Do nutritional habits and supplement use affect health-related quality of life during social isolation period in the community of North Cyprus?

The aim of study was to comprehensively investigate the effect of nutritional habits and supplement use on health-related quality of life during social isolation period. This study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 418 participants (73.4% were women and 26.6% were men) participated in this study. Participants' demographic information, nutritional habits, and quality of life were questioned, and anthropometric measurements were obtained. A significant difference was found in the main meal skipping status of individuals by age group. The consumption of milk, yoghurt, ayran, legumes, cereal products other than bread, vegetables, fruits, oilseeds, and snack foods was similar in both periods. Furthermore, frequencies of multivitamins, multiminerals, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, calcium, omega-3, and probiotics were similar during and before the pandemic. A significant difference was found in scores obtained on the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) by age group. There was a significant difference in the quality of life scores by body mass index (BMI) groups. It was concluded that quality of life decreased due to the increase in body weight during pandemic period. The social isolation period did not make a clear difference in the nutritional habits of individuals and the use of nutritional supplements. When the main meal skipping situations were evaluated within the scope of nutritional habits, those who did not skip their main meal received the highest score on the QOLS.

Capsaicin and Its Effects on Body Weight.

Capsaicin is a bioactive compound found in the fruits (i.e., peppers) of the plant genus Capsicum, which is widely used in many cultures. Besides many health effects of this compound, it can also be effective in body weight control through various mechanisms such as regulating lipolysis in adipocytes, increasing the feeling of satiety, stimulating energy expenditure, and reducing energy intake. This study investigated capsaicin and its effects on body weight control. In clinical studies, the amount of capsaicin affecting body weight loss differ. Longitudinal and randomized controlled studies are needed to explain the effects of capsaicin on body weight control.Key teaching points• Capsaicin can decrease hunger through hormones in the gastrointestinal tract.• Capsaicin can increase energy expenditure through brown adipose tissue.• Capsaicin can increase lipolysis in white adipose tissue.• More comprehensive studies are needed to clarify this issue.

Effect of nutrition education received by teachers on primary school students' nutrition knowledge.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of nutrition education received by fourth- and fifth-grade teachers in state schools in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus, on their students. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The aim of this study is to assess the effect of nutrition education received by fourth- and fifth-grade teachers (n = 27) in state schools in Famagusta on their students. Participants (n = 718) were selected through a regional pilot scheme. The teachers were instructed on nutrition by the researcher and provided with a researcher-prepared nutrition education book "I Am Learning about Healthy Nutrition". Before receiving their nutrition education, the teachers were pretested to assess their baseline nutrition knowledge. Following receipt of their nutrition education, a posttest, which included the same questions as those in the pretest, was administered to the teachers to assess the effectiveness of the training session. Similarly, students were asked pretest researcher-prepared questions to evaluate their baseline nutrition knowledge level. The teachers were then given a period of three to four weeks to instruct the students in nutrition education. Following this instructional period, a posttest that included the same questions as those in the pretest was administered to the students. RESULTS: The results showed that there were significant differences between the pre- and posttest scores of both teachers and students; in both groups, the nutrition knowledge level increased (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the provision of nutrition education training to teachers positively affected the nutrition knowledge level of both teachers and students.