Almond supplementation on appetite measures, body weight, and body composition in adults: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 37 randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Almond consumption has an inverse relationship with obesity and factors related to metabolic syndrome. However, the results of available clinical trials are inconsistent. Therefore, we analyzed the results of 37 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and evaluated the association of almond consumption with subjective appetite scores and body compositions. METHODS: Net changes in bodyweight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fat mass (FM), body fat percent, fat-free mass (FFM), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subjective appetite scores were used to calculate the effect size, which was reported as a weighted mean differences (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: This meta-analysis was performed on 37 RCTs with 43 treatment arms. The certainty in the evidence was very low for appetite indices, body fat percent, FFM, VAT, and WHR, and moderate for other parameters as assessed by the GRADE evidence profiles. Pooled effect sizes indicated a significant reducing effect of almond consumption on body weight (WMD: -0.45 kg, 95% CI: -0.85, -0.05, p = 0.026), WC (WMD: -0.66 cm, 95% CI: -1.27, -0.04, p = 0.037), FM (WMD: -0.66 kg, 95% CI: -1.16, -0.17, p = 0.009), and hunger score (WMD: -1.15 mm, 95% CI: -1.98, -0.32, p = 0.006) compared with the control group. However, almond did not have a significant effect on BMI (WMD: -0.20 kg m-2, 95% CI: -0.46, 0.05, p = 0.122), body fat percent (WMD: -0.39%, 95% CI: -0.93, 0.14, p = 0.154), FFM (WMD: -0.06, 95% CI: -0.47, 0.34, p = 0.748), WHR (WMD: -0.04, 95% CI: -0.12, 0.02, p = 0.203), VAT (WMD: -0.33 cm, 95% CI: -0.99, 0.32), fullness (WMD: 0.46 mm, 95% CI: -0.95, 1.88), desire to eat (WMD: 0.98 mm, 95% CI: -4.13, 2.23), and prospective food consumption (WMD: 1.08 mm, 95% CI: -2.11, 4.28). Subgroup analyses indicated that consumption of ≥50 g almonds per day resulted in a significant and more favorable improvement in bodyweight, WC, FM, and hunger score. Body weight, WC, FM, body fat percent, and hunger scores were decreased significantly in the trials that lasted for ≥12 weeks and in the subjects with a BMI < 30 kg/m2. Furthermore, a significant reduction in body weight and WC was observed in those trials that used a nut-free diet as a control group, but not in those using snacks and other nuts. The results of our analysis suggest that almond consumption may significantly improve body composition indices and hunger scores when consumed at a dose of ≥50 g/day for ≥12 weeks by individuals with a BMI < 30 kg/m2. CONCLUSION: However, further well-constructed randomized clinical trials are needed in order ascertain the outcome of our analysis.

Using Social Marketing to Reduce Salt Intake in Iran.

Objectives: WHO has recommended that the average salt intake must be <5 grams per day. However, people consume salt much more in many countries. In this study, we design and implement an intervention based on social marketing model to reduce salt consumption in Yasuj, Iran. Materials and Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest with control group design which consisted of a formative research (qualitative-quantitative) and an interventional phase. To collect the qualitative data, six focus group discussions by participating of 66 people were established. The qualitative data were analyzed manually using directed content analysis. In quantitative study, 166 people aged 25-50 years completed a KAP questionnaire, and their average salt intake was determined through measuring sodium in their urine sample. By analyzing the data, marketing mix components were determined for designing an intervention. An educational package (including posters for installing in the kitchen, pamphlets, phone counseling, four educational classes, and brief interventions done by physicians and other health personnel) focused on reducing salt intake and using alternatives was developed. For one month, program was implemented for intervention group. Two months later, KAP survey and measuring the urine sodium were repeated for intervention and control groups. The data was compared for two groups, before and after the intervention by using independent t-test, paired t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: The qualitative findings showed that most participants agreed that the salt intake was high in Iran. Most of them recommended home-based and family-driven strategies to reduce salt intake, offered using healthier alternatives for salt, and recognized physicians and health care providers in healthcare facilities as the most important to encourage people to reduce salt intake. After the intervention, the mean and standard deviation of KAP were improved significantly in intervention group. The mean salt intake decreased significantly by 3.01 ± 2.38 in the intervention group and repeated measures ANOVA showed significant change over time (P < 0.001) and a significant difference between two groups (P = 0.04). Also, the interaction between time and group was significant (P = 0.001). Conclusion: The mean salt intake among the study population was approximately three times more than the level recommended by the WHO. The social marketing-based intervention succeeded in reducing the salt intake of the study subjects by ~3 grams on average.

Nutritional literacy status and its related factors in students of Yasuj University of Medical Sciences

INTRODUCTION: it is necessary to evaluate the level of nutritional literacy before performing any educational measurement related to nutrition. As a matter of fact, an effective education is the result of proportional education level with the level of understanding the target group. This study is aimed to determine nutritional literacy status. OBJECTIVES: In this study, students of Yasuj University of Medical Sciences were considered as research sample set. Then, factors affecting the nutritional literacy status were designed and implemented for the study. METHODS: A total of 397 students were selected for this descriptive-analytical study. A systematic sampling method was developed and nutritional literacy status was assessed through a localized questionnaire based on the Evaluation Instrument of Nutrition literacy on Adults (EINLA). SPSS Statistics 23 software package was employed for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In this study, students participated in 11 disciplines with the mean and standard deviation of 22.04 ± 2.33 years. The results showed that the mean score of students' nutritional literacy was 24.9 out of 35. According to the results, 1% of students were dealt with the problem of inadequate nutritional literacy and 50.9% and 48.12% of students had borderline nutritional literacy and adequate nutritional literacy, respectively. In addition, the results revealed that higher semester students had more nutritional literacy than other students. Furthermore, nutritional literacy was significantly correlated with the semester, field of study, students' residence and body mass index (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that most of the students had borderline and sufficient nutritional literacy, but they had a significant weakness in determining their nutritional units

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Effects of a Paleolithic Diet on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

There is some evidence supporting the beneficial effects of a Paleolithic Diet (PD) on cardiovascular disease risk factors. This diet advises consuming lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and nuts and avoiding intake of grains, dairy products, processed foods, and added sugar and salt. This study was performed to assess the effects of a PD on cardiovascular disease risk factors including anthropometric indexes, lipid profile, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers using data from randomized controlled trials. A comprehensive search was performed in the PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases up to August, 2018. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to estimate the pooled effect size. Meta-analysis of 8 eligible studies revealed that a PD significantly reduced body weight [weighted mean difference (WMD) = -2.17 kg; 95% CI: -3.48, -0.87 kg], waist circumference (WMD = -2.90 cm; 95% CI: -4.51, -1.28 cm), body mass index (in kg/m2) (WMD = -1.15; 95% CI: -1.68, -0.62), body fat percentage (WMD = -1.38%; 95% CI: -2.08%, -0.67%), systolic (WMD = -4.24 mm Hg; 95% CI: -7.11, -1.38 mm Hg) and diastolic (WMD = -2.95 mm Hg; 95% CI: -4.72, -1.18 mm Hg) blood pressure, and circulating concentrations of total cholesterol (WMD = -0.22 mg/dL; 95% CI: -0.42, -0.03 mg/dL), TGs (WMD = -0.23 mg/dL; 95% CI: -0.46, -0.01 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (WMD = -0.13 mg/dL; 95% CI: -0.25, -0.01 mg/dL), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (WMD = -0.41 mg/L; 95% CI: -0.81, -0.008 mg/L) and also significantly increased HDL cholesterol (WMD = 0.05 mg/dL; 95% CI: 0.005, 0.10 mg/dL). However, sensitivity analysis revealed that the overall effects of a PD on lipid profile, blood pressure, and circulating CRP concentrations were significantly influenced by removing some studies, hence the results must be interpreted with caution. Although the present meta-analysis revealed that a PD has favorable effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors, the evidence is not conclusive and more well-designed trials are still needed.

Growth Indices of Exclusively Breastfed Until 6 Months Age and Formula-Fed Infants in Southwest of Iran.

BACKGROUND: Formula milk is prepared as a nutritional substitution for human breast milk, but because of biologic and constituent differences, it might cause obesity and growth disorders in infants. In this study, we compared the growth pattern of formula-fed and breastfed infants living in Yasuj, southwest of Iran. METHODS: Infants 7-14 months of age in southwest of Iran were classified as exclusively breastfed (n = 200) and formula-fed (n = 200) in their first 6 months of life. Growth velocity and Z-scores of weight for age, length for age, weight for length, and head circumference were estimated using WHO Anthro Plus software (2010) and SPSS Version 19 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) using World Health Organization reference for growth data. RESULTS: The study showed that Z-score of length for age and head circumference for age at the birth were significantly lower in formula-fed group than exclusively breastfed group (P < 0.05), but the Z-score of weight for length did not differ significantly. At the sixth month of age, Z-score of weight for length was significantly higher in formula-fed group (P < 0.05), but Z-score of length for age had no significant difference and Z-score of head circumference was higher in exclusively breastfed group yet (P < 0.05). Growth velocity, prevalence of obesity, wasting, underweight, and stunting did not differ between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that formula feeding can lead to greater weight gain and may help the catch up of length, but evidences are not convincing enough to suggest the formula as an obesogenic feeding in the studied area. To make a conclusion, we suggest comparing the privileged and unprivileged areas and controlling for confounding variables including family hygiene and infant feeding practices between formula-fed and breastfed infants.

Effects of Six Weeks of ß-alanine Administration on VO(2) max, Time to Exhaustion and Lactate Concentrations in Physical Education Students.

OBJECTIVES: Supplementation with ß-alanine has been proposed to improve performance in some exercises such as cycling and running. Also, it has been demonstrated that great deals of proton ions are produced in the skeletal muscles during exercise that result in acidosis, whereas ß-alanine may reduce this effect. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the effects of alanine supplementation on VO(2) max, time to exhaustion and lactate concentrations in physical education male students. METHODS: Thirty-nine male physical education students volunteered for this study. Participants were supplemented orally for 6 week with either ß-alanine (5*400 mg/d) or placebo (5*400 mg dextrose/d), randomly. VO(2) max and time to exhaustion (TTE) with a continuous graded exercise test (GXT) on an electronically braked cycle ergometer; and serum lactate and glucose concentrations were measured before and after supplementation. RESULTS: Supplementation with ß-alanine showed a significant increase in VO(2) max (P<0.05) and a significant decrease in TTE and lactate concentrations (P<0.05). A significant elevation in lactate concentrations and a non significant increase in TTE were observed in placebo group. Plasma glucose concentrations did not change significantly in two groups after intervention. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that ß-alanine supplementation can reduce lactate concentrations during exercise and thus can improve exercise performance in endurance athletes.

Comparision of the pain severity, drug leakage and ecchymosis rates caused by the application on tramadol intramuscular injection in Z-track and Air-lock techniques / Comparación de la severidad del dolor y las tasas de escape de líquido y equimosis causadas por la aplicación intramuscular de tramadol usando las técnicas de cámara de aire y Z-track / Comparação da severidade da dor e as taxas de fuga de líquidas equimoses causadas pela aplicação intramuscular de tramadol usando as técnicas de câmaras de ar e Z-track

Objective. Compare the severity of pain and fluid leakage rate and bruising due to the application of intramuscular injections using Z-track technique (ZT) and the technique of air chamber (AC). Methodology. This is a non-blinded clinical trial where a group of 90 women between 18 and 60 years were randomly assigned to two groups: The first group received the injection technique by ZT and the second by the CA technique. Was used a visual scale to measure linear inches de10 intensity of pain caused by injection. The length of the scale was regarded as the severity of pain. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 13. Age, Body Mass Index (BMI) and pain intensity of the groups were compared using t test for independent samples. Results. The survey showed that the severity of pain and fluid leakage rates and bruising in patients evaluated using the CA method was less than the pain caused by technical ZT (p <0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the age, the number of previous injection is applied and BMI between the two groups. Conclusion. The CA method was less pain, and lower rates of leakage of fluid and bruising compared to ZT technique, which is why it can be regarded as a better choice for intramuscular injections.

Objetivo. Comparar la severidad del dolor y las tasas de escape de líquido y equimosis causadas por la aplicación de las inyecciones intramusculares usando la técnica Z-track (ZT) y la técnica de la cámara de aire (CA). Metodología. Este es un ensayo clínico no ciego donde un grupo de 90 mujeres entre los 18 y 60 años fueron aleatoriamente asignadas a dos grupos; El primer grupo recibió la inyección por medio de la técnica ZT y el segundo por medio de la técnica de CA. Se uso una escala visual lineal de10 centímetros para medir la intensidad del dolor causado por la inyección. La longitud de la escala fue considerada como la severidad del dolor. Los datos fueron analizados utilizando el programa SPSS versión 13. La edad, el Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC), y la intensidad del dolor de los grupos fueron comparados usando el test de la t para muestras independientes. Resultados. El estudio mostró que la severidad del dolor y las tasas de escape de líquido y equimosis en las pacientes evaluadas usando el método CA era menor que el dolor causado por la técnica ZT (p<0.05). No hubo diferencia estadística significativa entre la edad, el número previo de inyección es aplicadas y el IMC entre los dos grupos. Conclusión. El método CA produjo menos dolor, y menores las tasas de escape de líquido y equimosis comparado con la técnica ZT, es por esto que puede ser considerada como una mejor opción para la aplicación de inyecciones intramusculares.

Comparar a severidade da dor e as taxas de escape de líquido e equimoses causadas pela aplicação das injeções intramusculares usando o técnico Z-track (ZT) e a técnica da câmara de ar (CA). Metodologia. Leste é um ensaio clínico não cego onde um grupo de 90 mulheres entre os 18 e 60 anos foram aleatoriamente atribuídas a dois grupos; O primeiro grupo recebeu a injeção por meio da técnica ZT e o segundo por meio da técnica de CA. Uso-se uma escala visual linear de 10 centímetros para medir a intensidade da dor causada pela injeção. A longitude da escala foi considerada como a severidade da dor. Os dados foram analisados utilizando o programa SPSS versão 13. A idade, o Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC), e a intensidade da dor dos grupos foram comparados usando o teste do t para mostras independentes. Resultados. O estudo mostrou que a severidade da dor e as taxas de escape de líquido e equimoses nas pacientes avaliadas usando o método CA era menor do que a dor causada pela técnica ZT (p<0.05). Não teve diferença estatística significativa entre a idade, o número prévio de injeções aplicadas e o IMC entre os dois grupos. Conclusão. O método CA produziu menos dor, e menores as taxas de escape de líquido e equimoses comparado com a ZT.