Dietary patterns; serum concentrations of selenium, copper, and zinc; copper/zinc ratio; and total antioxidant status in patients with glaucoma.

This study aimed to identify the biochemical parameters that determine the occurrence of glaucoma and assess the correlation between oxidative stress and clinical data in patients with glaucoma and healthy controls. We enrolled 169 participants; the glaucoma group comprised 104 patients with primary open-angle, pseudoexfoliation, or angle-closure glaucoma, and the control group comprised 65 healthy individuals. Serum concentrations of selenium (Se), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn); Cu/Zn ratio; and total antioxidant status were measured in both groups. Significantly lower Se and Zn serum levels were observed in men (67.7 ± 17.14 g/L and 0.76 ± 0.11 mg/L, respectively) and women (68.73 ± 16.21 g/L and 0.76 ± 0.13, respectively) with glaucoma. Moreover, significant correlations were identified between serum Se concentration and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and between serum Cu concentration and CDVA (p < 0.005 and p < 0.05, respectively). We also observed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.244, p < 0.05) between pRNFL thickness and BMI and a negative correlation (r = -0.289, p < 0.05) between serum Se concentration and the age of male patients with glaucoma. Additionally, the percentages of participants with below-normal, normal, and above-normal Se, Zn, and total antioxidant capacity serum levels were compared between both groups. Compared with healthy controls, a significantly higher percentage of patients with glaucoma had a below-normal Se serum concentration. A notable negative correlation was observed between Zn and copper serum levels of patients with glaucoma in both sexes. We believe that this study serves as a basis for considering personalized nutritional therapy for the prevention and supportive treatment of patients with glaucoma.

Perspective: Potatoes, Quality Carbohydrates, and Dietary Patterns.

Potatoes have long been a staple food in many cultures and cuisines, but they have gained a reputation as a low-quality carbohydrate source that should be avoided in the diet. Historically, this view has been justified by citing the glycemic index of potatoes as the main indicator of their quality. However, their nutrient composition should also be considered. The association of potatoes with energy-dense Western dietary patterns has also contributed to a perception that potatoes are inherently unhealthy. Although some studies have suggested an association between potato consumption and increased risk of health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, these associations may be confounded by fried potato intake and are strongest at intake levels higher than average consumption rates. Epidemiologic data suggest total potato intake is not a health risk in Eastern populations and can be consumed as part of a healthy diet. Furthermore, clinical trial data demonstrate that potatoes' health impact, irrespective of preparation, is similar to legumes and comparable with refined grains, with few deleterious effects found. These findings highlight the importance of moving beyond the glycemic index and adopting a more nuanced evaluation of the epidemiologic data to better understand the health impact of potato intake. Ultimately, the negative reputation of potatoes stems from an overinterpretation of their glycemic index and association with unhealthy Western dietary patterns, as well as oversimplification of the epidemiologic data. By considering carbohydrate quality, it becomes clear that potatoes can be part of a healthy diet given the proper consideration.

Evolution of adolescents' dietary patterns in Northeast Brazil from 2008 to 2018.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the evolution of the dietary patterns of adolescents in the northeast region of Brazil. METHODS: Secondary analysis of data from the Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF - Household Budget Surveys), collected by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in the years 2008-2009 and 2017-2018. A total of 3,095 adolescents were evaluated in 2008-2009 and 3,015 in 2017-2018. Food consumption was assessed using two dietary records in 2008-2009 and two 24-hour recalls in 2017-2018, applied on non-consecutive days. Based on these data, principal components factor analysis (PCFA) was performed, followed by orthogonal rotation of the varimax type, to derive dietary patterns, stratified by sex. The results were described as means or percentage frequencies, with their respective 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Three main dietary patterns were identified among adolescents from the northeast region of Brazil. Among boys, in 2008-2009, the patterns were called snacks, traditional Brazilian, and coffee; and in 2017-2018, traditional Brazilian, snacks, and mixed, in this order of representativeness of the group's eating habits. Among female adolescents, in 2008-2009, the patterns were snacks, traditional Brazilian, and coffee; and in 2017-2018, traditional Brazilian, snacks, and processed meats. CONCLUSION: The dietary patterns identified in 2008-2009 and 2017-2018 were similar in both genders; however, the snacks pattern, which explained most of the data variability in 2008-2009, was replaced by the traditional Brazilian.

Association of plant-based dietary patterns with the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus using cross-sectional results from RaNCD cohort.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing in middle- and low-income countries, and this disease is a burden on public health systems. Notably, dietary components are crucial regulatory factors in T2DM. Plant-based dietary patterns and certain food groups, such as whole grains, legumes, nuts, vegetables, and fruits, are inversely correlated with diabetes incidence. We conducted the present study to determine the association between adherence to a plant-based diet and the risk of diabetes among adults. We conducted a cross-sectional, population-based RaNCD cohort study involving 3401 men and 3699 women. The plant-based diet index (PDI) was developed using a 118-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between the PDI score and the risk of T2DM. A total of 7100 participants with a mean age of 45.96 ± 7.78 years were analysed. The mean PDI scores in the first, second, and third tertiles (T) were 47.13 ± 3.41, 54.44 ± 1.69, and 61.57 ± 3.24, respectively. A lower PDI was significantly correlated with a greater incidence of T2DM (T1 = 7.50%, T2 = 4.85%, T3 = 4.63%; P value < 0.001). Higher PDI scores were associated with significantly increased intakes of fibre, vegetables, fruits, olives, olive oil, legumes, soy products, tea/coffee, whole grains, nuts, vitamin E, vitamin C, and omega-6 fatty acids (P value < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding variables, the odds of having T2DM were significantly lower (by 30%) at T3 of the PDI than at T1 (OR = 0.70; 95% CI = 0.51, 0.96; P value < 0.001). Our data suggest that adhering to plant-based diets comprising whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, and tea/coffee can be recommended today to reduce the risk of T2DM.

Dietary patterns derived by reduced rank regression are associated with lipid disorders among Korean adults: a cross-sectional analysis.

BACKGROUND: Lipid disorders are a potent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, the intake of dietary fatty acids has been closely related to blood lipid levels. Therefore, this cross-sectional study examined the associations between dietary patterns related to fatty acid intake and lipid disorders in Korean adults. METHODS: From the 2013-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys data, 8399 men and 11404 women (aged ≥ 19 years) were selected. Reduced rank regression was employed to identify dietary patterns from 26 food groups, aiming to explain the maximum variation in the intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), omega-3 fatty acids, and the PUFA/SFA ratio. Associations of quintiles (Q) of dietary pattern scores with lipid disorders were examined using multiple logistic regression stratified by sex. RESULTS: Three dietary patterns were identified: dietary pattern 1 showed positive factor loadings for vegetable oils, seasonings, legumes, nuts, and fish; dietary pattern 2 was high in consumption of red meat, bread and snacks, and milk and dairy products; and dietary pattern 3 was rich in fish and milk and dairy products. In men, dietary pattern 3 was inversely associated with elevated triglycerides (Q5 vs. Q1: odds ratio [OR] = 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.69-0.97, P-trend = 0.008). In women, dietary pattern 2 was positively associated with elevated total cholesterol (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.12-1.52, P-trend < 0.001) but inversely associated with low HDL-cholesterol (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.59-0.83, P-trend < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, dietary patterns explaining the intake of various types of fatty acids were differentially associated with lipid disorders in Korean adults. Dietary pattern characterized by higher intakes of red meat, bread and snacks and milk and dairy products were positively associated with elevated total cholesterol, whereas dietary pattern rich in fish consumption showed an inverse association with elevated triglycerides. These findings could be instrumental in developing dietary guidelines and strategies for preventing and managing lipid disorders in this population.

Association Between Instant Coffee Consumption and the Development of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Results From a Community-Based Prospective Cohort.

BACKGROUND: A poor diet is a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The interaction between dietary factors and cigarette smoking in the development of COPD is unclear. We investigated the interactions between dietary patterns and smoking status on COPD-related outcomes. METHODS: We used data from the Anseong-Ansan cohort that has been followed for 20 years. A total of 6,221 individuals without COPD in the baseline survey were analyzed. Five dietary patterns were identified using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Associations of dietary patterns with COPD and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio in different strata of smoking status were evaluated using Cox regression and linear mixed models, respectively. RESULTS: The highest quartile of the "coffee" pattern (high coffee consumption) was associated with COPD (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-2.08) and lower FEV1/FVC ratio (ß = -1.2%; 95% CI, -1.9% to -0.6%) using the lowest quartile as a reference for heavy smokers, but not light or never smokers (P value for interaction = 0.035 for COPD). Regarding the associations between various consumption levels of black coffee, combined coffee, and instant coffee and COPD, an association with COPD was only observed for instant coffee in heavy smokers. CONCLUSION: High instant coffee consumption is associated with COPD development in heavy smokers, but not in light or never smokers. This may be attributed to sugar and cream in instant coffee mixes.

Breastmilk mineral composition among well-educated mothers from Central Poland - Associations with maternal dietary intake, dietary patterns and infant psychomotor development.

BACKGROUND: Maternal dietary habits could affect breastmilk mineral composition, which may influence infant development. Mineral dietary intake or supplementation slightly affects its breastmilk concentration. However, the intake of selected food groups or dietary patterns that reflect diet complexity could have a greater impact. Hence, the aim of the study was to assess breastmilk mineral composition at one, three, and six months of lactation among mothers living in urban area of Central Poland, as well as the evaluate maternal dietary determinants and associations with infant anthropometric and psychomotor development. METHODS: The study was conducted among 43 healthy and exclusively breastfeeding mothers. In the first, third, and sixth months of lactation, we collected breastmilk samples and assessed the concentration of Ca, P, Zn, Fe, Se, Ni, As, Pb, and Cd using the ICP-MS method. Maternal dietary habits were evaluated by a food frequency questionnaire in the first month of lactation, whereas in the third and sixth by the three-day food record. Based on the collected data adherence to the Polish-adapted Mediterranean (Pl-aMED; 1 month) and the DASH diet (Mellen's Index; 3 and 6 months) was assessed. In the third and sixth months of lactation infant anthropometric parameters and the sixth month of lactation psychomotor development were evaluated. RESULTS: Breastmilk Se, Ni, As, Pb, and Cd levels were under the LOQ in all the breastmilk samples at all study visits. Median breastmilk mineral concentrations of Ca, P, Zn, and Fe in the first, third, and sixth months of lactation varied from 381.9 to 332.7 mg/L, 161.6 to 139.1 mg/L, 2.2 to 0.8 mg/L, and 0.26 to 0.17 mg/L, respectively. Maternal dietary intake and supplementation did not affect breastmilk Ca, P, Zn, and Fe. Pl-aMED scores were associated with breastmilk Ca (ß = 0.489, 95% CI 0.180 - 0.799, p = 0.003) and Zn (ß = 0.499, 95% CI 0.199 - 0.798, p = 0.002) in the first month of lactation, whereas no association with the DASH diet were observed in the third and sixth month of lactation. Breastmilk Fe in the third month was associated with infant motor development (ß = 0.420, 95% CI 0.113 - 0.727, p = 0.009) in the sixth month of life, but no other associations with anthropometric or psychomotor development were observed. Moreover, we estimated that few infants meet their adequate intake (AI) requirements for P, Zn, and Fe. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that maternal adherence to Pl-aMED is a significant predictor of breastmilk Ca and Zn in the first month of lactation, which may be especially important considering that more than 75% of infants had inadequate Zn intake. Moreover, we found that breastmilk Fe positively influenced infant motor development, despite the majority of infants having inadequate intake. On the other hand, no infant had deficiency symptoms, which emphasizes the necessity to evaluate of AI norms for infants.

Association between dietary patterns and chronic kidney disease combined with hyperuricemia.

Background and aims: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) combined with hyperuricemia is a concerning health issue, but the association between this condition and dietary patterns remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between dietary patterns and CKD combined with hyperuricemia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted involving 12 318 participants aged 18-79 years during 2018-2020. Dietary intake information was collected using a validated 110-item food frequency questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to identify major dietary patterns. CKD was defined as the presence of albuminuria or an estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL min-1 1.73 m-2. Hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid levels >420 µmol L-1 both in men and women. Logistic regression models were applied to assess the association between dietary patterns and the risk of CKD combined with hyperuricemia. Results: Five major dietary patterns were identified: 'healthy pattern', 'traditional pattern', 'animal foods pattern', 'sweet foods pattern', and 'tea-alcohol pattern', which together explained 38.93% of the variance in the diet. After adjusting for potential confounders, participants in the highest quartile of the traditional pattern had a lower risk of CKD combined with hyperuricemia (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.32-0.74, Pfor trend < 0.01). Conversely, participants in the highest quartile of the sweet foods pattern had a higher risk compared to those in the lowest quartile (OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.18-2.42, Pfor trend < 0.01). However, no significant association was observed between the healthy pattern, animal foods pattern and tea-alcohol pattern and the risk of CKD combined with hyperuricemia. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the traditional pattern is associated with a reduced risk of CKD combined with hyperuricemia, whereas the sweet foods pattern is associated with an increased risk.

Food pattern modeling to inform global guidance on complementary feeding of infants.

Nutrient needs are difficult to meet during infancy due to high nutrient requirements and the small quantities of food consumed. Guidelines to support food choice decisions are critical to promoting optimal infant health, growth and development and food pattern modeling can be used to inform guideline development. We employed the Optifood modeling system to determine if unfortified complementary foods could meet 13 nutrient targets for breastfed infants (6-11 months), and to describe food patterns that met, or came as close as possible to meeting targets. We also examined the impacts of eliminating food groups, increasing starchy staple foods or adding sentinel unhealthy foods. We collated a global food list from dietary studies in 37 countries and used this list to develop nutrient values for a set of 35 food subgroups. We analyzed infant dietary intakes from studies in eight countries to inform maximum quantities and frequencies of consumption for these subgroups in weekly food patterns. We found that unfortified foods could meet targets for most infants for 12 nutrients, but not for iron. For the smallest and youngest infants, with the lowest energy intakes, there were additional deficits for minerals. Best-case food patterns that met targets or came as close as possible to meeting targets included ample amounts of diverse vegetables, diverse plant- and animal-source protein foods, small amounts of whole grain foods and dairy and no refined grains or added fats or sugar. There were nutrient deficits if animal-source foods or vegetables were eliminated or if unhealthy foods were included.