The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Eating Behavior among Adults Poles

Background: Due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), many restrictions and temporary lockdown were carried out. As a result, previous lifestyle, including diet, were disrupted.Objectives: The aim of this review was to assess changes in eating behavior during the COVID-19 compared to the period before pandemic in Poland. Methods: In the review involved original studies concerning adults Poles (aged ≥ 18), including changes in their eating behavior.Results: The COVID-19 pandemic and the social isolation periods had ambiguous influence on diet in Poland. The changes were dependent on many factors e.g. age, sex, education, occupation, or body weight. In general, regular diet pattern was followed. In case of changes, positive and negative eating habits were observed. Improper eating behavior such as the increase of total food and junk food intake was noticed, however improvement of the diet also was observed. Consumption of healthy food, such as vegetables and fruit went up. The significant increase of home cooking also was noticed.Conclusions: The present review indicates the need for future strategies to assess nutrition in cases of alarming situations. Promoting healthy eating behavior appears to be essential, especially during the pandemic

The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Eating Behavior among Adults Poles

Background: Due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), many restrictions and temporary lockdown were carried out. As a result, previous lifestyle, including diet, were disrupted. Objectives: The aim of this review was to assess changes in eating behavior during the COVID-19 compared to the period before pandemic in Poland.  Methods: In the review involved original studies concerning adults Poles (aged ≥ 18), including changes in their eating behavior. Results: The COVID-19 pandemic and the social isolation periods had ambiguous influence on diet in Poland. The changes were dependent on many factors e.g. age, sex, education, occupation, or body weight. In general, regular diet pattern was followed. In case of changes, positive and negative eating habits were observed. Improper eating behavior such as the increase of total food and junk food intake was noticed, however improvement of the diet also was observed. Consumption of healthy food, such as vegetables and fruit went up. The significant increase of home cooking also was noticed. Conclusions: The present review indicates the need for future strategies to assess nutrition in cases of alarming situations. Promoting healthy eating behavior appears to be essential, especially during the pandemic

Lack of association of polymorphic variants of genes encoding zinc transporters with the risk of orofacial cleft-affected pregnancies

Maternal zinc deficiency seems to be a risk factor for orofacial clefts in offspring. This study was undertaken toinvestigate the involvement of polymorphic variants of genes for zinc transporters in the susceptibility of clefting. PCRRFLPanalysis was used to analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms of SLC30A1 (rs7526700, rs2278651, rs611386),SLC30A4 (rs2453531, rs8029246), SLC30A5 (rs351444, rs164393, rs6886492), SLC39A1 (rs10127484, rs11264736), andSLC39A3 (rs759071, rs4806874, rs10415622) in mothers of children with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleftpalate (CL/P) and control mothers. The allele, genotype, and haplotype distribution was found to be similar among case andcontrol mothers. Also, the gene-by-gene interaction analysis conducted using the Multifactor Dimensionality Reductionapproach revealed no significant interactive genetic effect on having a child with a cleft. In conclusion, our results demonstratedthat the analyzed polymorphic variants of genes for zinc transporters are not implicated in abnormal palatogenesisin the investigated group of women from the Polish population

Lack of association of polymorphic variants of genes encoding zinc transporters with the risk of orofacial cleft-affected pregnancies.

Maternal zinc deficiency seems to be a risk factor for orofacial clefts in offspring. This study was undertaken to investigate the involvement of polymorphic variants of genes for zinc transporters in the susceptibility of clefting. PCRRFLP analysis was used to analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms of SLC30A1 (rs7526700, rs2278651, rs611386), SLC30A4 (rs2453531, rs8029246), SLC30A5 (rs351444, rs164393, rs6886492), SLC39A1 (rs10127484, rs11264736), and SLC39A3 (rs759071, rs4806874, rs10415622) in mothers of children with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) and control mothers. The allele, genotype, and haplotype distribution was found to be similar among case and control mothers. Also, the gene-by-gene interaction analysis conducted using the Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction approach revealed no significant interactive genetic effect on having a child with a cleft. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the analyzed polymorphic variants of genes for zinc transporters are not implicated in abnormal palatogenesis in the investigated group of women from the Polish population

Polymorphic variants of genes involved in homocysteine metabolism in celiac disease

Celiac disease (CD) is a polygenic chronic enteropathy conferring an increased risk for various nutrient deficiency states. Hyperhomocysteinemia is a frequent finding in CD and may be related to the development of venous thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, and stroke in untreated CD patients. Recently, a possible excess in the frequency of the MTHFR c.677C>T (rs1801133) gene variant in CD patients was reported. The purpose of this study was to determine if there exist differences in the distribution of polymorphic variants of genes involved in homocysteine/methyl group metabolism between CD patients and the general population. A set of 10 gene polymorphisms (MTHFR rs1801133, MTR rs1805087, MTHFD1 rs2236225, MTRR rs1801394, CBS 844ins68, BHMT1 rs7356530 and rs3733890, BHMT2 rs526264 and rs625879, and TCN2 rs1801198) was tested in 134 patients with CD and 160 matched healthy controls. The frequency of the MTR rs1805087 GG genotype in CD patients was lower than in controls (0.01 and 0.06, respectively), although statistical significance was not achieved (P = 0.06). For the other analyzed polymorphisms, there was no evidence of difference in both allelic and genotypic distribution between cases and controls. The exhaustive Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction analysis revealed no combination of interactive polymorphisms predicting the incidence of CD. In contrast to the well-documented clinical observations of increased risks of vascular disease in patients with longstanding untreated CD, in our group of patients no significant association with CD was found for all tested polymorphic variants of genes involved in homocysteine metabolism. These findings should be replicated in studies with a larger sample size

The Mediterranean diet for Polish infants: a losing struggle or a battle still worth fighting?

The Mediterranean diet is well known for its health-promoting effects. Among its key ingredients, olive oil is the most characteristic. Processing industries have been successfully manufacturing and marketing jarred baby foods with the use of vegetable oils, including olive oil, as well as other sources of visible fat. We aimed to survey manufacturer claims concerning added fat in jarred infant foods supplied to the Polish market. A total of 124 kinds of infant foods from six suppliers were analyzed. Corn, canola, and soybean oil occupied the first three positions, respectively, in rank order of vegetable oils used in jarred baby foods. In our sample, only one type of ready-to-eat jars with vegetables contained olive oil. 11% of products contained cow milk butter or cream. 61% of jarred “dinners” contained poultry or fish, which are typical sources of animal protein in the Mediterranean diet. Given that commercial baby foods currently available in the Polish market contain no olive oil, we advocate considering home preparation of infant foods with the use of visible fat. Medical professionals should encourage food manufacturers to return to the concepts of the Mediterranean diet for young consumers, aimed at long-term health

The search for risk factors that contribute to the etiology of non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) in the Polish population

AbstractNon-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) has severe long-lasting adverse effects on both physical and psychological development. Although recent years have brought significant improvement in clinical treatment, our understanding of the etiology of this congenital anomaly is lagging. Many genes, genetic pathways, harmful exposures, as well as nutrient deficiencies have been implicated in abnormal palatogenesis. Extrapolating data regarding risk factors for CL/P from different populations is not always straightforward. This review gives an overview of knowledge about both environmental and genetic risk factors in the etiology of CL/P in the Polish population, which was originally presented in research papers by the author and collaborating investigators. The findings suggest a possible association between maternal consumption of α-tocopherol, retinol, zinc, citrulline, and dietary compounds contributing to methyl-group homeostasis and CL/P risk. Polymorphisms in BHMT1 and BHMT2 were significantly associated with decreased CL/P risk in the Polish population. Other interesting findings include associations of CL/P risk with polymorphisms in MTR, PCYT1A, ASS1, SLC 25A13, GSTM1, GSTT1, SUMO1 genes, and 8q24.21 loci. Reviewed research papers indicate interesting pathways and new candidate genes for further investigation, and partly confirm earlier findings according risk factors for orofacial clefts

Letter to the Editor Re: Comino, I., et al. Nutrients 2013, 5, 4250–4268

I read with interest the recently published review article titled “The gluten-free diet: testing alternative cereals tolerated by celiac patients” by Comino et al. [1] in Nutrients. However, there is very sparse data on so-called minor cereals and no data on candidate wild graminoids, which have been gathered in the past

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) – an old diagnosis recently rediscovered

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is a newly recognised clinical entity by academic medical professionals, but it is better to consider it an old diagnosis recently rediscovered. The overall prevalence of NCGS in the general population is currently unknown largely because patients often self-diagnose and place themselves on the celiac-type gluten-free diet (GFD) without medical supervision. NCGS is an umbrella term and may incorporate different subgroups of patients. Now there is no specific biomarker that can be used to identify the entity. NCGS diagnosis can be reached only by excluding celiac disease and wheat allergy. Symptoms must disappear with the withdrawal of gluten and reappear quickly when gluten is reintroduced. NCGS existence has been recently supported by two expert meetings, however mechanisms by which gluten triggers symptoms, mimicking irritable bowel syndrome and skin rashes, numbness,”foggy mind”, disturbed sleep patterns, have yet to be identified. Knowledge about NCGS natural history and outcome is still lacking. NCNG is the entity awaiting better diagnostics criteria, however a dietary approach for the management of patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and lack of well being no longer seems elusive. There is a growing segment of the population that seeks out gluten-free products because of a wider notion that gluten-free constitutes a healthier option. Major area of concern that must be addressed by medical professionals is the high cost of GFD