The objective was to investigate how socio-economic changes have modified body mass index values and dietary patterns in the Spanish population. A comparative cross-sectional analysis of the last two iterations of the Spanish National Health Survey (SNSH) was done. The independent variables were sex, age, education level, employment situation, and social class. Outcome variables were: poor diet quality and obesity. Economic crisis increases the probability to become obese and to have a poor diet and employment situation is the variable that showed the greatest differences between years. While in 2006 to be unemployed did not represent a risk to have a poor diet [odds ratio (OR): 0.74; p<.005], in 2012 it did (OR: 1.27; p<.005). Economic changes can modify diet quality and nutritional status, increasing the risk to have a poor diet or to be obese.
People’s eating habits and lifestyle can have a negative impact on health. In situations of difficulty or socioeconomic crisis, these habits tend to be modified, leading to unhealthy dietary patterns that result in an increase of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Previous studies have indicated that, due to the state of alarm imposed in Spain to combat the spread of COVID-19, an increase in the purchase of non-core products occurred, along with a decrease in the daily physical activity of the population. This could be a risk factor for COVID-19 infection. The objective of this observational study was to analyze the dietary pattern of the Spanish population during home confinement and to compare it with the pattern of habitual consumption collected in the last National Health Survey, analyzing the possible changes. More than half of the respondents in the sample increased their consumption of sweets and snacks during confinement, while the consumption of fresh products decreased. Most claimed to be emotionally hungry, leading to an increase in their daily energy intake. The stress and anxiety generated by confinement could be the cause of the increased consumption of products rich in sugars and saturated fats, which are associated with greater stress and anxiety.
Indoor team sports are characterized by matches that are shorter in duration and with frequent substitution (high-intensity intermittent). The main goal of teams is to best cover athletes’ physiological demands, while meeting their dietary intake needs is critical. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the dietary intake of indoor team sports athletes and to analyze whether they comply with nutritional recommendations. A search of PubMed-MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases from 2008 to July 2022 was conducted and 2727 documents were identified. The studies focused on adult professional or semi-professional volleyball, basketball, handball, or futsal athletes. Two independent researchers screened and extracted the data, with 20 documents included after they met the inclusion criteria. Most of the athletes, both men and women, did not meet the official recommendations based on under-consumption (energy and carbohydrates) or over-consumption (fats). In relation to protein, 28.6% of studies met the recommendations, with 50% of those who did not meet it being due to under-consumption. Although there are references on athletes’ dietary intakes, there are no references considering sexes or types of sport. More adapted recommendations are needed in order to more precisely evaluate athletes’ intake to know if they meet their real nutritional requirements.
Food exchange lists have been widely used in dietary practice in health and disease situations, but there are still no exchange lists for sports foods. The aim of this study was to apply a previous published methodology to design food exchange lists to the development of a sports food exchange list, with sport products available in Spain. A cross-sectional study of the nutritional composition of sports foods, regarding macronutrients and energy, was carried out. A total of 322 sports foods from 18 companies were selected, taking into account their interest in sports practice and with nutritional data provided by companies. Sports foods were divided into seven groups: sports drinks; sports gels; sports bars; sports confectionery; protein powders; protein bars; and liquid meals. A sports food composition database based on portion size usually consumed by athletes and/or recommended in commercial packaging was created. Within each sports foods group, different subgroups were defined due to differences in the main and/or secondary macronutrient. The definition of each exchange list with the amounts—in grams—of each sports food within each group and subgroup, was done using statistical criteria such as mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and Z value. Final exchange values for energy and macronutrient have been established for each group and subgroup using a methodology to design food exchange lists previously published by the authors. In addition, those products with high Z values that can provide greater variability in dietary planning were included. The usefulness of sport foods lists as well as the use of an exchange system in the dietary practice of sports nutrition is discussed, and examples of how to use them with athletes are presented. This first sport foods exchange list showed in this study, with commercial sports products available in Spain, can be a novel tool for dietetic practice and also can allow sport nutrition professionals to develop another sport food list using the methodology described in this paper. Its management would allow dietitians to adapt dietary plans more precisely to the training and/or competition of the athlete.
Introducción y objetivos: las enfermedades cardiovasculares (ECV) son la principal causa de muerte mundial, por ello el objetivo de este estudio es analizar los factores de riesgo de ECV en los trabajadores de la Universidad de Alicante.Material y métodos: estudio transversal descriptivo. Muestra aleatoria (n = 124), 46,6% mujeres y 53,4% hombres, de edades entre 25-68 años. Recogida de datos mediante cuestionario online autocumplimentado. Variables: sociodemográficas, peso y talla autorreferidos, consumo de tabaco, actividad física, consumo diario de aceite de oliva, hortalizas-verduras, mantequilla-margarina-nata y consumo semanal de repostería comercial y frutos secos. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo con el paquete estadístico SPSS 19.0.Resultados: el 12% de mujeres y el 10,5% de los hombres mayores de 44 años presentan obesidad; además, el 32% de mujeres y el 23,7% de los hombres no realizan actividad física. Consume aceite de oliva a diario el total de la muestra a estudio.Conclusión: los hábitos alimentarios de los estudiados se asemejan a los patrones dietéticos mediterráneos considerados saludables. Destacar el cumplimiento de las recomendaciones de consumo de aceite de oliva y la realización de actividad física habitual como protectores de las ECV. El entorno laboral de la población estudiada favorece unos hábitos saludables.