The relationship between the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in people with schizophrenia is unknown and remains to be investigated. Therefore, we have conducted a three-month parallel-group randomized controlled trial. Sixty-seven hospitalized schizophrenic patients with MetS [n = 33 in the intervention group (IG) and n = 34 in the control group (CG)] completed the intervention. The IG followed the DASH diet with the caloric restriction of approximately 1673.6 kJ/day (400 kcal/day) when compared to the standard hospital diet followed by the CG. Simultaneously, both groups participated in a nutrition counseling program. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters and blood pressure were measured at the baseline and after three months, while nutrient intakes during the intervention were assessed using three non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls. The analyses were carried out based on the per-protocol approach. At three months, the MetS prevalence significantly decreased in both the IG and the CG (75.8%, p = 0.002, and 67.7%, p = 0.0003, respectively; odds ratio = 0.9; 95% confidence interval = 0.43–1.87). No significant differences in the prevalence of MetS and its features were found between the groups.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic brought changes to almost every segment of our lives, including dietary habits. We present one among several studies, and the first on the Croatian population, aiming at investigating changes of food choice motives before and during the pandemic. The study was performed in June 2021 as an online-based survey, using a 36-item Food Choice Questionnaire applied for both the periods before and during the pandemic. The final sample consisted of 1232 adults living in Croatia. Sensory appeal was ranked as the number one most important food choice motive before, whereas health was ranked as the number one most important food choice motive during the pandemic. Ethical concern was reported as the least important food choice motive both before and during the pandemic. In women, natural content (p = 0.002), health, convenience, price, weight control, familiarity, and ethical concern (all p < 0.001) became more important during the pandemic, while price (p = 0.009), weight control, familiarity, and ethical concern (all p < 0.001) became more relevant for men. All together, these can be considered favorable changes toward optimal diets and may result in beneficial influences on health and lifestyle. Education strategies and efficiently tackling misinformation are prerequisites for informed food choice, which will ensure long-lasting positive effects of such changes.

To investigate the main motives driving dietary intake changes potentially introduced by preventive measures to address the pandemic, an online survey, using a 36-item Food Choice Questionnaire applied for the period before (the year 2019) and during (2020–2021) the pandemic, was distributed between July and October 2021 among adult residents from Belgium. A total of 427 eligible respondents, the majority Dutch-speaking, were included for analyses. The importance of nine motives for food choices, including health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, familiarity and ethical concerns, was assessed by scoring from 1 to 5, and comparing mean scores from the during period with the before period. Sensory appeal was the most important food choice motive before (mean score of 4.02 ± 0.51) and during (3.98 ± 0.48) the pandemic. Convenience and health also ranked among the main motives, with health observed to become more important during the pandemic (3.69 ± 0.60 during vs. 3.64 ± 0.59 before). Additionally, mean scores of mood (3.41 ± 0.71 vs. 3.32 ± 0.58), natural content (3.35 ± 0.84 vs. 3.26 ± 0.85) and weight control (3.33 ± 0.79 vs. 3.25 ± 0.76) were significantly higher during as compared to before. The extent of change in the level of importance for natural content was smaller with increasing age, and for health larger for urban areas, but for other motives there were no significant differences across population subgroups. Changes in the level of importance were observed in both directions, while a moderate share of respondents declared no change, suggesting some persistence of food choice motives. Further activities within public health monitoring should be considered to fully understand the COVID-19 implications on food choice motives together with people’s food behaviors and consumption.

Background and Objectives: The true prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the reason for it being higher in patients with schizophrenia when compared to general population have not yet been fully determined. Although being considered as one of the major causes, currently there are limited findings regarding differences in dietary patterns of schizophrenic patients with and without MetS. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of MetS among hospitalized patients with schizophrenia, to investigate the differences in socio-demographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics between participants with and without MetS, with the special emphasis being put on their dietary habits, and to ascertain the correlation between dietary habits and MetS components. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study included 259 hospitalized patients with schizophrenia aged ≥ 18 years. All participants underwent basic anthropometric measurements, blood sampling and blood pressure assessment, and provided relevant socio-demographic and lifestyle information. The presence of MetS was determined according to the Joint Interim Statement definition and dietary habits were assessed using a non-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Results: The overall prevalence of MetS was 47.9%. No socio-demographic or lifestyle differences were found between participants with and without MetS. A large number of participants (42.9%) reported consuming carbonated soft drinks on a daily basis. Daily frequency of fruit (11.6%) and vegetables intake (29.3%) was far below recommended. Dietary habits of participants with and without MetS did not significantly differ, while consumption frequencies of some of the studied food and beverage items and groups significantly correlated with certain MetS components (such as statistically significant positive correlation between cured meat products consumption frequency and waist circumference, as well as between red meat consumption frequency and systolic blood pressure). Conclusions: The concept of the present study did not allow us to distinguish to what extent the participants’ dietary habits were influenced by independent procurement of food products, nor has it allowed us to quantify the portion sizes of consumed food and beverage items and groups. Nevertheless, the findings indicate the need for early identification of individuals with high MetS risk and for the incorporation of nutritional support programs into hospital treatment of patients with schizophrenia.

AbstractIntroduction: Schizophrenic patients are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome (MetS) than the general population. Although the exact reasons for higher MetS prevalence are not yet been fully determined, poor dietary habits may contribute to its development. This study aims to examine the effects of a 3-month nutrition intervention on dietary habits and weight change in hospitalized schizophrenic patients with MetS.Materials and Methods: Seventy-nine hospitalized schizophrenic patients with MetS (aged 18–67) were enrolled in a 3-month randomized controlled trial. Sixty-seven of initially enrolled patients (84.8%) completed the intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG; n = 33) or a control group (CG; n = 34). The IG followed the DASH diet (-400 kcal/day when compared to regular hospital diet), the CG continued being on a regular hospital diet (2200–2400 kcal/day), while both groups participated in a nutrition educational program (4 lectures about the development of healthier eating habits). Prior and after the intervention, body weight (BW) was measured and dietary habits were assessed using the nutrition section of Dlugosch & Krieger's General Health Behaviour Questionnaire. Participants also kept a diary of food individually purchased.Results: Nutrition intervention positively modulated the dietary habits and BW of both groups. After 3 months, in the IG, the consumption of white bread (p < 0.001), pastries (p < 0.001), cured meat products (p < 0.001), sweets (p = 0.003), and carbonated soft drinks (p = 0.009) significantly decreased, while the consumption of whole-wheat bread (p < 0.001), fruits (p < 0.001), nuts (p < 0.001), and vegetables (p < 0.001) significantly increased, when compared to the baseline data. Simultaneously, in the CG, the identified modifications mainly referred to a decreased consumption of snacks (p = 0.042) and fast food (p = 0.005), together with an increased consumption of low-fat milk and dairy products (p = 0.019) and vegetables (p = 0.003). Furthermore, results have shown that, compared to the CG, IG significantly improved dietary habits by decreasing the consumption frequency of white bread (p < 0.001), cured meat products (p < 0.001), and sweets (p = 0.043), while at the same time significantly increasing the consumption frequency of whole-wheat bread (p < 0.001), low-fat milk and dairy products (p < 0.001), fruits (p < 0.001), nuts (p < 0.001), and vegetables (p < 0.001). After 3 months, BW significantly decreased in IG (p < 0.001) and CG (p = 0.018), but with no significant difference between respective groups (p = 0.943).Discussion: The findings suggest that this type of a 3-month nutrition intervention could be a valuable tool for an improvement of dietary habits and potentially an add-on therapy to reduce the MetS prevalence and the overall cardiovascular risk in schizophrenic patients.