Major Dietary patterns and related factors among workers of Oil Terminal Company in Kharg Island, Iran

This study was conducted to identify the dietary patterns among workers of Oil Terminals Company and to assess their association with socio-demographic and lifestyle factors.The sample size (392) was estimated by considering minimum correlation (r=0.2) between variables. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a representative sample of workers selected by a stratified random-sampling method (alloffices of the company). The head of company provided a list of workers, and the proportionof each center was specified via ni=ki/N × n [ni=number of participants from each center, ki=number of each center workers, N=number company workers, n= sample size (392)].Dietary pattern was identified by valid food frequency questionnaire containing 168 food items with specific serving size consumed by Iranians. Major dietary patterns analyzed by factor analysis. General characteristics across tertiles were compared by ANOVA and chi-square tests were used where appropriate. In addition, we used multivariate logestic regression tests to assess the relationship between demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle variables and the adherence to the dietary patterns. Two major dietary patternswere extracted: "Healthy pattern" characterized by high consumption of fruits, fish, yellow vegetables, potato, garlic, whole cereals, yogurt drink, and salt. The second one named "unhealthy pattern" characterized by high consumption of soft drinks, sugar, mayonnaise, sweets, eggs, butter, and processed meat, high- fat dairy products, organ meat, French fries, refined cereals, snacks and artificial juice. Work hours were positively correlated (b=0.14; p<0.01) and being single (b=-0.4, p<0.05) and full time work in comparison with part-time work (b=-0.5, p<0.01) was negatively correlated with healthy dietary pattern, whereas age (b=-0.3, p<0.05), dieting (b=-0.4, p<0.01)  and history of hyperlipidemia had negative correlation (b=-0.41, p<0.01) with unhealthy dietary pattern.Our findings show the association between socio-demographic, lifestyle factors and dietary patterns of the worker

High-cocoa polyphenol-rich chocolate improves blood pressure in patients with diabetes and hypertension

BACKGROUND: The aim was to examine the effects of high-cocoa polyphenol-rich chocolate on lipid profiles, weight, blood pressure, glycemic control, and inflammation in individuals with Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. METHODS: Sixty individuals [32 in dark chocolate group (DCG) and 28 in white chocolate group (WCG)] with Type 2 diabetes on stable medication were enrolled in a randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind study. Subjects were randomized to consume 25 g DCG or WCG for 8 weeks. Changes in weight, blood pressure, glycemic control, lipid profile, and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were measured at the beginning and end of the intervention. This clinical trial was registered at the Iranian registry of clinical trials. RESULTS: In DCC group, compared with baseline, serum levels of Apo A-1 (P = 0.045) was increased and fasting blood sugar (FBS) (P = 0.027), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (P = 0.025), Apo B (P = 0.012) and Log of hsCRP (P = 0.043) levels were decreased at the end of study. No changes were seen within the WCG in studied parameters. High polyphenol chocolate consumption compared to white chocolate resulted in significant decrease in of systolic (&minus;5.93 &plusmn; 6.25 vs. &minus;1.07 &plusmn; 7.97 mmHg, P = 0.004) and diastolic blood pressure (&minus;6.4 &plusmn; 6.25 vs. 0.17 &plusmn; 7.9 mmHg, P = 0.002), FBS (&minus;7.84 &plusmn; 19.15 vs. 4.00 &plusmn; 20.58 mg/dl, P = 0.019) over the course of 8 weeks of daily chocolate consumption neither weight nor body mass index and TG levels altered from baseline. CONCLUSION: High polyphenol chocolate is effective in improving TG levels in hypertensive patients with diabetes and decreasing blood pressure and FBS without affecting weight, inflammatory markers, insulin resistance or glycemic control. &nbsp;&nbsp; Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE FA <!--[endif] --

The influence of calcium supplement on body composition, weight loss and insulin resistance in obese adults receiving low calorie diet

Background: Obesity and diabetes are the most important problems of public health. Evidence from molecular animal research and epidemiologic investigations indicate that calcium intake may have an influence on body composition, weight and insulin resistance. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of calcium supplementation on body composition, weight, insulin resistance and blood pressure in the face of calorie restriction in obese adults. Methods: A double blind randomized placebo-controlled trial on 40 adults with Body Mass Index > 25kg/m2 was conducted. Subjects were maintained for 24 weeks on a balanced deficit diet (-500 kcal/d deficit) and randomly assigned into two groups with 1000 mg ca/d as calcium carbonate or placebo. Results: There were no significant differences in variables at the 12th and 24th week between the two groups. The lean mass showed no significant increase in the calcium group at the 12th week compared to baseline and in placebo group at the 24th week compared to the 12th week. The insulin concentration showed a significant decrease in the calcium group at the 12th week compared to the baseline (p < 0.05). The diastolic blood pressure had a significant decrease at the 24th week compared to the 12th week in both groups (p = 0.013-0.009). Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that 24 weeks of supplementation with 1000 mg ca/d did not have any effect on weight, body composition, insulin resistance and blood pressure beyond what can be achieved in an energy restricted diet in obese adults