Assessment of the nutritional value and quality of diets offered in popular apps

OBJECTIVE

People commonly use new technologies to promote a healthy lifestyle and help them lose weight through nutritional programs. This study evaluated the quality of individualized meal plans offered by dietary apps.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ten apps that offer personalized meal plans were selected for the study, weekly meal plans were generated, and the nutritional values of the diets were calculated. The Healthy Diet Indicator and the Diet Quality Index were estimated.

RESULTS

Significant differences between apps were observed in the calculated energy values (p<0.0001) and macronutrients (p<0.05), the content of vitamins (vitamin A, E, K, B1, B3, B6, folates, C: p<0.05) and minerals (potassium, calcium, phosphor, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese: p<0.05), as well as diet quality (p<0.05) and food group consumption (vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products, vegan products, meat, nuts, fats, sweets, beverages: p<0.05). Most diets covered the demand for the required nutrients, but the percentage of energy from fats, proteins and carbohydrates differed from the recommendations. Moreover, the nutritional values of the diets provided in the apps significantly differ from the values calculated using the nutritional databases.

CONCLUSIONS

The meal plans from apps significantly differ in nutrients and food group intake. The quality of the diets offered in the app should be improved.

Subjective self-assessment of physical activity is negatively affected by monitoring awareness in subjects with mild cognitive impairment: a crossover randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

Physical activity plays an important role in maintaining mental and physical health. This study assessed the effect of physical activity monitoring awareness on the physical activity level and subjective self-assessment of physical activity in middle-aged subjects with normal cognitive function (NCF) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thirty-five subjects aged 50-65 years with NCF and MCI were randomised into two experimental groups, each taking part in two one-week intervention periods. Subjects in group A were not aware that their physical activity was monitored in the first week (phase I) and were aware of the monitoring in the second week (phase II), whereas it was the opposite order for group B. Physical activity was assessed using the ActiGraph GT9X accelerometer and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).

RESULTS

A total of 32 subjects (MCI: n = 12, NCF: n = 20) completed both intervention periods, with MCI subjects having significantly lower objectively assessed physical activity than NCF participants. Moreover, subjectively assessed physical activity in the MCI group was significantly higher when the participants were unaware of physical activity monitoring. A significant phase-group interaction was found in total (MET-min/d: p = 0.0072; min/d: p = 0.0194) and moderate (MET-min/d: p = 0.0015; min/d: p = 0.0020) physical activity as well as energy expenditure (p = 0.0366) assessed by the IPAQ and in the percentage of sedentary behaviour (p = 0.0330) and the average number of steps (p = 0.0342) assessed by ActiGraph.

CONCLUSIONS

The awareness of physical activity assessment might decrease the ability to subjectively assess physical activity in subjects with MCI.