Assessment of nutritional status and health behaviors in yoga-trained women versus exercisers.

Introduction: Recreational physical activity is becoming more popular due to the increased public awareness about the beneficial effects on health status and quality of life. The aim of the study was to assess the nutritional status and health behaviors of women who regularly practice yoga as a form of physical recreation and to compare them with those who had not practiced before and had just signed up for yoga classes. A total of 143 women took part in this study. Methods: The nutritional status was assessed based on the obtained anthropometric measurements. The following indicators were calculated: Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), determining the visceral accumulation of fat tissue. Health behaviors were assessed using a standardized five-point scale Health Behavior Inventory (HBI). Results: There were significant differences in the value of the general health behavior index, the sten scale, and the subscale regarding proper eating habits in the study groups compared to women who had not practiced yoga before (control group). Health behaviors indicators, particularly proper eating habits, are significantly higher in women participating regularly in yoga exercises, indicating a higher awareness among yoga practitioners. Conclusion: It can be suggested that yoga participation as a recreational physical activity can be an appropriate option for pursuing healthy habits.

Gender and the length of time since autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-What is their influence on the immune reconstitution in multiple myeloma patients?

INTRODUCTION: In the literature there is lack of information on the influence of gender and time since autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) on the immune reconstitution in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the diversity of the immune reconstitution according to gender in MM patients after autologous HSCT on the day of the clinic discharge and on the 29th day after discharge, as well as to investigate the changes in the immune system in females and males after staying at home for 28 days. METHOD: The studied population comprised 13 females and 13 males after autologous HSCT. On the day of the clinic discharge and on the 29th day after discharge blood samples were taken to analyse 22 immunological parameters. Statistical analysis was performed using STATISTICA 10 StatSoft Poland. For multiple comparisons, the Bonferroni correction was used. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed in the analysed immunological parameters between the studied females and males with MM on the day of the clinic discharge and on the 29th day after discharge. However, on the 29th day after the clinic discharge compared to the day of the clinic discharge, statistically significant differences were found in 8 immunological parameters among females and 6 immunological parameters among males. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Our results indicate that the immune reconstitution is similar but not the same in patients of both genders. Statistically significant differences in the immune response in the studied females and males imply that gender may play a role in the immune reconstitution and that the results obtained in MM patients should be analysed separately in females and males. In order to explain the observed changes in the immune system according to gender, further research should be carried out on a larger population. This would most probably make it possible to find their clinical application.

[Evaluation of Poznan kayakers' nutritional knowledge on rich sources of vitamins and minerals]. / Ocena wiedzy zywieniowej poznanskich kajakarzy o bogatych zródlach witamin i skladników mineralnych.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the nutritional knowledge of Poznan kayakers and canoers on rich sources of vitamins and minerals. A questionnare on the knowledge about rich sources of vitamins and minerals were filled in by a group of 108 Poznan canoers and kayakers of both gender The statistical analysis of the results was conducted with the use of the computer program SPSS 11,5. for Windows. The population was divided according to gender. The sportsmen questioned differed in a statistically significant way in regard to their sports class, type of boat (kayak or canoe) and the distance on which they usually swam during competitions. Gender had statistically significant influence on the answers to two questions, namely whether fruits are a rich source of B vitamins and if poultry is a rich source of iron. The male kayakers and canoers answered both of the questions better than the female kayakers. The nutritional knowledge of Poznan kayakers and canoers on rich sources of vitamins and minerals should be described as extensive, but not systematic enough.