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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.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the most common liver injury worldwide. NAFLD can evolve into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with or without fibrosis. The objectives of this study were to determine the nutritional profile and dietary patterns of NAFLD Lebanese patients and to report the type of diet-related to the presence of hepatic fibrosis. We hypothesized that the traditional pattern was related to a low risk of fibrosis. This cross-sectional study included 320 eligible Lebanese NAFLD patients. Three dietary patterns were identified: the Traditional diet, the High Fruit diet, and the Westernized diet. Multivariate analysis showed a significant relationship between high adherence to the traditional diet and absence of hepatic fibrosis with a decreased risk of 82%, p = 0.031 after adjusting for its covariables. Fruits were absent from this dietary pattern. Although our results pointed to a possible relationship between fibrosis in NAFLD patients and fruit intake, experimental studies are needed to show whether this is a causal relationship. However, the results obtained in this study may contribute to the planning of dietary interventions and recommendations and enable a better follow-up for NAFLD patients with fibrosis.

Objective The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between sociodemographic factors, health-related characteristics, functional status and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among a representative sample of the community-dwelling Lebanese elderly. Methods The study sample included 905 randomly selected community-dwelling elderly Lebanese aged 65 or older living in Greater Beirut. The sample was selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. Participants completed a comprehensive multi-component questionnaire, administrated by trained interviewers, including sociodemographic factors, health characteristics, eating behaviours and functional characteristics. OHRQoL was assessed through the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) questionnaire. Results Among the participants, 51.6% reported poor OHRQoL. The following variables were significantly associated with poor OHRQoL: lack of health insurance (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.05-2.81); poor or average self-rated general health (OR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.23-5.41 and OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.24-4.16, respectively); monotony of diet (OR = 1.69, 95%CI: 1.02-2.79); absence of dentures (OR = 13.78, 95% CI: 5.02-37.84); insufficient dentures (OR = 18.19, 95%CI: 4.43-74.68); presence of dentures (OR = 2.18, 95%CI: 1.16-4.09); and depression (OR = 2.21, 95%CI: 1.26-3.89). Conclusion The present study revealed that a lack of health insurance, negative perception of general health, monotony of diet, denture use and depression were significantly correlated with poor OHRQoL among community-dwelling Lebanese elderly.

In this study, the six indicator non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls NDL-PCBs (PCB28, PCB52, PCB101, PCB138, PCB153, PCB180), as well as four organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), and dichlorodiphenyldichlorethylene (DDE) were measured in 98 maternal and 49 cord sera samples of a group of Lebanese women who gave birth in three hospitals in Greater Beirut, between March and July 2018. Results showed that the levels of these persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in maternal serum were below critical limits as well as those in other countries (Tunisia, France, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Greenland, Canada, Brazil, and China). The ratios of cord serum concentrations to maternal serum concentrations of analyzed POPs were higher than 1. PCB maternal serum concentrations were found to be linked to illegal incineration (OR = 5.78; p = 0.004) as well as eggs (OR = 4.68; p = 0.027) and fruits and vegetables consumption (OR = 3.92; p = 0.016). OCP concentrations were linked to red meat and cold cuts intake (OR = 3.67–4.59; p = 0.001–0.004). While PCB levels were not correlated to newborns anthropometric measurements, OCP levels in cord serum were found to be positively linked to the birth length of newborns (p = 0.014–0.027).

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.

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were banned by the Stockholm Convention many years ago; however, they are still detected in the environment due to their high persistence, their current illegal use, and their import from countries where they have not been banned. We evaluated the serum concentrations of selected OCPs (hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexanes (β-HCH), p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolite p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) in a sample of Lebanese adults using gas chromatography coupled to an ion trap mass spectrometer detector. The mean concentrations of HCB, β-HCH, DDT, and DDE were 7.1, 8.6, 2.1, and 18.9 ng/g of lipids, respectively, and the major contributor among the four OCPs was DDE. The OCP levels in the present study were in general lower than the values observed in several countries worldwide and their concentrations at the 95th percentile were lower than the biomonitoring equivalents (BEs) excluding any appreciable health risk. We observed an inverse association between HCB concentrations and body mass index (BMI) as well as HCB, β-HCH, and DDE levels, and smoking habits. Milk consumption however was positively associated with an increased serum level of β-HCH. This study, which was the first to investigate OCP serum levels in a Lebanese population, provides a baseline to which future measurements can be compared.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a frequent neurodegenerative disease among elderly people. Genetic and underlying environmental factors seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of PD related to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the striatum. In previous experimental researches oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, homocysteine, and neuroinflammation have been reported as potential mechanisms. Among environmental factors, nutrition is one of the most investigated areas as it is a potentially modifiable factor. The purpose of this review is to provide current knowledge regarding the relation between diet and PD risk. We performed a comprehensive review including the most relevant studies from the year 2000 onwards including prospective studies, nested case-control studies, and meta-analysis. Among dietary factors we focused on specific nutrients and food groups, alcoholic beverages, uric acid, and dietary patterns. Furthermore, we included studies on microbiota as recent findings have shown a possible impact on neurodegeneration. As a conclusion, there are still many controversies regarding the relationship between PD and diet which, beside methodological differences among studies, may be due to underlying genetic and gender-specific factors. However, some evidence exists regarding a potential protective effect of uric acid, poly-unsaturated fatty acids, coffee, and tea but mainly in men, whereas dairy products, particularly milk, might increase PD risk through contaminant mediated effect.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased worldwide in parallel with overnutrition characterized by high-fat and high-carbohydrate intake. Our objective was to establish, in 16 weeks, a model of NAFLD in Wistar pathogen-free rats following four dietary types. MATERIALS/METHODS Forty (6 weeks old) healthy Wistar male rats, weighing an average of 150 g were randomly divided into four groups of ten and assigned a diet with the same quantity (15 g/rat/day), but with different composition. The moderate-fat (MF) group was fed a moderate-fat diet (31.5% fat and 50% carbohydrates), the high-fat (HF) group was fed a fat-rich diet (51% fat), the high-sucrose (HS) group and the high-fructose (HFr) group were fed a carbohydrate-rich diet (61%). The carbohydrate contents of the HS group was composed of 60.3% sucrose while that of the HFr group was composed of 59.3% fructose. RESULTS At week 16, the HF group had the highest percentage of cells enriched in fat (40%) and the highest weight and liver weight (P < 0.05). The HFr group showed significantly higher levels of serum triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase and adiponectin at week 16 as compared to week 1 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The 15 g/rat/day diet composed of 51% fat or 61% carbohydrates enriched mainly in fructose may induce characteristics of NAFLD in rats.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that are still routinely detected 30 years after their restriction in many countries. PCBs have been associated with several non-communicable diseases. They are best measured via human biomonitoring (HBM). The concentrations of six indicator PCBs (PCBs 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, and 180) were measured in the serum samples of 316 Lebanese students and employees from Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon, using gas chromatography coupled to an iron trap mass spectrometer detector. PCBs were detected in 56.3 to 59.2% of the serum samples. The sum of PCB (∑PCBs) levels ranged from

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the most common liver disease in the world. Dietary habits have a significant impact on the biological and physical profile of patients and increase the risk of NAFLD. The overall pattern of diet intake is more associated with health outcomes than nutrients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional profile and the dietary patterns of Lebanese NAFLD patients and compare it with controls. During this study; 112 NAFLD Lebanese adult patients (55 men and 57 women); and 110 controls (44 men and 66 women) were recruited. Dietary intake was evaluated by two 24-h recalls and a semi-quantitative 90-item food frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were determined by factor analysis. Results from the study demonstrated that 40% of cases belonged to the high fruit group as compared to 30% following a high meat; fast food dietary pattern. Both groups increased the odds of NAFLD by four-fold (p < 0.05). The traditional diet decreases the odds by 33% after adjustment with the covariables. The high fruit diet group was, as with the high meat, fast food dietary pattern, the main potential risk factor for NAFLD in Lebanese patients.