The relationship between Dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet adherence and inflammatory factors and insulin resistance in overweight and obese women: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Although there is abundant evidence for an association between dietary pattern, weight, and other related factors, such as homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and inflammatory markers; there is limited information pertaining to levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein -1 (MCP-1). Therefore, this study sought to examine the association between adherence to the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet and levels of inflammatory factors PAI-1, MCP-1, and HOMA-IR. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 305 obese and overweight women. The typical food intake of individuals was assessed using the 147 items semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Body components were measured for all participants. Insulin resistance was estimated by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), and biochemical parameters were examined. RESULTS: No significant relationship was observed between the DASH diet and MCP-1 (P-trend = 0.70), PAI-1 (P-trend = 0.92), or HOMA-IR (P-trend = 0.08) in the crude model. However, there was a significant inverse relationship between the DASH diet and HOMA-IR (P-trend = 0.03) after adjusting for age, BMI, and physical activity. CONCLUSION: This study showed that higher adherence to DASH pattern is inversely correlated with HOMA-IR in overweight and obese women.

Association between carbohydrate quality index and general and central obesity in adults: A population-based study in Iran.

Introduction: To determine whether dietary carbohydrates quality index (CQI), glycemic index, and glycemic load is associated with general and abdominal obesity. Methods: 850 participants, 20 to 59 years old, were enrolled in a cross-sectional study from five Tehran districts through health houses. The 168 items in the semi--quantitative food frequency questionnaire were used to assess dietary intake. The CQI was calculated by using the following four components: glycemic index, total fiber, solid carbohydrate to total carbohydrate ratio, and whole grains: total grains ratio. Results: After adjusting for confounding factors, the chance of obesity in men (OR=0.38, 95% CI 0.15to 0.95; P =0.04) measured by waist circumference (WC) was significantly lower in the fourth quintile of CQI in comparison with the first quintile. In addition, OR for obesity in men (OR=2.53, 95% CI0.52 to 1.37; P =0.04) was significantly 2.5 times higher among those in the fourth quintile of glycemic index compared with those in the lowest quintile. There was no significant association between dietary carbohydrates with general obesity in men and women. Conclusion: In summary, dietary CQI is significantly inversely related to central obesity in men,according to this study. Additionally, adherence to a diet with a higher glycemic index in men is positively associated with central obesity.

Effects of walnut intake on anthropometric characteristics: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Effects of walnut intake on anthropometric measurements have been inconsistent among clinical studies. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to evaluate and quantify the effects of walnut intake on anthropometric characteristics. METHODS: We carried out a systematic search of all available RCTs up to June 2019 in the following electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Pooled weight mean difference (WMD) of the included studies was estimated using random-effects model. RESULTS: A total of 27 articles were included in this meta-analysis, with walnuts dosage ranging from 15 to 108 g/d for 2 wk to 2 y. Overall, interventions with walnut intake did not alter waist circumference (WC) (WMD: -0.193 cm, 95 % CI: -1.03, 0.64, p = 0.651), body weight (BW) (0.083 kg, 95 % CI: -0.032, 0.198, p = 0.159), body mass index (BMI) (WMD: -0.40 kg/m,295 % CI: -0.244, 0.164, p = 0.703), and fat mass (FM) (WMD: 0.28 %, 95 % CI: -0.49, 1.06, p = 0.476). Following dose-response evaluation, reduced BW (Coef.= -1.62, p = 0.001), BMI (Coef.= -1.24, p = 0.041) and WC (Coef.= -5.39, p = 0.038) were significantly observed through walnut intake up to 35 g/day. However, the number of studies can be limited as to the individual analysis of the measures through the dose-response fashion. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, results from this meta-analysis suggest that interventions with walnut intake does not alter BW, BMI, FM, and WC. To date, there is no discernible evidence to support walnut intake for improving anthropometric indicators of weight loss.