Dietary supplement intake and associated factors among gym users in a university community in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), were assessed using a structured, self-administered questionnaire in this cross-sectional study. Adults (N = 320) from five gyms in the University City of Sharjah participated in this cross-sectional study. The prevalence of dietary supplement intake was 43.8%. Statistically significant associations were found between the use of dietary supplements and sex (47.7% males, 28.1% females; p = .006), as well as weight lifting (88.6% taking supplements vs. 11.4% not taking supplements; p < .001), favoring male gym users. The reasons attributed to the use of dietary supplements varied between the sexes. Male exercisers used supplements to increase or maintain muscles mass, strength, and power and to boost exercise recovery. Females mainly used dietary supplements to increase energy, maintain their health, and prevent nutrition deficiency. Overall, protein supplements (whey proteins [48.6%] and protein powder [45.7%]) were among the most-consumed dietary supplements, followed by multivitamins (38.6%), branched-chain amino acids (36.4%), caffeine (35.0%), and creatine (29.3%). A widespread use of Internet-driven, self-prescribed dietary supplement intake was reported among gym users (60.7%). Only 12.8% of dietary supplement users sought information from dietitians. Practical implications suggest that gym instructors and coaches should be sufficiently trained to be able to provide accurate and scientifically sound information on dietary supplements to the exercisers in gyms in the university environment.
El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar la composición de aceites de bellota de tres especies del grupo del roble blanco del Mediterráneo, Quercus Aegilops (QA), Quercus infectoria (QI) y Quercus calliprinus (QC). Las muestras fueron evaluadas por el contenido de aceite, pará-metros físico-químicos del aceite, perfil de ácidos grasos, tocoferoles, compuestos fenólicos y esteroles. El contenido de aceite, expresado en peso seco encontrado fue de 3,40 a 7,51%. Las constantes físico-químicas fueron: densidad 0,912-0,922, índice de refracción 1,4529 a 1,4645, extinción específica a 232 nm 2,497-2,536 y a 270 nm 1,495-2,037, índice de yodo 75,2-87,6, e índice de saponificación 192,6-219,4. Las composiciones de ácidos grasos se determinaron por GC como ésteres metilicos. Los ácidos grasos más abundantes fueron oleico 53,3-56,1%, linoleico 21,3-23,4%, palmítico 17,8-18,7%, linolénico 1.5-1.6% y esteárico 1,02-1,60%. El contenido de tocoferoles fue alto: 1440-1783 mg kg -1 , constituyendo el γ-tocoferol entre el 84-91% de los tocoferoles totales. Los compuestos fenólicos estaban presentes en cantidades notables en las tres especies 84-109 mg de ácido gálico kg -1 aceite. El contenido total de esteroles fue de 2040-2480 mg kg -1 de aceite, siendo el β-sitosterol el componente principal que comprende de 77,2-84,6%, seguido de la Δ5-avenasterol 5.8-11.4, campesterol 3.6-4.5%, y estigmasterol 2.6-3.8%.El contenido de colesterol fue relativamente alto (0,42-0,55%). PALABRAS CLAVE: Aceite de bellota -Compuestos fenólicos -Esteroles -Perfil de ácidos grasos -Quercus spp. -Tocoferoles. SUMMARY Characterization of Acorn Fruit Oils Extracted from Selected Mediterranean Quercus SpeciesThe present study is aimed to identifying the acorn fruit oil composition of three Mediterranean white oak group species, Quercus aegilops (QA), Quercus infectoria (QI), and Quercus calliprinus (QC). Samples were estimated for the oil contents of acorn fruits, oil chemical and physical constants, fatty acid profile, tocopherols, phenolic compounds, and sterols.The oil content, expressed as dry weight, was found to be 3.40-7.51%. The physical and chemical constants included specific gravity 0.912-0.922, refractive index 1.4529-1.4645, specific extinction at 232 nm 2.497-2.536 and at 270 nm 1.495-2.037, iodine value 75.2-87.6, and saponification value 192.6-219.4. The fatty acid compositions were determined by GC as methyl esters. The most abundant fatty acids were oleic (53.3-56.1%), linoleic 21.3-23.4%, palmitic 17.8-18.7%, linolenic 1.5-1.6% and stearic acid 1.02-1.60%. The Tocopherol content was high in the range of 1440-1783 mg kg -1 , γ-tocopherol constituted 84-91% of total tocopherols. Phenolic compounds were in remarkable amounts in all the three species 84-109 mg gallic acid kg -1 oil. Total sterol contents were between 2040-2480 mg kg -1 oil, with β-sitosterol being the main component comprising of 77.20-84.61%, followed by Δ 5 -avenasterol (5.8-11.4%), campesterol (3.6-4.5%), and stigmasterol (2.6-3.8). The cholesterol content wa...
Background: Poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle are common among young adults and increase the risk for chronic diseases later in life. Due to the widespread use of information technology among young adults, the Rashakaty (Fitness for Me) study aimed to develop and test the feasibility of a technology-based nutrition education intervention. This would support overweight and obese university students to achieve weight loss, enhance nutrition knowledge, and increase physical activity levels. Methods: We enrolled 246 participants in a 16-week non-randomized feasibility study with two arms: Rashakaty-Basic and Rashakaty-Enhanced. The intervention was guided by social cognitive theory and was delivered via a website and mobile apps. Results: Among the 161 participants who completed the endline assessments, there was no significant difference in weight loss between the two arms. However, waist circumference decreased more (p = 0.003) in the Rashakaty -Enhanced group. Additionally, changes in knowledge related to sources of nutrients (p < 0.001) and diet–disease relationships (p = 0.006) were significantly higher among the Rashakaty-Enhanced group. Rashakaty-Enhanced participants reported increased number of days spent on moderate physical activity (p = 0.013) and minutes walked (p < 0.001). Moreover, they also reported higher scores in social support from friends to reduce fat intake (p = 0.006) and from family and friends to increase physical activity (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The results of this feasibility study can assist in the development and implementation of future technology–mediated health promotion programs in the UAE, especially for young adults.
Introduction Physical activity (PA) may improve cardiometabolic fitness and increase high-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMW-Adip). The pedometer is an effective, user-friendly device to monitor PA with the aim of improving health. This study examined how counting footsteps, using a pedometer, might affect HMW-Adip and MetS components among young females. Methods Fifty-two females (21.43 ± 4.8 years) were divided into “normal” (BMI = 18–24.9 kg/m2) and “high” (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) BMI groups. Participants wore pedometers throughout the day for nine weeks. Pre-post intervention tests performed on anthropometric, biochemical, and nutrient intake variables were tested at p ≤ 0.05. Results Participants walked 7056 ± 1570 footsteps/day without a significant difference between normal (7488.49 ± 1098) and high (6739.18 ± 1793) BMI groups. After week 9, the normal BMI group improved significantly in BMI, body fat mass (BFM), and waist-hip ratio (WHR). Additionally, percent body fat, waist circumference (WC), and visceral fat area also reduced significantly in the high BMI group. A significant decrease in triglycerides (TG) (71.62 ± 29.22 vs. 62.50 ± 29.16 mg/dl, p=0.003) and insulin (21.7 ± 8.33 µU/l vs. 18.64 ± 8.25 µU/l, p=0.046) and increase in HMW-Adip (3.77 ± 0.46 vs. 3.80 ± 0.44 μg/ml, p=0.034) were recorded in the high BMI group. All participants exhibited significant inverse correlations between daily footsteps and BMI (r=−0.33, p=0.017), BFM (r=−0.29, p=0.037), WHR (r=−0.401, p=0.003), and MetS score (r=−0.49, p < 0.001) and positive correlation with HMW-Adip (r=0.331, p=0.017). A positive correlation with systolic (r=0.46, p=0.011) and diastolic (r=0.39, p=0.031) blood pressures and inverse correlation with the MetS score (r=−0.5, p=0.005) were evident in the high BMI group. Conclusion Counting footsteps using a pedometer is effective in improving MetS components (obesity, TG) and increasing HMW-Adip levels.
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