The Role of Immunomodulatory Nutrients in Alleviating Complications Related to SARS-CoV-2: A Scoping Review.

The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has warranted the need to investigate potential therapies or prophylaxis against this infectious respiratory disease. There is emerging evidence about the potential role of nutrients on COVID-19 in addition to using medications such as hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. This scoping review aims to explore the literature evaluating the effect of immunomodulatory nutrients on the outcomes including hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, oxygen requirement, and mortality in COVID-19 patients. A literature search of databases including Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, and PubMed, as well as hand-searching in Google Scholar (up to 10 February 2021) was conducted. All human studies with different study designs and without limitation on publication year were included except for non-English-language and review articles. Overall, out of 4412 studies, 19 met our inclusion criteria. Four studies examined the impact of supplementation with vitamin C, 4 studies - zinc, 8 studies - vitamin D, and 3 studies investigated the combination of 2 (zinc and vitamin C) or 3 (vitamin D, vitamin B-12, and magnesium) nutrients. Although limited data exist, available evidence demonstrated that supplementation with immune-supportive micronutrients such as vitamins D and C and zinc may modulate immunity and alleviate the severity and risk of infection. The effectiveness of vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc on COVID-19 was different based on baseline nutrient status, the duration and dosage of nutrient therapy, time of administration, and severity of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease. This review indicated that supplementation with high-dose vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc may alleviate the complications caused by COVID-19, including inflammatory markers, oxygen therapy, length of hospitalization, and mortality; however, studies were mixed regarding these effects. Further randomized clinical trials are necessary to identify the most effective nutrients and the safe dosage to combat SARS-CoV-2.

Household food insecurity is associated with depressive symptoms in the Canadian adult population.

BACKGROUND: It is essential to identify factors associated with depression as it is a highly prevalent and disabling mental disorder. The aim of this study was to examine the association between depressive symptoms and household food security status among the Canadian adult population. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of the adult population in the five provinces and one territory (Northwest Territories) of Canada using data from the 2015-2016 Canadian Community Health Survey-Annual Component (n=19,118). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire. Household food insecurity was measured using the Household Food Security Survey Module. A weighted logistic regression analysis with robust variance estimation technique was performed. RESULTS: Approximately 22% of the Canadian adult population reported mild-to-severe depressive symptoms, and 8.3% were from households classified as food insecure. Household food insecurity remained a predictor of mild-to-severe depressive symptoms after adjustment for other known risk factors (ORajd: 2.87, 95% CI: 2.33-3.55, p<0.001). In the multivariable model, significant associations were also found with multimorbidity, lower household income, a history of illicit drug use, being a current smoker, being a widowed/divorced/separated, obesity, and being a non-drinker. Significant interactions also emerged between employment status and age (p=0.03), employment status and gender (p<0.001), and physical activity level and gender (p<0.001). LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional nature of the study does not allow inferring causality. CONCLUSIONS: Household food insecurity is associated with depressive symptoms in Canadian adults. Additional longitudinal research is required to further elucidate the nature of this relationship.

The Effect of Cynara scolymus on Blood Pressure and BMI in Hypertensive Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) may reduce certain biochemical blood factors but the efficacy of this plant on blood pressure (BP) has not yet been investigated. In this study, we determined the clinical efficacy of C. scolymuson BP and body mass index (BMI) in hypertensive patients as an adjunctive to captopril for the first time. METHODS: The total phenolic content and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolite profiling in leaves of C. scolymus have been evaluated. A clinical trial was subsequently carried out on 40 patients to determine the effect of C. scolymus on BP and BMI in hypertensive patients. The treatment group received capsules containing C. scolymus(500 mg twice daily) and the placebo group received starch powder for 8 weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, and BMI were determined before and after the study. RESULTS: A significant improvement of the BMI was seen in the C. scolymus group compared with the placebo group (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that the consumption of C. scolymus powder as a rich source of phenolic and antioxidant compounds could potentially improve BMI and SBP in hypertensive patients. Therefore, more trials are needed to confirm or reject the antihypertensive impact of artichoke.

Breakfast and fast food eating behavior in relation to socio-demographic differences among school adolescents in Sanandaj Province, Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Fast food consumption and skipping breakfast has been increasingly prevalent among high school adolescents in recent years. These unhealthy food habits are considered as risk factors of chronic diseases among adolescents and adults. AIM: To determine the consumption amount of fast food, breakfast, and some associated factors in adolescents. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study in 2015, 553 adolescent students aged 14-18 years were randomly selected among high schools of Sanandaj, Iran. Demographic data and also consumption amount of fast food and breakfast in adolescents in addition to the related factors were studied. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire which its reliability and validity were measured by five experts and analyzed with SPSS-16 by Chi-square test and ANOVA. RESULTS: The results show that 69.8 % of subjects consume fast food at least once a week. Fast food and breakfast consumption is related significantly to subjects' fathers' occupation respectively (p=0.005), (p=0.006). Eating breakfast is significantly higher among boys than girls (p<0.001). There is also a significant relationship between adolescents' age and parents' education level, and adolescents' breakfast consumption respectively (p=0.003), (p<0.001). The studied factors affecting adolescents' fast food consumption are: their own and their families and friends' interest and accompaniment, advertisement, close proximity of school and home to fast food stores. CONCLUSION: The consumption of fast food is high among Iranian adolescents. It correlates significantly with variables including father's occupation and all of the associated factors. Breakfast consumption correlates significantly with adolescents' age and gender, as well as parents' occupation and educational level.

The Association of Bread and Rice with Metabolic Factors in Type 2 Diabetic Patients.

PURPOSE: Carbohydrates are shown to have an important role in blood glucose control, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases risk. This is even more challenging when considering populations consuming refined grains diets. Bread and rice are staple foods which supply main proportion of Iranian calorie intake. This study was designed to investigate the effect of bread and rice intake on blood glucose control, lipid profile and anthropometric measurements in Iranian type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: 426 patients with type 2 diabetes were included in this study. Anthropometric measurements were done using standard methods. Dietary information was assessed by a valid and reliable food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum triglycride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were examined after 12-hour fasting. RESULTS: The results represented that people in the highest tertile compared to the lowest tertile of calorie adjusted total bread intake have higher FBG. FBG in the highest tertile of calorie adjusted total bread-rice intake was also significantly higher than the lowest. The association remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders. Rice intake showed no association with cardio-metabolic risk factors. CONCLUSION: We founded that higher total bread intake and total bread-rice intake were associated with FBG in type 2 diabetic patients whereas rice intake was not associated with glucose and lipid profile. This result should be confirmed in prospective studies, considering varieties, glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL) and cooking method of bread and rice.

Lemon balm: A promising herbal therapy for patients with borderline hyperlipidemia-A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Melissa officinalis is a perennial herb from the Lamiaceae family which has shown to have modulating effects on serum lipid profile. The aim of the current study is to explore the effects of M. officinalis supplementation on serum biochemical parameters of patients with borderline hyperlipidemia. METHODS: 58 hyperlipidemic patients were allocated randomly to 2 groups: first group received capsules containing 1000mg M. officinalis leaf powder (MO group), and the second group received placebo capsules (P group) 3 times per day for 2 months. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), HDL, LDL, Triglyceride, Creatinine and liver function enzymes including AST and ALT were evaluated before and after study. RESULTS: The mean of LDL in MO group significantly decreased compared with P group after the supplementation (P=0.02). Although the level of Cholesterol, FBG, HDL, Triglyceride, Creatinine and ALT did not show significant difference between two groups after 2 months (P≥0.05), the level of AST exhibited a significant difference between two groups (P=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that M. officinalis supplementation as a rich source of antioxidants and bioactive compounds can be effective in remission of LDL and AST levels in patients with borderline hyperlipidemia.