As the new school year begins, families are faced with the usual daily preparations. Questions arise about what lunch choices kids will make and what snacks they’ll consume. Parents of teenagers often assume their children can handle these decisions independently. But are they truly capable? What is the level of food literacy among our youth, and have we adequately prepared them for independence and autonomy? In this context, I came across an article published in August titled “Nutrition literacy status and its association with adherence to the Mediterranean diet, anthropometric parameters, and lifestyle behaviors among early adolescents.”
Food and Nutrition Literacy: Exploring the Divide Between Research and Practice
This study addresses the growing recognition of the importance of food and nutrition literacy, while highlighting the limited research in this field, particularly the gap between research and practice. Existing studies have primarily concentrated on defining and measuring food or nutrition literacy. Although interventions targeting food and nutritional literacy have shown promise in promoting healthy eating, further research is required to identify effective approaches in diverse populations and settings. This study emphasizes the need for additional research to measure intervention program efficacy to enhance the policies and practices in this critical area of public health. These findings underscore the importance of understanding food/nutrition literacy and developing effective interventions to promote healthy eating habits. By bridging the research–practice divide, this study provides valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to address the gaps and improve food/nutrition literacy in various contexts.
Mediterranean diet as a protector dietary pattern for breast cancer
Cancer is currently the most common cause of premature mortality in most developed countries and ranks second in terms of global mortality, accounting for 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Moreover, the incidence of cancer is expected to increase as the population ages. Among environmental factors, cumulative lifetime exposure to oxidative damage has been suggested to be involved in both cancer initiation and progression. Diet, a potentially modifiable lifestyle risk factor, may contribute up to 35% of cancer cases, which highlights opportunities for cancer incidence prevention.
The Mediterranean Diet: An Update of the Clinical Trials
The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is a term used to identify a dietary pattern originating
from the unique multi-millennial interplay between natural food resources and the eating practices
of people living in the Mediterranean basin. The majority of MedDiet’s beneficial effects could be primarily related to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties as well as the effectiveness of this dietary pattern in controlling waist circumference and obesity. Moreover, strict, and long-lasting adherence to the MedDiet as well as the beneficial effects of specific components (e.g., olive oil or its polyphenols) seem to emerge as useful insights for interventional improvements. These findings present further insights into the MedDiet’s resources and how it could strengthen overall public health.
3rd World Science & Wine: Sustainability of wine production and food systems in the Mediterranean region
As promised, we will maintain the organization of the World Congress every two years. The 3rd World Science & Wine Congress will be from 14 to 16 June 2023 in Vila Nova De Gaia and the Douro region. The topic for this scientific meeting here will be “Sustainability of wine production and food systems in the Mediterranean region”.
Interest of polyphenols in the prevention of age-related diseases and in regenerative medicine
7-ketocholesterol and 7β-hydroxycholesterol are two oxysterols mainly formed by the autoxidation of cholesterol. These two molecules are interconvertible via specific enzymes. These two oxysterols are often observed at increased amounts in biological fluids as well as tissues and organs affected during age-related diseases and in diseases of civilization such as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and ocular diseases as well as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Many nutrients present in significant amounts in the Mediterranean diet, especially tocopherols, fatty acids, and polyphenols, have shown cytoprotective activities as well as several Mediterranean oils (argan and olive oils, milk thistle seed oil, and pistacia lentiscus seed oil). Consequently, a nutraceutical approach, rich in nutrients present in the Mediterranean diet, could thus make it possible to counteract certain age-related and civilization diseases associated with increased levels of 7-ketocholesterol and 7β-hydroxycholesterol.
Food Habits of the Mediterranean Diet are Associated with Better Metabolic Features in Youths with Type 1 Diabetes
The aim of this study was to evaluate adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) among children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in relation to metabolic control. Adherence to the MedDiet was assessed with the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) questionnaire and physical activity by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescent (IPAQ-A) on 65 subjects (32 males, 9–18 years) with T1D. The promotion of the MedDiet, mainly having a healthy breakfast, is a good strategy to include in the management of T1D to improve glucose and metabolic control. This research is valuable for parents to obtain the best results for their children with T1D.
Mediterranean Diet and Risk of COVID-19
Mediterranean dietary pattern is more important than that of its individual food groups. On one hand, for some foods, there was not a big difference between the most extreme consumption categories; therefore, the effect of high or low consumption would be more difficult to be observed. As more foods are included, these differences will grow. On the other hand, although we found a significant inverse association between dairy products and COVID-19, the effect of the Mediterranean diet is the combined effect of all its components, which can combine and enhance each other. Undoubtedly, the recommendation of a complete pattern is much more effective than that of isolated foods.
Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in a Portuguese Immigrant Community in the Central Valley of California
The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is a healthy eating pattern associated with a better quality of life among older adults and reduced risk of non-communicable diseases. Little is known about the MedDiet in immigrant communities from countries in which the MedDiet is a settled cultural heritage. In this work authors examined MedDiet adherence and perceived knowledge, benefits, and barriers to the MedDiet in a Portuguese immigrant community in Turlock, California. Participants in Turlock had greater MedDiet adherence despite lower education attainment. Furthermore, the perceived benefits of the MedDiet were key factors in MedDiet perception and adherence in a Portuguese immigrant community.
The Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts modulates the expression of microRNAs transported by exosomes.
The relevance of lncRNAs and miRNAs in the regulation of different physiological and pathological conditions makes their therapeutic modulation a potentially viable tool to help treating different diseases. Here, the authors report data showing that exosome-transported lncRNAs and miRNAs can be modulated by specific dietary patterns, i.e., Mediterranean diets. Understanding the processes underlying the regulation of cell-to-cell communication, involving non-coding RNAs, may help developing novel therapeutic strategies to prevent or treat human diseases.