ABSTRACT
Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease in which thyroid cells are attacked through cell-and antibody-mediated immune processes. A gluten-free diet reduces antibody concentration and regulates thyroid autoimmunization. Mediterranean diet reduces oxidative stress. This study evaluates the short-term effects of Mediterranean, gluten-free, and Mediterranean gluten-free dietary patterns on thyroid function and autoantibody levels of patients. The 40 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis included in the study were randomly divided into four groups (defined as gluten-free, Mediterranean, Mediterranean gluten-free, and controls) for 12 weeks. Thyroid function tests, autoantibody levels, and food consumption were recorded at the beginning and end of the study. There was no statistically significant difference in TSH levels of the groups before the intervention, but a statistically significant difference was found afterward (p < 0.05). Free T3 hormone levels showed a statistically significant difference across the groups before and after the intervention (p < 0.05). Free T3 hormone levels increased significantly in all intervention groups after the intervention, with the highest increase in the Mediterranean group (p < 0.05). In the intervention groups, anti-TPO and anti-Tg levels decreased after the intervention; however, this difference was not significant across groups (p > 0.05). In addition, body weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference averages decreased significantly in all intervention groups compared with controls (p < 0.05). The study achieved an increase in Free T3 hormone levels in the intervention groups. The most marked difference was seen in the Mediterranean gluten-free diet model, which may be due to the anti-inflammatory effect of both Mediterranean and gluten-free diets and the loss of body weight as a result of the intervention.
ABSTRACT
Much research has been conducted regarding the impact of diet on the gut microbiota. However, the effects of dietary habits such as intermittent fasting are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of intermittent fasting during Ramadan on the gut microbiota. The study was conducted on 12 healthy adult individuals who practiced fasting 17 h per day for 29 consecutive days during the month of Ramadan. To determine the dietary intake of individuals, a 3-day dietary record was kept at the beginning and end of the study. Reads that passed quality filtering were clustered, and custom-prepared 16S rRNA gene regions of bacteria associated with the human microbiome were used as a reference. Consensus sequences were created, and genus-level taxonomic annotations were determined using a sequence identity threshold of 95%. The correlations between the dietary intake measurements of the participants and the respective relative abundance of bacterial genera were investigated. The results showed that Firmicutes were higher in abundance in the gut microbiota before fasting among participants, while they were significantly lower in abundance at the end of Ramadan fasting (p < 0.05). Proteobacteria were significantly higher in abundance at the end of the month of Ramadan (p < 0.05). Fasting was associated with a significant decrease in levels of seven genera: Blautia, Coprococcus, Dorea, Faecalicatena, Fusicatenibacter, Lachnoclostridium, and Mediterraneibacter. Conversely, the abundances of two bacterial genera were enhanced at the end of the fasting month: Escherichia and Shigella. The results of the dietary intake analysis showed that a negative correlation was detected for three comparisons: Ihubacter and protein (rho = -0.54, p = 0.0068), Fusicatenibacter and vegetables (rho = -0.54, p = 0.0042), and Intestinibacter and nuts (rho = -0.54, p-value = 0.0065). The results suggest that even when the fasting period during Ramadan is consistent, the types of food consumed by individuals can affect the gut microbiota.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: It is important to determine Dysfunctional eating behaviors such as dietary restraint and overeating tendencies in order to provide weight management and acquire the right habits in children. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire Children (DEBQ-C) with Turkish preadolescent children. MATERIALS/METHODS: This research included 440 preadolescents (9.3 ± 6.9 years and 235 girls, 205 boys). The instrument is divided into three subscales, each with 20 items. Emotional eating, restrained eating, and external eating are the three subscales. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the construct validity of the Turkish version of the DEBQ-C, and Cronbach α values were computed to evaluate the subscale reliabilities. There were 20 observable variables and three latent variables in the hypothesized model. RESULTS: Fit indices for the hypothesized model were good (×2/degree of freedom = 1.96; root mean square error of approximation = 0.05; comparative fit index = 0.95; goodness of fit index = 0.93). These findings revealed that the Turkish version of the DEBQ-C has a factor structure that was identical to the three-factor structure of the original scale. The Turkish version of the DEBQ-C subscales has internal consistency coefficients ranging from 0.72 (external eating) to 0.86. (emotional eating). CONCLUSIONS: The DEBQ-C Turkish version is a viable and reliable tool for measuring overeating tendencies in Turkish preadolescents, according to the findings.
