Obesity, Dietary Patterns, and Hormonal Balance Modulation: Gender-Specific Impacts.

Understanding the intricate relationship between nutrition, hormonal balance, and gender-specific factors is crucial for developing targeted interventions to mitigate obesity-related endocrine disruptions and improve metabolic health. This narrative review examines the impact of various dietary patterns on hormonal regulation in both men and women, focusing on their effects on hormonal balance and metabolic health in the context of obesity. Calorie restriction, the Western diet, high-fat diets, low-CHO diets, plant-based diets, and the Mediterranean diet are analyzed in relation to their influence on obesity-related endocrine disruptions and metabolic health. Future research directions include investigating the specific mechanisms underlying dietary influences on hormonal regulation, addressing the gender-specific metabolic differences and body fat distribution, and exploring the dietary needs of individuals undergoing gender transition. Personalized dietary interventions tailored to individual metabolic and hormonal profiles are essential for optimizing health outcomes across the gender spectrum. By integrating gender-specific considerations into dietary recommendations, healthcare professionals can better support individuals in achieving optimal metabolic health and hormonal balance.

Therapeutic patient education and treatment intensification of diabetes and hypertension in subjects with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus: a longitudinal study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to prospectively evaluate whether individual and group Therapeutic Patient Education (TPE) can reduce the need to intensify treatment of diabetes and hypertension in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: A total of 937 patients were recruited and followed-up for 42.7 ± 21.5 months. TPE was a structured comprehensive education delivered by trained nurses: 322 patients received individual TPE (ITPE), 291 underwent group TPE (GTPE), and 324 were in Usual Care (UC). The primary endpoints were intensification of diabetes treatment and intensification of hypertension treatment. RESULTS: The rate of diabetes treatment intensification was 40.1% in patients receiving ITPE, 47.8% in patients undergoing GTPE, and 64.2% in patients in UC (p < 0.001). The rate of hypertension treatment intensification was 24.2% in patients following ITPE, 31.3% in patients receiving GTPE, and 41.0% in patients in UC (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that both ITPE and GTPE were associated with reduced intensification of diabetes (ITPE: HR:0.51; 95% IC:0.40-0.64; p < 0.001 - GTPE: HR:0.46; 95% IC:0.44-0.70; p < 0.001) and hypertension medication (ITPE: HR:0.45; 95% IC:0.34-0.61; p < 0.001 - GTPE: HR:0.49; 95% IC:0.38-0.65; p < 0.001). The association was independent of age, sex, BMI, HbA1c, and presence of hypertension at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: TPE, delivered as both individual and group sessions, represents an effective tool to reduce the need to intensify treatment of both diabetes and hypertension. Therefore, it can ensure better control of diabetes and hypertension with fewer medications. This could reduce adverse effects and costs and improve quality of life and medication taking in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The Effects of Online Home-Based Pilates Combined with Diet on Body Composition in Women Affected by Obesity: A Preliminary Study.

Diet and exercise intervention are the first strategies to counteract obesity. An online home-based exercise program may be a feasible approach in an obese population. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of twelve weeks of online Pilates plus diet on body composition in individuals affected by obesity. Thirty-five females were randomly assigned to a home-based Pilates group (PG, n = 18) or a group without intervention (control group, CG, n = 17). All participants followed a Mediterranean diet. The PG followed a twelve-week online Pilates Matwork program (three times/week; 180 min/week), while the CG was not involved in any structured physical exercise program. Body composition and handgrip strength were evaluated at baseline (T0) and after the intervention (T1). A significant group × time interaction (p < 0.05) was found for the fat mass percentage (pFM). Specifically, the pFM was significantly lower at T1 than at T0 in the PG. Significant group × time interactions for fat-free mass (p < 0.05), appendicular skeletal muscle mass (p < 0.05), and skeletal muscle mass (p < 0.01) were found. All these variables were significantly higher at T1 than at T0 in the PG (p < 0.05). Home-based Pilates combined with diet intervention may represent an effective strategy to improve body composition in terms of fat mass reduction and muscle mass gain in adults affected by obesity.