Differentiation of the Nutritional Risk of Polish Elderly People According to Selected Demographic Characteristics and Declared Socioeconomic Status.

Nutritional risk screening in older people can help to not only identify health risks but also to treat them effectively. The aim of this work was to assess the relationship between the demographic characteristics (age, gender and place of residence) and socioeconomic status of older people in the community and nutritional risk. The Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition (SCREEN-14) questionnaire was used to evaluate the nutritional risk. The study was conducted in 417 people (312 women and 105 men) between 60 and 95 years old (70.8 ± 6.73 years). Multivariate correspondence analysis (MCA) was used to determine the relationships between the categories of variables describing the level of nutritional risk, demographic characteristics and the value of the socioeconomic status (SES) index. To assess the relationship between identified nutritional risks, demographics and SES index variables, we used logistic regression analysis. Based on these studies, nutritional risk factors for older people in Poland were identified. It has been shown that larger cities and low socioeconomic status are closely linked to higher nutritional risk. At the same time, age and gender were not significant factors influencing nutritional risk. Identifying the factors that increase the nutritional risk of older people can help to improve their quality of life.

Body composition and Hashimoto disease.

BACKGROUND: Body weight or BMI do not provide any information about the content of muscle tissue, water content, body fat and its distribution in the body. Thyroid dysfunction is associated with a change in body weight, but also its composition regardless of physical activity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare the body composition of female patients diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease (HD) and the body composition of healthy women who have never been treated before due to thyroid diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 47 women diagnosed with Hashimoto disease (HD) and 65 women declaring good health. Body mass and height and body composition analysis using bioelectrical impedance analysis were performed using the TANITA multi-frequency segmental body composition analyzer. Variables having a distribution similar to the normal distribution were analyzed by the analysis of variance (ANOVA), otherwise the Kruskal-Wallis test was used. RESULTS: Women with Hashimoto disease were characterized by significantly higher values of body weight, and thus BMI index, than healthy women (respectively 73.64 kg vs. 64.36 kg, p <0.0001; 27.65 kg/m2 vs. 23.95 kg/m2, p <0.001).The problem of excess body fat in the body statistically significantly more often affected women with Hashimoto disease than healthy women (44.7% vs. 13.8%, p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results regarding the weight and composition of the patients treated for thyroid disease indicate the need for further in-depth analyses. Even small abnormalities of the thyroid function in the range of reference values may result in the development of many adverse changes in the body.

Assessment of caffeine intake with food by Polish females and males.

Background: Caffeine is the most widespread psychoactive substance in the world. With long-term consumption of caffeinated beverages, there is a high probability of overtaking on caffeine. Objective: The aim of the study was to estimate the consumption of caffeine in the daily caffeine intake of Polish consumers, determine the caffeinated products in the intake of this substance. Materials and methods: The survey was completed by 433 respondents living in Poland. The research tool was the electronic questionnaire, which consisted of: a) questions about personal data and measurement anthropometric and the level of physical activity and smoking; b) questions regarding the portion size and frequency of consumption of coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, energy drinks and colacarbonated beverages. Results: The main sources of caffeine in the respondents' diet include: coffee (Me 43.64 mg/d) and tea (Me 37.60 mg/d). Approximately 20% of respondents exceeded the threshold of daily caffeine intake (safety level for children and adolescents up to 3 mg/kg b.w, for adults up to 5.7 mg/kg b.w), considered safe. Conclusions: Respondents who have crossed the safe dose of caffeine intake, should limit the consumption of products being its main source (coffee).

Measuring and comparing the water activity and salt content in Parenica cheeses made by traditional and industrial technology.

BACKGROUND: Slovenská Parenica is one of the most traditional and ever-popular sheep´s milk cheese specialities. This cheese has been registered as a geographical indication (PGI) in the EU. Parenica cheese is produced also from cow´s milk, but without the trade name "Slovenská/Slovak". OBJECTIVE: The aim of our research was was statistical reporting and results visualization of water activity analysis and salt content in cow´s milk Parenica cheeses from 8 small and medium-sized Slovak dairy producers. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total of 320 samples of smoked and non-smoked Parenica cheeses made from cow´s milk using traditional and industrial technology were examined during the 10-month period. Each cheese was analysed immediately after sampling (A) and subsequently after 7 days of storing at 4°C (B). The salt content was measured on the Chloride analyser M 926 and the water activity on the Fast-Lab meter. Due to the hierarchical design of the experiment, the linear mixed models via the R statistical environment to compare the differences in the water activity and salt content were used. RESULTS: Statistical reporting and visualization of water activity measurements showed significant differences between samples A and B ( p = 0.0129) and between kinds of Parenica cheese ( p = 0.0196). The value of water activity ranged from 0.908 to 0.975 (A) with the increasing trend after storing in both kinds of Parenica cheese. The impact of dairy producer type was not significant. The higher content of NaCl was found in fresh Parenica cheese from small farms (nonsmoked: 2.51 ±1.12 g/100 g, smoked: 1.97 ±0.89 g/100 g). The average salt content in cheeses from industrial dairies was 1.65 ±0.34 g/100 g (non-smoked) and 1.96 ±0.43 g/100 g (smoked). Results showed lower variability of salt content in cheeses from industrial dairies. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that especially the small producers can have probably problem in noncompliance with the technological processes, non-implementation of standardized procedures and underestimation of hygiene regulations.

Frequency of occurrence of metabolic syndrome risk factors in children and adolescents from the city of Wroclaw and surroundings

Background: A recently growing number of children and adolescents with overweight or obesity is indicative of the need for diagnosing their complications that may appear in the early childhood. For this reason, diagnostic criteria were developed for components of the metabolic syndrome (MS) also for these groups of the population. Objective: This study was aimed at evaluating the frequency of metabolic syndrome risk factors occurrence in children and adolescents from the city of Wroclaw and surroundings depending on gender, age and physical activity. Material and methods: Investigations on the frequency of occurrence of dietary and non-dietary risk factors of the metabolic syndrome were carried out in the years 2010-2017 among 771 children and adolescents aged 10-18 year, attending to primary schools, gymnasiums and secondary schools in Wroclaw. Results: The lack of any components of the metabolic syndrome was demonstrated in 14.78% of the children aged 10-12 years as well as in 17.38% of both adolescents aged 13-15 and 17-18 years. One risk factor was most frequently diagnosed in children aged 10-12 years (17.89%) and it was arterial hypertension (16.08% of the whole surveyed population). Three MS components were demonstrated in 15 persons (1.95% of the whole surveyed population), including in 7 girls and 8 boys. The persons with three MS risk factors from the age category 13-15 years constituted 0.26% whereas these from the age category 17-18 years constituted 1.69% of the whole surveyed group. Conclusions: It shall be concluded that the incidence of the fully symptomatic MS depended significantly on the age of the surveyed, but not on their gender. Among the three adopted components of MS, the most frequently demonstrated disorders included: arterial hypertension, abdominal obesity and increased concentration of triglycerides in blood serum.

WITHDRAWN: Association Between Alzheimer's Disease and Cancer - A Short Overview

The following article has been withdrawn at the request of the authors and editor of the journal Current Medicinal Chemistry: Title: Association between Alzheimer's Disease and Cancer - A Short Overview. Authors: Katarzyna Szczechowiak, Anna Brzecka, Naomi Hachiya, Joanna Wyka and Jerzy Leszek* Bentham Science apologizes to the readers of the journal for any inconvenience this may cause. Bentham Science Disclaimer: It is a condition of publication that manuscripts submitted to this journal have not been published and will not be simultaneously submitted or published elsewhere. Furthermore, any data, illustration, structure or table that has been published elsewhere must be reported, and copyright permission for reproduction must be obtained. Plagiarism is strictly forbidden, and by submitting the article for publication the authors agree that the publishers have the legal right to take appropriate action against the authors, if plagiarism or fabricated information is discovered. By submitting a manuscript the authors agree that the copyright of their article is transferred to the publishers if and when the article is accepted for publication.

Reproducibility of a Questionnaire for Dietary Habits, Lifestyle and Nutrition Knowledge Assessment (KomPAN) in Polish Adolescents and Adults.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the reproducibility of the Dietary Habits and Nutrition Beliefs Questionnaire (KomPAN) in Polish adolescents and adults, including the assessment of indexes developed based on the questionnaire. In total, the study involved 954 subjects aged 15⁻65 (53.9% females). Interviews using the interviewer-administered questionnaire (IA-Q) in healthy subjects (n 299) and the self-administered questionnaire (SA-Q) in healthy subjects (n 517) and outpatients (n 138) were conducted and repeated after two weeks. Considering the consumption frequency of 33 food items, the cross-classification (test-retest) agreement of classification into the same category obtained for IA-Q in healthy subjects ranged from 72.2% (fruit juices) to 91.6% (energy drinks); the kappa statistic was >0.60 for all food items. For SA-Q conducted in healthy subjects the cross-classification agreement ranged from 63.8% (vegetable oils, margarines, mixes of butter and margarines) to 84.7% (lard); the kappa statistic was >0.50 for all food items. For SA-Q in outpatients, the cross-classification agreement ranged from 42.0% (both fruit juices and white rice, white pasta, fine-ground groats) to 92.0% (energy drinks); the kappa statistic was ≥0.40 for 20/33 food items. The kappa statistic for lifestyle items ranged 0.42⁻0.96, and for the nutrition knowledge level it ranged 0.46⁻0.73. The questionnaire showed moderate to very good reproducibility and can be recommended to assess dietary habits, lifestyle and nutrition knowledge of healthy adolescents and adults and those suffering from chronic diseases, after validation and/or calibration study is carried out. The reproducibility of the interviewer-administered questionnaire was better than its self-administered version. The reproducibility of the self-administered questionnaire was better in healthy subjects than in outpatients.

Nutritional assessment of patients with end-stage renal disease using the MNA scale.

BACKGROUND: Patient malnutrition is a significant problem in the process of rehabilitation and treatment. One of the tools that can reveal the risk of malnutrition is a series of standardized nutritional questionnaires. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the nutritional status of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) by means of the minimal nutritional assessment (MNA) scale. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group included respondents suffering from ESRD who were patients of the Dialysis Center at the Clinic of Nephrology and Transplantation Medicine at the University Clinical Hospital in Wroclaw. The study was conducted in 47 dialysis patients (22 women and 25 men), mean age 69.68 ±8.95 years. A standardized MNA scale was used to evaluate the nutritional status of the patients. RESULTS: In the study group, women had a significantly lower score on the MNA scale than men (23.95 vs 25.26 points). Using the MNA scale, the risk of malnutrition was found in 13 patients, while malnutrition was found in 1 patient. Among females, the mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.28, and it was significantly correlated with the MNA score. In males, the mean BMI was 29.61, but it did not correlate with the MNA score. The time spent undergoing renal replacement therapy was 7.63 years for women and 7.24 years for men. This correlated significantly with the MNA score only in the case of men. Significant correlations were established between eating habits and MNA scores in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained using the MNA scale showed a significant risk of malnutrition in patients with ESRD. In women only, a low score on the MNA scale significantly correlated with the BMI. The time of renal replacement therapy had a significant impact on the MNA scale only in the case of men. An influence of comorbidities on the MNA scores recorded by men and women was not observed. Major health incidents and other stressful situations significantly affected the nutritional status in men.

Consumption of different types of bakery products and its effect on visceral fat area in healthy population

Background: Bread is one of the world's most consumed food commodity. However, in the last years consumption of bread and bakery products has declined, especially in the Western population. The reason for concern is the weight gain and presence of gluten in these products. Gluten is unacceptable in the diet only in patients with celiac disease who are forced adhere the gluten-free diet all the time. The consequences of gluten-free diet in healthy people are the subject of many recent studies. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of visceral fat area in the general population after 6 weeks of consumption of gluten-free, gluten-containing and whole-grain bread and other bakery products. Material and Methods: The study group consisted of 120 volunteers divided into four subgroups each with 30 subjects. Anthropometric measurements were made using the InBody 720 (Biospace Co. Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea). We used the Lookin'Body 3.0 software to process the results. The collected data from anthropometric measurements were evaluated statistically and graphically in Microsoft Office Excel 2010 (Los Angeles, CA, USA). Results: After the intervention we found out that visceral fat area values increased in probands consuming gluten-free and gluten-containing bakery products, but these changes were not significant (P>0.05; 72.7±29.18 cm2 vs 73.26±30.32 cm2 and 69.6±34.06 cm2 vs 70.34±32.33 cm2, respectively). In whole-grain and control group we observed a reduction in visceral fat area, in the control group there was a significant change (P>0.05 ­ 91.58±33 cm2 vs 90.47±34.37 cm2 and P<0.05 ­ 77.3±21.65 cm2 vs 75.56±21.87 cm2, respectively). After the intervention the visceral fat area values increased in gluten-free group in 57% of subjects, in gluten group in 73% of subjects and in the whole-grain group in 43% of volunteers. Although visceral fat area values had inceased in gluten-free and gluten-containing groups, the number of probands with reference values increased from 80% to 86% in the gluten-free group and from 43% to 66% in the gluten-containing group. In the whole-grain group we found decrease in number of subjects with reference values of visceral fat area (from 70% to 63%). There were no changes in the control group (86% vs. 86%). Conclusions: Consumption of different types of bakery products has mostly changed the visceral fat area values in a positive direction.

Biochemical parameters as monitoring markers of the inflammatory reaction by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an airway inflammatory disease caused by inhalation of toxic particles, mainly cigarette smoking, and now is accepted as a disease associated with systemic characteristics. Objective: The aim of this work was to investigate and compare selected biochemical parameters in patients with and without COPD. Material and Methods: Observation group consisted of clinically stable patients with COPD (n = 60). The control group was healthy persons from the general population, without COPD, who were divided into two subgroups ­ smokers (n = 30) and non-smokers (n = 30). Laboratory parameters were investigated by automated clinical chemistry analyzer LISA 200th. Results: Albumin in our measurements showed an average value of 39.55 g.l-1 in the patient population; 38.89 g.l-1 in smokers and in non-smokers group 44.65 g.l-1. The average value of pre-albumin in the group of patients was 0.28 ± 0.28 g.l-1 and 0.30 ± 0.04 g.l-1 in smokers group. The average value of the orosomucoid in patients was about 1.11 ± 0.90 mg.ml-1. In the group of smokers, the mean value of orosomucoid was 0.60 ± 0.13 mg.ml-1. The level of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the patient group reached an average value of 15.31 ± 22.04 mg.l-1, in the group of smokers was 5.18 ± 4.58 mg. l-1. Prognostic inflammatory and nutritional index (PINI) in the group of patients showed a mean value of 4.65 ± 10.77 and 0.026 ± 0.025 in smokers. Conclusions: The results of this work show, that the values of index PINI in COPD patients are significantly higher than in smokers (P <0.001). This along with other monitored parameters indicative inflammation as well as a catabolic process that occurs in the organism of patients with COPD.

Intake of bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) reduced risk factors for cardiovascular disease by inducing favorable changes in lipoprotein profiles.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of death, and lifestyle modification, including dietary changes, is recommended to improve this condition. In this study, regular consumption of bilberries was hypothesized to have beneficial effects on CVD risk reduction, by changes in human health indicators such as decreasing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TGs) and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The research involved women (n=25) and men (n=11) who consumed 150 g of frozen stored bilberries 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, lipid profile, glucose, liver enzymes, creatinine, albumin, magnesium, and antiradical activity were measured. Except for the body mass index of women (P=.019), no significant changes were found for anthropometric indicators. The consumption of bilberries led to a decrease in the following parameters: total cholesterol (P=.017), LDL-C (P=.0347), TG (P=.001), glucose (P=.005), albumin (P=.001), γ-glutamyltransferase (P=.046), and a positive increase in HDL-C (P=.044). In men, additionally, favorable changes were observed in total cholesterol (P=.004), glucose (P=.015), albumin (P=.028), aspartate aminotransferase (P=.012), γ-glutamyltransferase (P=.013), and HDL-C (P=.009; in this group, LDL-C increased [P=.007]). Changes in other parameters were not significant, for both women and men. Thus, the regular intake of bilberries can be important to reduce CVDs risk, by decreasing LDL-C/TG and increasing HDL-C.

Analysis of visceral fat in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking is a major public health problem, which leads to the formation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is one of the main causes of avoidable death and disability worldwide. OBJECTIVE: The aim of study was analysis and comparison of the visceral fat in the body of the three groups of subjects (non-smokers, smokers and COPD patients) by Tanita Viscan 140. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The control group was composed of: (1) non-smokers (n=30), consisted of 13 males (43.4%) and 17 women (56.6%) - the average age was 52 ± 6.51 years and (2) smokers (n=30), consisted of 12 men (40%) and 18 women (60%) - the average age 46.53 ± 9.22 years. Study group consisted of patients with COPD (n=60), which consisted of 48 men (80%) and 12 women (20%). Mean age was 69.25 ± 9.90 years. The measurement of visceral fat by Tanita Viscan device 140, which uses bioelectrical impedance analysis to measure fat in the abdomen of the patient in the supine position. RESULTS: High levels of visceral fat (women from 36.9% to 52.3% and more, men from 27.1% to 40.3% or more) were observed in 19 patients (3 women and 16 men), with 19 smokers (10 women and 9 men) and non-smokers in 22 subjects (10 women and 12 men). The average value of waist circumference measured with a Tanita Viscan 140 was in the group of patients 96.38 ± 12.27 cm, in the group of smokers 95.23 ± 10.12 cm and in group of non-smokers 96.86 ± 10.88 cm. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our work are of great importance for the health assessment not only among patients with COPD but also in the group of smokers. Therefore it would be appropriate to remind the general public, eg. by campaign for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its serious complications and reduce the life quality of these patients and thus help protect human health and in particular young people from the harmful effects of tobacco products.

Down syndrome--genetic and nutritional aspects of accompanying disorders.

Down syndrome (DS) is one of the more commonly occurring genetic disorders, where mental retardation is combined with nutritional diseases. It is caused by having a third copy of chromosome 21, and there exist 3 forms; Simple Trisomy 21, Translocation Trisomy and Mosaic Trisomy. Symptoms include intellectual disability/mental retardation, early onset of Alzheimer's disease and the appearance of various phenotypic features such as narrow slanted eyes, flat nose and short stature. In addition, there are other health problems throughout the body, consisting in part of cardiac defects and thyroid function abnormalities along with nutritional disorders (ie. overweight, obesity, hypercholesterolemia and deficiencies of vitamins and minerals). Those suffering DS have widespread body frame abnormalities and impaired brain development and function; the latter leading to impaired intellectual development. Many studies indicate excessive or deficient nutrient uptakes associated with making inappropriate foodstuff choices, food intolerance, (eg. celiac disease) or malabsorption. DS persons with overweight or obesity are linked with a slow metabolic rate, abnormal blood leptin concentrations and exhibit low levels of physical activity. Vitamin B group deficiencies and abnormal blood homocysteine levels decrease the rate of intellectual development in DS cases. Zinc deficiencies result in short stature, thyroid function disorders and an increased appetite caused by excessive supplementation. Scientific advances in the research and diagnosis of DS, as well as preventing any associated conditions, have significantly increased life expectancies of those with this genetic disorder. Early dietary interventions by parents or guardians of DS children afford an opportunity for decreasing the risk or delaying some of the DS associated conditions from appearing, thus beneficially impacting on their quality of life.

Hormonal contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy as a possible factor of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a disease with an increasing incidence, and it originates from several factors. Risk factors of this disease represent a diverse group of parameters, which also include hormonal influences. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine if there is a relationship between hormonal contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy in patients with diagnosed most common types of breast cancer taking into account the age at which the disease was diagnosed in selected sonographic clinic in the district of Nitra, Slovak Republic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: As a part of an ongoing retrospective study from 2005, a cohort of 300 randomly selected patients aged 25-87 years with diagnosed breast cancer have been monitored in 2012. The age at which breast cancer was diagnosed, and relationship to hormone therapy were analysed based on medical documentation. RESULTS: Among 300 randomly selected patients with a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer the group at the age of 40-59 was the most numerous (mean age was 53.06±11.25 years). The mean age of 45 patients who were given hormonal con- traceptives (HC) was 46.44±7.34 years, whereas the mean age of 82 patients who were subjected to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was 53.63±6.67 years. In women who took hormonal treatment, breast cancer was diagnosed at the mean age of 50.60±7.56 years, while women who never took HRT or HC, were diagnosed around the age of 53.92±12.35 years. The most common types of cancer were the infiltrating ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma. From all patients, the relapse occurred among 14 of them, about 4.86 years later. Only 2 patients had breast cancer on both diagnosed breast. After a surgery, the cancer was observed in 7 patients. The positive family history was confirmed with 34 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Nowadays, the breast cancer treatment, especially at early stages, is successful, however, the malignant breast neoplasm remains the most common oncological disease causing the death amongst women. In the assessment of the impact of HC and HRT on breast cancer, it is not possible to provide a clear conclusion, because their influence on the tumour is difficult to verify.

Assessment of food intakes for women adopting the high protein Dukan diet.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are metabolic disorders affecting both adults and children. Effective treatment of these conditions is focused on decreasing the body mass, through individually tailored and well balanced diets, along with increasing physical activity. Obese persons often, however, choose high protein diets for losing weight. Recently in Poland, the high-protein Dukan-diet has become very popular. OBJECTIVES: To assess dietary consumption in women adopting the Dukan-diet, including intakes of protein, fat, carbohydrate as well as vitamins and minerals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects were 51 women aged 19-64 years on the Dukan-diet, who were surveyed by individually conducted interview. Women were asked to provide typical menus from each phase of their diets. Quantitative dietary intake assessment was achieved by an officially used 'Photograph album of foodstuffs and dishes' as custom-designed by the National Food and Nutrition Institute (IZZ) in Warsaw. RESULTS: Protein intakes in all subjects were excessive, especially those of animal origin when compared to recommended nutritional standards. In contrast, dietary carbohydrate intakes were low due to poor consumption of fruit and vegetables. Mineral and vitamin intakes revealed high potassium, iron and vitamins A, D and B2, but low vitamin C and folates. Women's average weight reduction after 8-10 weeks of dieting was approximately 15 kilograms. CONCLUSIONS: Many nutritional abnormalities were found in women on the high protein Dukan-diet. Adopting this diet in the long-term may pose health threats through acquiring kidney and liver disease, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

Influence of non-dietary factors on the prevalence of abdominal obesity as a major component of the metabolic syndrome among 17-18-year-old youth.

BACKGROUND: Youth nutrition and their nutritional status are conditioned by many factors, some of the main ones being: economic, social, climatic, cultural, and psychological factors as well as nutritional knowledge. With the growing problem of overweight and obesity among children and young people, the incidence of the metabolic syndrome is also increasing. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of demographic, sociological and psychological factors on the incidence of obesity among 17-18-year-old adolescents from Wroclaw and vicinity as a major risk factor for the development of the metabolic syndrome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted in three upper-secondary schools in Wroclaw, Poland. In the surveyed group (17-18 years old, n = 269) girls accounted for 59.5% and boys constituted 40.5%. Majority of young people were Wroclaw citizens (72.9%). Centile charts elaborated by the Children's Memorial Health Institute were adopted for the evaluation of anthropometric parameters. Evaluation of the impact of non-dietary factors on the manner of nutrition was carried out using own questionnaire. RESULTS: Based on the tests, abdominal obesity was determined among 34.5% of adolescents aged 17 years and among 65.5% of these aged 18 years. Obesity was more common in girls carrying genetic burden of the disease. Youth with the largest waist circumference most often declared to use slimming diets - 6.7%, and the lowest hunger sensation in stress - 3.4%. In addition, 30.5% of the adolescents with the smallest waist circumference and 11.5% with the largest waist circumference declared to be non-smoking. Occasional alcohol consumption was declared by 30.1% of young people with the smallest waist circumference, and 13.4% with the largest waist circumference. CONCLUSIONS: Youth with abdominal obesity significantly more likely than those with normal waist circumference applied slimming diets. Significant impact on the formation of abdominal obesity among girls had inherited disease burden.

Estimation of dietary exposure to acrylamide of Polish teenagers from an urban environment.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary exposure to acrylamide (AA) in a group of teenagers (n = 261) from an urban environment. The intake of AA from food was estimated based on a 7-day food record diary (consecutive days). The food rations obtained (n = 1827) were used to calculate the amounts of the consumed food products, which were the main sources of AA. In the case of girls, the estimated dietary intake of AA per kg body weight (BW) amounted to 0.09 µg/kg BW/day (50th percentile), 0.32 µg/kg BW/day (75th percentile) and 1.04 µg/kg BW/day (95th percentile), and among boys it was 0.13, 0.41, and 1.18 µg/kg BW/day, respectively. The main sources of AA exposure were French fries, potato crisps, corn flakes, bread and salty sticks. The lowest values for margin of exposure (MOE) were calculated for the P95th percentiles of exposure, and ranged from 152 to 173.

Assessment of intake of iron and nutrients that affect bioavailability of daily food rations of girls.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: In a human body iron occurs at a level of 3 to 5 g, 60-70 % of which are in hemoglobin, ca. 10% in myoglobin, and ca. 3% are accumulated in enzymes of cellular respiration or enzymes degrading toxic hydrogen peroxide. The other part of iron is accumulated in liver, spleen, kidneys and bone marrow. The dietary deficiency of iron appears at its insufficient level in a diet and at impaired absorption of iron ions present in food products by a body. Groups at an especially high risk of iron deficiencies include, among others, menstruating girls in the pubescence period and women with heavy and irregular menstruations, as well as vegetarians and patients with chronic enteritis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intake of iron and nutrients that affect its bioavailability from daily food rations of girls. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 159 girls aged 17-18, students of high schools in the city of Wroclaw. The study was conducted between November 2010 and ay 2011. Girls were divided into 3 subgroups according to the BMI score. Girls' diets were analyzed with the method of a direct interview of the last 24 hours before the test and the interview was repeated seven times. RESULTS The present study demonstrated that the intake of iron from food rations of almost all the girls surveyed was below the requirements defined for this age group. Statistically significant differences were noted in the intake of energy and nutrients among the three distinguished subgroups of girls. CONCLUSIONS Food rations of the surveyed girls were characterized by a low, compared to dietary allowances, calorific value, which resulted in deficiencies of nutrients increasing iron bioavailability.

Self-perceived assessment of nutritional status as a determinant of health-promoting and anti-health-promoting behaviors of adolescent boys.

BACKGROUND: Analyses were conducted for the effect of selected elements of lifestyle determining the attitude of adolescent boys to health, care over good physical condition and own appearance against self-consciousness and the real nutritional status of their bodies. OBJECTIVES, MATERIAL AND METHODS: Investigations were conducted at Collective School No. 1 in Wroclaw and covered 369 boys (103 at the age of 16, 104 at the age of 17 and 162 at the age of 18) from Poland (Wroclaw). The boys were subjected to anthropometric measurements and nutritional status assessment. A questionnaire survey referred to: 1) interests in own appearance, self-perceived assessment of body mass and nutritional status; 2) nutritional behaviors, applying a body mass-reducing diet, other "special diet" and dietary supplements; 3) the level of physical activity; and 4) the use of stimulants (cigarettes, alcohol). Data was also collected on the educational status of parents and the number of siblings, which were then analyzed for their effect on the above elements of lifestyle. Results obtained were subjected to a statistical analysis. RESULTS: Proper body mass (BMI between 10th and 90th percentile) was observed in 81.8% of the boys; malnutrition (BMI < 10th percentile) in 5.7% of the boys; whereas overweight and obesity (BMI > or = 90th percentile) in 12.5% of the examined boys. Analyses have also shown that 34.2% of the boys were evaluating their nutritional status, whereas 19.5% did not think about it. Only approx. half the examined pupils (51.0%) considered their body mass "fine", i.e. were satisfied with their body mass. A lack of satisfaction with their own appearance was declared by 21.4% of the boys. CONCLUSIONS: The self-perceived assessment of body mass was observed to diverge from the results of objective analyses of the nutritional status of the boys. That factor was found to determine, to a considerable extent, behaviors of the pupils with respect to going on a body mass-reducing diet, taking dietary supplements and smoking cigarettes. The study indicates that the nutritional status of youth should be monitored and that actions should be undertaken to increase their awareness of the principles of a healthy lifestyle.

[Nutritional factors in prevention of Alzheimer's disease]. / Czynniki zywieniowe w zapobieganiu chorobie alzheimera.

Nutritional patterns affect significantly man's body at each age. The elderly--with their eating habits and diseases they have overcome--often require specific dietary intervention. A proper and well-balanced diet is an important element of lifestyle that may become a factor facilitating the so-called healthy, successful ageing and delay the development of noninfectious, chronic metabolic diseases that are in majority of cases diagnosed in elder people. Neurodegenerative diseases have been classified amongst chronic diseases yet with still controversial etiology. Nevertheless, it is speculated that some nutritional factors, including the appropriate intake of B-group vitamins, antioxidative vitamins and polyunsaturated fatty acids, are likely to play a significant role in their prevention and therapy. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits, whole-meal bread, milk and dairy products as well as containing fish, plant oils and nuts provides all indispensable nutrients. The appropriate merging of these food products into dishes--widely described in literature as the Mediterranean diet--facilitates leading a long life in health.