Abstract

(1) Background: With the aging population, effective interventions are needed to enhance the health of older adults. This study investigated the combined effects of yoga and the Mediterranean diet on various health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults; (2) Methods: The study employed a randomized controlled trial design with a total of 116 older adults randomized to an experimental group (n = 57) that underwent a combined yoga and Mediterranean diet program and a control group (n = 59) that did not receive any intervention. Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment, flexibility with the Back Scratch Test and the Chair Sit-and-Reach Test, balance, gait, and fall risk with the Tinetti Scale, and muscle strength with a dynamometer and the 30 s Chair Stand Test; (3) Results: Regarding nutritional status, there were significant differences between the experimental group and the control group (Cohen's d = 0.02). The participants in the experimental group showed greater balance (11.12 ± 3.01 vs. 10.03 ± 2.35, Cohen's d = 0.41 and gait (7.63 ± 1.96 vs. 6.69 ± 2.50, Cohen's d = 0.44) with respect to the control group. In terms of flexibility, the experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in the right arm (Cohen's d = 0.43), left arm (Cohen's d = 0.64), right perineum (Cohen's d = 0.42), and left leg (Cohen's d = 0.37) Finally, in terms of strength, participants in the experimental group experienced statistically significant improvements in grip strength and lower body strength (Cohen's d = 0.39 and 0.81, respectively); (4) Conclusions: The study highlights the potential benefits of a 12-week intervention combining yoga with a Mediterranean diet to improve the health and functional capacities of community-dwelling older adults.

Abstract

(1) Background: Global population aging is changing demographic structures and presents significant challenges for health systems, which must adapt to an increasingly elderly population. (2) Methods: The study employed a randomized controlled trial design with a total of 116 older adults aged 65 or older, randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 57) undergoing a combined resistance program and Mediterranean diet program and a control group (n = 59) who did not receive any intervention. Anxiety and depression were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), sleep quality through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and perceived stress using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). (3) Results: Statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05) were observed both within and between groups in anxiety (Cohen's d = 0.38 and 0.78, respectively), depression (Cohen's d = 0.56 and 0.18, respectively), perceived stress (Cohen's d = 0.15 and 0.39, respectively), and in the PSQI domains: subjective sleep quality (Cohen's d = 1.01 and 0.53, respectively), sleep duration (Cohen's d = 0.112 and 0.53, respectively), sleep disturbances (Cohen's d = 1.92 and 0.95, respectively), use of medications (Cohen's d = 0.34 and 0.40, respectively), and the PSQI total score (Cohen's d = 0.68 and 0.49, respectively). No significant differences were observed in sleep latency or daytime dysfunction. (4) Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that resistance intervention may be an effective therapeutic option to improve mental health and sleep quality in older adults aged 65 or older, offering a non-pharmacological approach to improving overall well-being in this demographic.

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW We aimed to examine the relationship between various diet quality scores and obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in children and adolescents. RECENT FINDINGS Obesity and MetS, which increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease from childhood through adolescence, have been associated with adherence to various diet quality scores. A systematic search was performed in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, SciELO, Embase, and Cochrane, covering the period until March 2024. Two researchers evaluated 3,519 studies according to the inclusion criteria. Finally, 73 articles that analysed the relationship between diet quality scores and obesity and MetS were included, and 6 of them were included in a meta-analysis. Children younger than 12 years old showed statistically significant differences indicating a higher Mediterranean diet (MD) score adherence compared to those with a low score adherence for BMI (MD = 0.33 kg/m2, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.64) and WC values (MD = 1.21 cm, 95% CI: 0.50, 1.93). Additionally, in the meta-regression analysis, boys showed stronger associations for BMI, z-score BMI and WC (β = 19.82, 95% CI: 17.62, 22.03, β = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.96 and β = 67.03, 95% CI: 57.29, 76.77, respectively). Studies in this review suggest an association between high adherence to different diet quality scores and low BMI. Meta-analysis assessing the association between adherence to the MD and BMI, and WC, showed a protective effect of the MD pattern against obesity outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analyses provided evidence on the effect of the diet quality on obesity and MetS in children and adolescents.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the Mediterranean diet (MD), combined with curcumin and resveratrol supplementation, on disease activity, serum inflammatory markers, and quality of life in patients with mild-to-moderate active ulcerative colitis (UC). This study was designed as a prospective multicenter three-arm randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized to the MD, MD + curcumin, and MD + resveratrol groups. All participants were placed on the MD for 8 weeks. The MD + curcumin group also received 1600 mg/day of curcumin supplementation, whereas the MD + resveratrol group received 500 mg/day of resveratrol supplementation for 8 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, Truelove-Witts Index, Short Form-36, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale (MEDAS), and laboratory tests were performed at baseline and postintervention. Within-group comparisons showed that MD, MD + curcumin, and MD + resveratrol interventions were effective in reducing disease activity and inflammation and improving quality of life in individuals with UC (p < 0.05). Between-group comparisons revealed no significant difference in all parameters except for the pain subparameter of SF-36 and the MEDAS score (p < 0.05). The MD is an effective and safe intervention to be used in clinical practice in individuals with UC.

Abstract

AIMS: To evaluate the effect of an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) on the structural and functional cardiac substrate of atrial fibrillation (AF) in overweight or obese people with metabolic syndrome (Mets). METHODS AND RESULTS Participants of the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterranea-Plus trial (n = 6874) were randomized 1:1 to an ILI programme based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet, increased physical activity, and cognitive-behavioural weight management or to a control intervention of low-intensity dietary advice. A core echocardiography lab evaluated left atrial (LA) strain, function, and volumes in 534 participants at baseline, 3-year, and 5-year follow-ups. Mixed models were used to evaluate the effect of the ILI on LA structure and function. In the subsample, the baseline mean age was 65 years [standard deviation (SD) 5 years], and 40% of the participants were women. The mean weight change after 5 years was -3.9 kg (SD 5.3 kg) in the ILI group and -0.3 kg (SD 5.1 kg) in the control group. Over the 5-year period, both groups experienced a worsening of LA structure and function, with increases in LA volumes and stiffness index and decreases in LA longitudinal strain, LA function index, and LA emptying fraction over time. Changes in the ILI and control groups were not significantly different for any of the primary outcomes {LA emptying fraction: -0.95% [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.93, -0.98] in the control group, -0.97% [95% CI -0.94, -1.00] in the ILI group, Pbetween groups = 0.80; LA longitudinal strain: 0.82% [95% CI 0.79, 0.85] in the control group, 0.85% [95% CI 0.82, 0.89] in the ILI group, Pbetween groups = 0.24} or any of the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION In overweight or obese people with Mets, an ILI had no impact on the underlying structural and functional LA substrate measurements associated with AF risk. This study evaluated whether an intervention-modifying lifestyle had an effect on the parts of the heart involved in the development of atrial fibrillation (AF), a common problem of the heart rhythm. This intervention was implemented in people who had excessive body weight and the metabolic syndrome (Mets), which is a combination of several cardiovascular risk factors. The lifestyle intervention included promoting a Mediterranean diet low in calories and increasing exercise to facilitate weight loss, and this intervention was compared with a control intervention to follow a healthy diet. We performed repeated studies of the heart structure and function with imaging over a period of 5 years. During the 5 years of the study, both study groups (intervention and control) showed changes in their heart consistent with ageing. However, these changes were not different in those who were receiving the lifestyle intervention. Also, participants who lost more weight, adhered better to the study diet, or did more physical activity, overall did not show any differences in their heart compared with those who did not achieve their lifestyle goals.In conclusion, a lifestyle intervention focusing on weight loss, better diet, and more exercise was not effective in improving parts of the heart potentially involved with the risk of AF.In people with metabolic syndrome, a weight control lifestyle intervention, based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet and physical activity, had no effect on the structural and functional cardiac substrate of atrial fibrillation.

Abstract

The effect of different diet patterns on psoriasis (PSO) and psoriatic arthritis (PSA) is unknown. Τhe aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Mediterranean diet (MD) and Ketogenic diet (KD), in patients with PSO and PSA. Twenty-six patients were randomly assigned to start either with MD or KD for a period of 8 weeks. After a 6-week washout interval, the two groups were crossed over to the other type of diet for 8 weeks. At the end of this study, MD and KD resulted in significant reduction in weight (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, respectively), in BMI (p = 0.006, p < 0.001, respectively), in waist circumference (WC) (p = 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively), in total fat mass (p = 0.007, p < 0.001, respectively), and in visceral fat (p = 0.01, p < 0.001, respectively), in comparison with baseline. After KD, patients displayed a significant reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) (p = 0.04), Disease Activity Index of Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) (p = 0.004), interleukin (IL)-6 (p = 0.047), IL-17 (p = 0.042), and IL-23 (p = 0.037), whereas no significant differences were observed in these markers after MD (p > 0.05), compared to baseline. The 22-week MD-KD diet program in patients with PSO and PSA led to beneficial results in markers of inflammation and disease activity, which were mainly attributed to KD.