Fluid Intake and Beverage Consumption Description and Their Association with Dietary Vitamins and Antioxidant Compounds in Italian Adults from the Mediterranean Healthy Eating, Aging and Lifestyles (MEAL) Study

The aim of the present study was to investigate the total water intake (TWI) from drinks and foods and to evaluate the correlation between the different types of drinks on energy and antioxidant intake. The cohort comprised 1602 individuals from the city of Catania in Southern Italy. A food frequency questionnaire was administered to assess dietary and water intake. The mean total water intake was 2.7 L; more than about two thirds of the sample met the European recommendations for water intake. Water and espresso coffee were the most consumed drinks. Alcohol beverages contributed about 3.0% of total energy intake, and sugar sweetened beverages contributed about 1.4%. All antioxidant vitamins were significantly correlated with TWI. However, a higher correlation was found for water from food rather than water from beverages, suggesting that major food contributors to antioxidant vitamin intake might be fruits and vegetables, rather than beverages other than water. A mild correlation was found between fruit juices and vitamin C; coffee, tea and alcohol, and niacin and polyphenols; and milk and vitamin B12. The findings from the present study show that our sample population has an adequate intake of TWI and that there is a healthy association between beverages and dietary antioxidants

Bounded Model Checking of Software using SMT Solvers instead of SAT Solvers

C bounded model checking (cbmc) has proved to be a successful approach to automatic software analysis. The key idea is to (i) build a propositional formula whose models correspond to program traces (of bounded length) that violate some given property and (ii) use state-of-the-art SAT solvers to check the resulting formulae for satisfiability. In this paper, we propose a generalisation of the cbmc approach on the basis of an encoding into richer (but still decidable) theories than propositional logic. We show that our approach may lead to considerably more compact formulae than those obtained with cbmc. We have built a prototype implementation of our technique that uses a satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solver to solve the resulting formulae. Computer experiments indicate that our approach compares favourably with—and on some significant problems outperforms—cbmc

Fluid Intake and Beverage Consumption Description and Their Association with Dietary Vitamins and Antioxidant Compounds in Italian Adults from the Mediterranean Healthy Eating, Aging and Lifestyles (MEAL) Study

The aim of the present study was to investigate the total water intake (TWI) from drinks and foods and to evaluate the correlation between the different types of drinks on energy and antioxidant intake. The cohort comprised 1602 individuals from the city of Catania in Southern Italy. A food frequency questionnaire was administered to assess dietary and water intake. The mean total water intake was 2.7 L; more than about two thirds of the sample met the European recommendations for water intake. Water and espresso coffee were the most consumed drinks. Alcohol beverages contributed about 3.0% of total energy intake, and sugar sweetened beverages contributed about 1.4%. All antioxidant vitamins were significantly correlated with TWI. However, a higher correlation was found for water from food rather than water from beverages, suggesting that major food contributors to antioxidant vitamin intake might be fruits and vegetables, rather than beverages other than water. A mild correlation was found between fruit juices and vitamin C; coffee, tea and alcohol, and niacin and polyphenols; and milk and vitamin B12. The findings from the present study show that our sample population has an adequate intake of TWI and that there is a healthy association between beverages and dietary antioxidants

Dietary Micronutrient and Mineral Intake in the Mediterranean Healthy Eating, Ageing, and Lifestyle (MEAL) Study

Background: Dietary vitamins and minerals are essential compounds for the proper functioning of metabolic enzymes, regulation of gene transcription, and powering the body’s defense against oxidative stress. The aim of the present study was to investigate micronutrient consumption separately by age and sex, major dietary sources, and percentage of individuals meeting the recommended requirements according to Italian (Livelli di Assunzione di Riferimento di Nutrienti (LARN)) and European (European Food Safety Agency (EFSA)) agencies. Methods: Data were obtained from the Mediterranean Healthy Eating, Ageing, and Lifestyle (MEAL) study, which included a sample of 1838 individuals randomly collected in the city of Catania, southern Italy. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to collect information on diet. Results: Intake of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B group (except vitamin B9) was in line with other reports and was adequate according to the guidelines, while the percentage of individuals meeting the guidelines for vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin B9 was about 3%, 10%, and 40%, respectively. Among minerals, intake of iron, magnesium, and selenium was adequate for most of the sample, while the percentage of individuals meeting the recommendations for calcium, sodium, and potassium intake was about 20%, 8%, and 35%, respectively. Conclusions: An important percentage of the population would benefit from campaigns raising awareness of micronutrient deficiency or excessive consumption potentially affecting their health

Meal habits and metabolic status in Southern Italian adults

n/

Macronutrient and Major Food Group Intake in a Cohort of Southern Italian Adults

Background: Dietary intake of macronutrient and foods is considered crucial to decrease the risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases. Methods: The aim of this study was to describe the intake of major food groups and macronutrients in a random sample of 1838 southern Italian adults. Results: No significant differences of macronutrient consumption between sexes were found. By contrast, younger individuals had significantly higher intake of animal protein than older ones. Men reported consuming significantly more total processed meats and less eggs than women; egg consumption significantly increased by age groups. Significantly lower intake of fruit in the younger age group compared to older ones was found. Various patterns of correlation between food groups were described. More than half of individuals reached the suggested recommendations for carbohydrate and fiber intake, and about two-thirds met the recommendations for total protein and cholesterol intake, while only a minority met for total fat intake. Total and plant protein, monounsaturated and omega-6 fatty acids, were significantly inversely related with BMI (body mass index), while trans fatty acids and cholesterol were directly correlated. A direct association with unprocessed meats and an inverse association with processed meats was also found. Conclusions: The overall findings suggest that relatively healthy dietary habits are common in southern Italy

Living near waterbodies as a proxy of cyanobacteria exposure and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a population based case-control study

Epidemiological studies highlighted the possibility that exposure to cyanotoxins leads to the development of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Living near waterbodies as a proxy of cyanobacteria exposure and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a population based case-control study

Background: Epidemiological studies highlighted the possibility that exposure to cyanotoxins leads to the development of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: We devised a population-based case-control study in two Italian populations. We used residential proximity of the residence to water bodies as a measure of possible exposure to cyanotoxins. Results: Based on 703 newly-diagnosed ALS cases and 2737 controls, we calculated an ALS odds ratio (OR) of 1.41 (95% CI: 0.72–2.74) for current residence in the vicinity of water bodies, and a slightly lower estimate for historical residence (OR: 1.31; 95% CI: 0.57–2.99). Subjects <65 years and people living in the Northern Italy province of Modena had higher ORs, especially when historical residence was considered. Conclusions: Overall, despite some risk of bias due to exposure misclassification and unmeasured confounding, our results appear to support the hypothesis that cyanotoxin exposure may increase ALS risk