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Summary Background & aims This study aimed to evaluate the domain-specific physical activity (PA) levels and sitting time of a sample of university students and examine the association of PA with percent body fat. Methods Two hundred and twenty-one students were included in the analysis. We administered the long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) twice within one-month interval. Total PA as well as occupational, transportation-, housework-, and leisure-related PA were assessed, in addition to sitting time. Dietary intake was derived from six non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls. Percent body fat (dependent variable) was analyzed using a bioelectrical impedance analyzer (BIA). Multivariate logistic regression, adjusted for potential confounders, examined the associations of domain-specific PA and sitting time with percent body fat. Results Men had higher levels of total and leisure PA than women. All participants had prolonged sitting time, with 48% having a sitting time of more than 10.15 hours/day. In multivariate analysis, moderate leisure PA, compared to vigorous PA was associated with a lower percent body fat. This association remained statistically significant even after adjustment for energy intake and sitting time. Housework-related PA was associated with a higher percent body fat. Conclusion Moderate leisure PA was highly associated with percent body fat even after adjustment for confounding variables. Adequate interventions targeting this kind of leisure should be promoted among universities students.

A fructose-enriched diet has been shown to be associated with an increase in fatty infiltration of liver, kidney, and pancreas. Our objective was to determine the concentration threshold at which a fructose-enriched diet induces damage in these organs. We hypothesized that a 20% fructose-enriched diet will induce steatosis or histopathological changes in the kidneys or pancreas. In this study, 40 Wistar male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups of 10, and each group was assigned a diet of equal quantity (15 g/rat) but of varying fructose amount. The first group (control group) was fed a standardized diet. The second and third groups were fed 10% and 20% fructose-enriched diets, respectively, whereas the fourth group was fed a high-fructose diet (30% fructose). At week 16, the 30% fructose group had the highest percentage of fat-enriched cells (10%) and a significant decrease in adiponectin as compared with week 1 (P .05). Twenty percent of this group developed interstitial fibrosis, but none presented changes in the pancreatic islet structure or fibrosis. The 10% fructose group showed the absence of perisinusoidal and interstitial fibrosis, whereas these were present in the 20% fructose group, but neither group showed significant steatosis (5%) or pancreatic damage. The results suggest that a 20% fructose-enriched diet could be considered as the threshold for inducing kidney and liver damage in the rat. Nutritional interventions to reduce fructose to less than 20% of the total energy intake should be considered to prevent metabolic risks and organ damage.