Assessing effects of diet alteration on selected parameters of chronically mentally ill residents of a 24-hour Nursing Home. Part 3: Effects of diet modification on selected health indicators. / Ocena wplywu zmian sposobu zywienia na wybrane parametry u osób przewlekle psychicznie chorych przebywajacych w calodobowym DPS. Cz. 3: Wplyw zmian w sposobie zywienia na wybrane wskazniki zdrowia.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the research was to check whether, and to what extent, dietary changes affect the selected indicators of health, including well-being. METHODS: The study, lasting 3 years, included 52 chronically mentally ill people. Hand grip strength (HGS) measurements ?before" and ?after" feeding adjustments were performed using a SaehanTM pear dynamometer, blood pressure measurements were made using an Omron blood pressure monitor. Well-being was assessed using the UMACL Adjective Mood Scale. Based on the analysis of medical records, the study also included: the number of infections of the upper respiratory tract, the number of autoaggressive/aggressive behaviors and the frequency of stay of extremely offensive/agitated residents in the hospital. RESULTS: The dietary changes were reflected in the increased value of the hand grip strength (especially in women), lowered or normalized blood pressure to normal or recommended values, lowered tension arousal, accompanied by an increase in energetic arousal and hedonic tone (translating into improved well-being and mood), and a decrease in the number of episodes of aggression/self-aggression and associated hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: The dietary changes resulted in an improvement in the tested parameters as well as in reduction in the amount of food wasted by the residents. There was also a decrease in the number of catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, which reduced the overall number and quantity of prescribed drugs.

The Effect of Alternating High-Sucrose and Sucrose Free-Diets, and Intermittent One-Day Fasting on the Estrous Cycle and Sex Hormones in Female Rats.

Relationships between diet, sex hormone concentrations, and the estrous cycle are important from the perspective of infertility and estrogen-dependent disease prevention and treatment. Four dietary interventions reflecting modern eating behaviors were explored. The study involved 50 female rats divided into five feeding groups. The impact of the amount of sucrose consumed (9% and 18% of the dietary energy content), alternating high-sucrose and sucrose-free diets, and a high-sucrose diet combined with intermittent one-day fasting on the estrous cycle and sex hormone concentrations in female rats was assessed. Even low amounts of dietary sucrose (9% of the dietary energy content) were found to lead to increased estradiol (E2) concentrations and decreased progesterone (Pg) concentrations. A high-sucrose diet, even when periodically applied, additionally led to a reduced concentration of luteinizing hormone (LH). The largest changes in the hormones tested were observed with one-day fasting coupled with the high-sucrose diet; in addition, the estrous phase was shortened and the estrous cycle was disrupted. The results of this study show that both the amount of dietary sucrose and also its uptake pattern affect the estrous cycle and sex hormone concentrations in female rats.

Assessing effects of diet alteration on selected parameters of chronically mentally ill residents of a 24-hour Nursing Home. Part 2. Effects of nutritional changes on anthropometric parameters and composition of the body. / Ocena wplywu zmian sposobu zywienia na wybrane parametry u osób przewlekle psychicznie chorych, przebywajacych w calodobowym DPS. Cz. 2: Wplyw zmian w sposobie zywienia na parametry antropometryczne i sklad ciala.

OBJECTIVES: The study was aimed at finding out whether, and how, changes in dietary habits would be reflected in anthropometric parameters and body composition. METHODS: Anthropometric measurements (Martin's technique) were taken on 52 chronically mentally ill patients, twice: before and a year after diet correction. The patients' body composition was examined, directly after the measurements, by bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) in tetragonal arrangement, using a Bodystat ®1500MDD device. RESULTS: Changes in dietary habits were reflected in a significant reduction of body weight, BMI, and waist circumference in schizophrenic women; WHR in men with other diseases increased significantly. BMI analysis showed an increase in the percentage of normal-weight schizophrenic women and men, a decrease in the proportion of underweight women and men, and an increase in the proportion of individuals with normal weight suffering from other diseases. Both groups showed beneficial changes in body composition (increased content and percentage of fatless body weight and water, reduced content and percentage of fat tissue). These changes were statistically significant only in men suffering from other diseases and concerned the increased content of fatless body weight. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in dietary habits enhanced body weight reduction in overweight and obese individuals and resulted in desired changes in BMI, WHR, and body composition. The body fat content was distinctly reduced, with no concurrent changes in the fatless body weight and/or water content. Changes in dietary habits were beneficial for the nutritional status of undernourished patients or those with low body weight.

Effects of different models of sucrose intake on the oxidative status of the uterus and ovary of rats.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of different models of sucrose intake on carbohydrate-lipid metabolism and changes in oxidant balance in the ovaries and uterus of rats. Animals were divided into three groups: I-basic feed, II-feed contains 8% of sucrose, III-alternately every second week the basic feed and modified feed contains 16% of sucrose. The diet containing 8% of sucrose was found to result in an increased activity of antioxidant enzymes in the blood, with unchanged malonylodialdehyde concentration. Variable sucrose administration pattern intensified oxidative stress in the blood and led to disturbed redox equilibrium in the rat uterus, even at a comparable long-term sucrose uptake as in the group II. This was manifested as a reduced superoxide dismutase activity (in the blood and uterus) and a higher malonylodialdehyde concentration (in the uterus). The changes observed could have been a result of metabolic disorders (higher amount of visceral fat, higher glucose concentration, higher index of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and reduced HDL-cholesterol concentration) and endocrine disorders (higher oestrogen concentrations). Changes in the antioxidant status in the rats kept on the alternating diet, may underpin the failure of fertilised egg implantation in the uterine tissue and pregnancy completion.

Reproducibility of a Short-Form, Multicomponent Dietary Questionnaire to Assess Food Frequency Consumption, Nutrition Knowledge, and Lifestyle (SF-FFQ4PolishChildren) in Polish Children and Adolescents.

The aim of the study was to assess the reproducibility of a short-form, multicomponent dietary questionnaire (SF-FFQ4PolishChildren) in Polish children and adolescents. The study involved 437 children (6-10 years old) and 630 adolescents (11-15 years old) from rural and urban areas of Poland. The self-administered questionnaire was related to nutrition knowledge, dietary habits, active/sedentary lifestyle, self-reported weight and height, and socioeconomic data. The questionnaire was completed with a two-week interval-twice by parents for their children (test and retest for children), twice by adolescents themselves (adolescent's test and retest) and once by adolescents' parents (parent's test). The strength of agreement measured using the kappa statistic was interpreted as follows: 0-0.20 slight, 0.21-0.40 fair, 0.41-0.60 moderate, 0.61-0.80 good, and 0.81-1.00 excellent. Regarding the frequency of consumption of food items and meals, kappa statistics were 0.46-0.81 (the lowest: fruit/mixed fruit and vegetable juices; the highest: Energy drinks) in test-retest for children, 0.30-0.54 (fruit/mixed fruit and vegetable juices; breakfast, respectively) in adolescent's test-retest, 0.27-0.56 (the lowest: Sweets, fruit, dairy products; the highest: Breakfast) in adolescent's test and parent's test. Lower kappa statistics were found for more frequently consumed foods (juices, fruit, vegetables), higher kappa statistics were found for rarely consumed foods (energy drinks, fast food). Across study groups, kappa statistics for diet quality scores were 0.31-0.55 (pro-healthy diet index, pHDI) and 0.26-0.45 (non-healthy diet index, nHDI), for active/sedentary lifestyle items they were 0.31-0.72, for components of the Family Affluence Scale (FAS) they were 0.55-0.93, for BMI categories (based on self-reported weight and height) they were 0.64-0.67, for the nutrition knowledge (NK) of adolescents the kappa was 0.36, for the nutrition knowledge of children's parents it was 0.62. The Spearman's correlations for diet quality scores were 0.52-0.76 (pHDI) and 0.53-0.83 (nHDI), for screen time score they were 0.45-0.78, for physical activity score they were 0.51-0.77, for the FAS score they were 0.90-0.93, and for the NK score they were 0.68-0.80. The questionnaire can be recommended to evaluate dietary and lifestyle behaviors among children and adolescents.