Clubs de lectura como estrategia para aumentar el conocimiento sobre nutrición entre la población general: Estudio piloto

Introduction: The spread of false news related to nutrition shows the need to provide general public validated information on food and health, inducing them to follow healthy dietary habits. Objective: To assess whether attendance to book clubs devoted to scientific disseminations books is a useful strategy for improving nutritional knowledge among the population. Methodology: 65 adults participated in a reading club, attending a research center once a month for 4 months to talk about informative scientific books on food/nutrition. The knowledge of the participants was monitored through a survey performed in all the sessions of the club. Results: Participants were mostly female with university studies. Attendance to the book clubs caused a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the number of correct answers on a questionnaire about common misbeliefs on the topics covered in the discussed books. Participants showed a high degree of satisfaction with the activity and willingness to read more scientific dissemination books, even when most of them were not previously usual readers. Conclusions: Book clubs based on popular science books and led by scientists with expertise in the field could increase nutritional knowledge among general population, which should be further explored in different socioeconomic contexts.Introducción: La difusión de noticias falsas relacionadas con la nutrición muestra la necesidad de proporcionar al público general información validada sobre alimentación y salud, induciendo a llevar hábitos dietéticos saludables. Objetivo: Evaluar si la asistencia a clubs de lectura dedicados a libros de divulgación científica es una estrategia útil para mejorar el conocimiento nutricional entre la población. Metodología: 65 adultos participaron en un club de lectura, asistiendo una vez al mes, durante 4 meses a un centro de investigación para conversar sobre libros científicos divulgativos de alimentación/nutrición. Se llevó a cabo un seguimiento de los conocimientos de los participantes a través de una encuesta realizada en todas las sesiones del club de lectura. Resultados: Los participantes fueron en su mayoría mujeres con estudios universitarios. La asistencia a los clubs de lectura provocó un aumento significativo (P < 0,05) en el número de respuestas correctas en un cuestionario sobre las creencias erróneas comunes en los temas tratados en los libros discutidos. Conclusiones: Los clubs de lectura basados en libros de divulgación científica y dirigidos por científicos con experiencia en el campo pueden aumentar el conocimiento nutricional entre la población en general, debiéndose explorar más a fondo en diferentes contextos socioeconómicos

Use of Coffee Silverskin and Stevia to Improve the Formulation of Biscuits

Decreasing the amount of sugar added to biscuits is a good strategy to obtain a healthy product. However, a reduction in the quantity of sugar may affect its nutritional value and quality. The feasibility of the combined use of stevia and coffee silverskin for achieving healthier, nutritious and good quality biscuits has been investigated. Ten wheat four biscuit formulations were designed. Sucrose, maltitol and stevia were used as sweeteners and coffee silverskin was used as a natural colouring and as a source of dietary fbre. The quality of the biscuits was evaluated by measuring their moisture, thickness, breaking force and colour. Acrylamide (ACR) and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) contents were also determined in the interest of food safety. The quality and safety of the innovative biscuits was obtained by an analysis of the sugars, proteins, free amino acids, chlorogenic acid, overall antioxidant capacity and acrylamide after in vitro digestion. Only the stevia biscuits and those added with coffee silverskin extract and the solid residue recovered from the extraction process, were selected for that study. A comparison of the stevia formulated biscuits, with the stevia formula added with silverskin, showed that the added biscuits had a good nutritional quality and improved texture and colour