Effect of Social Media on Diet, Lifestyle, and Performance of Athletes: A Review of Current Evidence.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Social media (SM) plays an important role in providing diet and health advice to athletes, but it also carries with it a risk of credibility in the information sought for and received. The objective of this review is to assess the knowledge gap on how SM influences dietary and lifestyle practices in athletes. RECENT FINDINGS: For this, relevant literature was searched in three leading databases with appropriate keywords, which were subjected to proper scrutiny that led to inclusion of 22 articles (original research papers, reviews, viewpoints, and commentaries). The current era of digitalization has seen an over-reliance on internet and SM for nutrition and lifestyle advice for an athlete. SM has become a powerful tool in athlete's choice of food, nutrition information, healthy living, and performance, with merits and demerits. Their role in choosing dietary supplements and particular food types (e.g., ketogenic diet), body image, self-esteem and eating disorders, and in lifestyle and performance are discussed. SM should be used with caution and should not be used alone as a source of information for nutrition related pieces of advise by athletes. Any food type and supplements trending in SM should be discussed with a sports nutritionist before consumption. SM influencers having a big follower base may not always be disseminating the right knowledge on food and nutrition, thus caution should be exercised. For optimal benefit to the athlete, SM information should be in alignment with recommendations provided by sports nutrition and coaches.

Evaluation of pH and Chlorine Content of a Novel Herbal Sodium Hypochlorite for Root Canal Disinfection: An Experimental In vitro Study.

INTRODUCTION: Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is widely used endodontic irrigant with its array of advantages and disadvantages. Addition of herbal agents to NaOCl might help in enhancing its efficacy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NaOCl was prepared using chlorinated lime, anhydrous sodium carbonate, and distilled water to obtain 6% fresh solution. Then, this solution was evaluated for its pH and chlorine content. The fresh herbal extract of Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass), Mentha piperita (peppermint), and Ocimum sanctum (tulsi) was prepared from plant leaves. After which, various permutation and combinations were made, and it was found that 9:1 ratio was the most effective combination. The pH and percentage of free chlorine were evaluated and analyzed. RESULTS: No statistical significant difference was found in pH content. However, significant difference was found between the groups for chlorine content (P < 0.05) of herbal NaOCl. CONCLUSION: The current study presents a simplified method for preparation of herbal irrigating solution.