Interaction between gut microbiota metabolites and dietary components in lipid metabolism and metabolic diseases.

Gut microbiota composition has caused perplexity in developing precision therapy to cure metabolic disorders. However, recent research has focused on using daily diet and natural bioactive compounds to correct gut microbiota dysbiosis and regulate host metabolism. Complex interactions between the gut microbiota and dietary compounds disrupt or integrate the gut barrier and lipid metabolism. In this review, we investigate the role of diet and bioactive natural compounds in gut microbiota dysbiosis and also the modulation of lipid metabolism by their metabolites. Recent studies have revealed that diet, natural compounds and phytochemicals impact significantly on lipid metabolism in animals and humans. These findings suggest that dietary components or natural bioactive compounds have a significant impact on microbial dysbiosis linked to metabolic diseases. The interaction between dietary components or natural bioactive compounds and gut microbiota metabolites can regulate lipid metabolism. Additionally, natural products can shape the gut microbiota and improve barrier integrity by interacting with gut metabolites and their precursors, even in unfavourable conditions, potentially contributing to the alignment of host physiology.

Effect of Ajwa date pits powder (Phoenix dactylifera L.) on body composition, lipid profile and blood pressure in patients with hyperlipidemia: A randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Ajwa dates pit powder (ADP) on lipid profile, body composition and blood pressure in patients with hyperlipidemia. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled clinical study was carried out on 40 patients with total cholesterol >200 mg/dl, triglycerides >150 mg/dl and BMI >25, of either sex, aged 30-50 years, who were recruited through written consent. The patients were divided into two groups (n=20 each): the ADP and the control group (CG). All patients received the doctor's prescribed class A statin (Rosuvastatin/ Atorvastatin) 10 mg/day, while 2.7 g ADP was given on daily basis before breakfast with lukewarm water for 40 days and the control group received the same amount of wheat flour. Body composition, blood pressure and lipid profile were determined at baseline, and after 20 and 40 days. Data were analyzed by using SPSS and GraphPad Prism. Results: ADP significantly reduced body weight (p<0.001), BMI (p<0.001), fat mass, body fat percentage, visceral fat area and waist circumference compared to the control group. Similarly, ADP significantly (p=0.000) decreased the serum level of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein. Conclusion: ADP may have the potential to improve dyslipidemia and obesity.

Exploring health-risk behaviors related to road safety and car drifting among adolescents in Saudi Arabia: the co-occurrence of multiple risk behaviors.

OBJECTIVES: Adolescence is a fundamental stage of life where they go through huge changes and development. As a result, they are more likely to engage in behaviors that may jeopardize their life and health. The main objectives of this paper is to investigate risky-behaviors related to road traffic safety and dangerious car drifting among adolescents in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This was a school-based cross-sectional study conducted among male school adolescents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A multi-stage probability sampling technique was performed to recruit the participants. A total of 1,501 male adolescents were included in this study, studying in private and public high schools. RESULTS: A total of 78.7% of the students were found to be driving cars, which indicated that a high proportion of adolescents drive without a license. A total of 96% and 97.7% of adolescents do not use seat belt when driving nor when riding a vehicle as a passenger, respectively. Using helmet was a very rare practice among adolescents since only 1.4% and 2.0% wore a helmet when using non-motorized and motorized vehicles, respectively. Attending car drifting events, joining people while performing car drifting and actual performing car drifting were prevalent as 46.7%, 42.9%, 36.1%, respectively. About 58% of the adolescents reported not been taught about how to avoid traffic accidents, and 80% reported the need for more health education regarding traffic safety. The logistic regression analysis indicates adolescents car drifting was independently associated with adolescents' age (OR = 1.2; 95%CI = 1.1-1.3; p < 0.01), studying in private schools (OR = 1.2; 95%CI = 1.2-2.0; p≤ 0.015), being Saudi (OR = 2.5; 95%CI = 1.9-2.8; p < 0.001), do not like schools (OR = 1.7; 95%CI = 1.4-2.4; p < 0.001) and poor academic performance (OR = 1.7; 95%CI = 1.3-2.3; p < 0.001). Also, the adjusted logistic regression confirmed that car drifting was independently associated with several health risk behaviors including joining people performing car drifting, attending car drifting events, not brushing teeth, smoking behavior, want to use drugs, carrying weapons, and taking part in bullying others. CONCLUSION: Large proportions of adolescents engage in multiple risky road traffic behaviors. Therefore, it is strongly advisable for policymakers and other stakeholders to devise national strategies that consider road safety and risky driving behaviors among adolescents and school students. This study calls for a strategic intervention plan to change the culture of risky driving through a structured and comprehensive curriculum in school settings.

Investigating Stress and Sources of Stress Among Female Health Profession Students in a Saudi University.

BACKGROUND: Health profession students experience tremendous levels of stress throughout their education. A high level of stress may have a negative effect on the cognitive functioning and learning of students. OBJECTIVE: The study sought to determine the levels and main sources of stress and its possible correlation with academic performance in the preclinical female health profession. METHODS: The cross-sectional design involved the use of self-administered questionnaires. Data were collected from 260 students in health profession programmes in Saudi Arabia. The Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) was used to collect the data from all second-, third-, and fourth-year undergraduate students. RESULTS: A high level of stress was observed in 42.7% of the students, and a moderate stress level was observed in 41.5% of the students. The major source of stress experienced by students was related to the academic domain (mean= 2.7±0.73), followed by the group activity domain (mean= 2.1±0.91; p< 0.05). Second-year and third-year students were significantly less likely to show high stress levels compared with fourth-year students (AOR= 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-0.8; p≤ 0.030 and AOR= 0.4; 95% CI: 0.1-0.5; p≤ 0.001, respectively). High stress levels were not found to be associated with students' age and academic performance. CONCLUSION: Half of the students experienced high and severe levels of stress. Academic and group activity domains were perceived as the major stressors. The year of study was the only significant factor associated with stress levels. Stress among female health profession students should be acknowledged, and efforts should be made to alleviate it. Students should be guided to reduce their stress levels, as this can enhance their quality of life and study experience.

Exploring Sexual Behaviour and Associated Factors among Adolescents in Saudi Arabia: A Call to End Ignorance.

Little is known about sexual behaviour, attitudes, and associated factors among adolescents in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study using a multistage sampling technique was conducted among 453 male adolescents selected from high schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. About 54.1% of the adolescents practiced masturbation daily and 38% had experienced sexual contact, while 67% had friends who had experienced sexual contact. The majority of adolescents (72.2%) believed men engage in sexual experience before marriage, and only 11.5% discussed sexual health issues with their parents. Most adolescents believed in the effectiveness of sex education (92.3%) and the need for school-based sex education (85.6%). The logistic regression analyses showed adolescent sexual activity was independently associated with age [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.5, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3-1.8, p < 0.001), daily masturbation (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-3.2, p < 0.004), friends who engaged in sexual activity (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.4-4.6, p < 0.001), and belief that men experience sexual contact before marriage (AOR = 5.1, 95% CI: 2.8-9.3, p < 0.001). The findings indicated that male adolescents had negative attitudes toward sexual activity and were involved in risky sexual behaviour. To mitigate these issues, schools and community networks should be involved in the delivery of a culturally sensitive sexual health-promoting programme.

Prevalence and determinants of smoking behavior among male school adolescents in Saudi Arabia.

Objective Smoking and tobacco use is a growing public health problem, with often begins in adolescence. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of smoking behavior and the associated determinants among adolescents. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire with 453 male adolescent students in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to aggregate the findings and examine associations. Results The prevalence of smoking was 24.3% among adolescents. The main predictors of smoking behavior were found to be age (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.3-2.0; p < 0.001), studying in private schools (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2-1.5; p < 0.001), having friends who smoke (OR = 13.9; 95% CI: 6.6-29.9; p < 0.001), smoking parent (OR = 18.1; 95% CI: 8.8-37.1; p < 0.001), perceived poor health (OR = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.9-3.9; p = 0.041) and perceived dissatisfaction with life (OR = 4.1; 95% CI: 1.33-13.3; p = 0.017). Smokers were more likely to believe that it is difficult to quit smoking (OR = 3.0; 95% CI: 1.6-5.5; p < 0.001). The top reasons for smoking were having smoker friends (78.2%), family neglect (45.5%), having smoker parents (41.8%), family problems (37.3%), enjoyment, and having smoker relatives. Conclusion This study concluded that a considerable proportion of adolescents are smokers. Adolescents with a smoking habit report poorer health and lower life satisfaction than non-smokers. Several personal and social factors were identified as important determinants for smoking.

Intake of fruit, vegetables and milk products and correlates among school boys in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Healthy dietary behaviors have a significant impact on children's health and development. Diets high in fruit and vegetables demonstrate a strong and consistent pattern for decreasing the risk of and providing benefits against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and many cancers. Yet, little is known about the pattern of fruit, vegetables and dairy products consumption among children in Saudi Arabia. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the consumption of fruit, vegetables and milk products and their dietary correlates among school boys in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multistage stratified cluster cross-sectional survey, using a pre-tested questionnaire was conducted among school-children. The study sample comprised of 725 school students from ten randomly selected schools in Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: All surveyed schools (100%) neither provide nor sell fruit, fresh juices or vegetables on their premises. During regular weekdays, the majority of the children did not consume fruit (69%) and vegetables (71.4%) on daily basis. More than one third (32.4%) of the children did not consume dairy products daily. The daily consumption of fruit and dairy products were associated with young age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.5, confidence interval (CI): 1.1-2.2, p = 0.040] and (OR = 2.4, CI: 1.6-3.7, p = 0.001), respectively. Daily consumption of fruit was positively associated with daily consumption of vegetables (OR = 6.6, CI: 4.5-9.5, p = 0.001). Also, daily consumption of vegetables was positively associated with daily consumption of dairy products (OR = 1.5, CI: 1.1-2.2, p = 0.040) and inversely correlated with daily consumption of sweets (OR = 0.6, C.I: 0.4-0.9, p = 0.012). Moreover, the daily consumption of dairy products was associated with consuming high fat food daily (OR = 1.7, CI: 1.2-2.4, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: The findings indicated that a high percentage of children in Saudi Arabia had an unhealthy low consumption of fruit, vegetables and milk products. Thus, an intervention program to promote healthy dietary patterns is highly recommended. Improving school environments and establishing school-based nutrition programs are extremely needed to promote healthy dietary behaviors among this age group.

Consumption and correlates of sweet foods, carbonated beverages, and energy drinks among primary school children in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the consumption of sweets, carbonated beverages, and energy drinks along with their correlates among primary school children.  Methods: A total of 725 children (7-12 years old) were randomly recruited from 10 elementary schools from Al-Baha city, Saudi Arabia in 2013, using a multi-stage stratified sampling technique and pre-tested validated questionnaire.  Results: Approximately 26.1% of children reported consuming sweets on daily basis, and 63.4% consumed sweets occasionally during the week. Approximately 56.3%children were reportedly drinking carbonated beverages weekly and 17.1% in daily basis. Weekly consumption of energy drinks was reported in 21.9% and daily consumption in 4.3% of the children. Daily sweets consumption was positively associated with children age (odds ratio [OR]=1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.5-9.5, p=0.035), consuming carbonated beverages (OR=3.4, 95% CI: 2.2-5.2, p less than 0.001), energy drinks (OR=2.5, 95% CI: 1.1-5.4, p=0.029), eating high fat food (OR= 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1 - 2.4, p=0.023), and inversely with children body mass index (BMI) (OR=0.9, 95% CI: 0.8-0.9, p less than 0.001). Consuming carbonated beverages on regular basis was positively associated with consuming energy drinks (OR=9.0, 95% CI: 4.0-21.0, p less than 0.001).  Conclusion: Unhealthy dietary choices were found to be prevalent at early age. Comprehensive intervention programs should be established to prevent unhealthy dietary choices and promote healthier dietary behaviors. Qualitative studies are needed for better understanding of children's dietary behaviors.