Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Health Outcomes in Adolescents: An Umbrella Review

Context Proper nutrition represents 1 of the domains of adolescents' well-being. In this context, the Mediterranean diet (MD), as a healthy, traditional, and sustainable dietary pattern, plays a crucial role in promoting adequate growth and preventing chronic noncommunicable diseases.Objective The currently available evidence on the effects of adherence to the MD (AMD) in association with several physical health outcomes in adolescence is summarized in this review.Data Sources Five electronic databases were searched.Study Selection Systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis of observational studies and randomized clinical trials, published in English during 2013-2022, and that assessed the health impact of AMD among adolescents were eligible.Data Extraction Details on study design, methods, population, assessment of dietary patterns, health outcomes, and main results were extracted.Results The search yielded 59 references after removal of duplicates. Applying PICOS criteria, 4 systematic reviews and 3 meta-analyses ultimately were included in this review. The AMD was evaluated in association with overweight/obesity and adiposity in 2 studies, musculoskeletal health in another 2, inflammation in 1 study, and cardiometabolic health in 1 study. The seventh review examined all mentioned health outcomes (overweight and obesity, musculoskeletal health, inflammation, and cardiometabolic health) in relation to AMD.Conclusions Overall, this umbrella review showed limited evidence and a lack of consistency about the relation between AMD and health outcomes of interest in adolescence, indicating the need for more studies to better understand it.Systemic Review Registration PROSPERO registration no. CRD42023428712

Analysis of suspected adverse reactions to food supplements containing beehive products: an update from the Italian Phytovigilance System

Introduction. Beehive products are widely used in food supplements; however, their composition variability and allergenic components have raised some concerns. This work aims to provide information about the beehive products safety profile by evaluating the suspected adverse reactions (ARs).Methods. The suspected report of ARs collected within the Italian Phytovigilance System (IPS) were evaluated. The clinical and demographic characteristics of the cases were described, and the causality assessment performed.Results. 61 reports were analysed, mainly concerned women. Serious events were reported in 17 forms (28%). The ARs (n=116) referred to respiratory (25.0%), skin (24.1%), and gastrointestinal disorders (21.5%). Label warnings for atopic subjects were present only in 7 food supplements. The causality assessment was mostly probable (54.1%).Conclusions. Present findings outline relevant information about the safety issues of beehive product consumption, especially in atopic or allergic subjects, and strengthen the importance of IPS to point out safety signals

Risk of Cross-Contact for Gluten-Free Pizzas in Shared-Production Restaurants in Relation to Oven Cooking Procedures.

To allow celiac patients to have meals out, a growing number of restaurants and pizzas houses that simultaneously provide gluten-free (GF) pizzas and wheat-based (WB) pizzas have recently been opened in Italy. In these restaurants, GF pizzas are prepared with GF raw materials, following procedures that minimize the risk of gluten cross-contact. Here, we evaluate the risk of gluten cross-contact of GF pizzas in relation to the preparation procedures, thus aiming at identifying a safe procedure for cooking GF pizzas. Our results show that, when specific requirements are complied with, the simultaneous cooking of GF and WB pizzas is a procedure as safe as having an oven dedicated to GF pizzas or the alternate cooking of GF and WB pizzas in the same oven

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and its main determinants in a sample of Italian adults: results from the ARIANNA cross-sectional survey

Introduction: Over the last years, many Mediterranean countries, including Italy, have witnessed a shift away from the Mediterranean Diet, thus contributing to the high rates of overweight and obesity. The survey "Adherence to Mediterranean Diet in Italy (ARIANNA)" aimed to evaluate the Adherence to Mediterranean Diet (AMD) and its main determinants in the Italian population. Materials and methods: This study started on March 2023 and was addressed to adults aged >= 17 years, born and resident in Italy, proficient in Italian. Data are collected electronically through a voluntary, anonymous and self-administered questionnaire on the project website. Univariate and then multivariate logistic regressions were performed to evaluate associations between AMD and demographic characteristics, socio-economic status, health status, and lifestyle. Results: On a total of 3,732 completed questionnaires, the 87.70% of the respondents was female and the 71.28% was 17-40 years old. The 83.82% of the respondents had medium AMD, 11.33% low and only 4.85% high. The multivariate analysis revealed that being male (p 40 years (p < 0.05), workers (p <= 0.001), and unemployed (p < 0.05), determined the probability of having a lower AMD. Vegans and vegetarian's diets positively contributed to a higher AMD (p < 0.001). Discussion: These results highlighted a medium AMD in the Italian adult participants and suggested the necessity to implement tailored public health intervention strategies to improve food habits

Erasmus Project BeEmTel – “Advancing Telemedicine for Non-Communicable Diseases: Simulation-Based Approaches and e-Learning Platform Evaluation”

The key topics of e-health are education and training. The European Erasmus project BeEmTel aimed to create an innovative European curriculum dedicated to Telecare for chronic diseases and emergencies through educational tools based on an e-learning platform and on remote simulation techniques. To describe the experience regarding the introduction of online telemedicine and telesimulation course applied to chronic diseases on some degree and academic career courses. Methods. The online course has lasted from May 15, 2023 to January 15, 2024, on the e-learning Moodle platform managed by Simnova. The students’ population came from the nursing and medical faculties or departments of the four Partner Universities. The ecourse has been structured into three sections: NonCommunicable Disease & Emergency, Health Simulation & Telecare, and New Forms of Proximity, with video lessons and resources, and a quiz area. Two immersive weeks have been reserved for a selected group of students. For the evaluation of the e-learning platform and the simulation method, we have referred to the first two levels of Donald Kirkpatrick’s model: user feedback, linked to the student’s reaction and level of satisfaction with the educational activity, and learning content, concerning learning and knowledge assessment. The BeEmTel Erasmus+ Project has emerged as an innovative educational experience, effectively introducing the concept of telemedicine to healthcare students across different countries and academic disciplines, irrespective of their previous background or attitudes

Implementation level of best practice policies by Italian Government for healthier food environments: Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI)

Background. This work aims to identify policies implemented for healthy food environmentsin Italy within The Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) project.Methods. Food-EPI tool, which includes two components, thirteen domains and fifty good practice indicators, was adapted for the Italian context. Evidence for implementation was gathered and summarized for all fifty indicators from data sources such as governmental websites, non-government organizations publications and websites and via direct contact with Government officials.Results. The highest level of evidence was found within five domains: food composition (2/2 indicators), labelling (3/4), promotion (4/5), provision (4/5) and leadership (5/5). The domains with less identified evidence were food prices (1/4), food in retail (0/4), trade and investment (0/2) and platforms and interaction (1/4).Conclusions. The evidence summarization and the upcoming stakeholders’ meeting to rate the level of implementation for each indicator in Italy have the potential to improve Government commitment to shape healthier food environments

Role of Portion Size in the Context of a Healthy, Balanced Diet: A Case Study of European Countries

Over the past decades, a generalised increase in food portion sizes has probably contributed to the growing global obesity epidemic. Increasing awareness of appropriate portion sizes could contribute to reversing this trend through better control of calorie intake. In this study, a comparison of standard portion sizes in European countries for various food categories shows a wide variability of their importance for food, nutrient, and energy consumption according to government and institutional websites. On the other hand, the overall averages appear to be largely in line with the values indicated by the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, which is the most comprehensive and detailed document among those evaluated. The exceptions are milk and yoghurt, for which the reference portions in Europe are generally higher, and vegetables and legumes, for which portions are smaller than those reported in the Italian document. Moreover, the portion sizes of staple foods (e.g., pasta and potatoes) vary according to different food traditions. It is reasonable to consider that the creation of harmonised standard reference portions common to the European countries, based on international guidelines and scientific evidence, would significantly contribute to consumers' nutritional education and ability to make informed choices for a healthy diet

A Decapeptide from Durum Wheat Prevents Celiac Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes from Activation by Gliadin Peptides

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