Genetic diet interactions of ACE: the increased hypertension predisposition in the Latin American population.

Hypertension is one of the primary risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). It is a condition that affects people worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing due to several factors, such as lack of physical activity, population aging, and unhealthy diets. Notably, this increase has primarily occurred in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Latin America, approximately 40% of adults have been diagnosed with hypertension. Moreover, reports have shown that the Latin American genetic composition is highly diverse, and this genetic background can influence various biological processes, including disease predisposition and treatment effectiveness. Research has shown that Western dietary patterns, which include increased consumption of red meat, refined grains, sugar, and ultra-processed food, have spread across the globe, including Latin America, due to globalization processes. Furthermore, a higher than recommended sodium consumption, which has been associated with hypertension, has been identified across different regions, including Asia, Europe, America, Oceania, and Africa. In conclusion, hypertension is a multifactorial disease involving environmental and genetic factors. In Latin America, hypertension prevalence is increasing due to various factors, including age, the adoption of a "Westernized" diet, and potential genetic predisposition factors involving the ACE gene. Furthermore, identifying the genetic and molecular mechanisms of the disease, its association with diet, and how they interact is essential for the development of personalized treatments to increase its efficacy and reduce side effects.

Sostenibilidad alimentaria y prevalencia de consumo de preparaciones tradicionales y típicas en hogares del centro-sur de Chile / Food sustainability and prevalence of consumption of traditional and typical preparations in households in central-southern Chile

Introducción. Las preparaciones tradicionales típicas incluyen ingredientes mínimamente procesados, provenientes de la agricultura local, raíces y tradiciones de un territorio. A nivel mundial la población ha cambiado sus patrones dietéticos, incorporando alimentos ultraprocesados impactando la salud poblacional y planetaria. Objetivo. Identificar la sostenibilidad y la prevalencia de consumo de preparaciones tradicionales típicas chilenas en hogares de una región de la zona centro-sur de Chile. Materiales y Métodos. Diseño transversal descriptivo, con una muestra de 104 hogares mediante muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia. Se identificó la sostenibilidad de 34 preparaciones tradicionales típicas chilenas, aplicando el sistema NOVA de clasificación de los alimentos según grado y tipo de procesamiento. Las preparaciones se clasificaron en sostenibles (>60% de ingredientes del grupo 1), medianamente sostenibles (50-60%) y no sostenibles (<50%). El estudio contó con la aprobación del Comité de Bioética de la Universidad del Bío-Bío. El análisis de datos consideró frecuencias, porcentajes e IC95% en STATA 17.0. Resultados. El 64% de las preparaciones fueron clasificadas como sostenibles, el 23% medianamente sostenibles y un 13% como no sostenibles. Las preparaciones sostenibles son las más consumidas por los hogares, especialmente aquellas que incluyen legumbres. Las preparaciones no sostenibles consumidas en los hogares se basan en harina refinada, manteca vegetal hidrogenado y/o aceites. Conclusiones. La sostenibilidad de las preparaciones tradicionales típicas chilenas depende de sus ingredientes. Las preparaciones sostenibles son las más consumidas por los hogares de esta región, y se basan en alimentos naturales o poco procesados(AU)

Introduction. Typical traditional preparations include minimally processed ingredients from local agriculture, roots and traditions of a territory. Globally, the population has changed its dietary patterns, incorporating ultra-processed foods, impacting population and planetary health. Objective. To identify the sustainability and prevalence of consumption of typical Chilean traditional preparations in households in central-southern Chile. Materials and Methods. Descriptive cross-sectional design, with a sample of 104 households using non-probabilistic convenience sampling. The sustainability of 34 typical Chilean traditional preparations was identif ied, applying the NOVA food classif ication system according to degree and type of processing. The preparations were classif ied as sustainable (>60% of group 1 ingredients), moderately sustainable (50- 60%) and non-sustainable (<50%). The Bioethics Committee of the Universidad del Bío-Bío approved the study. Data analysis considered f requencies, percentages and 95%CI in STATA 17.0. Results. 64% of the preparations were classif ied as sustainable, 23% moderately sustainable, and 13% non-sustainable. Sustainable preparations are the most consumed by households, especially those that include pulses. Unsustainable preparations households consume are based on ref ined flour, hydrogenated vegetable shortening and/or oils. Conclusions. The sustainability of typical Chilean traditional preparations depends on their ingredients. Sustainable preparations are the most consumed by households in this region and are based on natural or minimally processed foods(AU)

A Traditional Costa Rican Adolescents' Diet Score Is a Valid Tool to Capture Diet Quality and Identify Sociodemographic Groups With Suboptimal Diet.

Traditional diet indices may capture diet quality according to local food culture. Higher adherence to traditional diet scores may help prevent disease, yet evidence in adolescents is limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to develop and validate a Traditional Costa Rica Adolescents Diet Score (TCRAD) and determine its association with sociodemographic characteristics, under the hypothesis that girls, adolescents from rural areas, and with low socioeconomic status, have a more traditional healthy diet. A total of 804 urban and rural adolescents (13-18 years old) participated in the study. The TCRAD showed adequate internal validity as shown by significant associations with intake of 14 traditional foods and nutrients (legumes, vegetables, fruits, oils, dairy, and corn tortilla scored as healthy; and white rice, red/processed meat, solid fats, desserts/pastries, sugar-sweetened beverages, snacks, fast food, and bread and cookies scored as unhealthy). A high TCRAD score, indicative of a healthier and more traditional diet, was observed among adolescents in the low socioeconomic group vs. medium or high socioeconomic categories (42.9, 41.2, and 38.2%, respectively, p < 0.05), adolescents living in rural areas vs. urban (47.6 vs. 34.2%, p < 0.05), and among boys vs. girls (46.9 vs. 37.5%, p < 0.05). The TCRAD score is a valid tool to capture diet quality of adolescents in Costa Rica and could be used to measure association of diet with disease outcomes in this and similar populations. Public health nutrition programs in Costa Rica should focus on improving intake of foods and nutrients, and prioritize girls, adolescents in urban areas, and adolescents with high socioeconomic status.

Rural development and shifts in household dietary practices from 1999 to 2010 in the Tapajós River region, Brazilian Amazon: empirical evidence from dietary surveys.

BACKGROUND: Research on changing dietary practices is rare in lower and middle income countries, and understanding the impact of global economic processes on population health and nutrition is important, especially of rural communities. We analyzed the diet of 22 families in Brasília Legal, a riverside community in the Tapajós River region of the Brazilian Amazon, using nonparametric tests to compare dietary surveys taken in 1999 and 2010. RESULTS: Data from the two surveys show that food obtained through commercial supply chains became more frequent in household diets, corresponding to significant increases in daily consumption of food items rich in energy, protein, and sugar. At the same time, there was a decline in traditional Amazonian food intake. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing these results with household socio-economic characteristics and drawing on open-ended interviews, we consider the multiple influences that economic development processes may have had on local diets. The introduction of new income sources and employment opportunities, infrastructural and transportation expansion, as well as environmental change appear to have influenced the observed dietary shifts. Such shifts are likely to have important implications for the nutritional status of communities in the Amazon, highlighting concerning trade-offs between current development trajectories and human health. Public policies and health education programs must urgently consider the interactions between sustainable development priorities in order to address emerging health risks in this rapidly changing region.

Definition of the Traditional Mexican Diet and Its Role in Health: A Systematic Review.

Promoting traditional diets could potentially reduce the current high rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally. While the traditional Mexican diet (TMexD) could be specifically promoted in Mexico, a concise definition of the TMexD and evidence of its association with NCDs are needed before its promotion. To evaluate what constitutes this diet pattern, we aimed to systematically review, for the first time, how the TMexD has been described in the literature to date. A secondary aim was to examine whether the TMexD, as described by available definitions, is associated with NCD outcomes. We searched for records describing a whole TMexD up to July 2019 in 12 electronic databases, reference lists, a relevant journal, and by contacting experts on the topic. We reported the results using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We included 61 records for the definition of the diet and six for the association with NCD outcomes. The food groups characterising the TMexD that were consistently mentioned in all the study subgroups were grains and tubers, legumes, and vegetables; specific foods included maize, beans, chile, squash, tomato, and onion. Other groups also mentioned, although with lesser frequency, were maize products, fruits, beverages, fish and seafood, meats, sweets and sweeteners, and herbs and condiments. Only a few studies reported on the frequency of consumption or the amounts in which these foods were consumed in the TMexD. It was not possible to reach strong conclusions for the association between adherence to the TMexD and NCD outcomes. The TMexD was weakly associated with developing breast cancer, not associated with triglyceride levels, and inconsistently associated with obesity and diabetes outcomes. However, results were limited by the small number of studies (n = 6), of which most were of observational nature and evaluated diets using different TMexD definitions. These findings provide systematically identified evidence of the characteristics of the TMexD. More studies are needed to ascertain the exact quantities by which foods were consumed in the TMexD in order to establish whether this dietary pattern is associated with health and should be promoted within the Mexican population.

Effects of reducing processed culinary ingredients and ultra-processed foods in the Brazilian diet: a cardiovascular modelling study.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of reducing saturated fat, trans-fat, salt and added sugar from processed culinary ingredients and ultra-processed foods in the Brazilian diet on preventing cardiovascular deaths by 2030. DESIGN: A modelling study. SETTING: Data were obtained from the Brazilian Household Budget Survey 2008/2009. All food items purchased were categorized into food groups according to the NOVA classification. We estimated the energy and nutrient profile of foods then used the IMPACT Food Policy model to estimate the reduction in deaths from CVD up to 2030 in three scenarios. In Scenario A, we assumed that the intakes of saturated fat, trans-fat, salt and added sugar from ultra-processed foods and processed culinary ingredients were reduced by a quarter. In Scenario B, we assumed a reduction of 50 % of the same nutrients in ultra-processed foods and processed culinary ingredients. In Scenario C, we reduced the same nutrients in ultra-processed foods by 75 % and in processed culinary ingredients by 50 %. RESULTS: Approximately 390 400 CVD deaths might be expected in 2030 if current mortality patterns persist. Under Scenarios A, B and C, CVD mortality can be reduced by 5·5, 11·0 and 29·0 %, respectively. The main impact is on stroke with a reduction of approximately 6·0, 12·6 and 32·0 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial potential exists for reducing the CVD burden through overall improvements of the Brazilian diet. This might require reducing the penetration of ultra-processed foods by means of regulatory policies, as well as improving the access to and promotion of fresh and minimally processed foods.