university students ON could be a symptom of other conditions related to body image concerns and distress, as well as to high physical activity and appearance, fitness, health or illness orientation (from MBSRQ). However, ORTO-7 became independent from these confounding variables, after the exclusion of UW, OW, OB and students positive to EAT-26 and K10, suggesting the possibility of identifying orthorexic subjects with this specific questionnaire
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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