Association of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, Physical Activity, and Their Combination with Semen Quality: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The influence of individual lifestyle factors is widely described in studies on semen quality. However, their synergistic effect is often neglected. The aim of the study was to examine the association between semen quality and dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet, physical activity (PA), and the two separately and in combination. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 207 men aged 20-55. Dietary data were collected by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and analysed according to the DASH scoring index. Physical activity was evaluated by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Semen parameters were assessed via the computer-aided semen analysis (CASA). Adherence to the DASH diet was associated with higher sperm count (ΔT3-T1 = 82.1 mln/ej) and concentration (ΔT3-T1 = 24.6 mln/mL). Higher PA was related to higher sperm count (ΔT3-T1 = 69.4 mln/ej), total (ΔT3-T1 = 11.9%), and progressive motility (ΔT3-T1 = 8.5%) and morphology (ΔT3-T1 = 2.8%) in the crude model and remained significant after adjustment. The combination of the DASH diet and PA, was significantly positively associated with sperm count (ΔT3-T1 = 98.1 mln/ej), sperm concentration (ΔT3-T1 = 17.5 mln/mL), total (ΔT3-T1 = 11.8%), and progressive motility (ΔT3-T1 = 10.0%) and morphology (ΔT3-T1 = 3.3%) in both models. Adherence to the DASH diet was related to higher sperm count and concentration, whereas after its combination with physical activity it was also positively correlated with sperm motility and morphology.

Nutrient patterns and the skeletal muscle mass index among Polish women: a cross-sectional study.

Ageing involves significant changes in skeletal muscle mass and its functioning. This study aimed to identify the major nutrient patterns (NPs) present in a sample of adult Polish women and evaluate their associations with the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI). A cross-sectional study initially recruited 527 women, and a final analysis was carried out on 275 women aged 32-60 years. Nutrient intake was assessed using fourteen repetitions of 24-hour dietary recall. NPs were derived using principal component analysis. Associations between adherence to NPs and the SMI were evaluated using linear regression models. Three NPs were identified: 'Animal Protein-Vitamins', 'Fibre-Plant Protein-Minerals' and 'Fats'. In the adjusted model, the upper tertile compared to the bottom tertile of the 'Animal Protein-Vitamins' NP was related to a higher SMI (ß = 0.123 95% CI: 0.019; 0.227; P for 1-SD increase of NP score = 0.009). No associations between the SMI and the 'Fibre-Plant Protein-Minerals' and 'Fats' NPs were observed. Our results indicate that high adherence to animal product-rich patterns might be related to higher muscle mass in adult women. Research on the influence of dietary and nutrient patterns on the quality of muscle tissue may contribute to the setting of guidelines for nutritional protection of skeletal muscle with ageing and, consequently, dietary recommendations that would improve the quality of women's lives at the later stage of life.

Dietary Patterns and Poor Semen Quality Risk in Men: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The etiology of diminished sperm quality in about 30% of male infertility cases generally remains unexplained. Some studies have suggested that specific nutritional factors can affect semen quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate an association between dietary patterns (DPs) and the risk of abnormal semen quality parameters in men. This cross-sectional study was carried out in 114 men aged 20⁻55 years from Poland. Semen parameters were assessed via computer-aided semen. Diet was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). DPs were derived using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Two DPs were derived: Pro-healthy and Western. After adjusting for potential confounders, the risk of abnormal progressive motility was significantly higher in the middle (OR: 2.89, 95% CI: 1.03⁻8.09) and upper (OR: 7.78, 95% CI: 1.52⁻15.06) tertiles of the Western DP. A trend for increased risk of the abnormal total count, progressive motility, and morphology (P-trend < 0.050) was found in Western DP. To conclude, the Western DP may increase the risk of abnormal semen parameters, whereas no association was found in the case of Pro-healthy DP. These findings stand in contrast to an increasing number of research findings indicating a positive relation between intake of healthy foods or diet and semen quality parameters. The results highlight the need to study whether modifications in diet and lifestyle factors improve semen quality.

Effects of physical activity during pregnancy and gestational weight gain on newborn weight and length at birth in Warminsko-Mazurskie province.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological research has identified a relationship between maternal physical activity, early nutrition and infant birth weight with likelihood of developing future diseases. The aim of the study was to determine a relationship between gestational weight gain and physical activity during pregnancy to the nutritional status of newborns. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The presented study was conducted in the period from February 2010 until November 2012 in the gynecological and obstetric clinics in Warminsko-Mazurskie voivodeship with various levels of reference. The research subjects included 510 women in the puerperal period aged 18-36. The scope of the research included an assessment of the selected anthropometric parameters of both pregnant women (body mass, height, BMI, gestational weight gain) and newborns (infant birth weight, infant length, Ponderal Index), as well as an analysis of the connections between the gestational weight gain, physical activity during pregnancy and anthropometric parameters of newborns. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In the study group there was a significant percentage of women characterised by an inactive lifestyle and excessive gestational weight gain. There were significantly higher neonatal birth anthropometric parameters in women with abnormal excessive gestational weight gain than in women with normal and inappropriate - low gestational weight gain. The highest percentage of women with appropriate weight gain was observed in the group of women who are physically active, although this requires confirmation in larger population. Our studies have not shown statistically significant differences between the gestational weight gain and nutritional status of newborns in relation to the level of physical activity of pregnant women.