Mediterranean Diet beyond the Mediterranean Basin: Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment

The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is considered one of the healthiest dietary patterns. Current scientific evidence supports that this dietary pattern is associated with lower prevalence and incidence of a number of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and age-related cognitive decline as well as reduced overall mortality. The Mediterranean diet includes a wide variety of foods that are eaten in moderation and enjoyed in a positive social environment. It is characterized by a high intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish and seafood, white meats, olive oil, herbs, and spices paired with moderate consumption of fermented dairy products and wine and low intake of red meat, butter, and sugar. The generic term “Mediterranean diet” was coined in the Seven Countries Study led by Ancel Keys in the 1950s. Yet, in spite of its name, this dietary pattern and its benefits are not confined exclusively to the Mediterranean Basin. Among other world regions, Central Chile exhibits climate, agriculture, and culinary traditions similar to various Mediterranean countries. It is therefore essential to increase awareness about the Mediterranean-like richness of both produce and culinary culture beyond the Mediterranean Basin. Active promotion of this dietary pattern may offer health benefits and improve the quality of life in many populations worldwide

Intake of Vitamin E and C in Women of Reproductive Age: Results from the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS)

Vitamin E was identified as a lipophilic compound essential to maintain rat pregnancy. Low vitamin E intake during early pregnancy associates with congenital malformations and embryonic loss in animals and with miscarriage and intrauterine growth restriction in humans. Vitamin E protects cell membranes from lipoperoxidation and exerts non-antioxidant activities. Its function can be restored by vitamin C; thus, intake and circulating levels of both micronutrients are frequently analyzed together. Although substantial vitamin E inadequacy was reported worldwide, its consumption in Latin America (LatAm) is mostly unknown. Using data from the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (Estudio Latinoamericano de Nutrición y Salud, ELANS), we evaluated vitamin E and C intake in women of reproductive age (WRA) from eight LatAm countries and identified their main food sources. Two non-consecutive 24-h dietary recalls in 3704 women aged from 15 to 49 years and living in urban locations showed low average intake of vitamin E (7.9 mg/day vs. estimated average requirement (EAR) of 12 mg/day) and adequate overall vitamin C consumption (95.5 mg/day vs. EAR of 60 mg/day). The mean regional inadequacy was 89.6% for vitamin E and 36.3% for vitamin C. The primary food sources of vitamin E were fats and oils, as well as vegetables. Vitamin C intake was explained mainly by the consumption of fruit juices, fruits, and vegetables. Combined deficient intake of both vitamins was observed in 33.7% of LatAm women. Although the implications of low antioxidant vitamins' consumption in WRA are still unclear, the combined deficient intake of both vitamins observed in one-third of ELANS participants underscores the need for further research on this topic.Coca Cola Company///Estados UnidosHospital Infantil Sabará///BrazilInternational Life Science Institute//ILSI/ArgentinaUniversidad de Costa Rica//UCR/Costa RicaPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile///ChilePontificia Universidad Javeriana///ColombiaUniversidad Central de Venezuela//UCV/VenezuelaUniversidad San Francisco de Quito///EcuadorInstituto de Investigación Nutricional de Perú///PerúUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Medicina::Escuela de Medicin

Association between built environment and physical activity in Latin American countries: a multicentre cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective: To assess the association between the physical activity level and the built environment by accessibility, microinfrastructure and security in Latin America (LA). Design: We conducted a multicentre cross-sectional study to collect physical activity and built environment data. The levels of physical activity were calculated through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire survey. Using the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale-Abbreviated, characteristics of the built environment were measured through three domains: accessibility, microinfrastructure and security. To estimate the association of the built environment and physical activity, we used mixed effects logistic regression analysis. In addition, likelihood ratio test to account for clustered effect within countries and/or cities was used. Setting: Eight countries in LA. Participants: Adults aged 15-65 years (n=9218) living in urban areas and consented to participate of the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health. Results: Most of the population in LA had access to a grocery store (97.2%), public transport stop (91.5%) and children's playground (81.6%). Metropolitan parks were more accessible in Ecuador (59.8%) and Colombia (59.2%) than in Venezuela (33.5%). Individuals located within 20 min of walking from sport facilities or children's playground areas were more likely to perform moderate-to-high physical activity OR 1.20 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.36) and OR 1.25 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.53), respectively. Only 14.5% of the population from the region considered that their neighbourhood had an adequate design for walking or cycling. Likewise, among adults living in LA, only 39.75% had the perception of living in a safe neighbourhood. Conclusions: This multicentre study shows that currently, LA built environment does not promote physical activity in the region. Our findings provide the rationale to push forward, at regional and national levels, policies and interventions that will help to achieve a safe, healthy and friendly built environment to encourage participation in active recreation and sports in leisure time.Coca Cola Company/[]//Estados UnidosHospital Infantil Sabará/[]//BrazilInternational Life Science Institute/[]/ILSI/ArgentinaUniversidad de Costa Rica/[]/UCR/Costa RicaPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile/[]//ChilePontificia Universidad Javeriana/[]//ColombiaUniversidad Central de Venezuela/[]/UCV/VenezuelaUniversidad San Francisco de Quito/[]//EcuadorInstituto de Investigación Nutricional de Perú/[]//PerúUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Medicina::Escuela de Medicin

Excess cholesterol induces mouse egg activation and may cause female infertility

The HDL receptor scavenger receptor, class B type I (SR-BI) controls the structure and fate of plasma HDL. Female SR-BI KO mice are infertile, apparently because of their abnormal cholesterol-enriched HDL particles. We examined the growth and meiotic progression of SR-BI KO oocytes and found that they underwent normal germinal vesicle breakdown; however, SR-BI KO eggs, which had accumulated excess cholesterol in vivo, spontaneously activated, and they escaped metaphase II (MII) arrest and progressed to pronuclear, MIII, and anaphase/telophase III stages. Eggs from fertile WT mice were activated when loaded in vitro with excess cholesterol by a cholesterol/methyl-β-cyclodextrin complex, phenocopying SR-BI KO oocytes. In vitro cholesterol loading of eggs induced reduction in maturation promoting factor and MAPK activities, elevation of intracellular calcium, extrusion of a second polar body, and progression to meiotic stages beyond MII. These results suggest that the infertility of SR-BI KO females is caused, at least in part, by excess cholesterol in eggs inducing premature activation and that cholesterol can activate WT mouse eggs to escape from MII arrest. Analysis of SR-BI KO female infertility raises the possibility that abnormalities in cholesterol metabolism might underlie some cases of human female infertility of unknown etiology.National Institutes of Health (U.S.)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Pre-doctoral Training Grant T32GM007287)Massachusetts Institute of Technology (International Science and Technology Initiatives Chile Cooperative Grant

Relationship between socio-demographic correlates and human development index with physical activity and sedentary time in a cross-sectional multicenter study

© The Author(s) 2022. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativeco mmons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.Background: Socio-demographic correlates and human development index (HDI) are associated with self-reported physical activity, but only a few studies have focused on device-measured physical activity and sedentary time in Latin America. We examined the relationship between socio-demographic correlates and HDI with physical activity and sedentary time in a cross-sectional study. Methods: We based our analyses on 2522 (53.1% women; 18-65 years [mean age 38.3 years]) adults drawn from the eight Latin America countries. Physical activity (light, moderate, vigorous, and moderate-to-vigorous intensity and steps) and sedentary time were assessed using Actigraph GT3X + accelerometers. Sex, age, and race/ethnicity were self-reported. The HDI country information was obtained from the United Nations Development Program. Results: For the age, ethnicity, vigorous physical activity and steps/day, there were significant differences between high and very high HDI countries. Women and younger age presented lower sedentary time than men and older. In moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, we found lower duration in women (-13.4 min/week), younger age (-0.1 min/week), and white/caucasian (-2.7 min/week) than men, older ages and mixed ethnicity. Women (-1266.5 steps/week) and very high HDI (-847.3 steps/week) presented lower steps than men and high HDI. Black (2853.9 steps/week), other (1785.4 steps/week), and white/caucasian ethnicity (660.6 steps/week) showed higher steps than mixed ethnicity. Conclusions: Different socio-demographic correlates are associated with physical activity intensity; however, HDI is associated with vigorous physical activity and steps in the Latin American region, which can in turn guide policies to promote physical activity in the region.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Energy imbalance gap, anthropometric measures, lifestyle, and sociodemographic correlates in Latin American adults. Results from the ELANS study

Overweight and obesity are often explained by an imbalance between energy intake and ex penditure. This, in addition to metabolic effects, makes it difficult to assess the real state of individual energy balance. This study aims to analyze the energy gaps between intake and expenditure in the adult population of Latin America, as well as its relationships with sociodemographic variables and nutrition status, to draw an epidemiological perspective based on the trends observed. The energy imbalance gap was used to this end. The difference between energy intake and expenditure can be applied as a reference to explain whether weight equilibrium can prevent weight gain. Moreover, the energy imbalance gap allows for a better understanding of the design of public health policies. Using data from the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health, the energy imbalance gap in adult population from eight Latin-American countries was assessed in 5994 subjects aged from 19–65. Usual dietary intake was measured using two non-consecutive 24 h dietary recalls. The sociodemographic questionnaire was supplemented by anthropometric measurements. Physical activity was measured through the long International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Energy expenditure was obtained using the basal metabolic rate. For the overall sample, the mean energy intake was 1939.1 kcal (95% CI: 1926.9; 1951.3), the mean of energy expenditure was 1915.7 kcal (95% CI: 1906.4; 1924.9), and the mean of energy imbalance gap was 23.4 kcal (95% CI: 11.9; 35.0). Results show that energy intake and expenditure were higher in men. Moreover, subjects aged 19–34, of high socioeconomic level, who completed high school, were mestizos and were of normal weight consumed the highest number of calories. Overall, a positive energy imbalance gap was observed. Overweight and obese from Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela showed a significantly lower energy imbalance gap than underweight subjects. These findings confirm the high variability of energy imbalance gap and the accompanying correlates of energy intake and expenditure. Further research is needed to specifically address interventions in low and middle-income countries such as many in Latin America, to help reduce the prevalence of obesity and eradicate undernutritionCoca Cola Company///Instituto Pensi/Hospital Infantil Sabara///BrasilInternational Life Science Institute of Argentina///ArgentinaUniversidad de Costa Rica//UCR/Costa RicaPontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile///ChilePontificia Universidad Javeriana///ColombiaUniversidad Central de Venezuela///VenezuelaUniversidad San Francisco de Quito///EcuadorInstituto de Investigación Nutricional from Perú///PerúUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Medicina::Escuela de Medicin