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Background: Multidisciplinary lifestyle interventions are being researched to treat fibromyalgia. However, the impact of nutrition as a key treatment component is little studied. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the SYNCHRONIZE + lifestyle multidisciplinary intervention in improving adherence to the Mediterranean diet, nutrition quality and dietary intake pattern in persons with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome., Methods: A pragmatic randomized clinical trial was conducted in primary care. Data were collected using the 17-item energy-restricted Mediterranean Adherence Screener (er-MEDAS), the food frequency questionnaire (sFFQ) and the 24 h recall questionnaire (24 HR), in addition to chrono-nutritional, anthropometric, and body composition data, at baseline and 3-, 6-, and 12- month follow-up visits, and statistically analyzed., Results: A total of 158 participants were evaluated. Results showed the effectiveness of the intervention in improving adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The adherence depended on the group-time interaction being positive and significant at 3 and 6 months post-intervention in the INT group and on the participant age and educational level. Specifically, the intake of legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and blue fish was increased, while the intake of sweets and pastries, butter and cream and red and processed meat was reduced. Furthermore, the intake of chips and candies was also reduced, and the consumption of fermented food (yogurts, cheese, kefir) increased. Thus, general diet quality improved. Interestingly, the intake of key nutrients such as protein and iron increased. Furthermore, the number of night eaters was decreased significantly. Muscle mass index was also improved in the intervention group. These results were maintained in the medium to long term., Conclusion: SYNCHRONIZE + is a brief, low-cost, multidisciplinary intervention effective in improving adherence to the Mediterranean diet and improving nutritional and dietary intake patterns in persons with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Further evaluation of the effect on quality of life and symptoms is needed.

The Mediterranean diet, featuring sourdough bread, shows promise in managing metabolic syndrome. This study explored the effects of two sourdough breads, with differing fermentation times but similar nutritional profiles, on inflammation, satiety, and gut microbiota composition in adults with metabolic syndrome. In a double-blind clinical trial, participants were randomized to consume either Elias Boulanger ® long-fermentation (48 h) sourdough bread (EBLong) or Elias Boulanger ® short-fermentation (2 h) sourdough bread (EBShort) over a two-month period. We assessed clinical parameters, inflammatory biomarkers, satiety-related hormones, and the richness and abundance of gut microbiota at baseline and follow-up. The participants included 31 individuals (mean age, 67, 51.6% female). EBShort was associated with reduced levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM), and all participants, regardless of the intervention, exhibited a decrease in sICAM and diastolic pressure from baseline ( p < 0.017). At follow-up, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels were lower in EBShort (-744 pg/mL; 95%CI: -282 to -1210 pg/mL) compared to EBLong. No differences in microbiota richness or abundance were observed. EBShort bread was effective in reducing some inflammation markers. The consumption of sourdough bread may offer potential benefits in reducing inflammation markers in individuals with metabolic syndrome; however, longer fermentation times did not show additional benefits.

The first COVID-19 confinement has led to changes in the population’s behaviour. However, little has been analysed about the changes in eating behaviour beyond the decrease in adherence to healthy dietary patterns. The aim of the CoV-Eat project was to identify factors related to each of the following eating behaviours (EB): cognitive restraints (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), and emotional eating (EE) in adults from Spanish-speaking countries. Participants completed an anonymous online survey. EB was assessed using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire and the scores were classified into tertiles. Socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle habits including physical activity, sleep quality, screen use, smoking consumption, and relationship with food were also collected. A total of 9849 participants from 21 countries were included in this study. The median of CR, UE, and EE behaviours was 15, 24, and 9, respectively. We observed that higher age, days of confinement, number of times leaving home in the last week, changes in sleep quality, and their relationship with food were negatively associated with CR, EE, and UE, while being a man was positively associated with an increased in all these EBs. A higher household income was negatively associated with a higher score of CR, and a higher education level (>primary) was positively associated with a medium score of EE. Lower physical activity was a factor negatively associated with a medium score of EE and UE. Higher screen use showed the same negative association for a medium score of EE and UE and a high score of CR. In addition, higher tobacco consumption was found to be a protective factor against having a medium or high score of CR and EE. In conclusion, some sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle changes may be important factors for EB and should be considered in emergency situations such as confinement to prevent risky eating behaviour.

The aim of this study was to explore the association between three previously identified dietary patterns (Western, Prudent, and Mediterranean) and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk by sex and cancer subtype. The Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study provided dietary and epidemiological information from 15,629 men and 25,808 women recruited between 1992 and 1996. Among them, 568 CRC cases and 3289 deaths were identified during a median follow-up of 16.98 years. The associations between adherence to the three dietary patterns and CRC risk (overall, by sex, and by tumour location: proximal and distal colon and rectum) were investigated by fitting multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models stratified by study centre and age. Possible heterogeneity of the effects by sex and follow-up time (1-10 vs. ≥10 years) was also explored. While no clear effect of the Prudent dietary pattern on CRC risk was found, a suggestive detrimental effect of the Western dietary pattern was observed, especially during the first 10 years of follow-up (HR 1SD-increase (95% CI): 1.17 (0.99-1.37)), among females (HR 1SD-increase (95% CI): 1.31 (1.06-1.61)), and for rectal cancer (HR 1SD-increase (95% CI): 1.38 (1.03-1.84)). In addition, high adherence to the Mediterranean pattern seemed to protect against CRC, especially when restricting the analyses to the first 10 years of follow-up (HR 1SD-increase (95% CI): 0.84 (0.73-0.98)), among males (HR 1SD-increase (95% CI): 0.80 (0.65-0.98)), and specifically against distal colon cancer (HR 1SD-increase (95% CI): 0.81 (0.63-1.03)). In conclusion, low adherence to the Western diet and high adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern could prevent CRC, especially distal colon and rectal cancer.

This baseline cross-sectional analysis from data acquired in a sub-sample of the PREDIMED-Plus study participants aimed to evaluate the relation between the Composite Socioeconomic Index (CSI) and lifestyle (diet and physical activity). This study involved 1512 participants (759 (52.2%) women) between 55 and 80 years with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome assigned to 137 primary healthcare centers in Catalonia, Spain. CSI and lifestyle (diet and physical activity) were assessed. Multiple linear regression or multinomial regression were applied to the data. Cluster analysis was performed to identify dietary patterns. The multiple linear regression model showed that a high deprivation index was related to a higher consumption of refined cereals (11.98 g/d, p -value = 0.001) and potatoes (6.68 g/d, p -value = 0.001), and to a lower consumption of fruits (-17.52 g/d, p -value = 0.036), and coffee and tea (-8.03 g/d, p -value = 0.013). Two a posteriori dietary patterns were identified by cluster analysis and labeled as "healthy" and "unhealthy". In addition, the multinomial regression model showed that a high deprivation index was related to an unhealthy dietary pattern and low physical activity (OR 1.42 [95% CI 1.06-1.89]; p -value < 0.05). In conclusion, a high deprivation index was related to an unhealthy lifestyle (diet and physical activity) in PREDIMED-Plus study participants.