The Investigation of Nutritional Status, Intestinal Permeability, and Quality of Life in People with Celiac Disease.

BACKGROUND: Celiac disease is associated with impaired intestinal epithelial barrier integrity. Its consequences affect the nutritional status and quality of life of patients. This study aimed to determine nutritional status, intestinal permeability, and quality of life in people with celiac disease. It was researched whether patients who are non-compliant to gluten-free diet have higher serum zonulin levels and intestinal permeability. METHODS: The study was completed with 44 celiac patients. Dietary records and a questionnaire were used to evaluate patients' compli ance to the gluten-free diet. Dietary records were analyzed by using a nutrition analysis program. Anthropometric measurements were taken. Body compositions were analyzed to assess the nutritional status of patients. Blood samples were collected and then zonulin levels and total serum proteins were measured to evaluate intestinal permeability. Celiac Disease Questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life scores. RESULTS: Patients were divided into 2 groups considering compliance to the gluten-free diet and it was found that 17 patients were com pliant to the gluten-free diet, and 27 patients were non-compliant to the gluten-free diet. Serum zonulin, zonulin/total protein ratio, and intestinal permeability were higher in non-compliant to the gluten-free diet group (P < .05). There was no significant difference between anthropometric measurements, Celiac Disease Questionnaire scores, daily energy, and nutrient intakes of groups (P > .05). CONCLUSION: The content of a gluten-free diet has a decisive role in the nutritional status and quality of life of celiac patients. Additionally, zonulin levels and intestinal permeability were higher in people with celiac disease who are non-compliant to gluten-free diet.

Geographic information system-assisted site quality assessment for hazelnut cultivation using multi-criteria decision analysis in the Black Sea region, Turkey.

Developing land suitability models for strategically critical agricultural products to expand sustainable agricultural policies and sensitive agriculture management has become a significant trend. This study aims to improve a unique land suitability model for hazelnut cultivation by applying the criteria set (7 main criteria, 35 sub-criteria) including qualitative and quantitative reasons, integrated fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, inverse distance weighting, multi-criteria decision analysis, geographic information system, and weighted linear combination approaches. The model developed in the present study was applied and tested in Ünye District of Ordu Province, where hazelnut production in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey is an important economic activity. While 71.17% of the study area is classified as very highly suitable, highly suitable, and moderately suitable, 28.83% of the study area has marginally suitable and unsuitable properties for hazelnut cultivation. Generally, it was determined that the coastal parts of the study area were the most suitable areas for hazelnut growing. The hazelnut land suitability model's two main criteria impacting the final score values are climatic and topographic conditions, respectively. Heavy metal pollution and physical, chemical, and fertility conditions related to soil properties followed these, respectively. The first ten sub-criteria with the highest weight value were determined as elevation, annual average temperature, annual average precipitation, aspect, annual average relative humidity, nickel (pollution), slope, annual average maximum temperature, lead (pollution), and soil depth, respectively. Existing hazelnut cultivation areas were used to test the model. Of the existing cultivation areas, 75.59% coincided with the very highly suitable, highly suitable, and moderately suitable classes presented in this study, while 17.15% were in marginally suitable and 7.26% in unsuitable classes. The study results reveal that the hazelnut land suitability model developed is suitable in mild climate conditions. Using this model as a general transition model will be beneficial to test it in areas containing similar climatic conditions and various soil properties. This study will create a rational background in ensuring the sustainable food production system and security, agricultural land use planning, strategic planning and management of the hazelnut plant, increasing agricultural productivity and income, and the ecosystem.