Effect of a nutritional intervention based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet on environmental impact

[EN]To estimate the environmental impact of a dietary intervention based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) after one year of follow-up. Methods Baseline and 1-year follow-up data were used for 5800 participants aged 55–75 years with metabolic syndrome in the PREDIMED-Plus study. Food intake was estimated through a validated semiquantitative food consumption frequency questionnaire, and adherence to the MedDiet was estimated through the Diet Score. Using the EAT-Lancet Commission tables we assessed the influence of dietary intake on environmental impact (through five indicators: greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), land use, energy used, acidification and potential eutrophication). Using multivariable linear regression models, the association between the intervention and changes in each of the environmental factors was assessed. Mediation analyses were carried out to estimate to what extent changes in each of 2 components of the intervention, namely adherence to the MedDiet and caloric reduction, were responsible for the observed reductions in environmental impact. Results We observed a significant reduction in the intervention group compared to the control group in acidification levels (−13.3 vs. -9.9 g SO2-eq), eutrophication (−5.4 vs. -4.0 g PO4-eq) and land use (−2.7 vs. -1.8 m2). Adherence to the MedDiet partially mediated the association between intervention and reduction of acidification by 15 %, eutrophication by 10 % and land use by 10 %. Caloric reduction partially mediated the association with the same factors by 55 %, 51 % and 38 % respectively. In addition, adherence to the MedDiet fully mediated the association between intervention and reduction in GHG emissions by 56 % and energy use by 53 %.SIPublicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

Circulating carotenoids are associated with favorable lipid and fatty acid profiles in an older population at high cardiovascular risk

Carotenoid intake has been reported to be associated with improved cardiovascular health, but there is little information on actual plasma concentrations of these compounds as biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk. The objective was to investigate the association between circulating plasma carotenoids and different cardiometabolic risk factors and the plasma fatty acid profile. This is a cross-sectional evaluation of baseline data conducted in a subcohort (106 women and 124 men) of an ongoing multi-factorial lifestyle trial for primary cardiovascular prevention. Plasma concentrations of carotenoids were quantified by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The associations between carotenoid concentrations and cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed using regression models adapted for interval-censored variables. Carotenoid concentrations were cross-sectionally inversely associated with serum triglyceride concentrations [-2.79 mg/dl (95% CI: -4.25, -1.34) and -5.15 mg/dl (95% CI: -7.38, -2.93), p-values = 0.0002 and <0.00001 in women and men, respectively], lower levels of plasma saturated fatty acids [-0.09% (95% CI: -0.14, -0.03) and -0.15 % (95% CI: -0.23, -0.08), p-values = 0.001 and 0.0001 in women and men, respectively], and higher levels of plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids [(0.12 % (95% CI: -0.01, 0.25) and 0.39 % (95% CI: 0.19, 0.59), p-values = 0.065 and 0.0001 in women and men, respectively] in the whole population. Plasma carotenoid concentrations were also associated with higher plasma HDL-cholesterol in women [0.47 mg/dl (95% CI: 0.23, 0.72), p-value: 0.0002], and lower fasting plasma glucose in men [-1.35 mg/dl (95% CI: -2.12, -0.59), p-value: 0.001]. Keywords: Mediterranean diet; PREDIMED-plus study; cardiovascular health; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; plasma carotenoids

Adopting a High-Polyphenolic Diet Is Associated with an Improved Glucose Profile: Prospective Analysis within the PREDIMED-Plus Trial

Previous studies suggested that dietary polyphenols could reduce the incidence and complications of type-2 diabetes (T2D); although the evidence is still limited and inconsistent. This work analyzes whether changing to a diet with a higher polyphenolic content is associated with an improved glucose profile. At baseline, and at 1 year of follow-up visits, 5921 participants (mean age 65.0 ± 4.9, 48.2% women) who had overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome filled out a validated 143-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), from which polyphenol intakes were calculated. Energy-adjusted total polyphenols and subclasses were categorized in tertiles of changes. Linear mixed-effect models with random intercepts (the recruitment centers) were used to assess associations between changes in polyphenol subclasses intake and 1-year plasma glucose or glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Increments in total polyphenol intake and some classes were inversely associated with better glucose levels and HbA1c after one year of follow-up. These associations were modified when the analyses were run considering diabetes status separately. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the relationship between changes in the intake of all polyphenolic groups and T2D-related parameters in a senior population with T2D or at high-risk of developing T2

Whether your name is Manuel or María matters: gender biases in recommendations to study engineering

A controlled experiment was conducted to detect gender biases that participants, acting as advisers, may have when providing guidance to teenagers on their career choice. We presented a fictional profile to the study participants – university students from Spain – of a 15-year-old person, called Manuel or María, with two possible levels of academic record. The participants were asked to evaluate the student’s mathematical ability and provide guidance regarding whether or not he or she should study engineering in the future. We assumed that the effect of being a male target on the recommendation to study engineering is partially mediated by the fact that the participants attribute a greater mathematical ability to males. Our results suggest that a significant degree of gender bias in favour of males persists in the recommendation to study engineering. We propose some practical implications for advisers and for equality policies.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)Depto. de Economía Aplicada, Pública y PolíticaFac. de Estudios estadísticosTRUEpu

Accuracy, feasibility and predictive ability of different frailty instruments in an acute geriatric setting. European geriatric medicine

To analyze the feasibility, accuracy and the ability of different frailty instruments to predict adverse outcomes. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted in patients ≥ 70 years admitted to the acute care setting (ACS). Feasibility and prevalence of frailty were assessed by FRAIL, Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), hand grip strength (HGS) and the Spanish Frailty-VIG. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) were performed to identify frailty according to each instrument, setting VIG as the reference. For each instrument, multiple logistic regressions were used to examine the effect of frailty on primary outcome (i.e., three-month mortality) and secondary outcomes (i.e., in-hospital mortality, length of stay, institutionalization, functional decline and 30-day readmission). Results A total of 185 patients were included, with a median age of 89 years. The feasibility of the instruments was 100%, except for HGS (67%). The prevalence of frailty varied from 65.2% (FRAIL) to 86.7% (VIG). AUCs against VIG ranged from 0.69 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57–0.81: FRAIL) to 0.77 (95% CI 63.5–90.2: CFS). Frail patients defined by FRAIL were 2.7times more likely to have a prolonged length of stay than non-frail patients (95% CI 1.385–5.416). Three-month mortality occurred more among frail patients, either defined by FRAIL (OR 2.5; 95% CI 1.072–5.881) or CFS (OR 3.7; 95% CI 1.255–10.812), than in non-frail patients. Conclusion The four instruments had high feasibility providing variable prevalence of frailty. FRAIL and CFS predicted well for three-month mortality, and FRAIL also for length of stay. However, none of the instruments predicted for the other secondary outcomes of the study.Sin financiación3.269 JCR (2021) Q3, 36/54 Geriatrics & Gerontology0.670 SJR (2021) Q2, 52/110 Geriatrics and GerontologyNo data IDR 2020UE

Laboratorio Transmedia

Memoria anual del proyecto de innovación docente UCM 170 "Laboratorio Transmedia".Depto. de Literaturas Hispánicas y BibliografíaFac. de Ciencias de la InformaciónFALSEsubmitte

Escrituras en devenir

El cuarto número de la colección "Laboratorio Transmedia" (ISSN: 2794-0861) contiene textos escritos durante el curso 2022/2023 en el laboratorio internacional "Escrituras en devenir", coordinado por Manuel Broullón y Maximiliano de la Puente con estudiantes y artistas de Argentina, Brasil, España y Venezuela.Unidad Dptal. de Literatura y MediosDepto. de Literaturas Hispánicas y BibliografíaFac. de Ciencias de la InformaciónFac. de FilologíaTRUEUniversidad Complutense de Madridpu

Laboratorio Transmedia

El «Laboratorio transmedia» es un espacio de creación e investigación colaborativo entre docentes y estudiantes, con un enfoque interdisciplinar, para asignaturas del área de Literatura y Escritura Creativa.Depto. de Literaturas Hispánicas y BibliografíaFac. de Ciencias de la InformaciónFALSEsubmitte