Objective: We compared eating behaviours, and depressive and anxiety symptoms in two countries with different confinement strictness strategies and different levels of COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A web-based cross-sectional survey was administered during and shortly after the COVID-19 related lockdown in Spain and Greece. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to identify country differences associated with eating behaviour, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results: This study included 1,002 responders in Spain and 839 in Greece. The mean ± SD of restraint, emotional and external eating was 2.5 ± 0.79, 2.1 ± 0.81 and 2.6 ± 0.65 in Spain, whereas 2.7 ± 0.85, 2.3 ± 0.99 and 2.9 ± 0.74 in Greece. Spanish participants had lower average scores of restraint and external eating compared to Greek participants (p < .001), but no difference was seen for emotional eating. In Spain, 13.6%, and 12.3% of the survey respondents reported moderate to severe depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively, whereas in Greece the respective values were 18.8 and 13.2%. After adjusting for several risk factors, a higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms was observed in Spain compared to Greece (p = .001), but no difference was seen for depressive symptoms. Conclusions: This study demonstrated high scores of inappropriate eating behaviours and a high frequency of depressive and anxiety symptoms in two Mediterranean countries during the COVID-19 outbreak. Our findings revealed that compared to Greek participants, Spanish participants, that faced more severe COVID-19 pandemic and stricter lockdown measures, were associated with lower restraint and external eating and increased anxiety symptoms, but not with depressive symptoms or emotional eating.

Specific lipid molecular changes leading to type 2 diabetes (T2D) are largely unknown. We assessed lipidome factors associated with future occurrence of T2D in a population at high cardiovascular risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted a case-cohort study nested within the PREDIMED trial, with 250 incident T2D cases diagnosed during 3.8 years of median follow-up, and a random sample of 692 participants (639 noncases and 53 overlapping cases) without T2D at baseline. We repeatedly measured 207 plasma known lipid metabolites at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up. We built combined factors of lipid species using principal component analysis and assessed the association between these lipid factors (or their 1-year changes) and T2D incidence. RESULTS Baseline lysophosphatidylcholines and lysophosphatidylethanolamines (lysophospholipids [LPs]), phosphatidylcholine-plasmalogens (PC-PLs), sphingomyelins (SMs), and cholesterol esters (CEs) were inversely associated with risk of T2D (multivariable-adjusted P for linear trend £0.001 for all). Baseline triacylglycerols (TAGs), diacylglycerols (DAGs), and phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs) were positively associated with T2D risk (multivariable-adjusted P for linear trend <0.001 for all). One-year changes in these lipids showed associations in similar directions but were not significant after adjustment for baseline levels. TAGs with odd-chain fatty acids showed inverse associations with T2D after adjusting for total TAGs. CONCLUSIONS Two plasma lipid profiles made up of different lipid classes were found to be associated with T2D in participants at high cardiovascular risk. A profile including LPs, PC-PLs, SMs, and CEs was associated with lower T2D risk. Another profile composed of TAGs, DAGs, and PEs was associated with higher T2D risk. Type 2 diabetes (T2D), which results from insulin resistance and inadequate compensatory insulin secretion (1,2), currently has a global prevalence of 9%, which is projected to rise to 10.4% (642 million cases) by 2040 (3). Dyslipidemia, characterized by a high plasma triglyceride concentration, low HDL cholesterol concentration, and increased concentration of small dense LDL cholesterol particles, is usually present in T2D (4,5). Triglycerides encompass a large number of individual molecular species, whereas lipoproteins include many different lipid classes containing multiple molecular species (6). The role that these individual

Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is generated in a microbial-mammalian co-metabolic pathway mainly from the digestion of meat-containing food and dietary quaternary amines such as phosphatidylcholine, choline, betaine, or L-carnitine. Fish intake provides a direct significant source of TMAO. Human observational studies previously reported a positive relationship between plasma TMAO concentrations and cardiometabolic diseases. Discrepancies and inconsistencies of recent investigations and previous studies questioned the role of TMAO in these diseases. Several animal studies reported neutral or even beneficial effects of TMAO or its precursors in cardiovascular disease model systems, supporting the clinically proven beneficial effects of its precursor, L-carnitine, or a sea-food rich diet (naturally containing TMAO) on cardiometabolic health. In this review, we summarize recent preclinical and epidemiological evidence on the effects of TMAO, in order to shed some light on the role of TMAO in cardiometabolic diseases, particularly as related to the microbiome.

Objective: To investigate possible associations of lifestyle patterns with obesity and fat mass in children. Design: Cross-sectional epidemiological study. Principal component analysis was used to identify lifestyle patterns. Setting: Primary schools from four regions in Greece. Subjects: A total of 2073 schoolchildren (aged 9-13 years). Results: Children in the fourth quartile of the lifestyle pattern combining higher dairy foods with more adequate breakfast consumption were 39?4 %, 45?2 % and 32?2 % less likely to be overweight/obese and in the highest quartile of sum of skinfold thicknesses and fat mass, respectively, than children in the first quartile of this pattern. Similarly, children in the fourth quartile of a lifestyle pattern comprising consumption of high-fibre foods, such as fruits, vegetables and wholegrain products, were 27?4 % less likely to be in the highest quartile of sum of skinfold thicknesses than children in the first lifestyle pattern quartile. Finally, children in the fourth quartile of a lifestyle pattern characterized by more time spent on moderate-tovigorous physical activity and more frequent meals were 38?0 %, 26?3 % and 29?5 % less likely to be overweight, centrally obese and in the highest quartile of fat mass, respectively, than their peers in the first quartile of this lifestyle pattern (all P , 0?05). Conclusions: The current study identified three lifestyle patterns (i.e. one pattern comprising higher dairy consumption with a more adequate breakfast; a second pattern characterized by increased consumption of high-fibre foods; and a third pattern combining higher physical activity levels with more frequent meals), which were all related with lower odds of obesity and/or increased fat mass levels. From a public health perspective, promotion of these patterns among children and their families should be considered as one of the components of any childhood obesity preventive initiative.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing worldwide. This complex and multifactorial metabolic condition affects both the quality and expectancy of life in adults. Therefore, appropriate lifestyle strategies are needed in order to reduce the burden of T2D. Dietary patterns characterized by a high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and a minimal consumption of animal products, have been suggested as a dietary approach to prevent and control T2D and related micro- and macrovascular complications. This narrative review summarizes epidemiologic and clinical trial evidence on the role of the most widely studied dietary patterns that emphasize the consumption of plant foods [vegetarian, vegan, Mediterranean, and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets] in the management of T2D and its complications. Furthermore, their potential underlying mechanisms are discussed. Dietary patterns emphasizing the consumption of plant foods appear to confer beneficial effects on glycemic control in different diabetic populations. Several components of these dietary patterns might confer benefits on glycemia and counterbalance the detrimental effects of animal-based foods. The limited evidence on T2D-related complications makes it difficult to draw solid conclusions.

Our results support that higher baseline BCAAs and their increases at 1 year were associated with higher type 2 diabetes risk. A Mediterranean diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil significantly reduced the levels of BCAA and attenuated the positive association between plasma BCAA levels and type 2 diabetes incidence. Clinical trial number: SRCTN35739639 ( www.controlled-trials.com ).

The trial is registered at http://www.controlled-trials.com (ISRCTN35739639). Registration date: 5th October 2005.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. It is accepted that OSA and obesity commonly coexist. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends dietary-induced weight loss and exercise as lifestyle treatment options for OSA. However, most clinical trials upon which this recommendation is based have focused on establishing the effectiveness of calorie-restricted, often low-fat diets for improving OSA severity, whereas less attention has been given to the means through which weight loss is achieved (e.g. altered dietary quality) or whether diet or exercise mediates the associations between reduced weight, improved OSA severity and the CVD substrate. The current evidence suggests that the benefits of a low-carbohydrate or Mediterranean diet in overweight and obese individuals go beyond the recognised benefits of weight reduction. In addition, exercise has an independent protective effect on vascular health, which may counter the increased oxidative stress, inflammation and sympathetic activation that occur in OSA patients. This review aims to expand our understanding of the effects of diet and exercise on OSA and associated CVD complications, and sets the stage for continued research designed to explore optimal lifestyle strategies for reducing the CVD burden in OSA patients.