The association between soft drinks consumption and risk of mental disorders among Iranian adults: The LIPOKAP study.

OBJECTIVE: With rising demand for soft drinks (SDs) in low-income countries, studies examining mental disorders in relation to SDs are rather scarce. Therefore, we aimed to explore this association in a sample of Iranian adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out within the framework of the multi-centric LIPOKAP project, with 1970 Iranian healthy adults. Dietary intake and symptoms of depression and anxiety were collected using validated, Persian versions of a food frequency questionnaire and a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively. Artificial juices were considered fruit-flavored carbonated sugar beverages, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) included fruit-flavored carbonated sugar beverages and carbonated colas, and soft drinks included SSB and drinks containing non-nutritive sweeteners. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 39.8 ± 13.9 years. Compared to lower intake, higher intake of SDs (OR = 1.30, 95 % CI: 1.01, 1.69; P = 0.041), SSBs (OR = 1.30, 95 % CI: 1.00, 1.67; P = 0.045) and artificial juice (OR = 1.63, 95 % CI: 1.24, 2.13; P < 0.001) was associated with higher risk of depression in adjusted model. These associations were sex-specific and more evident in males. No significant association was found between any of the drinks and anxiety risk except for artificial juice in men which was directly associated with anxiety risk (OR = 1.66, 95 % CI: 1.06, 2.61; P = 0.028). CONCLUSION: This study found a positive association between SDs, SSBs and artificial juice and depression, but not anxiety. These associations varied between men and women. Prospective cohort studies are warranted to confirm our results and reveal the causal relationship.

Baseline socioeconomic status predicting post-COVID-19 symptoms: Results from Isfahan COVID Cohort (ICC) study.

Objectives: Patients experience complications following their recovery from COVID-19, known as post-COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate the association between baseline socioeconomic status (SES) and post-COVID-19 symptoms among hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients. Methods: In the study, we used data from the Isfahan COVID Cohort (ICC) study, a 5-year longitudinal cohort study started from March 10, 2020. SES was measured using short form of SES questionnaire (SES-SQ), consisting of employment status, house room number, the number of trips taken, and using notebooks, laptop, or tablet in the house. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to examine the association between baseline SES and post-COVID-19 symptoms including general, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Out of the 3912 patients included in the study, 66.4 % reported post-COVID-19 symptoms. There was an association between low SES and increased risk of post-COVID-19 cardiovascular symptoms in the whole population (HR = 1.15; 95 CI, 1.01-1.31, p = 0.039). Considering the hospitalization status revealed that hospitalized patients with low SES had a higher risk of experiencing post-COVID-19 cardiovascular symptoms (HR = 1.96; 95 CI, 1.23-3.12, p = 0.004), while in non-hospitalized, low SES patients a lower risk was observed (HR = 0.82; 95 CI, 0.70-0.97, p = 0.017). No significant association was found between SES and other post-COVID-19 symptoms including general and respiratory symptoms. Conclusions: We concluded an association between higher SES and increased post-COVID-19 cardiovascular symptoms. Low SES was associated with higher risk of post-COVID-19 cardiovascular symptoms in hospitalized patients, while in non-hospitalized, it was associated with a lower risk.

Association of obesity and the clinical course of hospitalised COVID-19 survivors.

Obesity is a risk factor for chronic inflammation and severe pulmonary infections. This study aimed to assess the association between obesity and the clinical courses of hospitalised COVID-19 survivors. This cross-sectional study used the Isfahan COVID Cohort (ICC) baseline data. The ICC is an ongoing, 5-year prospective, longitudinal cohort study conducted on hospitalised COVID-19 survivors in affiliated hospitals of the Medical University of Isfahan (MUI), Iran. Patients aged 19 and over throughout Isfahan County were recruited using a consecutive sampling method 1 month after discharge. Demographic and basic characteristics, symptoms and clinical features of these patients were collected and analysed. A total of 3843 hospitalised patients with COVID-19 were included in this study. Regarding the body mass index classification in the general obesity group, the patients with overweight and obesity had more extended hospitalisation and a higher frequency of low O2 saturation compared to the normal weight patients, and the highest frequency of low O2 saturation and more extended hospitalisation was observed in patients with obesity (5.9 ± 3.8 vs. 6.8 ± 5.4 vs. 7.1 ± 5.3, respectively; p = .001 and 59% vs. 64.5% vs. 65.5%; p < .001). Furthermore, individuals with abdominal obesity had a significantly longer duration of hospitalisation compared to the non-abdominal obesity group (6.3 ± 4.6 vs. 7.0 ± 5.3; p < .001). In the fully adjusted model, a significant association was observed between abdominal obesity and an increased occurrence of low oxygen saturation compared to general obesity (odds ratio: 1.25, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.44). Obesity was associated with more extended hospitalisation and hypoxia in patients with COVID-19. However, no significant relationship was found between obesity and other clinical courses.