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A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the possible relationship between chronotype, sleeping, and eating patterns in 74 Italian adults (71.6% women). Based on Morningness-Eveningness Questionnare (MEQ) score, participants were classified as morning (

Evidence on the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) in adults with celiac disease (CD) and its impact on Mediterranean Diet (MD) adherence is still limited. Our aim was to determine UPF consumption and its relationship with MD adherence in a group of adults, according to the presence of CD. This case-control study included 103 adults with CD and 312 without CD. UPF intake was assessed using the NOVA Food Frequency Questionnaire (NFFQ), while MD adherence was assessed using the Medi-Lite score. UPF represented 14.5% of the diet of participants with CD (246 g/day) and came mainly from cereals-based products (29%) and sweets (24.2%). UPF consumption did not differ with the presence of CD, but participants with CD had significantly (p < 0.05) higher consumption of precooked pasta and pre-packaged breads. Participants with CD also reported a significantly lower MD adherence than participants without CD (9.4 vs. 10.4), with higher intake of meat and dairy products, and lower consumption of vegetables and fish. An inverse trend was found between UPF consumption and MD adherence in adults with CD, although not statistically significant. These findings highlight the importance of improving nutrition education for subjects with CD, which should not only focus on gluten exclusion.

Mental health conditions are a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. The aim of this study was to explore the association between psychological disorders, Mediterranean diet (MD), and chronotype. A total of 344 participants (74% women) with a mean age of 33.5 ± 13 years were recruited. According to the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) score, 22% of participants had symptoms of depression, 23% anxiety, and 10% stress. The assessment of MD adherence through the Medi-Lite score revealed that participants with psychological disorders had significantly (p < 0.05) lower MD adherence than those without these conditions. Furthermore, less than 10% of the subjects with at least one symptom reported consuming the optimal amount of fruit and vegetables, while 72% showed excessive consumption of meat and meat products. Regarding chronotype, evening subjects reported the lowest MD adherence and the highest prevalence of all three psychological disorders analyzed. A multivariate analysis showed that female gender, age, being unmarried/single, sedentary lifestyle, and low MD adherence were associated with a significantly higher risk of depression, anxiety, and stress. Future studies are needed to explore the relationship between mental health and risk factors to improve personal and global population health.

The nutraceutical effects ofWe aimed to evaluate the effects of a specific by-product of olive oil called "pâté" (OlP) administered as tablets, on cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors.The study was a crossover trial with 2 intervention periods. Nineteen participants (mean age: 38 years) took 4 tablets/day of either olive pâté (corresponding to 30 mg/day of hydroxytyrosol) or placebo for 2 months followed by a 2-month washout and another 2 months of crossed over treatment.After the intervention with pâté, participants showed a statistically significant reduction in plasma levels of total cholesterol (-10.8 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (-10.8 mg/dL) and urea (-4.1 mg/dL), and a significant increase in calcium levels (+0.3 mg/dL). Leukocyte response to exogenous oxidative stress was significantly reduced (-12.8%) and levels of the antioxidant transcription factor Nrf-2 increased by 88.9%. Plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory protein MCP-1 were significantly reduced (-9.0 pg/mL).In conclusion, the intake of OlP showed positive effects on several cardiovascular risk factors, demonstrating the nutraceutical potential of a widely available but, to date, underestimated olive oil by-product.

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of consumption of ancient grain "Verna" bread obtained by two different leavening agents, sourdough (SD) and baker's yeast (BY), on inflammatory parameters and cardiometabolic risk factors. Seventeen clinically healthy subjects were included to consume SD or BY bread for 4 weeks each, and blood analyses were carried out. The consumption of "Verna" bread obtained with both leavening agents led to a significant improvement of LDL cholesterol. A reduction of -10.6% and -8.53% was observed after replacement with SD and BY bread, respectively. A significant increase in fasting blood glucose (+6%) was observed only after the intervention with BY bread. A 10.7% decrease of vascular endothelial growth factor was found after the SD bread replacement period. The consumption of "Verna" bread resulted significantly associated with an improvement in the cardiometabolic and inflammatory profile. However, only consumption of BY bread determined a significant increase in blood glucose levels.

The adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) was assessed in a sample of 1820 non-selected individuals (1099 females and 721 males aged ≥18 years) who have completed the web version of the Medi-Lite score during the year 2019. Adherence to the MD was found to have a normal distribution and, on a scale from 0 to 18, the mean score was 12.2 ± 2.4. Significantly (

A growing body of evidence has associated subjects with an evening chronotype with worse eating behaviours and poorer diet quality. However, only few studies have investigated the relationship between chronotype and Mediterranean diet (MD). The aim of this study was to better understand the chronotype influence on dietary habits and MD adherence in a large sample of Italian adults.A total of 1247 participants (66.7% women) with a mean age of 36.1 ± 14.6 years were included in the analysis. Chronotype was classified as morning in 35.6% of subjects, intermediate in 56.7%, and evening in 7.1%. Regarding meal frequency, evening subjects showed a significantly (p 0.05) greater tendency to skip breakfast (20.5%) than morning (6.9%) and intermediate (12%) subjects. Similarly, evening subjects were found to skip mid-morning snack more often than morning subjects (59.1% vs. 47.1%; p = 0.04), and lunch more often than intermediate subjects (8% vs. 2.8%; p = 0.01). In addition, all meals were eaten by evening subjects at a significantly delayed time, except for lunch. As to MD adherence a significant (p 0.001) higher adherence in morning subjects (10.1 ± 2.2) compared to intermediate (9.5 ± 2.1) and evening (9.5 ± 2.2) subjects was observed. At a logistic regression analysis adjusted for possible confounding factors, morning subjects showed an increased probability (OR 1.54, 95%CI 1.19-1.99; p 0.001) of being in the highest MD adherence tertile.Chronotype was associated with MD adherence. In particular, morning subjects showed higher MD adherence than intermediate and evening subjects.

The aims of this study were to assess the Mediterranean Diet (MD) adherence in 2566 Italians who completed the validated Medi-Lite questionnaire during the year 2020, and to investigate the effect of COVID-19 confinement on dietary habits and MD adherence. To do this, we compared subjects (

Fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome is mainly characterized by widespread pain, sleeping disorders, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. In many cases, gastrointestinal distress is also reported, suggesting the potential pathogenic role of the gut microbiota (GM). The GM is deeply influenced by several environmental factors, especially the diet, and recent findings highlighted significant symptom improvement in FM patients following various nutritional interventions such as vegetarian diet, low-fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols based diets, gluten-free diet, and especially an ancient grain supplementation. In particular, a recent study reported that a replacement diet with ancient Khorasan wheat led to an overall improvement in symptom severity of FM patients.To examine the effects of ancient Khorasan wheat on the GM, inflammation, and short-chain fatty acid production in FM patients.After a 2-wk run-in period, 20 FM patients were enrolled in this randomized, double-blind crossover trial. In detail, they were assigned to consume either Khorasan or control wheat products for 8 wk and then, following an 8-wk washout period, crossed. Before and after treatments, GM characterization was performed by 16S rRNA sequencing while the fecal molecular inflammatory response and the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were respectively determined with the Luminex MAGPIX detection system and a mass chromatography-mass spectrometry method.The Khorasan wheat replacement diet, in comparison with the control wheat diet, had more positive effects on intestinal microbiota composition and on both the fecal immune and SCFAs profiles such as the significant increase of butyric acid levels (The replacement diet based on ancient Khorasan wheat results in beneficial GM compositional and functional modifications that positively correlate with an improvement of FM symptomatology.

Chronotype is a behavioral manifestation of the internal circadian clock system. It refers to the specific activity-rest preference of an individual over a 24-h period and can be assessed using different methodologies that classify individuals into morning or evening chronotype. In recent years, several studies have suggested a relation between individual chronotype, eating habits, and the risk of developing obesity and other conditions. Our aim was to evaluate the association between chronotype, energy intake, and health status through a meta-analytic approach. A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Database was conducted. Observational studies that reported a measure of association between chronotype, energy intake, and health indicators were considered eligible. Overall, 39 observational studies (37 cross-sectional studies, 2 prospective cohort studies) were included in the systematic review, with a total of 377,797 subjects. By comparing morning and evening subjects, pooled analyses of cross-sectional studies showed significantly (P

A total of 356 elderly subjects [257F; 88–106 years] were genotyped for three polymorphisms of the CLOCK gene by TaqMan real-time PCR approach, in order to find associations with quality of aging. Subjects homozygous for the minor allele of rs1801260 were less frequently overweight (p = 0.046), had higher fasting glucose levels (p = 0.037), better scores at the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) (p = 0.047) and worse scores at the Geriatric Depression Scale (p = 0.032). Subjects homozygous for the minor allele of rs11932595 showed higher fasting glucose levels (p = 0.044) and better scores at CDT (p = 0.030). Conversely, subjects homozygous for the minor allele of rs4580704 showed higher triglyceride (p = 0.012), and LDL-cholesterol levels (p = 0.44), and a greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) (p = 0.044). In addition, AAC, AAG, GGC and AGC (rs1801260–rs11932595–rs4580704) haplotypes were analyzed: AAG was associated with higher risk of overweight (p = 0.008), hypertriglyceridemia (p = 0.040) and hypercholesterolemia (p = 0.036); GGC with lower risk of hyperglycemia (p = 0.022), better sleep pattern (p = 0.001) and with better score at mini-mental state examination (p = 0.010); AGC with lower risk of depression (p = 0.026) and AAC with lower adherence to the MD (p = 0.028). Therefore, CLOCK gene polymorphisms let us hypothesize an involvement in the quality of aging in a cohort of nonagenarians.

Background The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of a lacto‐ovo‐vegetarian diet (VD), compared to a Mediterranean diet (MD), on kidney function in a group of subjects with medium‐to‐low cardiovascular risk profile. Methods We analysed 107 subjects (82 women, 25 men; median age 52) who followed a VD (n = 54) and a MD (n = 53) for 3 months in the CARDIVEG study, a randomized, open, crossover trial that compared the effects of these 2 diets on cardiovascular disease risk. Results The effect of the two diets on kidney function markers was evaluated by conducting a general linear model for repeated measurements adjusted for possible confounding factors such as age, sex, physical activity, alcohol, smoking, hypertension, LDL cholesterol, glucose and body weight change. A significant reduction in creatinine (−5.3%; P

NOVA is a classification that divides foods into four groups according to processing. Since no questionnaires have been validated to assess the consumption of foods with different levels of processing in the general adult population, we tested the reliability and validity of a 94-item Food Frequency Questionnaire (NFFQ) designed to estimate the intake (g/day) and the weight ratio (%) of the NOVA food groups in Italian adults. Time reliability and validity were tested by administrating the NFFQ to 110 subjects on two different occasions and comparing it with a weighed dietary record (WDR). Strong correlations between NFFQs (

BackgroundOur previous study on the 2016/2017 Serie A season showed that a greater likelihood of reaching the top positions in the Italian league “Serie A” seemed to be mainly related to sprint activity, goal attempts, total throws, target shots and assists. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the following season data in the same league to compare, confirm, and improve these results.MethodsThe data of all the matches played during the “Serie A” 2017–2018 season were obtained from the Italian soccer league. The teams’ analysis was performed in terms of total distance covered in km, jogging, running and sprint activities, average speed, and match statistics (total shots, shots on target, goal attempts, assists, turnovers, and steals).ResultsTeams that reached the first four positions revealed a lower percentage of running (65.98 ± 1.51 vs. 66.84 ± 2.18;p p = 0.037) and sprint activities (8.41 ± 1.04 vs. 7.86 ± 0.82;p R = 0.906;p R = 0.850;p ConclusionsOur results suggest that high-level teams have a lower running rate and a higher percentage of jogging and sprinting than other teams.

We recently developed and validated a questionnaire to measure adherence to the Mediterranean diet, called Medi-Lite. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the Medi-Lite adherence score in relation to obesity status. A total of 208 patients who attended the Clinical Nutrition Unit of Careggi University Hospital, Florence, were included in this retrospective analysis. Of them, 126 (45%) had abdominal obesity (110 F, 16 M). The mean adherence score, calculated through the Medi-Lite questionnaire, was 9.5 ± 2.2, with significantly (p &lt, 0.001) lower values in patients with abdominal obesity (8.9 ± 1.9) than those without abdominal obesity (10 ± 2.2). Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sex showed that the Medi-Lite score determined significant protection (−28%) against the risk of abdominal obesity for every one-unit increase in the total score (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.63–0.82, p &lt, 0.001). Looking for cut-off values that denote increased risk of having abdominal obesity, we observed that patients who scored ≤9 had a significantly increased risk (OR 3.21, 95% CI 1.91–5.39, 0.001). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet assessed through the Medi-Lite score was found to be associated with abdominal obesity. In particular, patients who reported a score of ≤9 had a 3.5-fold times higher risk of having abdominal obesity than those who scored &gt, 9.

Information on the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) in relation to an adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) is limited. Our aim was to assess UPF consumption in a group of Italian adults and to evaluate the relationship with the MD adherence. A total of 670 participants (median age: 30 years) were included in the analysis. The consumption of UPF was assessed through the NOVA Food Frequency Questionnaire (NFFQ). Adherence to the MD was assessed through the Medi-Lite score. The percentage of UPF in the diet was 16.4% corresponding to 299 g of UPF per day. These amounts were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in men than in women and came mainly from ready-to-eat meals or pre-packaged bread, bread alternatives, pizza, frozen potato chips (24.5% of total UPF intake), pre-packaged biscuits and sweets (20.7%), soft drinks (15.8%), and dairy products such as flavored yogurt (12%). As to the MD adherence, a significant inverse association between the Medi-Lite score and the percentage of UPF in the diet (R = −0.35; p < 0.001) was observed. Participants with a low adherence to the MD had a significantly higher contribution of UPF in the diet (22.2%) compared to those with a moderate (16.2%) and high (12.6%) adherence. In terms of individual UPF, the largest difference between low and high MD adherents was observed for pre-packaged biscuits and sweets, soft and energy drinks, sausages and other reconstituted meat products, and pre-packaged bread and bread alternatives. These results suggest that public health strategies are needed to implement more effective actions to promote healthy eating habits in the population.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a multifactorial syndrome of unknown etiology, characterized by widespread chronic pain and various somatic and psychological manifestations. The management of FM requires a multidisciplinary approach combining both pharmacological and nonpharmacological strategies. Among nonpharmacological strategies, growing evidence suggests a potential beneficial role for nutrition. This review summarizes the possible relationship between FM and nutrition, exploring the available evidence on the effect of dietary supplements and dietary interventions in these patients. Analysis of the literature has shown that the role of dietary supplements remains controversial, although clinical trials with vitamin D, magnesium, iron and probiotics’ supplementation show promising results. With regard to dietary interventions, the administration of olive oil, the replacement diet with ancient grains, low-calorie diets, the low FODMAPs diet, the gluten-free diet, the monosodium glutamate and aspartame-free diet, vegetarian diets as well as the Mediterranean diet all appear to be effective in reducing the FM symptoms. These results may suggest that weight loss, together with the psychosomatic component of the disease, should be taken into account. Therefore, although dietary aspects appear to be a promising complementary approach to the treatment of FM, further research is needed to provide the most effective strategies for the management of FM.

Key summary points Aim Our aim was to investigate the association of body mass index (BMI) with functional and cognitive status in a group of nonagenarians. Findings By grouping the participants according to BMI categories, overweight and obese participants showed lower functional capability, higher risk of falling but better Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) performance than participants with normal weight or underweight. Message This cross-sectional survey supports the hypothesis that adiposity could affect the cognitive state of people reaching the old age., Purpose The study of the relationship between body weight and health in old age has attracted increasing interest. The aim of the present study is to investigate the association of body mass index (BMI) with functional and cognitive status in a group of nonagenarians. Methods We analyzed 475 participants (348 women, 127 men; median age 92 years) from the Mugello study. Participants were evaluated through laboratory, instrumental examinations and questionnaires. Results By grouping the participants according to BMI categories, a better perception of health and nutritional status and a lower prevalence of sarcopenia (p

The prevalence of overweight, obesity, and their related complications is increasing worldwide. The purpose of this umbrella review was to summarize and critically evaluate the effects of different diets on anthropometric parameters and cardiometabolic risk factors. Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science, from inception to April 2019, were used as data sources to select meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials that examined the effects of different diets on anthropometric parameters and cardiometabolic risk factors. Strength and validity of the evidence were assessed through a set of predefined criteria. Eighty articles reporting 495 unique meta-analyses were examined, covering a wide range of popular diets: low-carbohydrate (n = 21 articles), high-protein (n = 8), low-fat (n = 9), paleolithic (n = 2), low-glycemic-index/load (n = 12), intermittent energy restriction (n = 6), Mediterranean (n = 11), Nordic (n = 2), vegetarian (n = 9), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) (n = 6), and portfolio dietary pattern (n = 1). Great variability in terms of definition of the intervention and control diets was observed. The methodological quality of most articles (n = 65; 81%), evaluated using the "A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews-2" questionnaire, was low or critically low. The strength of evidence was generally weak. The most consistent evidence was reported for the Mediterranean diet, with suggestive evidence of an improvement in weight, BMI, total cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure. Suggestive evidence of an improvement in weight and blood pressure was also reported for the DASH diet. Low-carbohydrate, high-protein, low-fat, and low-glycemic-index/load diets showed suggestive and/or weak evidence of a reduction in weight and BMI, but contrasting evidence for lipid, glycemic, and blood pressure parameters, suggesting potential risks of unfavorable effects. Evidence for paleolithic, intermittent energy restriction, Nordic, vegetarian, and portfolio dietary patterns was graded as weak. Among all the diets evaluated, the Mediterranean diet had the strongest and most consistent evidence of a beneficial effect on both anthropometric parameters and cardiometabolic risk factors. This review protocol was registered at www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ as CRD42019126103.

Introduction:The prevalence of overweight, obesity, and their related complications is increasing worldwide. We aimed to summarise and critically evaluate the effects of different popular diets on anthropometric parameters and metabolic risk factors.Material and methods:An umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials was conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute Umbrella Review Methodology. The review protocol has been registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42019126103). Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science were searched from inception to April 2019 to identify meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials that examined the effects of different diets on anthropometric parameters and metabolic risk factors. For each association, we estimated the summary effect size by random-effects and fixed-effects models, the 95% confidence interval, and the 95% prediction interval. We also assessed the between-study heterogeneity and evidence for small-study effects. We further applied standardized methodological criteria to evaluate the epidemiological credibility of the statistically significant associations.Results:Overall, 80 articles reporting 495 unique meta-analyses were examined, covering a wide range of popular diets: low-carbohydrate (n = 21 articles), high-protein (n = 8), low-fat (n = 9), palaeolithic (n = 2), low glycaemic index/load (n = 12), intermittent energy restriction (n = 6), Mediterranean (n = 11), Nordic (n = 2), vegetarian (n = 9), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or DASH (n = 6), and portfolio dietary pattern (n = 1). The methodological quality of most articles (n = 65; 81%), evaluated using the AMSTAR-2 questionnaire, was low or critically low. The strength of evidence was generally weak. The most consistent evidence was reported for Mediterranean diet, with suggestive evidence of an improvement in weight, body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure. Suggestive evidence of an improvement in weight and blood pressure was also reported for DASH diet. Low-carbohydrate, high-protein, low-fat and low-glycaemic index/load diets showed suggestive and/or weak evidence of a reduction in weight and BMI, but contrasting evidence for lipid, glycaemic and blood pressure parameters, suggesting potential risks of unfavourable effects. Finally, evidence for palaeolithic, intermittent energy restriction, Nordic, vegetarian and portfolio dietary patterns was graded as weak or not statistically significant.Discussion:Most meta-analyses showed low methodological quality and the strength of evidence, assessed using evidence classification criteria, was generally weak. Among all the diets evaluated, Mediterranean diet had the strongest and most consistent evidence of a positive effect on both anthropometric parameters and metabolic risk factors.

Increasing evidence suggests that high consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) is associated with an increase in non-communicable diseases, overweight and obesity. The present study systematically reviewed all observational studies that investigated the association between UPF consumption and health status. A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar was conducted, and reference lists of included articles were checked. Only cross-sectional and prospective cohort studies were included. At the end of the selection process, twenty-three studies (ten cross-sectional and thirteen prospective cohort studies) were included in the systematic review. As regards the cross-sectional studies, the highest UPF consumption was associated with a significant increase in the risk of overweight/obesity (+39 %), high waist circumference (+39 %), low HDL-cholesterol levels (+102 %) and the metabolic syndrome (+79 %), while no significant associations with hypertension, hyperglycaemia or hypertriacylglycerolaemia were observed. For prospective cohort studies evaluating a total population of 183 491 participants followed for a period ranging from 3·5 to 19 years, highest UPF consumption was found to be associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality in five studies (risk ratio (RR) 1·25, 95 % CI 1·14, 1·37; P < 0·00001), increased risk of CVD in three studies (RR 1·29, 95 % CI 1·12, 1·48; P = 0·0003), cerebrovascular disease in two studies (RR 1·34, 95 % CI 1·07, 1·68; P = 0·01) and depression in two studies (RR 1·20, 95 % CI 1·03, 1·40; P = 0·02). In conclusion, increased UPF consumption was associated, although in a limited number of studies, with a worse cardiometabolic risk profile and a higher risk of CVD, cerebrovascular disease, depression and all-cause mortality.

IntroductionThere is growing interest in understanding how diet can modulate the gut microbiota (GM), including its possible association with disease states. The aim of the present study is to compare in a group of subjects in primary prevention for cardiovascular disease (CVD) the effects of Mediterranean (MD) and Vegetarian (VD) dietary patterns on the GM composition and on the short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) production.Materials and MethodsTwenty-three clinically healthy subjects (16 F; mean age: 58.6 ± 9.8 years) were randomly assigned to isocaloric MD or VD diets lasting 3-months each and then crossed. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, blood and fecal samples were obtained from each participant at the beginning and at the end of each intervention phase. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of 16S rRNA were performed to analyze the GM, while the SCFA were evaluated through the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry system.ResultsDietary interventions didn't produce significant diversity in the GM composition at higher ranks (family and above), neither between nor within MD and VD, but they did it at genus level. MD significantly changed the abundance of three genera (Enterohabdus, Lachnoclostridium and Parabacteroides), while VD significantly affected the abundance of four genera (Anaerostipes, Streptococcus, Clostridium sensu stricto and Odoribacter). Comparison of the mean variation of each SCFA between MD and VD showed an opposite and statistically significant trend for propionic acid (+ 10% vs -28%, respectively, p = 0.034). In addition, variations of SCFA resulted to be negatively correlated with changes of some inflammatory cytokines such as VEGF, MCP-1, IL-17, IP-10 and IL-12, only after MD. Finally, correlation analyses showed several associations between changes of genera, clinical and biochemical parameters, after both the dietary interventions.DiscussionOur study indicates that a short-term dietary intervention with MD or VD does not induce major change in the GM, suggesting that a diet should last for longer periods to scratch the resilience of GM. In addition, the negative association between SCFA and a number of inflammatory cytokines reported only after MD, seems to support the anti-inflammatory properties of the MD. Furthermore, several associations between certain bacterial groups, clinical and biochemical parameters, let us hypothesized that the cardiovascular protection associated with the two diets could be due – at least in part – to a modulation of the GM.

Nowadays, immunotherapy is widely used to treat different cancer types as it boosts the body's natural defenses against the malignancy, with lower risk of adverse events compared to the traditional treatments. The immune system is able to control cancer growth but, unfortunately, many cancers take advantage of immune checkpoints pathways for the immune evasion. An intricate network of factors including tumor, host and environmental variables influence the individual response to immune checkpoints' inhibitors. Between them, the gut microbiota (GM) has recently gained increasing attention because of its emerging role as a modulator of the immune response. Several studies analyzed the diversities between immunotherapy-sensitive and immunotherapy-resistant cohorts, evidencing that particular GM profiles were closely associated to treatment effect. In addition, other data documented that interventional GM modulation could effectively enhance efficacy and relieve resistance during immunotherapy treatment. Diet represents one of the major GM determinants, and ongoing studies are examining the role of the food-gut axis in immunotherapy treatment. Here, we review recent studies that described how variations of the GM affects patient's responsivity to anti-cancer immunotherapy and how diet-related factors impact on the GM modulation in cancer, outlining potential future clinical directions of these recent findings.

Previous studies have suggested that vegetarianism can result in a reduction of vitamin B12 circulating levels. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a 3-month dietary intervention with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (VD) on the levels of circulating vitamin B12 in a group of omnivores. We analysed fifty-four omnivorous subjects who followed a VD as a first dietary intervention within the CARDIVEG (Cardiovascular Prevention with Vegetarian Diet) study, a dietary intervention study. VD resulted in a significant reduction (P12 intake and in a significant reduction (P=0·005) of 6·2 % of the circulating levels of vitamin B12 (–24·5 pg/ml). Changes in vitamin B12 intake were significantly correlated with changes in circulating levels of vitamin B12 (R 0·61, P12 levels was more evident in participants who were younger, overweight, non-smokers and had hypercholesterolaemia. A logistic regression analysis showed that a reduction in vitamin B12 intake greater than the first quartile of the delta changes obtained in the study population (–28·5 %) conferred a significantly higher risk of experiencing a decrease in circulating vitamin B12 levels (OR 10·1; 95 % CI 1·3, 76·1). In conclusion, a 3-month VD period determined a significant reduction in circulating levels of vitamin B12, being significantly correlated with the reduction in vitamin B12 intake. Although a well-planned VD can provide adequate nutrition across all life stages, special care must be taken to ensure adequate vitamin B12 intake and to help prevent deficiency.

To systematically review all the available evidence from prospective cohort studies that investigated the association between consumption of food groups and the occurrence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We conducted an electronic literature search through MedLine, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and bibliographies of retrieved articles up to January, 2018. Studies were included if they analysed prospectively the association between consumption of food groups and AMD. At the end of the selection process, 26 articles were included in the meta-analysis, for a total of 211,676 subjects and 7154 cases of AMD. By comparing the highest vs. the lowest consumption, pooled analyses showed no significant association with AMD for vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, dairy products, as well as dietary fats such as oils, butter and margarine. Fish determined a significant (p

To investigate eating habits and adherence to Mediterranean Diet (MD) in relation to the risk of depression in a cohort of nonagenarians enrolled within the Mugello Study, an epidemiological study aimed at investigating both clinically relevant geriatric items and various health issues, including those related to nutritional status. Cross-sectional study. Homes and nursing homes in the Mugello area, Florence, Italy. Subjects aged 90-99 years [N=388 (271F; 117M) mean age: 92.7±3.1]. All subjects were evaluated through questionnaires and instrumental examinations. Adherence to MD was assessed through the Mediterranean Diet Score. A shorter version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to detect the possible presence of depressive symptoms. In addition, cognitive and functional status was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Clock Drawing Test, as well as the Basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living test. Depressed subjects (DS) (GDS score≥5, 43.8%) were older, females and widows, than non-depressed subjects (NDS). DS reported a slightly but not statistically significant lower MD score than NDS (33.9±3.9 vs. 34.6±3.3, p=0.149). Subjects who reported to consume a greater amount of olive oil and fruit were associated with a lower risk of depression (OR=0.35, 95%CI=0.20–0.59, p

Background Behçet’s syndrome (BS) is a systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology, and it is characterized by a wide range of potential clinical manifestations. Recent evidence suggests that the gut microbiota (GM) in BS has low biodiversity with a significant depletion in butyrate producers. The aim of the present project is to investigate whether a dietary intervention could ameliorate the clinical manifestations and modulate the GM of individuals with BS. Methods This is a randomized, open, cross-over study that involves 90 individuals with BS, who will be randomly assigned to one of three different diets for 3 months: a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (VD), a Mediterranean diet (MD), or a Mediterranean diet supplemented with butyrate (MD-Bt). The VD will contain inulin-resistant and resistant-starch-rich foods, eggs, and dairy in addition to plant-based food, but it will not contain meat, poultry, or fish. The MD will contain all food categories and will provide two portions per week of fish and three portions per week of fresh and processed meat. The MD-Bt will be similar to the MD but supplemented with 1.8 g/day of oral butyrate. The three different diets will be isocaloric and related to the participants’ nutritional requirements. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, blood, and fecal samples will be obtained from each participant at the beginning and the end of each intervention phase. The primary outcomes will be represented by the change from baseline of the BS gastrointestinal and systemic symptoms. Changes from baseline in GM composition, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, and the inflammatory and antioxidant profile will be considered as secondary outcomes. Discussion BS is a rare disease, and, actually, not all the available treatments are target therapies. A supportive treatment based on dietary and lifestyle issues, able to restore immune system homeostasis, could have a high impact on cost sustainability for the treatment of such a chronic and disabling inflammatory condition. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03962335. Registered on 21 May 2019.

A randomised, open, crossover trial with two intervention periods was used to compare the effects of a 3-month dietary intervention with Mediterranean diet (MD) and vegetarian diet (VD) on hormones that influence energy balance, and to investigate the relationship with changes in body composition. After 3 months, no significant differences between the two diets were observed. Both MD and VD resulted in a significant (

We evaluated the effect of low-calorie mediterranean (MD) and vegetarian (VD) diets on gut microbiome (GM) composition and short-chain-fatty acids (SCFA) production. We performed next generation sequencing (NGS) of 16S rRNA and SCFA analysis on fecal samples of 23 overweight omnivores (16 F; 7 M) with low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk. They were randomly assigned to a VD or MD, each lasting 3 months, with a crossover study design. Dietary interventions did not produce significant diversity in the GM composition at higher ranks (family and above), neither between nor within MD and VD, but they did it at genus level. MD significantly changed the abundance of Enterorhabdus, Lachnoclostridium and Parabacteroides, while VD significantly affected the abundance of Anaerostipes, Streptococcus, Clostridium sensu stricto, and Odoribacter. Comparison of the mean variation of each SCFA between MD and VD showed an opposite and statistically significant trend for propionic acid (+ 10% vs − 28%, respectively, p = 0.034). In addition, variations of SCFA were negatively correlated with changes of some inflammatory cytokines such as VEGF, MCP-1, IL-17, IP-10 and IL-12, only after MD. Finally, correlation analyses showed a potential relationship—modulated by the two diets—between changes of genera and changes of clinical and biochemical parameters. A short-term dietary intervention with MD or VD does not induce major change in the GM, suggesting that a diet should last longer than 3 months for scratching the microbial resilience. Changes in SCFA production support their role in modulating the inflammatory response, thus mediating the anti-inflammatory and protective properties of MD.

To evaluate the possible association between dietary habits and progenitor cells using data obtained from a randomized crossover trial using two different diets, lacto-ovo-vegetarian (VD) and Mediterranean (MD), the CARDIVEG study.Eighty clinically healthy subjects with a low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk profile (61 F; 19 M; mean age: 50.7 ± 11.6 years) were randomly assigned to isocaloric VD and MD diets lasting three months each, and then crossed. The two diets showed no effects on endothelial progenitor cells and circulating endothelial cells but opposite effects on circulating progenitor cells. In fact, VD determined significant (p 0.05) and negative changes on circulating progenitor cells, with an average geometric variation of -130 cells/10MD, but not VD, reported a significant and positive effect on circulating progenitor cells in a group of subjects at low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk, probably acting through the modulation of inflammatory parameters.