The role of maternal diet on fetal sex selection: A Review

Introduction: The desire of the human to control the gender of fetus prior to conception has always been important. The aim of this study was to determine the role of maternal diet on fetal gender. Materials and Methods: In this narrative review study, a comprehensive review of databases including Pubmed, Scirus, Cochrane library, ScienceDirect, MD Consult, google scholar, Iranmedex, Magiran, and SID from 1982 to 2013 was performed. Key words to search databases included fetal sex, sex ratio, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, fructose, eating disorders, sex selection, maternal diet, Ionic diet, fatty acid, calorie, and famine. Results: Results of studies on the effects of nutritional deficiencies and disorders on sex ratio were controversial. Studies showed that a combination of environmental factors such as stress, time of conception and maternal diet had effects on sex ratio. Preconceptional nutritional status of mothers was very important in changing sex ratio. Increasing the intake of K + + Na+/Ca 2 + + Mg2+ in diet and high calorie diet could increase the ratio of male offsprings. Conclusions: Preconceptional diet was important in fetal sex ratio. However, low sample size in most human studies and the complex mechanisms of sex determination make it difficult to conclude definitively on this issue. Further human studies with larger sample size in this field are suggested

Probiotic administration in congenital heart disease: a pilot study.

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of probiotic Bifidobacterium longum ssp. infantis on the fecal microbiota and plasma cytokines in neonates with congenital heart disease.Study designSixteen infants with congenital heart disease were randomly assigned to receive either B. infantis (4.2 × 10(9) colony-forming units two times daily) or placebo for 8 weeks. Stool specimens from enrolled infants and from six term infants without heart disease were analyzed for microbial composition. Plasma cytokines were analyzed weekly in the infants with heart disease.ResultsHealthy control infants had increased total bacteria, total Bacteroidetes and total bifidobacteria compared to the infants with heart disease, but there were no significant differences between the placebo and probiotic groups. Plasma interleukin (IL)10, interferon (IFN)γ and IL1β levels were transiently higher in the probiotic group.ConclusionCongenital heart disease in infants is associated with dysbiosis. Probiotic B. infantis did not significantly alter the fecal microbiota. Alterations in plasma cytokines were found to be inconsistent

Long-term effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention on the prevention of type 2 diabetes in a middle-income country

This study aims to assess the effects of a community-based lifestyle intervention program on the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). For this purpose, three communities in Tehran were chosen; one community received a face-to-face educational session embedded in a long-term community-wide lifestyle intervention aimed at supporting lifestyle changes. We followed up 9,204 participants (control: 5,739, intervention: 3,465) triennially from 1999 to 2015 (Waves 1–5). After a median follow-up of 3.5 years (wave 2), the risk of T2D was 30% lower in the intervention community as compared with two control communities by (Hazard-ratio: 0.70 [95% CI 0.53; 0.91]); however, the difference was not statistically significant in the following waves. After a median follow-up of 11.9 years (wave 5), there was a non-significant 6% reduction in the incidence of T2D in the intervention group as compared to the control group (Hazard-ratio: 0.94 [0.81, 1.08]). Moreover, after 11.9 years of follow-up, the intervention significantly improved the diet quality measured by the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension concordance (DASH) score. Mean difference in DASH score in the intervention group versus control group was 0.2 [95% CI 0.1; 0.3]. In conclusion, the intervention prevented T2D by 30% in the short-term (3.5 years) but not long-term; however, effects on improvement of the diet maintained in the long-term.Registration: This study is registered at IRCT, a WHO primary registry (https://irct.ir). The registration date 39 is 2008-10-29 and the IRCT registration number is IRCT138705301058N1

The association between dietary glycemic and insulin indices with incidence of cardiovascular disease: Tehran lipid and glucose study

Background: The present study was conducted to investigate the association of dietary insulin index(II), insulin load(IL), glycemic index(GI), and glycemic load(GL) with the risk of cardiovascular disease(CVD). Methods: This cohort study was conducted within the framework of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study on 2198 subjects, aged�19 years old, who were followed-up for a median (IQR) 6.7 (6.1-7.1) years. Dietary GI, GL, II, and IL were calculated using a food frequency questionnaire at the baseline. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the risk of CVD across quartiles of dietary insulin and glycemic indices. Results: Mean ± SD age of the subjects(44.9 men) was 38.3 ± 13.4 years. During a mean of 2406 ± 417 person-years of follow-up, 76(3.5) new cases of the CVD were ascertained. The mean ± SD of II, IL, GI, and GL of participants were 51.7 ± 6.5, 235.8 ± 90.2, 61.9 ± 7.8, and 202.2 ± 78.1, respectively. After adjusting for the variables of age, sex, smoking, physical activity, daily energy intake, body mass index, diabetes, and hypertension, the hazard ratio (HR) of the highest quartile of dietary GL was 2.77(95CI:1.00-7.69,P for trend:0.033) compared to the lowest one. Also, each one SD increase in the GL score was associated with a higher risk of CVD(RR:1.46;CI:1.00-2.16),P-value = 0.047. However, there was no significant association between the dietary GI, II, and IL and risk for CVD incidence. Conclusions: Our results suggested that a high GL diet can increase the incidence of CVD, whereas high dietary II and IL were not associated with the risk of CVD among adults. © 2020 The Author(s)

Trends of obesity and abdominal obesity in Tehranian adults: a cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Considering the increasing trend of obesity reported in current data, this study was conducted to examine trends of obesity and abdominal obesity among Tehranian adults during a median follow-up of 6.6 years.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Height and weight of 4402 adults, aged 20 years and over, participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS), were measured in 1999-2001(phase I) and again in 2002-2005(phase II) and 2006-2008 (phase III). Criteria used for obesity and abdominal obesity defined body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 and waist circumference ≥ 94/80 cm for men/women respectively. Subjects were divided into10-year groups and the prevalence of obesity was compared across sex and age groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of obesity was 15.8, 18.6 and 21% in men and 31.5, 37.7 and 38.6% in women in phases I, II and III respectively (p < 0.001). The prevalence of abdominal obesity in men was 36.5, 57.2 and 63.3% and in women was 76.7, 83.8 and 83.6% in the three periods mentioned (p < 0.001). Men aged between 20-29 years had highest increase rates of obesity and abdominal obesity in phase III in comparison with phase I (with a respective rates of 2.2- and 3.3-fold). In both sexes, an increased trend was observed between phases I and II, whereas between phases II and III, this trend was observed in men, but not in women.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrates alarming rises in the prevalences of both obesity and abdominal obesity in both sexes especially in young men, calling for urgent action to educate people in lifestyle modifications.</p

Nutrient patterns and cardiometabolic risk factors among Iranian adults: Tehran lipid and glucose study

Background: The present study aimed to assess the relation between nutrient patterns and changes in adult anthropometric and cardiometabolic factors. Methods: This study was conducted on 1637 adults participating in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (2005-2008), who were free of cardiovascular diseases and cancer and had completed dietary data. They were followed to the next survey (2008-2011). Dietary intakes were collected and nutrient patterns were obtained. Three year changes in anthropometric and cardiometabolic factors were measured. Results: Five nutrient patterns were extracted. The first pattern was characterized by "plant protein, thiamine, niacin, and minerals including phosphorus, zinc, copper, magnesium, manganese, and selenium". Animal protein, lactose, vitamin D, riboflavine, pantothenic acid, vitamin B12, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc" were loaded in the second pattern. The third and fourth patterns were characterized by "vitamin K, fiber, calcium, iron, manganese, and potassium", and "high correlation with starch, thiamine and folate, and negative correlation with mono and poly unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E", respectively. The fifth pattern was high in Fructose, vitamins A, C, pyridoxine, and potassium. There was no association between nutrient patterns and 3-year changes in blood pressure and fasting blood glucose; whereas, per each quartile increment of the fifth pattern adjusted for potential confounders, triglyceride change was decreased β = - 3.66, 95% CI (- 6.57, - 0.57); P for trend = 0.014. Conclusion: Present study indicates that nutrient patterns may have an association with cardiometabolic factors, particularly a pattern rich in fructose, vitamins A, C, pyridoxine, and potassium which decreases triglyceride level. © 2020 The Author(s)

Spinach consumption and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among adults: a case�control study

Background: Spinach has high antioxidants and polyphenols and showed protective effects against liver diseases in experimental studies. We aimed to assess the association between dietary intake of spinach and odds of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a case�control study among Iranian adults. Methods: Totally 225 newly diagnosed NAFLD patients and 450 controls, aged 20�60 years, were recruited in this study. Participants� dietary intakes were collected using a valid and reliable 168-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The logistic regression test was used for assessing the association between total, raw, and boiled dietary spinach with the odds of NAFLD. Results: The mean (SD) age and BMI of participants (53 male) were 38.1 (8.8) years and 26.8 (4.3) kg/m2, respectively. In the final adjusted model for potential confounders, the odds (95 CI) of NAFLD in individuals in the highest tertile of daily total and raw spinach intake was 0.36 (0.19�0.71), P_trend = 0.001 and 0.47 (0.24�0.89), P_trend = 0.008, respectively compared with those in the lowest tertile. Furthermore, in the adjusted analyses, an inverse association was observed between the highest yearly intake versus no raw spinach consumption and odds of NAFLD (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.18�0.96), P for trend = 0.013. However, there was no significant association between higher boiled spinach intake and odds of NAFLD. Conclusions: The present study found an inverse association between total and raw spinach intake with the odds of NAFLD. © 2021, The Author(s)