Dietary Acid Load Associated with Hypertension and Diabetes in the Elderly.

BACKGROUND: Diet can affect the body's acid-base balance due to its content of acid or base precursors. There is conflicting evidence for the role of metabolic acidosis in the development of cardiometabolic disorders, hypertension (HT), and insulin resistance (IR). OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that dietary acid load (DAL) is associated with adverse metabolic risk factors and aimed to investigate this in the elderly. METHODS: A total of 114 elderly participants were included in the study. The participants were divided into four groups, such as HT, diabetes (DM), both HT and DM, and healthy controls. Anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical findings were recorded. Potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) results were obtained for three days, 24-hour dietary records via a nutrient database program (BeBiS software program). RESULTS: The groups were matched for age, gender, and BMI. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups regarding NEAP (p =0.01) and no significant difference for PRAL ( p = 0.086). The lowest NEAP and PRAL levels were seen in the control group while the highest in the HT group. Both NEAP and PRAL were correlated with waist circumference (r = 0,325, p = 0.001; r=0,231, p =0,016, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our data confirmed that subjects with HT and DM had diets with greater acid-forming potential. High NEAP may be a risk factor for chronic metabolic diseases, particularly HT. PRAL could not be shown as a significantly different marker in all participants. Dietary content has a significant contribution to the reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, such as HT, DM, and obesity.

Risk Factors for Constipation in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Aim: The objective of this study was to determine associations between physical activity, dietary fiber intake, water and fluid intake, and constipation as well as other possible risk factors for constipation in adults.Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 4561 (1812 male and 2749 female) adults, aged between 18-65 years, living in Ankara, Turkey. Participants having three or fewer bowel movements per week were considered constipated. Dietary fiber and fluid intake data were ascertained from a 62-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was used to evaluate participant physical activity.Results: Of the total cohort, 16.6% were diagnosed with constipation (13.6% males, 18.5% females). Logistic regression analysis showed a significantly greater risk of constipation in participants with female gender, advancing age, being obese. Participants who were moderately active (OR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.62-0.91) and active (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.59-0.90) had a decreased likelihood of constipation, when compared with inactive participants (p < 0.05). Participants in the middle upper quartile for water intake (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.57-0.88), had a decreased likelihood of constipation, when compared with participants in the lowest quartile. Participants in the middle upper quartile (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.58-0.92) and the highest quartile for dietary fiber intake (OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.52-0.84), had a decreased likelihood of constipation, when compared with participants in the lowest quartile (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Constipation is common in the Turkish adult population. Insufficient physical activity, decreasing fiber and water intake, obesity, advancing age and female gender were associated with increased constipation risks. Combining regular physical activity and increasing fiber and water intake may protect from constipation, and relieve constipation symptoms.