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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2022) | Viewed by 48421

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Prof. Dr. Ingrid Lofgren

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Guest Editor

Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
Interests: dietary intake; nutritional assessment; cardiovascular disease; graduate student education; risk communication

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Though nutrition screening can quickly determine who may be at risk, it is an in-depth nutritional assessment that allows clinicians to identify a nutrition problem (make a diagnosis) and the appropriate nutritional intervention(s). Due to this, the nutritional assessment, with anthropometric measures, biochemical values, clinical findings, food and nutrition-related history, and nutrition-focused physical exam, is recognized as a critical component to a successful care plan. In addition, because of the multi-dimensional and dynamic nature of the nutritional assessment, there is a lack of consensus about what constitutes a complete and effective nutritional assessment across nutritional diagnosis, disease state, healthcare institutions, and organizations.

For this Special Issue on “Nutrition Assessment and Chronic Disease”, we seek articles (i.e., research papers, short communications, reviews, and meta-analyses) from academia and clinical settings that address the important themes related to effective nutritional assessment for identifying, treating, and/or attenuating chronic disease, such as:

Identifying gold standards for subjective and objective data points;
Developing best practices for obtaining feedback on the selection interventions;
Identify research gaps in relation to nutritional assessment and chronic disease;

Effective ways to train future clinicians (undergraduate and graduate students, current clinicians) on how to critically think through and complete a nutritional assessment.

Prof. Dr. Ingrid Lofgren
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Nutritional assessment
Nutrition care process
Anthropometrics
Biochemical markers
Clinical measures
Diet
Chronic disease

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 511 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence and Predictors of Insufficient Plasma Vitamin C in a Subtropical Region and Its Associations with Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Diseases: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

by Yao-Tsung Lin, Li-Kai Wang, Kuo-Chuan Hung, Chia-Yu Chang, Li-Ching Wu, Chung-Han Ho and Jen-Yin Chen

Nutrients 2022, 14(5), 1108; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14051108 - 06 Mar 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2779

Abstract

Background: to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of insufficient plasma vitamin C among adults in a subtropical region and its associations with cardiovascular disease risk factors including dyslipidemia and lipid-independent markers, namely homocysteine, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and lipoprotein(a). Methods: Data of this retrospective cross-sectional study were extracted from electronic medical database of a Medical Center. Based on plasma vitamin C status, subjects were split into two groups—subjects with sufficient and insufficient plasma vitamin C levels (<50 µmol/L, ≤8.8 mg/L). Results: Prevalence of insufficient plasma vitamin C in 3899 adults was 39%. Multivariate logistic regression identified male gender, high body mass index, age 20–39, and winter/spring as independent predictors of insufficient vitamin C among all subjects. Greater proportions of subjects with insufficient plasma vitamin C had lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and elevated levels of triglyceride, homocysteine and hs-CRP (all p < 0.001). There were no differences in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) between groups. Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of insufficient plasma vitamin C in the subtropical region, which indicates that insufficient plasma vitamin C remains a public health issue. Further study is needed to confirm these findings and to determine the underlying mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

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13 pages, 523 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Malnutrition, Sarcopenia, and Malnutrition-Sarcopenia Syndrome in Older Adults with COPD

by Aleksandra Kaluźniak-Szymanowska, Roma Krzymińska-Siemaszko, Ewa Deskur-Śmielecka, Marta Lewandowicz, Beata Kaczmarek and Katarzyna Wieczorowska-Tobis

Nutrients 2022, 14(1), 44; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14010044 - 23 Dec 2021

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5675

Abstract

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the world population. In addition to airflow obstruction, COPD is associated with multiple systemic manifestations, including impaired nutritional status or malnutrition and changes in body composition (low muscle mass, LMM). Poor nutritional status and sarcopenia in subjects with COPD leads to a worse prognosis and increases health-related costs. Data from previous studies indicate that 30–60% of subjects with COPD are malnourished, 20–40% have low muscle mass, and 15–21.6% have sarcopenia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and malnutrition-sarcopenia syndrome in elderly subjects with COPD and investigate the relationship between COPD severity and these conditions.Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study involving 124 patients with stable COPD, aged ≥60, participating in a stationary pulmonary rehabilitation program. Nutritional status was assessed following the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria and sarcopenia with the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2) criteria. The results of pulmonary function tests and exercise capacity were obtained from the hospital database. Results: 22.6% of participants had malnutrition according to the GLIM criteria. Subjects with malnutrition had lower gait speed (p = 0.0112) and worse results of the Six Minute Walk Test. Sixteen participants (12.9%) had sarcopenia; 12 subjects with sarcopenia had concomitant malnutrition. The prevalence of severe and very severe obstruction (GOLD3/GOLD4) was 91.7%. It was significantly higher in patients with malnutrition-sarcopenia syndrome. Conclusions: Malnutrition was found in nearly one out of four subjects with COPD, while sarcopenia was one out of seven patients. About 10% of our study sample had malnutrition-sarcopenia syndrome. The prevalence of severe and very severe obstruction was significantly higher in patients with malnutrition-sarcopenia syndrome. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

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20 pages, 1544 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Food Frequency Questionnaire for Hemodialysis Patients in Bangladesh (BDHD-FFQ): Development and Validation

by Shakil Ahmed, Tanjina Rahman, Md Sajjadul Haque Ripon, Harun-Ur Rashid, Tasnuva Kashem, Mohammad Syafiq Md Ali, Ban-Hock Khor, Pramod Khosla, Tilakavati Karupaiah and Zulfitri Azuan Mat Daud

Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4521; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13124521 - 17 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5227

Abstract

Diet is a recognized risk factor and cornerstone for chronic kidney disease (CKD) management; however, a tool to assess dietary intake among Bangladeshi dialysis patients is scarce. This study aims to validate a prototype Bangladeshi Hemodialysis Food Frequency Questionnaire (BDHD-FFQ) against 3-day dietary recall (3DDR) and corresponding serum biomarkers. Nutrients of interest were energy, macronutrients, potassium, phosphate, iron, sodium and calcium. The BDHD-FFQ, comprising 132 food items, was developed from 606 24-h recalls and had undergone face and content validation. Comprehensive facets of relative validity were ascertained using six statistical tests (correlation coefficient, percent difference, paired t-test, cross-quartiles classification, weighted kappa, and Bland-Altman analysis). Overall, the BDHD-FFQ showed acceptable to good correlations (p < 0.05) with 3DDR for the concerned nutrients in unadjusted and energy-adjusted models, but this correlation was diminished when adjusted for other covariates (age, gender, and BMI). Phosphate and potassium intake, estimated by the BDHD-FFQ, also correlated well with the corresponding serum biomarkers (p < 0.01) when compared to 3DDR (p > 0.05). Cross-quartile classification indicated that <10% of patients were incorrectly classified. Weighted kappa statistics showed agreement with all but iron. Bland-Altman analysis showed positive mean differences were observed for all nutrients when compared to 3DDR, whilst energy, carbohydrates, fat, iron, sodium, and potassium had percentage data points within the limit of agreement (mean ± 1.96 SD), above 95%. In summary, the BDHD-FFQ demonstrated an acceptable relative validity for most of the nutrients as four out of the six statistical tests fulfilled the cut-off standard in assessing dietary intake of CKD patients in Bangladesh. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

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11 pages, 452 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Risk Factors for Malnutrition among IBD Patients

by Larisa Einav, Ayal Hirsch, Yulia Ron, Nathaniel Aviv Cohen, Sigalit Lahav, Jasmine Kornblum, Ronit Anbar, Nitsan Maharshak and Naomi Fliss-Isakov

Nutrients 2021, 13(11), 4098; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13114098 - 16 Nov 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2814

Abstract

(1) Background: Malnutrition is a highly prevalent complication in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). It is strongly associated with poor clinical outcomes and quality of life. Screening for malnutrition risk is recommended routinely; however, current malnutrition screening tools do not incorporate IBD specific characteristics and may be less adequate for screening these patients. Therefore, we aimed to identify IBD-related risk factors for development of malnutrition. (2) Methods: A retrospective case-control study among IBD patients attending the IBD clinic of the Tel-Aviv Medical Center for ≥2 consecutive physician consultations per year during 2017–2020. Cases who had normal nutritional status and developed malnutrition between visits were compared to matched controls who maintained normal nutritional status. Detailed information was gathered from medical files, including: demographics, disease phenotype, characteristics and activity, diet altering symptoms and comorbidities, medical and surgical history, annual healthcare utility, nutritional intake and the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) score. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify malnutrition risk factors. The independent risk factors identified were summed up to calculate the IBD malnutrition risk score (IBD-MR). (3) Results: Data of 1596 IBD patients met the initial criteria for the study. Of these, 59 patients developed malnutrition and were defined as cases (n = 59) and matched to controls (n = 59). The interval between the physician consultations was 6.2 ± 3.0 months, during which cases lost 5.3 ± 2.3 kg of body weight and controls gained 0.2 ± 2.3 kg (p < 0.001). Cases and controls did not differ in demographics, disease duration, disease phenotype or medical history. Independent IBD-related malnutrition risk factors were: 18.5 ≤ BMI ≤ 22 kg/m² (OR = 4.71, 95%CI 1.13–19.54), high annual healthcare utility (OR = 5.67, 95%CI 1.02–31.30) and endoscopic disease activity (OR = 5.49, 95%CI 1.28–23.56). The IBD-MR was positively associated with malnutrition development independently of the MUST score (OR = 7.39, 95%CI 2.60–20.94). Among patients with low MUST scores determined during the index visit, identification of ≥2 IBD-MR factors was strongly associated with malnutrition development (OR = 8.65, 95%CI 2.21–33.82, p = 0.002). (4) Conclusions: We identified IBD-related risk factors for malnutrition, highlighting the need for a disease-specific malnutrition screening tool, which may increase malnutrition risk detection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

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27 pages, 1247 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tocotrienol-Rich Vitamin E (Tocovid) Improved Nerve Conduction Velocity in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in a Phase II Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

by Pei Fen Chuar, Yeek Tat Ng, Sonia Chew Wen Phang, Yan Yi Koay, J-Ian Ho, Loon Shin Ho, Nevein Philip Botross Henien, Badariah Ahmad and Khalid Abdul Kadir

Nutrients 2021, 13(11), 3770; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13113770 - 25 Oct 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3507

Abstract

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes that affects approximately half of the diabetic population. Up to 53% of DPN patients experience neuropathic pain, which leads to a reduction in the quality of life and work productivity. Tocotrienols have been shown to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties in preclinical and clinical studies. This study aimed to investigate the effects of tocotrienol-rich vitamin E (Tocovid Suprabio^TM) on nerve conduction parameters and serum biomarkers among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A total of 88 patients were randomized to receive 200 mg of Tocovid twice daily, or a matching placebo for 12 months. Fasting blood samples were collected for measurements of HbA1c, renal profile, lipid profile, and biomarkers. A nerve conduction study (NCS) was performed on all patients at baseline and subsequently at 2, 6, 12 months. Patients were reassessed after 6 months of washout. After 12 months of supplementation, patients in the Tocovid group exhibited highly significant improvements in conduction velocity (CV) of both median and sural sensory nerves as compared to those in the placebo group. The between-intervention-group differences (treatment effects) in CV were 1.60 m/s (95% CI: 0.70, 2.40) for the median nerve and 2.10 m/s (95% CI: 1.50, 2.90) for the sural nerve. A significant difference in peak velocity (PV) was also observed in the sural nerve (2.10 m/s; 95% CI: 1.00, 3.20) after 12 months. Significant improvements in CV were only observed up to 6 months in the tibial motor nerve, 1.30 m/s (95% CI: 0.60, 2.20). There were no significant changes in serum biomarkers, transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFβ-1), or vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). After 6 months of washout, there were no significant differences from baseline between groups in nerve conduction parameters of all three nerves. Tocovid at 400 mg/day significantly improve tibial motor nerve CV up to 6 months, but median and sural sensory nerve CV in up to 12 months of supplementation. All improvements diminished after 6 months of washout. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

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8 pages, 255 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Sarcopenia in Patients on Maintenance Dialysis in Australia—A Single Centre, Cross-Sectional Study

by Marille Umakanthan, John Wing Li, Kamal Sud, Gustavo Duque, Daniel Guilfoyle, Kenneth Cho, Chris Brown, Derek Boersma and Muralikrishna Gangadharan Komala

Nutrients 2021, 13(9), 3284; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13093284 - 20 Sep 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3715

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenia is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. The prevalence of sarcopenia in the dialysis population varies from 4% to 63%. However, the prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia in the Australian dialysis population remain uncertain. Aim: To study the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients on maintenance dialysis by using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia and to identify associated risk factors. Methods: We evaluated adult patients on maintenance haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in this single-centre cross-sectional study in Australia. Patient’s clinical (age, gender, dialysis modality and diabetic status) and laboratory parameters (serum albumin, calcium, phosphate, 25-hydroxy-vitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels) were investigated. We employed bioimpedance spectroscopy, hand grip dynamometer and the timed up and go test (TUG) to evaluate muscle mass, strength and function, respectively. Results: We evaluated 39 dialysis patients with a median age of 69 years old. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 18%. Sarcopenia was associated with low serum albumin (p = 0.02) and low serum phosphate level (p = 0.04). Increasing age and female sex were potential risk factors for sarcopenia (p = 0.05 and 0.08, respectively). Low lean muscle mass, reduced hand grip strength and prolonged TUG were present in 23.1%, 41% and 40.5%, respectively, of the cohort. The hand grip test had good correlation with lean muscle evaluation and the TUG. Conclusions: Sarcopenia was prevalent in 18% of maintenance haemodialysis patients from an Australian single-centre cohort, with low serum albumin and phosphate as significant risk factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

13 pages, 433 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Neck Circumference as a Predictor of Metabolic Syndrome in Koreans: A Cross-Sectional Study

by Kyoung-Yun Kim, Ha-Rin Moon and Jung-Mi Yun

Nutrients 2021, 13(9), 3029; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13093029 - 30 Aug 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2232

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex metabolic disorder and a high-risk condition for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Rapid screening of at-risk individuals using accurate and time-saving tools is effective in disease management. Using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data, we collected data from 2234 participants suitable for the study design, of which 974 (43.6%) were men and 1260 (56.4%) were women. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to estimate the optimal sex-specific neck circumference (NC) cut-off point to predict the MetS risk. To analyze the risk of MetS according to the estimated NC, logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the confounding factors. The result of the ROC analysis showed that the optimal neck cut-off points for predicting the risk of MetS were 38.25 cm (AUC: 0.759, 95% CI: 0.729–0.790) in men and 33.65 cm (AUC: 0.811, 95% CI: 0.782–0.840) in women. In the upper NC cut-off point compared to the lower NC cut-off point, NC was associated with an increased MetS risk by 2.014-fold (p = 0.010) in men and 3.650-fold (p < 0.001) in women, after adjustments. The current study supports NC as an effective anthropometric indicator for predicting the risk of MetS. It is suggested that more studies should be conducted to analyze the disease prediction effect of the combined application of anthropometric indicators currently in use and NC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

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12 pages, 281 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low Protein Intakes and Poor Diet Quality Associate with Functional Limitations in US Adults with Diabetes: A 2005–2016 NHANES Analysis

by Stephanie M. Fanelli, Owen J. Kelly, Jessica L. Krok-Schoen and Christopher A. Taylor

Nutrients 2021, 13(8), 2582; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13082582 - 27 Jul 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 8450

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk for sarcopenia. Moreover, sarcopenia correlates with increased risk for falls, fractures, and mortality. This study aimed to explore relationships among nutrient intakes, diet quality, and functional limitations in a sample of adults across levels of glycemic control. Data were examined from 23,487 non-institutionalized adults, 31 years and older, from the 2005–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Hemoglobin A1c (%) was used to classify level of glycemic control: non-diabetes (<5.7%); pre-diabetes (5.7–6.4%); diabetes (≥6.5%). Dietary data were collected from a single 24-h dietary recall. Participants were categorized as meeting or below the protein recommendation of 0.8 g/kg of body weight. Physical functioning was assessed across 19-discrete physical tasks. Adults below the protein recommendation consumed significantly more carbohydrate and had lower diet quality across all glycemic groups compared to those who met the protein recommendation (p < 0.001). Adults with diabetes who did not meet protein recommendations had significantly poorer diet quality and significantly higher mean number of functional limitations. A greater percent of adults with diabetes who did not meet the protein recommendation reported being physically limited for most activities, with more than half (52%) reporting limitations for stooping, crouching, and kneeling. This study underscores the potential for physical limitations associated with low protein intakes, especially in adults with diabetes. In the longer term, low protein intakes may result in increased risk of muscle loss, as protein intake is a critical nutritional factor for prevention of sarcopenia, functional limitations, and falls. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

15 pages, 2694 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Autophagy Markers in Soleus Muscle Disuse-Induced Atrophy of Rats Treated with Fish Oil

by Gabriel Nasri Marzuca-Nassr, Wilson Mitsuo Tatagiba Kuwabara, Kaio Fernando Vitzel, Gilson Masahiro Murata, Rosângela Pavan Torres, Jorge Mancini-Filho, Tatiana Carolina Alba-Loureiro and Rui Curi

Nutrients 2021, 13(7), 2298; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13072298 - 03 Jul 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2902

Abstract

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and autophagy pathways are implicated in disuse muscle atrophy. The effects of high eicosapentaenoic (EPA) or high docosahexaenoic (DHA) fish oils on soleus muscle ERS and autophagy markers were investigated in a rat hindlimb suspension (HS) atrophy model. Adult Wistar male rats received daily by gavage supplementation (0.3 mL per 100 g b.w.) of mineral oil or high EPA or high DHA fish oils (FOs) for two weeks. Afterward, the rats were subjected to HS and the respective treatments concomitantly for an additional two-week period. After four weeks, we evaluated ERS and autophagy markers in the soleus muscle. Results were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc test. Gastrocnemius muscle ω-6/ω-3 fatty acids (FAs) ratio was decreased by both FOs indicating the tissue incorporation of omega-3 fatty acids. HS altered (p < 0.05) the protein content (decreasing total p38 and BiP and increasing p-JNK2/total JNK2 ratio, and caspase 3) and gene expressions (decreasing BiP and increasing IRE1 and PERK) of ERS and autophagy (decreasing Beclin and increasing LC3 and ATG14) markers in soleus. Both FOs attenuated (p < 0.05) the increase in PERK and ATG14 expressions induced by HS. Thus, both FOs could potentially attenuate ERS and autophagy in skeletal muscles undergoing atrophy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

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Review

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15 pages, 719 KiB

Open AccessReview

Diet Quality and Measures of Sarcopenia in Developing Economies: A Systematic Review

by Amutha Ramadas, Hian Hui Law, Raanita Krishnamoorthy, Jordan Wei Shan Ku, Parimala Mohanty, Matteus Zhen Chien Lim and Sangeetha Shyam

Nutrients 2022, 14(4), 868; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14040868 - 18 Feb 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3242

Abstract

Sarcopenia refers to common age-related changes characterised by loss of muscle mass, strength, and physical performance that results in physical disability, poorer health status, and higher mortality in older adults. Diet quality is indicated as a potentially modifiable risk factor for sarcopenia. However, the association between diet quality and sarcopenia in developing economies appears to be conflicting. Hence, we conducted a systematic review of the literature from developing economies examining the relationship between diet quality and at least one of the three components of sarcopenia, including muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance, and the overall risk of sarcopenia. No restrictions on age and study design were employed. We identified 15 studies that met review inclusion criteria. There was heterogeneity among the studies in the diet quality metric used and sarcopenia-related outcomes evaluated. Longitudinal evidence and studies relating diet quality to a holistic definition of sarcopenia were lacking. Although limited and predominantly cross-sectional, the evidence consistently showed that diet quality defined by diversity and nutrient adequacy was positively associated with sarcopenia components, such as muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

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11 pages, 827 KiB

Open AccessReview

Lifestyle Factors and Genetic Variants Associated to Health Disparities in the Hispanic Population

by Maria Luz Fernandez

Nutrients 2021, 13(7), 2189; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13072189 - 25 Jun 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5943

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases including type 2 diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, hepatic steatosis, and cancer are more prevalent in minority groups including Hispanics when compared to Non-Hispanic Whites, leading to the well-recognized terminology of health disparities. Although lifestyle factors including inadequate dietary habits, decreased physical activity, and more prominently, an unhealthy body weight, may be partly responsible for this disproportion in chronic diseases, genetic variations also make a substantial contribution to this problem. In this review, the well-recognized obesity problem in Hispanics that has been associated with chronic disease is examined as well as the influence of diet on promoting an inflammatory environment leading to increased cardiometabolic risk, insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, and cancer. In addition, some of the more studied genetic variations in Hispanics and their association with chronic disease is reviewed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Assessment and Chronic Disease)

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