Objective Stay‐at‐home orders in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic have forced abrupt changes to daily routines. This study assessed lifestyle changes across different BMI classifications in response to the global pandemic. Methods The online survey targeting adults was distributed in April 2020 and collected information on dietary behaviors, physical activity, and mental health. All questions were presented as “before” and “since” the COVID‐19 pandemic. Results In total, 7,753 participants were included. The sample included 32.2% of individuals with normal weight, 32.1% overweight, and 34.0% had obesity. During the pandemic, overall scores for healthy eating increased (p<0.001), due to less eating out and increased cooking ( p <0.001). Sedentary leisure behaviors increased while time spent in physical activity (absolute time and intensity‐adjusted) declined (p<0.001). Anxiety scores increased 8.78±0.21 during the pandemic and the magnitude of increase was significantly greater in people with obesity (p≤0.01). Weight gain was reported in 27.5% of the total sample compared to 33.4% in participants with obesity. Conclusions The COVID‐19 pandemic produced significant health effects, well beyond the virus itself. Government mandates together with fear of contracting the virus have significantly impacted lifestyle behaviors alongside declines in mental health. These deleterious impacts have disproportionally affected individuals with obesity.

Calorie restriction (CR), the reduction of dietary intake below energy requirements while maintaining optimal nutrition, is the only known nutritional intervention with the potential to attenuate aging. Evidence from observational, preclinical, and clinical trials suggests the ability to increase life span by 1–5 years with an improvement in health span and quality of life lived. CR moderates intrinsic processes of aging through cellular and metabolic adaptations and reducing risk for the development of many cardiometabolic diseases. Yet, implementation of CR may require unique considerations for the elderly and other specific populations. The objectives of this review are to summarize the evidence for CR to modify primary and secondary aging; present caveats for implementation in special populations; describe newer, alternative approaches that have comparative effectiveness and fewer deleterious effects; and provide thoughts on the future of this important field of study. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Nutrition, Volume 40. 2020

PurposeThe spread of COVID-19 and the associated stay-at-home orders and shutdowns of gyms and fitness centers have drastically influenced health behaviors leading to widespread reductions in physical activity (PA). The recent Call to Action from the American College of Sports Medicine has promoted “innovative strategies to promote PA during the COVID-19 pandemic.” We aimed to identify individual-level factors that protected against declines in PA levels amid the COVID-19 restrictions.MethodsWe used the Pennington Biomedical COVID-19 Health Behaviors Survey for our analyses and used mixed-effect linear and generalized linear models to estimate the effects of individual-level factors on changes in PA levels during the COVID-19 restrictions.ResultsParticipants (n = 4376) provided information on PA behaviors before and during the COVID-19 shutdown. Overall, PA levels declined by a mean ± SD of 112 ± 1460 MET·min·wk−1 during the COVID-19 shutdown; however, changes in PA were heterogeneous, with 55% of the participants reporting increases in or maintenance of PA during that time. Several social and demographic factors were significantly related to declines in PA, including high prepandemic PA levels, living alone (difference = 118 MET·min·wk−1), low household income (difference between the highest and the lowest income group = 363 MET·min·wk−1), COVID-19-related changes in income (difference = 110 MET·min·wk−1), and loss of employment (difference = 168 MET·min·wk−1). The substitution of prepandemic gym attendance with the purchase and use of home exercise equipment or exercise through virtual fitness platforms promoted increases in PA during the COVID-19 shutdown.ConclusionsWhile promoting PA through the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to consider demographic factors, which greatly influence health behaviors and implementation of, and access to, replacement behaviors. The promotion of such strategies could help maintain PA levels during potential future stay-at-home orders.

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