Patrones de desayuno en estudiantes universitarios de España, Túnez y Estados Unidos. Factores antropométricos, sociodemográficos y de estilo de vida / Breakfast patterns in university students of Spain, Tunisia, and The United States of America. Anthropometric, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors

La mayoría de los estudios apoyan la tesis de que el desayuno es la comida más importante del día. Un desayuno adecuado contribuye a lograr un patrón dietético global saludable y a mejorar la calidad de la dieta. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar los principales patrones de desayuno en tres poblaciones universitarias de España, Túnez y Estados Unidos, analizar sus semejanzas y diferencias y estudiar la influencia de factores antropométricos, sociodemográficos y de estilo de vida en la adherencia a cada patrón. Se realizó un estudio transversal con datos de 730 estudiantes matriculados en las Universidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Cartago e Internacional de Florida en 2013. El consumo de alimentos se obtuvo mediante dos recordatorios de 24 horas, no consecutivos, uno de ellos en fin de semana. Los patrones se identificaron mediante análisis factorial exploratorio. La adherencia de los estudiantes a cada patrón se evaluó usando las puntuaciones factoriales. Se obtuvieron cuatro patrones para cada país. El principal patrón de los universitarios españoles incluyó pan, tomate, sal y aceite de oliva (varianza explicada: 20,85%); el principal de los tunecinos contenía pan, mermelada, nata y mantequilla (varianza explicada: 12,73%) y el principal de los americanos incluyó huevos, leche entera y azúcares (varianza explicada: 10,77%). Género, peso, IMC o comer fuera de casa fueron factores que influyeron en la adherencia a diferentes patrones. El estudio mostró la coexistencia de patrones tradicionales con otros occidentalizados y modelos transicionales intermedios. No se determinó un patrón generalizable asociado a mejores resultados del IMC(AU)

Most studies support the conclusion that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. An adequate breakfast contributes to achieving a healthy global dietary pattern and improving quality of diet. The objective of this study was to determine the main breakfast patterns of three university populations from Spain, Tunisia, and The United States of America, analyze their similarities and differences, and study the impact of anthropometric, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors on the adherence to each pattern. A cross-sectional study was developed with data from 730 students enrolled at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, University of Carthage, and Florida International University, during 2013. Food consumption data were obtained by means of two non-consecutive 24-hour recalls including one weekend day. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify breakfast patterns. Factor scores were used to assess students' adherence to each pattern. Four breakfast patterns were obtained for each country. The main pattern of the Spanish students included bread, tomato, salt, and olive oil (explained variance: 20.85%); the main model of the Tunisians included bread, jam, cream and butter (explained variance: 12.73%); and the first pattern of the Americans was characterized by eggs, whole milk and sugars (explained variance: 10.77%). Gender, weight, BMI or eating out of home were factors that influenced the adherence to different patterns. Breakfast patterns obtained in this work showed the coexistence of traditional models with westernized and transitional ones. It was not determined a generalizable pattern associated with better BMI results(AU)

Immune Activation: A Link Between Food Insecurity and Chronic Disease in People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Persistent immune activation is a hallmark of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and thought to play a role on chronic diseases in people with HIV (PWH). Food insecurity is disproportionately prevalent in PWH and is associated with adverse health outcomes. We determined whether food insecurity was associated with increased plasma levels of soluble CD14, CD27, and CD163 in 323 antiretroviral-treated PWH from the Miami Adult Studies on HIV cohort. Nearly half (42.7%) of participants were food insecure, and 85.5% were virally suppressed (<200 copies/mL). Food insecurity was independently associated with higher levels of soluble CD14 and soluble CD27. Very low food security was associated with increased soluble CD163 levels among those with lower CD4+ cell counts. Food insecurity may promote immune activation in PWH, suggesting a biological link between food insecurity and chronic disease among PWH. Improving financial security and access to high-quality diets could reduce the burden of disease in this highly vulnerable population.

Sex Differences, Cocaine Use, and Liver Fibrosis Among African Americans in the Miami Adult Studies on HIV Cohort.

Background: HIV infection disproportionally affects African Americans. Liver disease is a major cause of non-HIV morbidity and mortality in this population. Substance abuse accelerates HIV disease and may facilitate progression of liver disease. This study investigated the relationship between sex differences and cocaine use with liver injury, characterized as hepatic fibrosis. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 544 African Americans [369 people living with HIV (PLWH) and 175 HIV seronegative] from the Miami Adult Studies on HIV (MASH) cohort. Cocaine use was determined with a validated self-reported questionnaire and confirmed with urine screen. Fasting blood was used to estimate liver fibrosis using the noninvasive fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index. Results: Men living with HIV had 1.79 times higher odds for liver fibrosis than women living with HIV (p = 0.038). African American women had higher CD4 count (p = 0.001) and lower HIV viral load (p = 0.011) compared to African American men. Fewer women (PLWH and HIV seronegative) smoked cigarettes (p = 0.002), and fewer had hazardous or harmful alcohol use (p < 0.001) than men. Women also had higher body mass index (kg/m2) (p < 0.001) compared to men. No significant association was noted among HIV seronegative participants for liver fibrosis by sex differences or cocaine use. Among African Americans living with HIV, cocaine users were 1.68 times more likely to have liver fibrosis than cocaine nonusers (p = 0.044). Conclusions: Sex differences and cocaine use appear to affect liver disease among African Americans living with HIV pointing to the importance of identifying at-risk individuals to improve outcomes of liver disease.