The Domains of Human Nutrition: The Importance of Nutrition Education in Academia and Medical Schools.

Human nutrition encompasses an extremely broad range of medical, social, commercial, and ethical domains and thus represents a wide, interdisciplinary scientific and cultural discipline. The high prevalence of both disease-related malnutrition and overweight/obesity represents an important risk factor for disease burden and mortality worldwide. It is the opinion of Federation of the Italian Nutrition Societies (FeSIN) that these two sides of the same coin, with their sociocultural background, are related to a low "nutritional culture" secondary, at least in part, to an insufficient academic training for health-care professionals (HCPs).

Diet-induced acidosis and alkali supplementation.

Western diet, high in protein-rich foods and poor in vegetables, is likely to be responsible for the development of a moderate acid excess leading to metabolism deregulation and the onset or worsening of chronic disturbances. Available findings seem to suggest that diets with high protein/vegetables ratio are likely to induce the development of calcium lithiasis, especially in predisposed subjects. Moreover, some evidence supports the hypothesis of bone metabolism worsening and enhanced bone loss following acid-genic diet consumption although available literature seems to lack direct and conclusive evidence demonstrating pathological bone loss.

n-3 LC-PUFA supplementation: effects on infant and maternal outcomes.

Background: Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid, are, respectively, n-3 and n-6 family members and play an important role in fetal and infant growth and development. Pregnancy and lactation impose special nutritional needs for the mother-fetus situation. Since the LC-PUFA required by the fetus is supplied by preferential placental transfer of preformed LC-PUFA rather than their precursor, it has been hypothesized that additional maternal supply of LC-PUFA, especially DHA, during pregnancy may improve maternal and infant outcomes.

Underreporting in obese inpatients undergoing a psycho-nutritional rehabilitative program.

Objective: To evaluate the possible correlation between underreporting and anthropometric, psychological and socio-anagraphic characteristics in obese inpatients.

Design: Perspective longitudinal study.

Subjects: Forty-two obese inpatients enrolled to a multidisciplinary 3-week weight loss program in a psycho-nutritional rehabilitative structure located in Salice Terme, Northern Italy.

Prevalence rate of Metabolic Syndrome in a group of light and heavy smokers.

Background: Smoking is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is widely accepted as a major risk factor for metabolic and cardiovascular disease. Smoking reduces insulin sensitivity or induces insulin resistance and enhances cardiovascular risk factors such as elevated plasma triglycerides, decreases high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and causes hyperglycemia.

Nutrition knowledge and other determinants of food intake and lifestyle habits in children and young adolescents living in a rural area of Sicily, South Italy.

Objective: The study aimed to test the reliability of a nutrition questionnaire and to assess potential associations between nutrition knowledge, food consumption and lifestyle behaviours, controlling for sociodemographic factors.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Comprehensive school in the municipality of Butera, a rural area of Sicily, South Italy.

Helping consumers make a more conscious nutritional choice: acceptability of nutrition information at a cafeteria.

Objective: A few studies link out-of-home eating to higher energy consumption, overweight and obesity in both adults and children. The present study was undertaken to investigate the nutritional value of meals available in a university cafeteria, in order to develop a target nutritional tool to help consumers make a more conscious nutritional choice.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Health nutrition practice in Italy.

The increasing need for nutrition professionals is driven by growing public interest in nutrition and the potential of nutrition to prevent and treat a variety of diet-related conditions. Health promotion units and health services face great challenges in trying to address current and future population health issues. This review describes the present state of health nutrition practice in Italy, exploring the nature, role, and utility of training for nutrition professionals to meet the increasing burden of nutrition-related diseases.

Reliability and relative validity of a quantitative food-frequency questionnaire for use among adults in Italian population.

Our objective was to assess the reliability and relative validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among adult people. In a cross-sectional study carried out in northern Italy, 112 adults were recruited. A total of 189 food and drink items were selected according to those typically consumed by Italians.

Lutein concentration in human milk during early lactation and its relationship with dietary lutein intake.

Objective: The present study aimed to estimate the lutein concentration in human milk during early lactation and its relationship with dietary lutein intake measured through the administration of a short FFQ.

Design: A cross-sectional study in which an FFQ was administered twice: on day 3 (T0) and day 30 (T1) postpartum; meanwhile two breast milk samples were collected. Maternal plasma samples were obtained at T0.

Dietary exposure estimates of twenty-one trace elements from a Total Diet Study carried out in Pavia, Northern Italy.

The significant role of trace elements in human health is well documented. Trace elements are those compounds that need to be present in the human diet to maintain normal physiological functions. However, some microelements may become harmful at high levels of exposure, or, on the other hand, may give rise to malnutrition, when their exposure is too low.

Eating habits and behaviors, physical activity, nutritional and food safety knowledge and beliefs in an adolescent Italian population.

Objective: The present study evaluates eating habits and behaviors, and nutritional and food safety knowledge of a group of Italian adolescents.

Design: A dietary questionnaire previously constructed and tested was self-administered during school time. Each section was evaluated using a separate score.

Development and validation of a brief food frequency questionnaire for dietary lutein and zeaxanthin intake assessment in Italian women.

Background: There is increasing evidence that higher intakes of carotenoids could protect against oxidative and light damage in premature infants and may promote other health benefits in both mothers during pregnancy and lactation and in newborn infants.

Aim Of The Study: To develop and validate a brief quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) aimed at assessing lutein and zeaxanthin intake in women.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, estimates of lutein and zeaxanthin intake from the FFQ were compared with a 7-day dietary record and with plasma concentrations of these carotenoids.

Evaluation of xenobiotics in human milk and ingestion by the newborn--an epidemiological survey in Lombardy (Northern Italy).

Background: Many human milk benefits have been well documented; nevertheless the newborn potential risk to the xenobiotic exposition may be relevant and it requires a biological monitoring in general prevention. Concerning this problem, attention should be paid to mycotoxins and heavy metals.

Aim Of The Study: Assessing the presence of the xenobiotics aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, lead and cadmium in human milk, defining their level of contamination and evaluate the potential risk for the newborn derived from this xenobiotic ingestion.

Nutritional concerns and possible countermeasures to nutritional issues related to space flight.

The experience obtained in astronauts until now has revealed many nutritional problems during both short- and long-term missions that are still under investigation. When the manned space program evolves to the point where it involves a considerable number of people operating at great distances from the Earth for long periods of time, continuous provision of food as well as physiopathological modifications partly related to nutrition will remain a challenge. Human space missions have outlined the importance of the diet on the quality of an astronaut's life, not only because an appropriate nutritional status can be maintained only through an adequate nutrient intake, but also because food plays an important socio-psychological role.