The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many aspects of daily life. The purpose of this study was to identify how health behaviors, level of stress, financial and food security have been impacted by the pandemic among Canadian families with young children. Parents (mothers, n = 235 and fathers, n = 126) from 254 families participating in an ongoing study completed an online survey that included close and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the quantitative data and qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. More than half of our sample reported that their eating and meal routines have changed since COVID-19; most commonly reported changes were eating more snack foods and spending more time cooking. Screen time increased among 74% of mothers, 61% of fathers, and 87% of children and physical activity decreased among 59% of mothers, 52% of fathers, and 52% of children. Key factors influencing family stress include balancing work with childcare/homeschooling and financial instability. While some unhealthful behaviors appeared to have been exacerbated, other more healthful behaviors also emerged since COVID-19. Research is needed to determine the longer-term impact of the pandemic on behaviors and to identify effective strategies to support families in the post-COVID-19 context.

Background Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, is an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland and is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the US. Despite medical management with thyroid hormone replacement, many individuals with HT continue to experience symptoms and impaired quality of life. Given the limited number of efficacious treatments outside of hormone replacement and the overall burden of continued symptomatic disease, this pilot study was designed to determine the efficacy of a multi-disciplinary diet and lifestyle intervention for improving the quality of life, clinical symptom burden, and thyroid function in a population of middle-aged women with HT. Materials and methods The study recruited 17 normal or overweight (body mass index (BMI) <29.9) female subjects between the ages of 20 and 45 with a prior diagnosis of HT. The 17 women participated in a 10-week online health coaching program focused on the implementation of a phased elimination diet known as the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine’s Medical Symptoms Questionnaire (MSQ) were used to measure the participant’s health-related quality of life (HRQL) and clinical symptom burden, respectively, before and after the 10-week program. The participants completed serologic testing that included a complete blood cell count (CBC) with differential, complete metabolic profile (CMP), thyroid function tests, including thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), total and free T4, and total and free T3, thyroid antibodies, including thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TGA), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Results Sixteen women (n = 16) completed the SF-36 and MSQ before and after the 10-week program. There was a statistically significant improvement in HRQL as measured by all eight subscales of the SF-36 with the most marked improvements noted in the physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, vitality, and general health subscales. The clinical symptom burden, as measured by the MSQ, decreased significantly from an average of 92 (SD 25) prior to the program to 29 (SD 20) after the program. There were no statistically significant changes noted in any measure of thyroid function, including TSH, free and total T4, free and total T3 (n = 12), as well as thyroid antibodies (n = 14). Inflammation, as measured by hs-CRP (n = 14), was noted to significantly decrease by 29% (p = 0.0219) from an average of 1.63 mg/L (SD 1.72) pre-intervention to 1.15 mg/L (SD 1.31) post-intervention. Conclusions Our study suggests that an online diet and lifestyle program facilitated by a multi-disciplinary team can significantly improve HRQL and symptom burden in middle-aged female subjects with HT. While there were no statistically significant changes noted in thyroid function or thyroid antibodies, the s...

INTRODUCTION: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are gastrointestinal pathologies affecting large numbers of the global population and incurring significant healthcare costs. Disruptions in the gut-brain axis occurring in these conditions can lead to increased inflammation, affecting gastrointestinal and autonomic nervous system function. Heart rate variability (HRV) is commonly used to assess the state of the sympathetic and parasympathetic function of the autonomic nervous system, but it remains unclear how HRV measures are associated with gastrointestinal pathologies. Here, we conduct a systematic review of the literature comparing HRV of subjects diagnosed with IBS or IBD to HRV in healthy controls (HC). METHODS: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL (EBSCO) for eligible studies up to 2018. We included any study comparing a recognized measure of HRV between a group of patients with either IBS or IBD to a group of matched HC before any intervention. Studies were screened, and data were extracted from included articles using predefined criteria. Random effects meta-analysis was performed for each outcome, with effect size reported as the standardized mean difference. RESULTS: There were significant differences between IBD and HC in time domain HRV and significant decreases in high-frequency power measures were also noted, in both IBS and IBD compared with HC. DISCUSSION: Parasympathetic nervous system activity, represented through high-frequency power, seems to be lower in people with IBS and IBD, but conclusions are limited by the small number of studies that provide usable data, methodological heterogeneity, and high risks of bias in primary study methods and measures.

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Dietary patterns begin in early childhood and can continue into adulthood. Thus, the early years are crucial for nutrition interventions and habit formation. 1 Infants have a natural affinity to sweet foods overall, and preand postnatal exposures of added sugar are important. 2,3 Genetic, environmental and cultural influences can increase preferences for sugary foods in children. 2 However, there is a lack of high-quality research data on the dietary intake of sugars among young children, especially among infants and toddlers. 4 Given that cardiometabolic risk markers may begin to emerge in children as young as 3 years of age, 5 it is important to understand patterns of sugar intake and explore associations between intake of sugar and cardiometabolic risk markers (including anthropometric measures) in early life. This information can help inform policy development and programs for behaviour change intervention focused on early prevention.Adverse effects of excessive sugar intake are a cause for global public health concern in all age groups. 6 Overconsumption of sugar has been associated with increased risk of excessive weight gain, dental decay, poor diet quality and nutritional inadequacy in children and adolescents younger than 19 years. 4,7,8 Excessive sugar intake has also been implicated in the development of

Objectives: The specific aims are: 1) To characterize the health, wellness, and lifestyle of graduate and undergraduate students, and how these characteristics change over time; 2) To evaluate associations between lifestyle factors and gut microbiota populations and diversity; and 3) To evaluate associations between stress and stress management practices with sleep habits, quality of life, and overall health.Design: The International Cohort on Lifestyle Determinants of Health (INCLD Health) longitudinal cohort study is designed to assess health behaviors and lifestyle practices amongst adults studying complementary and integrative health (CIH) and higher-education students more generally after at least one to six years of exposure to CIH education. INCLD Health will adhere to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.Settings/Location: Colleges and universities with a CIH focus or interest with the flagship site being the National University of Natural Medicine.Participants: Adults currently enrolled in a college or university with a CIH focus or interest.Outcome Measures: Study visits will be conducted at baseline, 6 months, then every 12 months until the end of each participants' degree program. Measures include anthropometrics; serum and salivary biomarkers of cardiovascular risk, reproductive hormones, and cortisol; nutritional intake measured by a digital food frequency questionnaire; sequencing of fecal microbiota; plus validated questionnaires investigating mood, perceived stress, stress management practices, physical activity, sleep, and wellness.Conclusions: The INCLD Health Study, approved by the NUNM IRB in late 2018, will enroll a unique cohort of adults to characterize the use of CIH practices in relation to short-and long-term health. Our study design provides a breadth of information that could be implemented at multiple sites internationally allowing for comparisons across diverse student cohorts with relatively low cost and personnel.

Objective: To examine the association between self-reported food skills and diet quality along with measured food waste among a sample of Canadian parents. Design: Cross-sectional data from surveys to assess food skills, 3-day food records to assess the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, and food waste measured by household waste audits. Setting: Guelph-Wellington, Ontario. Participants: Parents (n = 130) with children aged 2−8 years. Main Outcome Measures: HEI-2015 scores, daily per capita avoidable and unavoidable food waste (grams). Analysis: Linear regression using generalized estimating equations to determine unstandardized b estimates of associations between food skills and dependent variables. Models were adjusted for multiple testing, gender, and level of education. Results: Food safety knowledge for cooking hot foods (b = 4.3, P = 0.05), planning (b = 4.5, P = 0.001), and conceptualizing food (b = 4.0, P = 0.03) were positively associated with HEI-2015 scores. Knowledge related to best before dates (b = 25.3, P = 0.05; b = 12.1, P = 0.04), conceptualizing food (b = 34.1, P = 0.01; b = 13.8, P = 0.02), and mechanical techniques (b = 39.2, P = 0.01; b = 20.5, P = 0.004) were associated with more avoidable and unavoidable food waste, respectively. Conclusions and Implications: Addressing higher-level food skills with a focus on efficient food preparation practices that make use of all edible portions of foods could play an important role in minimizing food waste and improving diet quality. Additional research in other countries and in a larger, more socioeconomically diverse sample is needed to confirm these findings.

Naturopathy, recognized by the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization as a distinct system of complementary and integrative health care, is an existing model of whole health delivery. Its unifying principles, respect for the interconnectedness of biological systems, and representation globally uniquely positions naturopathy to serve an integral role in addressing the needs of primary health care. In this viewpoint, we aim to 1) highlight key areas and existing literature supporting the use of naturopathy for health promotion and disease prevention of noncommunicable diseases; 2) describe how naturopathy can addresses the mental health needs of today’s societies; and 3) discuss the importance of naturopathy in the access and navigation of complementary and integrative health therapies.