The relation of adherence to the DASH diet with migraine attack frequency and pain intensity in Iranian women: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a debilitating neurological discomfort characterized by moderate to severe unilateral headaches. Adherence to healthy dietary patterns like the DASH diet has been considered a complementary solution to migraine management. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we assessed the relation of adherence to the DASH diet with migraine attack frequency and pain intensity in women with migraine. METHODS: 285 female women with migraine were recruited in the current study. Migraine was diagnosed by a single neurologist based on the third edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-III). Migraine attack frequency was determined based on the number of attacks per month. Pain intensity was assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and migraine index. Last year dietary intakes of women were collected using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). RESULTS: Almost 91% of the women had migraine without aura. Most of the participants reported more than 15 attacks per month (40.7%) and pain intensity in the range of 8-10 in every attack (55.4%). Based on the ordinal regression, those in the first tertile of the DASH score had significantly higher odds for attack frequency (OR = 1.88; 95% CI: 1.11-3.18; P = .02) and migraine index score (OR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.02-2.79; P = .04, respectively) than those in the third tertile. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a higher DASH score is associated with a lower migraine attack frequency and migraine index score in female sufferers.

The association of dietary total antioxidant capacity with migraine attack frequency in women.

AIMS: There is substantial evidence considering oxidative stress as one of the migraine pathogeneses. It seems higher dietary antioxidant intake could modulate migraine symptoms in sufferers. Therefore, we assessed the relationship between the dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and migraine attack frequency. METHOD: 289 volunteer women with migraine were recruited. The usual participants' dietary intakes were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. The dietary total antioxidant capacity of women was determined via three different indices including dTAC, DAI, and DAQs. dTAC was calculated based on the USDA oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) database. The dietary intakes of vitamins A, E, C, selenium, zinc, and manganese were applied for calculating the DAI (Dietary Antioxidant Index) and DAQs (Dietary Antioxidant Quality score). The multivariate-adjusted ordinal regression was used to assess the relation of three indices scores with migraine attack frequency. RESULTS: a lower score of dTAC was associated with a higher attack frequency [OR (95%CI) model3= 1.97(1.1-3.54), P-value= 0.02]. The women with DAQs= 1 and 3 had significantly higher migraine attack frequency compared to women with DAQs = 5 [DAQs = 1: OR (95%CI) model 3= 8.59 (1.06- 69.72), P-value = 0.04] and [DAQs = 3: OR (95%CI) model 3= 2.09 (1.13- 3.85), P-value= 0.02]. Moreover, the trend of changes among the DAQs and dTAC levels was significant (P-values for trend < 0.05). There was no significant association between tertiles of DAI and migraine attack frequency (P-value> 0.05). CONCLUSION: A high-quality diet in terms of antioxidant capacity is related to lower attack frequency in migrainous women.

Prevalence of prediabetes and associated factors in southwest iran: results from Hoveyzeh cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Increasing trend of prediabetes and diabetes is a global public health issue. On the other hand, prediabetes can increase the risk of developing some non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, fatty liver disease, etc. Given that there are modifiable various risk factors for prediabetes, this cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of prediabetes and its risk factors among adults. METHODS: The present study included the baseline data from the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies of the Iranian Adult and Neonates (PERSIAN), Hoveyzeh Cohort Study (N = 10,009). The demographic data, lifestyle habits, anthropometric data, and clinical and biochemical parameters were gathered. The odds ratio of prediabetes was assessed by logistic regression. RESULTS: The final analysis was conducted on 7629 participants. The prevalence of overweight (36.7%), obesity (37.5%), prediabetes (30.29%), abnormal high density lipoprotein (35.4%), cholesterol (33.8%) and triglyceride (39.7%), and HTN (21.3%) were common. In the adjusted analysis, there were higher odds of having prediabetes for overweight (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: (1.19, 3.03), p = 0.007), obesity (OR = 3.18, 95% CI: (1.99, 5.07), p < 0.001), waist circumstance (WC) (OR = 1.024, 95% CI: (1.002, 1.03), p < 0.001), hip circumstance (HC) (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: (1.003, 1.02), p = 0.008), older age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: (1.04, 1.05), p < 0.001), hypertension (OR = 1.38, 95% CI: (1.21, 1.57), p < 0.001),), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (OR = 1.013, 95% CI: (1.007, 1.019), p = 0.001), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: (1.006, 1.013), p < 0.001), triglyceride = 150-199 mg/dl (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: (1.16, 1.51), p < 0.001), triglyceride ≥ 200 mg/dl (OR = 1.64 (95% CI: 1.44, 1.86), p < 0.001), cholesterol = 200- 239 mg/dl (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: (1.18, 1.49), p < 0.001), and cholesterol ≥ 240 mg/dl (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: (1.72, 2.42), p < 0.001) in general population. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of prediabetes, overweight, obesity, HTN, and dyslipidemia was common. The greater chances of prediabetes were related to aging, overweight, obesity, HTN, higher liver enzymes, HC, abnormal WC, and dyslipidemia. It seems that practical interventions are necessary to prevent prediabetes.

Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and associated factors among adults from southwest Iran: Baseline data from Hoveyzeh Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) were the number one cause of death in Iran. The main risk factors of CVDs include unhealthy lifestyles, insulin resistance, hypertension (HTN), and hyperlipidemia. Given that there are modifiable risk factors for CVDs, this cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of CVDs and their risk factors among adults. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 9828 adults 35-70 years (both sexes). The demographic data, lifestyle habits, anthropometric data, and clinical and biochemical parameters were collected from the baseline data of the Hoveyzeh Cohort Study. The odds ratio (OR) of CVDs was assessed by multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of CVDs was higher in females than males (16.2 vs. 12.6, p ≤ 0.001). The prevalence of CVDs was related to age, gender, marital status, lifestyle, anthropometric measurements, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, HTN, and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (p ≤ 0.05). The participants aged 65-70 y showed the highest odds of CVDs (OR: 3.97, 95% CI: (3.14, 5.01), (p ≤ 0.001)). Males (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: (1.51, 2.05), p ≤ 0.001), married status (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: (1.08, 2.47), p = 0.021), more using a mobile phone (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: (1.09, 1.46), p ≤ 0.002), and smoking cigarettes (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: (1.24, 1.68), p ≤ 0.001) associated with CVDs. Higher odds of CVDs were related to low physical activity (PA) (OR: 1.56, 95% CI: (1.34, 1.8), p ≤ 0.001), body mass index > 30 (OR: 1.68, 95% CI: (1.01, 2.8), p ≤ 0.047). Moreover, odds of CVDs were related to systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 140 mm Hg (OR: 1.25, 95% CI: (1.04, 1.51), p = 0.017), FPG = 100-126 mg/dl (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: (1.07, 1.43), p = 0.003), and FPG > 126 mg/dl (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: (1.47, 1. 98), p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: The present study showed the main risk factors of CVDs were older age, married status, using a mobile phone, low PA, smoking, obesity, and abnormal FPG and SBP. The lower odds of CVDs were found in the participants with normal cholesterol.

A study to design minimum data set of COVID-19 registry system.

BACKGROUND: From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the development of infrastructures to record, collect and report COVID-19 data has become a fundamental necessity in the world. The disease registry system can help build an infrastructure to collect data systematically. The study aimed to design a minimum data set for the COVID-19 registry system. METHODS: A qualitative study to design an MDS for the COVID-19 registry system was performed in five phases at Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences in Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran, 2020-2021. In the first phase, assessing the information requirements was performed for the COVID-19 registry system. Data elements were identified in the second phase. In the third phase, the MDS was selected, and in the four phases, the COVID-19 registry system was implemented as a pilot study to test the MDS. Finally, based on the experiences gained from the COVID-19 registry system implementation, the MDS were evaluated, and corrections were made. RESULTS: MDS of the COVID-19 registry system contains eight top groups including administrative (34 data elements), disease exposure (61 data elements), medical history and physical examination (138 data elements), findings of clinical diagnostic tests (101 data elements), disease progress and outcome of treatment (55 data elements), medical diagnosis and cause of death (12 data elements), follow-up (14 data elements), and COVID-19 vaccination (19 data elements) data, respectively. CONCLUSION: Creating a standard and comprehensive MDS can help to design any national data dictionary for COVID-19 and improve the quality of COVID-19 data.

The effect of oat bran consumption on gestational diabetes: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes is the most common medical complication in pregnancy, and it has many side effects for the mother and the fetus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oat bran consumption on gestational diabetes. METHODS: This study is a randomized clinical trial that was performed on 112 women with gestational diabetes treated with diet. Participants were randomly divided into two groups of 56. Participants in both groups were given a diet for gestational diabetes. In addition to the diet, the intervention group received 30 g of oat bran daily for 4 weeks at lunch and dinner. Tests of fasting blood glucose and two-hour postprandial (2hpp) glucose were taken from both groups: before the intervention, and 2 and 4 weeks after the start of the intervention. Data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical software (version 22) using independent t-test, as well as Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of mean blood glucose before the intervention, while 2 and 4 weeks after the intervention, mean fasting blood glucose and two-hour postprandial (2hpp) glucose decreased significantly in the intervention group compared with the control group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, the addition of oat bran to the standard diet for pregnant women with gestational diabetes reduced fasting blood glucose and two-hour postprandial (2hpp) glucose. More detailed studies with higher sample sizes are recommended to prove the effectiveness of this valuable dietary supplement. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IRCT registration number: IRCT20191220045828N1 . Registration date: 2020-04-18. Registered while recruiting.

Physical activity and sedentary behaviors (screen time and homework) among overweight or obese adolescents: a cross-sectional observational study in Yazd, Iran.

BACKGROUND: The growing number of adolescents who are overweight or obese (OW / OB) is a public concern. The present study was aimed to evaluate physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) (screen time (ST) and homework time (HT)) among Yazd OW/OB adolescents. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed among 510 students aged 12-16 in Yazd, Iran. The general information, PA, and SB (ST and HT) were collected by interview based on the WHO standard questionnaire. Anthropometric data were assessed by precise instruments. Daily energy intake (Energy) was obtained from a 7-day food record. Nutritionist 4 software (version I) was run to estimate the energy. RESULTS: There was a high prevalence of SB > 2h/day (97.6), ST > 2h/day (70.3%), overweight or obesity (40%), abdominal obesity (36.9%), physical inactivity (29.8%) among the students. The younger age (p = 0.014), energy (p < 0.001), no access to the yard (p < 0.001), family size ≤ 2 (p = 0.023), passive transportation, (p = 0.001), the highest school days' HT (p = 0.033) and SB (p = 0.021), and the highest weekends' HT among the students were the risk factors for OW/OB. The highest PA level was associated with a lower risk of OW/OB (p < 0.001). The findings were not the same in both sexes. Compared to the normal weight students, OW / OB spent more time on school days and weekdays for ST (P <0.001), HT (P <0.001, P = 0.005) and SB (P <0.001), respectively. OW/OB students showed a higher weekends' ST (p < 0.001) and lower HT (p = 0.048) than normal-weight students. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of SB, ST, OW/OB, and physical inactivity were common. The school days and weekends' HT, the school days' SB and HT, age, energy, PA, and access to the yard, family size, and passive transportation were related to the greater chances of OW/OB students. Given that the expansion of online education and self-isolation in a new situation with COVID-19, it seems we will meet the worrying results.

The effect of curcumin and zinc co-supplementation on glycemic parameters in overweight or obese prediabetic subjects: A phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a multi-arm, parallel-group design.

Management of prediabetes is a critical step to prevent type-2 diabetes. Curcumin and zinc have been studied as an antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and antidiabetic agents. In this clinical trial, 84 subjects were randomized into curcumin (500 mg), zinc (30 mg), zinc and curcumin, and placebo groups for 90 days. At the baseline and the end of the study, the outcomes (fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial glucose (2hpp), HbA1 C, insulin, insulin sensitivity (IS), insulin resistance (IR), ß-cell function (BCF), weight, body mass index (BMI), dietary intake, and physical activity (PA)) were measured. A hypocaloric diet and PA were recommended for all subjects. In total, 82 subjects completed the study. After the intervention, dietary intake, PA, weight, and BCF% did not show a significant difference among the groups. However, subjects taking only zinc and zinc and curcumin groups experienced decreased BMI compared to the placebo (p = .01 and .007, respectively). The three treated groups had improved FPG (p = .01), 2hpp (p = .003), HbA1C (p = .004), insulin (p = .001), IS% (p = .001), and IR (p < .001) compared to the placebo. Based on these results, zinc and curcumin supplementation exerted a beneficial effect on several key glycemic parameters.

Effect of implementing a mobile game on improving dietary information in diabetic patients.

Background: Nowadays, digital games are not just entertainment, but beside routine treatments, they are used in patient care, especially in patients with diabetes. Application of digital games in patient's education can improve self-management of diabetes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a mobile game (Amoo) implementation on enhancing dietary information in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A mobile game (called Amoo), which was developed by researchers of this study, was applied to assess the self-education of patients with diabetes. Sixty patients with type 2 diabetes participated in the study. The participants took part in a pre-intervention test to determine their dietary information. The participants were randomly divided into one of two groups, including the intervention group: played the game for 15 minutes daily for 6 weeks, and the control group: did not involve in the game. A post-intervention test was run to show a possible improvement in dietary information. Data were analyzed using paired t test and suitable non-parametric testes including Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon signed rank tests as well as Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients via IBM SPSS statistics version 21 (SPSS, v 21.0, IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). A P-value less than 0.05 was considered as a significant level. Results: The results indicated a statistically significant difference between the pre and post test scores in the intervention group (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in fasting blood sugar (p=0.125). Conclusion: The mobile game (Amoo) could enhance the knowledge of patients with type 2 diabetes about food calories and glycemic index. This means that mobile games may serve as an educational aid to these patients.

The correlation between dietary fat quality indices and lipid profile with Atherogenic index of plasma in obese and non-obese volunteers: a cross-sectional descriptive-analytic case-control study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Abnormalities in lipid metabolism are commonly observed in patients who were obese. Alongside dyslipidemia, one of the markers in predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease is the Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP), which is related to dietary intake. Healthy fat quality indices might affect on AIP. The purpose of this study is to find the possible relationship between dietary fat quality, and AIP and comparison of these indices among obese and non-obese volunteers. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytic case-control study with 157 normal and overweight and obese volunteers (n = 71 normal, Age: 38.90 ± 10.976 vs n = 86 overweight/obese, Age: 38.60 ± 9.394) in the age range of 18-65 years. Food intake was measured using FFQ, anthropometric indices (weight, height, body mass index and waist to hip ratio), body composition (visceral fat level, total body water, body fat mass), and lipid profile were measured. RESULTS: Based on the present results, comparable biochemical parameters including TC (P = 0.580), TG (P = 0.362), LDL (P = 0.687) and HDL (P = 0.151) among overweight/obese volunteers as compared to normal ones were noticed. Effects of dietary fat quality, including Atherogenicity (AI) and Thrombogenicity (TI) hypo/hypercholesterolemic ratio (h/H), the Cholesterol-Saturated Fat Index (CSI) showed significantly higher AI (P = 0.012) in the overweight/obese group as compared to the normal group. Whereas, h/H (P = 0.034) and ω-6/ω-3 ratio (P = 0.004) were significantly higher in normal-weight volunteers. There was a positive correlation between AI, TI, CSI, SFA, MUFA, PUFA and ω-6/ω-3 ratio with AIP and negative correlation between h/H with AIP in both groups. Despite the significances of these correlations no strong relation was observed by doing multiple regression among normal and overweight/obese groups (R2 = 0.210, R2 = 0.387). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the present work proposes a direct relationship between dietary fat quality, increased BMI, and lipid abnormalities with AIP. Nevertheless, further large-scale studies are required to sustain a clear conclusion in this wish.

Red vine leaf extract (AS 195) can improve some signs and symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency, a systematic review.

AIM: Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is common in adults. Some complications include skin changes, edema, heavy legs, muscle cramps, pain, and varicose veins. In traditional medicine, red vine leaf extract (AS 195) has been used to cure the symptoms of CVI. This systematic review was aimed to assess the effects of AS 195 in patients with CVI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed to identify trials that reported the impact of red vine leaf extract on CVI. The primary outcomes investigated were Leg (limb) volume, calf circumference, ankle circumference, tired and heavy legs, a sensation of tension, tingling sensation, and pain. RESULTS: From the 56 studies, 5 trials were selected according to our inclusion criteria. Red vine leaf extract significantly improved numbers of outcomes (lower leg volume, calf and ankle circumference, tired, heavy legs, tingling sensation, pain, the sensation of tension in the legs, cutaneous microcirculation, and transcutaneous oxygen pressure) in only some trials. The tolerability for red vine leaf extract was reported good or satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: Red vine leaf extract had a beneficial therapeutic role in patients with CVI. Further high-quality trials are required to be carried out to provide strong evidence.

Metabolic benefits of curcumin supplementation in patients with metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The finding of studies on the effect of curcumin extract on metabolic factor in patients with metabolic syndrome has had arguable results. This systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) aimed to analyze the effect of curcumin/turmeric on metabolic factors in patients with metabolic syndrome. The PICO strategy was used to establish the guiding question of this review. Several databases for RCT were searched until September 2018. Of the 144 articles initially identified, seven trials met the eligibility criteria. A random-effects model with a mean weight difference (WMD) and a 95% confidence interval was performed for quantitative data synthesis. Pooled estimates of WMD were calculated between intervention and control groups using random-effects model in the presence of high level of heterogeneity between the studies. The results showed significant improvement of fasting blood glucose (p = 0.01), triglycerides (p < 0.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.003), and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.007) levels. Curcumin was not associated with a significant change in waist circumference measurement (p = 0.6) and systolic blood pressure level (p = 0.269). Curcumin supplementation improves some components of metabolic syndrome.

The effect of pomegranate juice on clinical signs, matrix metalloproteinases and antioxidant status in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the commonest forms of musculoskeletal disorders that leads to joint degeneration and has a major impact on patients' quality of life. Experimental and in vitro studies have suggested the protective roles of pomegranate juice (PJ) as a rich antioxidant source for mitigating cartilage inflammation. In this interventional study, 38 patients with knee OA were randomly divided into two groups: PJ or control for 6 weeks to evaluate the effect of this intervention on clinical signs, inflammation and antioxidant status. RESULTS: Significant decreases in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) total score (P = 0.01), stiffness score (P = 0.00) and physical function score (P = 0.01) were observed in PJ group after the intervention. The means of serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 was significantly decreased (P = 0.02) and glutathione peroxidase was increased in the intervention group compared with the control group after the study period (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: According to the findings of this clinical trial, PJ consumption can improve physical function and stiffness, decrease breakdown cartilage enzymes and increase antioxidant status in patients with knee OA. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Association between Serum Vitamin D Level and Glycemic and Inflammatory Markers in Non-obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Low serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) has been shown to correlate with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The objective of this study was to investigate the association between serum 25(OH)D and glycemic and inflammatory markers in non-obese patients with T2DM. METHODS: Eighty-four non-obese patients with T2DM were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Demographic, anthropometric, and dietary information was obtained from all the participants. The serum concentrations of glucose, HbA1C, insulin, 25(OH)D, and inflammatory markers including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured. A homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was also evaluated. RESULTS: The mean serum concentration of 25(OH)D was 11.01±5.55 ng/mL. Severe deficiency, deficiency, and insufficiency of vitamin D were detected in 60.71%, 35.72%, and 3.57% of the participants, respectively. The results showed that those in the lowest group of serum 25(OH)D had significantly higher TNF-α than did those in the highest group (P=0.026). Although the association between serum 25(OH)D and fasting blood sugar and TNF-α was statistically significant (P=0.049 and P=0.044, respectively), the other glycemic markers and hs-CRP did not have any significant relationships with 25(OH)D. CONCLUSION: According to the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the diabetic patients and the inverse relationship between serum 25(OH)D and fasting blood sugar and TNF-α in this study, vitamin D status may be a determining factor of systemic inflammation in patients with T2DM. Further studies with larger sample sizes are suggested in this regard.

Factors Influencing Weight Management in Pregnant Women with Overweight or Obesity: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity have multiple negative consequences for the health of both the mother and the child. Interventions to prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy have had varying success, and the proportion of pregnant women who exceed national guidelines for weight gain continues to increase. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of factors on weight management among pregnant women with overweight or obesity. METHODS: This meta-synthesis of qualitative studies involved searching databases PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science. The databases were searched on October 4, 2022, and the search was updated on April 21, 2023. The screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts was conducted utilizing Covidence software. The quality assessment of the articles was performed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. The Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research statement was used to enhance transparency in reporting. A meta-aggregation approach was used to guide the data extraction and synthesis. RESULTS: A total of 46 studies with appropriate Critical Appraisal Skills Programme scores were included for qualitative synthesis. Findings were extracted and integrated into 4 themes: psychological factors (personally driven negative emotions and society-driven negative emotions), social factors (societal attitudes and beliefs and social support resources), factors related to education and counseling (information provision and communication), and factors associated with effective care (provided care components and the method of providing effective care). CONCLUSIONS: To improve weight management during pregnancy, health care providers should provide tailored and individualized recommendations that take into consideration the factors influencing these women.

Association of dietary and lifestyle inflammation score (DLIS) with chronic migraine in women: a cross-sectional study.

Due to more frequent and intense attacks, chronic migraine (CM) sufferers usually report more disability compared to patients with episodic migraine (EM). There is increasing evidence that points to inflammatory diet and lifestyle as a probable underlying cause of migraine. The present study investigated the association of dietary and lifestyle inflammation scores (DLIS) with the odds of CM in Iranian women. In the current study, 285 women with migraine enrolled. Migraine was diagnosed by a single neurologist based on the third edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-III). The women were categorized into CM and EM groups based on their attack frequency per month. Adherence to the dietary inflammation score (DIS), Lifestyle Inflammatory Score (LIS), and DLIS (DIS + LIS) was assessed based on last year's dietary intakes collected using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The Odds Ratio (OR) for CM across the DIS, LIS, and DLIS tertiles were assessed through logistic regression. Most of the participants were overweight or obese (74.4%). The percentage of women with CM was 40.7%. Women with CM had significantly higher DIS (P = 0.002) and DLIS (P = 0.04) than women with EM. There was a significant positive association between CM and DIS. Those in the third tertile of the DIS had almost two times higher chance of experiencing chronic migraine compared with those in the first tertile [OR = 2.02; 95% CI 1.06-3.82; P = 0.03]. the P-value for the trend also was significant (0.03). In terms of LIS and DLIS tertiles, no significant association was observed. Adherence to the more inflammatory diets was associated with higher chances of experiencing CM in women.

The effect of magnesium supplementation and weight loss on liver enzymes in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND: There have been few studies to examine the effect of magnesium (Mg) supplementation on liver enzymes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Mg supplementation and weight loss on liver enzymes, lipid profile, and fasting blood sugar in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Ultrasonography was used to diagnose fatty liver in patients with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≥ 40 U/L and without other hepatic diseases. A total of 68 participants (18-59 years) with NAFLD were randomly divided into two groups to receive either Mg supplement (350 mg elemental Mg per day) or placebo for 90 days. At baseline and at the end of the intervention serum ALT, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total cholesterol (TCHO), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), blood sugar and serum insulin, and Mg levels were measured in fasting state. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and insulin resistance (IR) were calculated using Friedewald formula and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), respectively. All participants received lifestyle recommendations including low calorie diet and physical activity. RESULTS: Significant decreases within the intervention and placebo groups were observed in ALT (57.00 (25) to 41.82 ± 19.40 U/L, P = 0.000; 68.50 ± 26.96 to 40.17 ± 19.40 U/L, P = 0.000 in Mg and placebo groups, respectively). Similar significant decreases were observed in AST and fasting serum insulin within the study groups. The decrease in weight was also significant in both groups (91.05 ± 13.77 to 87.60 ± 14.37 kg and 94.59 ± 16.85 to 91.45 ± 16.39 kg in Mg and placebo groups, respectively). LDL-C and TCHO were decreased significantly in placebo group but not in the intervention group. Serum Mg was increased significantly in the intervention group. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two study groups at baseline and after intervention. CONCLUSION: According to the findings of this study, Mg supplement does not affect liver enzymes but weight loss may have an important role in improving fatty liver disease.

Diet-dependent acid load and the risk of breast cancer: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dietary acid load causes metabolic acidosis, which leads to inflammation and cell change, both of which are related to cancer development. Even though a high acid load has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer (BC), epidemiologic evidence correlating diet-dependent acid load and cancer risk, particularly for BC, is still lacking. As a result, we intend to investigate its potential role. METHODS: The potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) scores were calculated in this case-control study using the dietary intake of individuals as determined by a verified FFQ. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs), which were adjusted for probable confounders. RESULTS: Using multivariate logistic regression models, the odds ratios (OR) of BC according to quartiles of PRAL and NEAP scores revealed that neither PRAL (P-trend = 0.53) nor NEAP (P-trend = 0.19) scores were significantly associated with BC risk. Multiple logistic regressions remained non-significant after controlling for covariates, indicating no significant relationships between PRAL (P-trend = 0.96) and NEAP (trend = 0.45) scores and the odds of BC. CONCLUSION: According to the findings of our study, there is no relation between DAL and the risk of BC in Iranian women.

Determining the effective factors in predicting diet adherence using an intelligent model.

Adhering to a healthy diet plays an essential role in preventing many nutrition-related diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to predict adherence to the prescribed diets using a hybrid model of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and the genetic algorithm (GA). In this study, 26 factors affecting diet adherence were modeled using ANN and GA(ANGA). A dataset of 1528 patients, including 1116 females and 412 males, referred to a private clinic was applied. SPSS Ver.25 and MATLAB toolbox 2017 were employed to make the model and analyze the data. The results showed that the accuracy of the proposed ANN and ANGA models for predicting diet adherence was 93.22% and 93.51%, respectively. Also, the Pearson coefficient showed a significant relationship among the factors. The developed model showed the proper performance for predicting adherence to the diet. Moreover, the most effective factors were selected using GA. Some important factors that affect diet adherence include the duration of the marriage, the reason for referring to the clinic, weight, body mass index (BMI), weight satisfaction, lunch and dinner times, and sleep time. Therefore, applying the proposed model can help dietitians identify people who need more support to adhere to the diet.

The effects of saffron petals and damask rose petals on biochemical and inflammatory measurements.

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes is a chronic disease caused by high blood sugar greatly affected by diet. The chemical medicines applied to treat diabetes usually have side effects. This study aimed to investigate the effect of saffron petals, damask rose petals, and saffron-damask rose petal herbal teas on weight loss, fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, and the inflammatory factors of diabetic rats. METHODS: In this study, 40 male Sprague Dawley rats with an average age of four weeks received a high-calorie, high-fat, high-sugar diet for nine weeks. The rats were then randomly assigned to five groups, including normal, control, saffron petal, damask rose petal, and saffron plus damask rose petal groups. For nine weeks, 3 mL of the herbal tea was administered to the intervention groups daily through oral gavage. The levels of FBS, lipid profile, Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C), and glucose tolerance test (GTT) were measured following the intervention. RESULTS: Saffron petals reduced weight gain, Triglyceride (TG), and HbA1c and increased hs-CRP and IGF-1 (all p < 0.05). The damask rose petal reduced weight gain, FBS, hs-CRP, and HbA1c and increased the IGF-1 (all p < 0.05). Saffron plus damask-rose petals reduced the weight gain, TG, hs-CRP and HbA1c, and increase IGF-1 factor (all p < 0.05) compared to the control group. No significant effect was found on visceral fat, LDL-C, and HDL-C. Compared with the normal group, saffron petals and damask rose petals increased the FBS, HDL, and LDL levels. Damask rose and the combination of saffron petals and damask rose decreased IGF-1 compared with the normal group (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Saffron and damask rose petals could have beneficial effects on improving the status of biochemical markers. The simultaneous use of saffron and damask rose may counteract the adverse effects of saffron on inflammatory indices.