Background/objectives: Despite the accumulating evidence on the detrimental impact of UPFs on health, a common limit of the available studies concerns the instruments used to collect information about the consumption of processed foods. Recently, a specific NOVA-FFQ was proposed for the evaluation of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption, but it does not allow the simultaneous assessment of energy and nutrient intake. We evaluate the concordance between the NOVA-FFQ and a common questionnaire (EPIC-FFQ) when assessing (1) the intake of foods with different degrees of processing and (2) the relationship between diet composition and cardiometabolic profile.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The postprandial glucose response (PPGR), contributing to the glycemic variability (GV), is positively associated with cardiovascular disease risk in people without diabetes, and can thus represent a target for cardiometabolic prevention strategies.
Objectives: The study aimed to distinguish patterns of PPGR after a single nonstandardized meal and to evaluate their relationship with the habitual diet and the daily glucose profile (DGP) in individuals at high-cardiometabolic risk.
Methods: Baseline 4-d continuous glucose monitoring was performed in 159 adults recruited in the MEDGI-Carb trial.
Background: Endothelial dysfunction is recognized as an early modification involved in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. Evidence suggests that the Mediterranean Diet (MD) is associated with endothelial function improvement and, in turn, plays an important role in atherosclerosis development and progression.
Objectives: To evaluate both acute and sustained effects of the MD on endothelial function in patients with high cardiometabolic risk.
The life-long adherence to a dietary pattern able to provide a high amount of polyphenols demonstrating beneficial cardiometabolic effects is demanding for the general population. In this study, red grape pomace (GP) was used as an ingredient to increase the daily polyphenols' intake. The incorporation of crude crushed GP at 20 and 30% (/) in a control (CTR) biscuit formula improved the nutritional profile by increasing the fiber and reducing lipid and energy content while providing up to 540 mg of polyphenols per 100 g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A healthy eating pattern such as the Mediterranean-style healthy eating pattern (MED-HEP) is associated with favorable effects on both cardiometabolic risk markers and self-reported health outcomes. Limited evidence exists regarding the influence of the glycemic index (GI) of carbohydrate foods consumed within a healthy eating pattern on self-reported health status and sleep.
Objectives: To investigate the effects of a low- compared with high-GI MED-HEP on changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and sleep.
Background: The role of dietary Glycemic Index (GI), independently of fiber intake, in modulating cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among non-diabetic individuals has not been fully elucidated.
Objective: To evaluate the effects of a low- versus a high-GI diet, based on a Mediterranean dietary pattern, on cardiometabolic risk factors in individuals at high CVD risk, participating in the MEDGI-Carb intervention study.
Subjects And Methods: 160 individuals, aged 30-69 years, BMI 25-37 kg/m, with a waist circumference >102 cm (males) or >88 cm (females) and one feature of the metabolic syndrome, participated in a multi-national (Italy, Sweden, USA) randomized controlled parallel group trial.
Evidence of associations between ultra-processed foods (UPF) and increased risk of cardiovascular disease is emerging, but it is unclear how much this is influenced by the methodology used to assess the UPF intake or by the level of consumption. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate 1) the association between UPF consumption and risk of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity, using prospective cohort studies; 2) the differential associations depending on the methodology used to assess UPF intake and the level of UPF consumption and 3) the quality of evidence using the NutriGrade scoring system. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus through 1 April, 2023, on studies conducted in humans providing data for the highest compared with the lowest UPF consumption categories.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe global prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has surged in recent decades, and the identification of differential glycemic responders can aid tailored treatment for the prevention of prediabetes and T2DM. A mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT) based on regular foods offers the potential to uncover differential responders in dynamical postprandial events. We aimed to fit a simple mathematical model on dynamic postprandial glucose data from repeated MMTTs among participants with elevated T2DM risk to identify response clusters and investigate their association with T2DM risk factors and gut microbiota.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground & Aims: Recent evidence suggests that the ability to regulate glucose and insulin homeostasis is different in men and women. Against this background, it has been hypothesized that the impact on daily plasma glucose and insulin profiles of the glycemic index (GI) of the habitual diet may differ according to sex. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether 8-h average plasma glucose and insulin profiles during a low- or a high-GI diet in individuals at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes are influenced by sex.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: High amylose starchy foods modulate the postprandial metabolic response in humans. However, the mechanisms of their metabolic benefits and their impact on the subsequent meal have not been fully elucidated.
Objective: We aimed to evaluate whether glucose and insulin responses to a standard lunch are influenced by the consumption of amylose-rich bread at breakfast in overweight adults and whether changes in plasma short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentrations contribute to their metabolic effects.
Aim: aim of the study was to evaluate serum short chain fatty acids (SCFA) concentrations in patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and overweight/obese individuals.
Methods: In forty-three patients with T2D and twenty-eight overweight/obese patients SCFA were determined by Gas-Chromatography/Flame Ionization Detector (GC/FID).
Results: Acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and total SCFA were significantly reduced in T2D patients compared to overweight/obese in the unadjusted model.
A Mediterranean-style healthy eating pattern (MED-HEP) supports metabolic health, but the utility of including low-glycemic index (GI) foods to minimize postprandial glucose excursions remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the relative contribution of GI towards improvements in postprandial glycemia and glycemic variability after adopting a MED-HEP. We conducted a randomized, controlled dietary intervention, comparing high- versus low-GI diets in a multi-national (Italy, Sweden, and the United States) sample of adults at risk for type 2 diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis
March 2022
Background And Aims: Aleurone is the innermost layer of wheat bran, rich in fiber, minerals, vitamins, phenolic compounds, and betaine. The metabolic effects of aleurone rich foods are still unknown. Our aim was to investigate the effects of consuming a Wheat Aleurone rich diet vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInterest has arisen on the anti-inflammatory action of dietary components, including long-chain n-3 fatty acids (LCn3) and polyphenols (PP). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of diets rich in PP and oily fish (high-LCn3 diets) on markers of subclinical inflammation and growth factors in people at high cardiometabolic risk. Individuals with high waist circumference and one more component of metabolic syndrome were randomized to one of the following isoenergetic diets: low LCn3&PP, high LCn3, high PP, high LCn3&PP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Plasma trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) has drawn much attention as a marker of several chronic diseases. Data on the relation between diet and TMAO are discordant and few human intervention studies have assessed causality for this association.
Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effects on plasma TMAO of diets based on foods rich in polyphenols (PP) and/or long-chain n-3 fatty acids (LCn3) or whole-grain cereals (WGCs), in individuals at high cardiometabolic risk.
Background And Aims: Wholegrain cereals have been implicated in the reduction of lifestyle-related chronic diseases risk including cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Molecular mechanisms responsible for the beneficial health effects are not entirely understood. The aims of this study were 1) to identify new potential plasma biomarker candidate metabolites of wholegrain cereal foods intake and 2) to examine whether some putative metabolites associated with wholegrain foods intake may play a role in the improvement of cardiometabolic risk factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe year 2020 celebrated the tenth anniversary of the recognition of the Mediterranean Diet as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee. This event represented a milestone in the history of nutrition, as the Mediterranean diet was the first traditional food practice to receive such award. Since then, a lot has been discussed not only on the beneficial aspects of the Mediterranean diet, but also on its complex role as a lifestyle model that includes a set of skills, knowledge and intercultural dialogue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeawater is rich in minerals which may help confer good palatability to foods, favouring the use of smaller amounts of salt, a recognized measure of cardiovascular prevention. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional properties, sensory characteristics and metabolic effects of a typical Neapolitan pizza prepared with seawater (SWP) in place of common salt, in comparison with Standard traditional Pizza (StP). The nutritional characteristics and the chemical profile of the SWP and StP were assessed by chemical analyses and the use of Food Composition Tables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdults with central adiposity and other features of the metabolic syndrome have a markedly elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). A Mediterranean-style healthy eating pattern (MED-HEP) and consumption of foods with a lower glycemic index (GI) are potential dietary approaches to curb the T2D and CVD epidemic. However, experimental evidence of the effectiveness of MED-HEP and of the contribution of GI towards improving indices of glucose homeostasis, especially among non-diabetic people, are lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground & Aims: Postprandial metabolic abnormalities are considered important and independent risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. However, the effects of the Mediterranean diet on postprandial metabolism and the mechanism underpinning the effects on clinical variables have not been exhaustively explored. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to evaluate the acute and medium-term effects (8 weeks) on postprandial glucose and lipid metabolism of a diet resembling a typical Mediterranean diet (Med-D) compared to a western-type diet (Control-D), and the mechanisms underlying those effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: This study aimed to explore the effects of an isocaloric Mediterranean diet (MD) intervention on metabolic health, gut microbiome and systemic metabolome in subjects with lifestyle risk factors for metabolic disease.
Design: Eighty-two healthy overweight and obese subjects with a habitually low intake of fruit and vegetables and a sedentary lifestyle participated in a parallel 8-week randomised controlled trial. Forty-three participants consumed an MD tailored to their habitual energy intakes (MedD), and 39 maintained their regular diets (ConD).
: Growing evidence shows that grape polyphenols can improve cardiovascular risk factors. Although there are clear data supporting a beneficial effect of grape supplementation on blood pressure and glucose metabolism, the effects of grape polyphenols on lipid metabolism are still controversial. : We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effect of grape products on lipid profile.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis
March 2020
Aim: A large body of evidence supports a role of polyphenols in the prevention of chronic diseases, i.e. type 2 diabetes (DMT2), cardiovascular diseases and some types of cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiet is an important, modifiable lifestyle factor of cardiometabolic disease risk, and an improved diet can delay or even prevent the onset of disease. Recent evidence suggests that individuals could benefit from diets adapted to their genotype and phenotype: that is, personalized nutrition. A novel strategy is to tailor diets for groups of individuals according to their metabolic phenotypes (metabotypes).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF