Loneliness, Emotional Eating, and COVID-19 in Youth

Objectives

Negative emotions, such as the feeling of loneliness, are significantly associated with emotional eating. As a coping mechanism to regulate and reduce negative emotions, adolescents and young adults are found to lose control and binge. The global pandemic and enforced lockdowns have imposed psychological changes, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress. COVID-19 has led to psychiatric morbidity and dietary changes in youth. This study was designed to see if the feeling of loneliness and emotional eating is associated with contraction COVID-19.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using internationally validated questionnaires such as the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), UCLA loneliness scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). An online survey comprised of these questionnaires and the history of diagnosed COVID-positive contractions was administered among undergraduate and graduate students in Karachi, Pakistan.

Results

Around 10% of the 234 respondents had a high tendency for emotional eating. Adolescents and young adults who had good eating behaviors (a low tendency for emotional eating) were less likely to be COVID positive (OR = 0.24; 95% CI = 0.08, 0.75), than those with a high tendency for emotional eating. Youth who had been COVID-positive had a significantly higher tendency for emotional eating (p = 0.02). Around 26% of the students had a loneliness score greater than the average and the median. People who felt less lonely were two times more likely to be COVID negative (OR = 2.78; 95% CI = 1.02, 7.55). Youth with overall good mental health (i.e., experiencing none or mild to moderate depression) were more likely to experience lower anxiety (OR = 8.19; 95% CI = 2.86, 23.48).

Conclusions

During the corona pandemic, youth feel more lonely and develop a tendency for emotional eating which is linked to being COVID positive. Building on this pilot data, future long-term intervention, and follow-up research are required to establish causation. Until then, mental health counseling and nutrition education may be integrated into education. Equipping academia to cater to the evolving youth demands should become a public health priority.

Funding Sources

None.

Almond protects the liver in coronary artery disease: A randomized controlled clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effect of Pakistani and American almonds on serum concentration of liver enzymes in coronary artery disease patients.

Methods

The randomised controlled trial was conducted at the Cardiology Clinics of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from February to July, 2012, and comprised patients who were randomised into intervention PA and AA groups and the control NI groups. Subjects in the intervention groups were provided Pakistani and American varieties of almonds 10g/day respectively with instructions to soak them overnight, remove the skin and eat them before breakfast for 12 weeks. The control group underwent no intervention. Serum concentrations of aspartate transaminase, Alanine transaminase and gamma-glutamyl transferase were analysed and compared.

RESULTS

Of the 150 subjects, 110(73.3%) completed the study. Of them, there were 38(34.5%) in PA group, 41(37.3%) in AA, and 31(28.2%) in the NI group. Dietary almonds significantly reduced serum concentrations of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and gamma-glutamyl transferase in the two intervention groups compared to the controls group (p<0.05) at 12-week follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

A low dose of almonds was found to be an effective strategy to protect the liver.

Edible Nuts for Memory

Nuts hold prime significance throughout the world as they offer multiple health benefits owing to their highly nutritious profile. A number of scientific studies have demonstrated their actions against inflammation, oxidative damage, the aging process, as well as dementia or memory loss. However, only walnuts, followed by almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios, have shown promising results in empirical studies for memory improvements. So, the current review focuses on presenting hypotheses regarding anti-dementia property of nine different nuts: almond, walnut, pistachio, Brazil nut, peanut, pecans, cashew, hazelnut, and chestnut. The nutritious profile of nuts contains essential fats (mostly mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids), proteins (source for arginine, lysine and tryptophan), vitamins (riboflavin, folate, and various tocopherols), fibers, minerals (calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium) and trace elements (copper, zinc, and selenium). Interestingly, the constituents of natural products, nuts being an excellent example, work synergistically and/or in a side-effect neutralizing manner. These latter properties can make nuts an alternate therapy for humankind to fight against memory loss.

Early Detection and Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease: Role of Oxidative Markers and Natural Antioxidants

Oxidative stress (OS) contributes to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. OS can be a result of increased reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, reduced antioxidants, oxidatively damaged molecules, and/or a combination of these factors. Scientific literature is scarce for the markers of OS-specific for detecting AD at an early stage. The first aim of the current review is to provide an overview of the potential OS markers in the brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood and/or urine that can be used for early diagnosis of human AD. The reason for exploring OS markers is that the proposed antioxidant therapies against AD appear to start too late to be effective. The second aim is to evaluate the evidence for natural antioxidants currently proposed to prevent or treat AD symptoms. To address these two aims, we critically evaluated the studies on humans in which various OS markers for detecting AD at an early stage were presented. Non-invasive OS markers that can detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD at an early stage in humans with greater specificity and sensitivity are primarily related to lipid peroxidation. However, a combination of OS markers, family history, and other biochemical tests are needed to detect the disease early on. We also report that the long-term use of vitamins (vitamin E as in almonds) and polyphenol-rich foods (curcumin/curcuminoids of turmeric, ginkgo biloba, epigallocatechin-3-gallate in green tea) seem justified for ameliorating AD symptoms. Future research on humans is warranted to justify the use of natural antioxidants.

Almond supplementation reduces serum uric acid in coronary artery disease patients: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

Elevated serum uric acid (UA), a biomarker of renal insufficiency, is also an independent prognostic marker for morbidity in coronary artery disease (CAD) and poses serious health risks. This study reports the effect of almond consumption on UA in CAD patients.

STUDY DESIGN

A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted with three groups: no-intervention (NI), Pakistani almonds (PA) or American almonds (AA). Patients were recruited from the Cardiology Clinics, Aga Khan University Hospital. Two follow-ups were scheduled at week-6 and week-12. 150 patients were randomly divided in three groups (50 per group). NI was not given almonds, whereas the PA and AA were given Pakistani and American almond varieties (10 g/day), respectively; with instruction to soak overnight and eat before breakfast.

RESULTS

Almonds supplementation significantly reduced (p < 0.05) serum UA among groups, and over time. At week-6, UA concentrations were -13 to -16 % less in PA and AA; at week-12 the concentrations were -14 to -18 % less, compared to NI. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and body weights of the participants remained fairly constant among all the groups.

CONCLUSION

Almonds (10 g/day), eaten before breakfast, reduces serum UA in CAD patients. Prevention of hyperuricemia can confer protection from kidney and vascular damage and if extrapolated for general population, dietary almonds can offer grander health benefit. Trial is registered at Australian New Zealand Clinical trial registry as ACTRN12614000036617.

Cholesterol-cholate-butterfat diet offers multi-organ dysfunction in rats

Background

Comparable to commercial expensive high-fat diets, cholesterol-cholate-butterfat (CCB) diet has also been used to induce hyperlipidemia in rats. Our objective was to explore its influence on multiple organs. Consequence of fasting was also analysed.

Methods

Rats in groups 1 and 2 received normal diet (ND) whereas groups 3 and 4 received CCB-diet. Food was withdrawn daily for two hours from groups 2 (ND-F) and 4 (CCB-F). Blood was collected at fourth and sixth week for biochemical estimation; Morris water maze was done in the sixth week for learning ability and memory; after which aortae were isolated for vascular reactivity.

Results

Apart from hyperlipidemia, CCB also induced hyperglycemia with marked increase in hepatic enzymes: gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT and AST); and vascular biomarkers: uric acid (UA), phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Isolated aortae, pre-contracted with phenylephrine, were less responsive to acetylcholine indicating endothelial dysfunction – serum nitric oxide (NO) production was limited with subsequent inhibition of endothelial NO synthase. CCB diet also compromised learning ability. CCB-coupled fasting potentiated hyperlipidemia but prevented memory-loss.

Conclusion

We introduce CCB-diet for multi-organ dysfunction in rats, and propose its use for research on cardiovascular diseases and associated manifestations involving immense interplay of integrated pathways.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1476-511X-13-194) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.