Anti-Inflammatory Effects of the Mediterranean Diet in the Early and Late Stages of Atheroma Plaque Development

Objective. To evaluate the long-term effects of a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) intervention on the plasma concentrations of inflammatory and plaque stability-related molecules in elderly people at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Design and Setting. 66 participants from primary care centers affiliated with the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona were randomized into 3 groups: MeDiet plus extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or nuts and a low-fat diet (LFD). At baseline and at 3 and 5 years, we evaluated the changes in the plasma concentrations of 24 inflammatory biomarkers related to the different stages of the atherosclerotic process by Luminex®. Results. At 3 and 5 years, both MeDiet groups showed a significant reduction of IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and MIP-1β (P < 0.05; all) compared to LFD. IL-1β, IL-5, IL-7, IL-12p70, IL-18, TNF-α, IFN-γ, GCSF, GMCSF, and ENA78 (P < 0.05; all) only decreased in the MeDiet+EVOO group and E-selectin and sVCAM-1 (P < 0.05; both) in the MeDiet+nuts group. Conclusions. Long-term adherence to MeDiet decreases the plasma concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers related to different steps of atheroma plaque development in elderly persons at high cardiovascular risk

Lockdown and eating habits among professionals and students

Des que l&rsquo;Organitzaci&oacute; Mundial de la Salut (OMS) va declarar la COVID-19 una pand&egrave;mia mundial, el nombre de casos i morts ha anat augmentant r&agrave;pidament i ha obligat els pa&iuml;sos de tot el m&oacute;n a confinar la seva poblaci&oacute; per controlar la propagaci&oacute; del virus. En aquest estudi, s&rsquo;han avaluat els canvis en els h&agrave;bits diet&egrave;tics i l&rsquo;estil de vida durant el confinament de mar&ccedil; a juny del 2020 dins d&rsquo;una poblaci&oacute; espanyola espec&iacute;fica amb coneixements acad&egrave;mics en ci&egrave;ncies de l&rsquo;alimentaci&oacute;. Es va fer arribar un q&uuml;estionari en l&iacute;nia a professionals i estudiants de l&rsquo;&agrave;mbit de les ci&egrave;ncies de l&rsquo;alimentaci&oacute;, que inclo&iuml;a preguntes sobre les dades sociodemogr&agrave;fiques, els h&agrave;bits diet&egrave;tics, els comportaments relacionats amb l&rsquo;alimentaci&oacute; i l&rsquo;estil de vida. Durant el confinament, aquesta poblaci&oacute; va mostrar un augment significatiu en la ingesta de fruites, verdures, llegums, ous, peix i iogurt, juntament amb una disminuci&oacute; del consum de begudes alcoh&ograve;liques. D&rsquo;altra banda, tamb&eacute; es va observar un augment del consum d&rsquo;aperitius salats, xocolata i brioixeria casolana. Aix&iacute; mateix, les dades tamb&eacute; van revelar una pitjor qualitat del son i un augment en el nombre d&rsquo;hores dedicades a treballar i a realitzar activitats sedent&agrave;ries. En general, aquesta poblaci&oacute; va mostrar una tend&egrave;ncia envers l&rsquo;adopci&oacute; d&rsquo;h&agrave;bits diet&egrave;tics m&eacute;s saludables durant el confinament per la COVID-19 en comparaci&oacute; amb la poblaci&oacute; general.Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a global pandemic, the number of cases and deaths has risen rapidly, forcing countries around the world to confine their population in order to control the virus&rsquo;s spread. In this study, changes in dietary habits and lifestyle during the Covid-19 lockdown from March to June 2020 have been evaluated in a specific Spanish population with an academic knowledge of food sciences. An online questionnaire, which covered sociodemographic data, dietary habits, food-related behaviours and lifestyle was distributed among professionals and students in the field of food sciences. During the lockdown, this population reported a significant increase in the consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, eggs, fish, and yogurt, along with a decrease in the intake of alcoholic beverages. Nevertheless, there was also an increase in the consumption of salty snacks, chocolate and homemade pastries. Poor sleep quality and increased working hours and sitting time were also reported. Overall, the studied population showed trends towards healthier dietary habits during the Covid-19 lockdown in comparison with the general population

Exploration of the Gut–Brain Axis through Metabolomics Identifies Serum Propionic Acid Associated with Higher Cognitive Decline in Older Persons

The gut microbiome is involved in nutrient metabolism and produces metabolites that, via the gut–brain axis, signal to the brain and influence cognition. Human studies have so far had limited success in identifying early metabolic alterations linked to cognitive aging, likely due to limitations in metabolite coverage or follow-ups. Older persons from the Three-City population-based cohort who had not been diagnosed with dementia at the time of blood sampling were included, and repeated measures of cognition over 12 subsequent years were collected. Using a targeted metabolomics platform, we identified 72 circulating gut-derived metabolites in a case–control study on cognitive decline, nested within the cohort (discovery n = 418; validation n = 420). Higher serum levels of propionic acid, a short-chain fatty acid, were associated with increased odds of cognitive decline (OR for 1 SD = 1.40 (95% CI 1.11, 1.75) for discovery and 1.26 (1.02, 1.55) for validation). Additional analyses suggested mediation by hypercholesterolemia and diabetes. Propionic acid strongly correlated with blood glucose (r = 0.79) and with intakes of meat and cheese (r > 0.15), but not fiber (r = 0.04), suggesting a minor role of prebiotic foods per se, but a possible link to processed foods, in which propionic acid is a common preservative. The adverse impact of propionic acid on metabolism and cognition deserves further investigation