ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has led many countries to implement restrictions on individual freedom to stop the contagion. The imposition of lockdowns has affected many socio-economic aspects and, in particular, eating habits, highlighting the need to analyse the healthiness of new consumption patterns. The aim of our study was to investigate the changes in adherence to the Mediterranean diet, a dietary model universally recognized as healthy, that have occurred both during and since the lockdown. The subsequent profiling of consumers allowed us to understand which sociodemographic and psychographic factors favoured the development of more or less adherence to Mediterranean diet consumption patterns. The study was conducted by administering a questionnaire to a representative sample of Italians and New Yorkers. Both groups, defined by deep socio-economic differences and by their own eating habits compared to the Mediterranean diet model, were affected by similar lockdown measures. The data collected were processed by cluster analysis that allowed to identify four homogeneous groups with respect to the adherence to the Mediterranean diet model. The results highlight a worrying situation with respect to the impacts of the pandemic on maintaining a proper dietary style according to the principles of the Mediterranean diet. In fact, there has been a general worsening trend due to an increase in consumption, in part linked to emotional eating, which is a cause for concern about the potential future impacts on the health of consumers. The study highlights the need, therefore, to implement actions by public decision-makers aimed at raising the awareness of citizens on the issue of correct eating habits and at developing adequate food policies to stem the trend towards unhealthy diets.
ABSTRACT
The aim of the study is to identify potential natural compounds against SARS-CoV-2 occurring in essential oils (EOs) following literature data attesting their anti-viral activity. The epidemic virus that started in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, has spread worldwide as a global pandemic. The interest in the development of drugs from natural products has increased greatly in recent decades. (EOs) have been studied over the centuries and are known to possess various pharmaceutical properties. Recent antiviral and silico methods are used to discover phyto-compounds, suitable for coronavirus treatment. To obtain this result we employed gas chromatography for the analysis of essential oils from Laurus nobilis, Pinus pinea, Pistacia palaestina, Juniperus oxycedrus, Juniperus excelsa, Pinus brutia, Cupressus sempervirens, Lavandula stoechas, Origanum syriacum, O. ehrenbergi, Salvia tribola, Satureja thymbra, Calamintha origanifolia, Feoniculum vulgare, Mentha longifolia, Cuminum cyminum and Pinpinella anisum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Plant Biosystems is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)