The Social Bridging Project: Intergenerational Phone-Based Connections With Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Millions of Americans aged 65+ are socially isolated and millions more report feeling lonely. Social isolation and loneliness in older adults were compounded by stay-at-home orders and other COVID-19 prevention measures. Although many Americans experienced no difficulties transitioning to the use of electronic devices as their primary means of communication and connection, some older adults were not similarly able to espouse this shift. Our aim was to reduce the impact of social isolation on older adults, increase their comfort in expressing feelings of loneliness, and assist them in acquiring technology skills and accessing telehealth and community supports. Participants received wellness calls for conversation, resource access and technology-based support. Most participants reported decreased loneliness and increased connectedness after the calls; half reported increased ease in expressing their feelings. Programs that provide phone-based support for older adults may reduce loneliness and increase social connectedness

Rural-urban outcome differences associated with COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina

People living in rural regions in the United States face more health challenges than their non-rural counterparts which could put them at additional risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few studies have examined if rurality is associated with additional mortality risk among those hospitalized for COVID-19. We studied a retrospective cohort of 3,991 people hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infections discharged between March 1 and September 30, 2020 in one of 17 hospitals in North Carolina that collaborate as a clinical data research network. Patient demographics, comorbidities, symptoms and laboratory data were examined. Logistic regression was used to evaluate associations of rurality with a composite outcome of death/hospice discharge. Comorbidities were more common in the rural patient population as were the number of comorbidities per patient. Overall, 505 patients died prior to discharge and 63 patients were discharged to hospice. Among rural patients, 16.5% died or were discharged to hospice vs. 13.3% in the urban cohort resulting in greater odds of death/hospice discharge (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1, 1.6). This estimate decreased minimally when adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, payer, disease comorbidities, presenting oxygen levels and cytokine levels (adjusted model OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0, 1.5). This analysis demonstrated a higher COVID-19 mortality risk among rural residents of NC. Implementing policy changes may mitigate such disparities going forward

Investigation of the effect of high dairy diet on body mass index and body fat in overweight and obese children

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether an increase in dairy food consumption improves the changes in BMI and adiposity in children on an energy restricted diet. METHODS Overweight and obese children (n = 120, age: 12-18 y, BMI: 27-40 kg/m2) were randomized to receive a calorie restricted diet providing a 500 kcal/d deficit from total energy expenditure and two (n = 40), three (n = 40) or four (n = 40) servings of dairy products/day. Anthropometric measurements in addition to serum hs-CRP and lipid profile were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. RESULTS Among the 96 children who completed the study, significant reductions in overall BMI, BMI z-score, weight, total body fat percentage and total body fat mass were observed (p 0.05). Overall waist/hip ratio, Serum vitamin D and lipid profile did not change significantly (p > 0.05) apart from a significant increase in HDL-cholesterol (p 0.05). CONCLUSION Increased intake of dairy products does not lead to an augmented change in BMI, weight and body fat in overweight and obese children beyond what is achieved by calorie restriction

Modern Human Physiology with Respect to Evolutionary Adaptations that Relate to Diet in the Past

This paper reviews evidence from human physiology as to which foods may have been typically consumed by the hominin ancestral lineage up to the advent of anatomically modern humans. Considerable evidence suggests that many common diseases can be prevented by hunter-gatherer diets. Apparently, human nutritional metabolism is not perfectly fine-tuned for recently introduced staple foods, such as cereals, dairy products, added salt, and refined fats and sugar. It is much more uncertain if human physiology can provide direct evidence of which animal and plant foods were regularly consumed during human evolution, and in what proportions. The requirements of ascorbic acid can easily be met by organ meats from large animals, as well as by plant foods. Vitamin B 12 is absent in plant foods and must be supplied from meat, fish, shellfish, or insects, but the required amounts are apparently small. Since iodized salt and dairy products were not available before the advent of agriculture, only those ancestors with highly regular access to fish or shellfish would be expected to have reached the currently recommended intake of iodine. However, there is insufficient data to suggest that humans, by way of natural selection, would have become completely dependent on marine food sources. Therefore, it is highly possible that human requirements for iodine are currently increased by some dietary factors. These theoretically include goitrogens in certain roots, vegetables, beans, and seeds. The notion that humans are strictly dependent on marine foods to meet requirements of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids still awaits solid evidence. Shifting the focus from general human characteristics to ethnic differences, persistent lactase activity in adulthood is obviously not the only characteristic to have emerged under nutritional selection pressure. Other examples are a relative resistance against diseases of affluence in northern Europeans and a relatively low prevalence of gluten intolerance in populations with a long history of wheat consumption. In conclusion, humans are well adapted for lean meat, fish, insects and highly diverse plant foods without being clearly dependent on any particular proportions of plants versus meat