Meal-specific dietary patterns and their contribution to habitual dietary patterns in the Iranian population

Grape seed extract supplementation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Background: Despite rising non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) prevalence and its impact on liver health, there's a lack of studies on grape seed extract's (GSE) effect on oxidative stress and quality of life (QoL) in NAFLD patients. This study aims to fill this gap by the potential benefits of GSE in reducing oxidative stress and improving QoL. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial study, fifty patients with NAFLD were randomly assigned to receive either 2 tablets of GSE containing 250 mg of proanthocyanidins or placebo (25 participants in each group) for two months. QoL was evaluated using the SF-36 questionnaire, and oxidative stress variables (TAC, MDA, SOD, GPx, CAT, and IL-6) were measured at the beginning and end of the study. Results: Compared with the control group, the group supplemented with GSE experienced greater reductions in IL-6 and MDA (3.14±1.43 pg/ml vs. 2.80±0.31 pg/ml; 4.16±2.09 μM vs. 4.59±1.19 μM, p for all <0.05), as well as greater increases in TAC, SOD, and GPx levels (0.18±0.08 mM vs. -0.03±0.09 mM; 10.5±6.69 U/ml vs. 8.93±1.63 U/ml; 14.7±13.4 U/ml vs. 8.24±3.03 U/ml, p for all <0.05). Furthermore, the QoL questionnaire showed that physical limitations, general health, and total physical health were significantly improved in the GSE group compared with the placebo (17.0±42.0 vs. -12.0±37.5; 3.80±14.8 vs. -3.92±9.55; 5.08 5.26 vs. -7.01±13.7, p for all <0.05). Conclusions: GSE can be effective in improving oxidative stress and QoL in patients with NAFLD. More studies are needed to confirm the results of this study.

Meal-specific dietary patterns and biomarkers of insulin resistance in a sample of Iranian adults: a cross-sectional study

Current research emphasizes the habitual dietary pattern without differentiating eating occasions. We aimed to assess meal-specific dietary patterns and insulin resistance indicators. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 825 Iranian adults. Dietary data were recorded by three 24-h dietary recalls. Dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis (PCA) on main meals and an afternoon snack. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, and laboratory investigation, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglyceride, insulin, c-reactive protein (CRP) were done. Homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance and sensitivity (HOMA-IR and HOMA-IS), Triglycerides and glucose (TyG-index), and Lipid accommodation product index were calculated. We used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) analysis. Two major dietary patterns at the main meals and the afternoon were identified. Higher adherence to "Bread, vegetable, and cheese" dietary pattern at breakfast was related to lower FPG, and "Oil, egg, and cereals" showed a direct association with body mass index, FPG, and TyG-index at breakfast. The "Western" pattern in lunch and dinner directly related to waist circumference (WC) and body mass index, however, it was inversely related to HOMA-IS. This pattern at dinner was related to higher CRP. Higher adherence to "bread, cereals, and oil" pattern at afternoon snack was associated with a lower WC. These results indicated that unhealthy meal-specific dietary patterns are associated with a greater chance of obesity and insulin resistance risk. However, "Bread, vegetable, and cheese" dietary pattern at breakfast was related to lower FPG, and "bread, cereals, and oil" pattern in the afternoon was associated with lower WC.

Saturated fats network identified using Gaussian graphical models is associated with metabolic syndrome in a sample of Iranian adults

BACKGROUND

Gaussian graphical models (GGM) are an innovative method for deriving dietary networks which reflect dietary intake patterns and demonstrate how food groups are consuming in relation to each other, independently. The aim of this study was to derive dietary networks and assess their association with metabolic syndrome in a sample of the Iranian population.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 850 apparently healthy adults were selected from referral health care centers. 168 food items food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intakes. Food networks were driven by applying GGM to 40 food groups. Metabolic syndrome was defined based on the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III).

RESULTS

Three GGM networks were identified: healthy, unhealthy and saturated fats. Results showed that adherence to saturated fats networks with the centrality of butter, was associated with higher odds of having metabolic syndrome after adjusting for potential confounders (OR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.61-2.82; P trend = 0.009) and higher odds of having hyperglycemia (P trend = 0.04). No significant association was observed between healthy and unhealthy dietary networks with metabolic syndrome, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia and central obesity. Furthermore, metabolic syndrome components were not related to the identified networks.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggested that greater adherence to the saturated fats network is associated with higher odds of having metabolic syndrome in Iranians. These findings highlight the effect of dietary intake patterns with metabolic syndrome.