Alejandra Betancourt Núñez

Dr. Alejandra Betancourt Núñez

Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Departamento de disciplinas filosóficas, metodológicas e instrumentales.
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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

9Years (2018-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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5 March 2022 in Nutrients
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Journal Article
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Karla Paulina Luna CastilloKarla Paulina Luna Castillo
Karla Paulina Luna Castillo
Xochitl Citlalli Olivares OchoaXochitl Citlalli Olivares Ochoa
Xochitl Citlalli Olivares Ochoa
Rocío Guadalupe Hernández-RuizRocío Guadalupe Hernández-Ruiz
Rocío Guadalupe Hernández-Ruiz
ILIris Monserrat Llamas-Covarrubias
Iris Monserrat Llamas-Covarrubias
SRSarai Citlalic Rodríguez-Reyes
Sarai Citlalic Rodríguez-Reyes
Andres López-QuinteroAndres López-Quintero
Andres López-Quintero
Approximately 25–50% of the population worldwide exhibits serum triglycerides (TG) (≥150 mg/dL) which are associated with an increased level of highly atherogenic remnant-like particles, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and pancreatitis risk. High serum TG levels could be related to cardiovascular disease, which is the most prevalent cause of mortality in Western countries. The etiology of hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is multifactorial and can be classified as primary and secondary causes. Among the primary causes are genetic disorders. On the other hand, secondary causes of HTG comprise lifestyle factors, medical conditions, and drugs. Among lifestyle changes, adequate diets and nutrition are the initial steps to treat and prevent serum lipid alterations. Dietary intervention for HTG is recommended in order to modify the amount of macronutrients. Macronutrient distribution changes such as fat or protein, low-carbohydrate diets, and caloric restriction seem to be effective strategies in reducing TG levels. Particularly, the Mediterranean diet is the dietary pattern with the most consistent evidence for efficacy in HTG while the use of omega-3 supplements consumption is the dietary component with the highest number of randomized clinical trials (RCT) carried out with effective results on reducing TG. The aim of this review was to provide a better comprehension between human nutrition and lipid metabolism.

25 March 2022 in Nutrients
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ANAlejandra Betancourt Núñez
Alejandra Betancourt Núñez
NTNathaly Torres
Nathaly Torres
EMErika Martinez-Lopez
Erika Martinez-Lopez
CLCésar O. De Loera-Rodríguez
César O. De Loera-Rodríguez
EDElvira Durán-Barajas
Elvira Durán-Barajas
Barbara VizmanosBarbara Vizmanos
Barbara Vizmanos
Emotional eating (EE) is food consumption in response to feelings rather than hunger. EE is related to unhealthy food intake and abdominal obesity (AO). However, little evidence exists about the association between EE and dietary patterns (DPs) and EE–AO interaction related to DPs. DPs allow describing food combinations that people usually eat. We analyzed the association of EE with DPs in adults (≥18 years) with AO (WC ≥ 80/90 cm in women/men, respectively; n = 494; 66.8% women;) or without AO (n = 269; 74.2% women) in a cross-sectional study. Principal component analysis allowed identifying four DPs from 40 food groups (validated with a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire). Among the subjects presenting AO, being “emotional/very-emotional eater” (emotional eating questionnaire) was negatively associated with the “Healthy” DP (fruits, vegetables, olive oil, oilseeds, legumes, fish, seafood) (OR:0.53; 95% CI: 0.33, 0.88, p = 0.013) and positively with the “Snacks and fast food” DP (sweet bread, breakfast cereal, corn, potato, desserts, sweets, sugar, fast food) (OR:1.88; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.03, p = 0.010). Emotional eaters with AO have significantly lower fiber intake, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B1, and vitamin C, while they had a higher intake of sodium, lipids, mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and saturated fats. In non-AO participants, EE was not associated with any DP (p > 0.05). In conclusion, EE is associated with unhealthy DPs in subjects with AO.

9 November 2018 in BMC Public Health
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ANAlejandra Betancourt Núñez
Alejandra Betancourt Núñez
Fabiola Márquez-SandovalFabiola Márquez-Sandoval
Fabiola Márquez-Sandoval
LGLaura I. González-Zapata
Laura I. González-Zapata
NBNancy Babio
Nancy Babio
Barbara VizmanosBarbara Vizmanos
Barbara Vizmanos
While dietary patterns (DPs) enable the combination of foods that make up a person’s habitual diet to be known, little is known about the DPs of health sector professionals. The objective of this study was to describe the DPs of healthcare students and professionals and assess their association with sociodemographic, lifestyle, anthropometric and biochemical characteristics. Cross-sectional design. A sample (n = 319) of healthcare students and professionals in apparent good health who studied or worked at the University of Guadalajara (Mexico) was selected. A semiquantitative food intake frequency questionnaire validated on a Mexican population was administered. Questions covering sociodemographic factors, smoking habits and physical activity were asked. Weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, glucose, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol were also measured. DPs were generated from a principal components analysis of 25 food groups, and associations were analyzed using logistic regression adjusted for age and sex. The majority of participants were younger than 29 years (84%), women (71.2%) and students (59.6%). Three DPs were identified: “Traditional Westernized”, “Healthy” and “Animal protein and alcoholic beverages”. After adjustment, the “Traditional Westernized” DP was positively associated with being younger than 22 years (OR: 2.15; 95%CI: 1.1–4.1); the “Healthy” DP was positively associated with having a daily energy expenditure from physical activity greater than 605 kcal (OR: 4.19; 95%CI: 2.3–7.5), and it was negatively associated with being younger than 22 years (OR: 0.48; 95%CI: 0.2–0.9); and the “Animal protein and alcoholic beverages” DP was positively associated with being male (OR: 3.07; 95%CI: 1.8–5.1) and a smoker (OR: 2.77; 95%CI: 1.2–6.3). No association was found between DPs and anthropometric and biochemical characteristics. Among the participants evaluated, healthy DP was associated with being physically active while unhealthy DPs were associated with being younger than 22 years, male and a smoker. These data suggest that being knowledgeable about health does not ensure that individuals will engage in healthy behaviors. As is the case among the general population, training and individual efforts aimed at achieving healthy behaviors must be reinforced by initiatives undertaken by social groups, social institutions, the community at large as well as political and business leaders.

9 October 2022 in Investigación en Educación Médica
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OLOscar David Lopez-Cortes
Oscar David Lopez-Cortes
ANAlejandra Betancourt Núñez
Alejandra Betancourt Núñez
MOMaría Fernanda Bernal Orozco
María Fernanda Bernal Orozco
Barbara VizmanosBarbara Vizmanos
Barbara Vizmanos
Las scoping reviews nacen a partir de la necesidad de sintetizar evidencias desde un objetivo de revisión más amplio que el de las revisiones sistemáticas, pero sin perder su rigor metodológico; requieren partir de un protocolo previamente registrado en el que se incluyen los criterios de búsqueda, inclusión y exclusión. Las scoping reviews se caracterizan por revisar contenidos amplios respondiendo a preguntas de población-contexto-concepto (PCC) enfocadas en conceptos clave, metodologías específicas y lagunas del conocimiento, con fuentes de información heterogéneas (ensayos clínicos aleatorizados, estudios observacionales, información de blogs, sitios web, entrevistas, opiniones, congresos, estudios de metodología cualitativa, etc.) y presentan como producto final una síntesis informativa de toda la evidencia recopilada. Además de su utilidad en el mapeo de áreas emergentes del conocimiento, las scoping reviews son de utilidad en los trabajos académicos, pues permiten plantear los antecedentes y marco teórico para el desarrollo de un estudio (anteproyecto, proyecto de tesis), así como identificar vacíos de conocimiento que, a su vez, conllevan realizar nuevas preguntas de investigación y desarrollar nuevos estudios originales o revisiones sistemáticas.

7 June 2022 in Nutrients
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Journal Article
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EMErika Martinez-Lopez
Erika Martinez-Lopez
Edsaul Emilio Perez-GuerreroEdsaul Emilio Perez-Guerrero
Edsaul Emilio Perez-Guerrero
NTNora Magdalena Torres-Carrillo
Nora Magdalena Torres-Carrillo
Andres López-QuinteroAndres López-Quintero
Andres López-Quintero
ANAlejandra Betancourt Núñez
Alejandra Betancourt Núñez
Itzae Adonai Gutiérrez HurtadoItzae Adonai Gutiérrez Hurtado
Itzae Adonai Gutiérrez Hurtado
Nutrition is an essential component when promoting human health. Without a doubt, improving the quality of one’s diet can improve one’s quality of life as a whole and help postpone the onset or control of many chronic diseases. The volume of publications in this field has increased in recent years, in line with increased awareness of the importance of nutrition in health; however, the quality of the evidence on which most nutritional guidelines are based remains low, due to errors in conducting nutritional interventions or because the information is primarily derived from observational studies. To enhance the evidence supporting clinical guidelines in nutrition, the quality of randomized clinical trials (RCT) based on nutritional interventions must be improved; nevertheless, due to their heterogeneous nature and a lack of specific guidelines for designing, performing, documenting, and reporting on this type of intervention, conducting a nutritional intervention is a real challenge. Following a review of the literature on the methodological and ethical standards, as well as four extensions of the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) guidelines that should be considered when implementing a nutritional intervention, seven essential aspects were identified. The current narrative review includes definitions, examples, diagrams, and algorithms regarding aspects of the appropriate study design, the intervention of the control group, the randomization and blinding processes, the study population selection, as well as a description of the type of intervention and the personnel involved in carrying out the study in order to make the implementation of a nutritional intervention easier.

26 April 2023 in Obesity
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Journal Article
Open access
MGMarta Garaulet
Marta Garaulet
Barbara VizmanosBarbara Vizmanos
Barbara Vizmanos
TCTeresa Muela Clemente
Teresa Muela Clemente
ANAlejandra Betancourt Núñez
Alejandra Betancourt Núñez
Maria-Angeles Bonmati-CarrionMaria-Angeles Bonmati-Carrion
Maria-Angeles Bonmati-Carrion
FSFrank A.J.L. Scheer
Frank A.J.L. Scheer
Objective: This study aimed to determine the association between being an evening type (ET; defined subjectively by the Morning‐Evening Questionnaire or objectively by the dim‐light melatonin onset [DLMO] timing) and reporting emotional eating (EE) behaviors.Methods: Cross‐sectional analyses were conducted in 3964 participants (four international cohorts: ONTIME and ONTIME‐MT [both Spain], SHIFT [the US], and DICACEM [Mexico]), in which chronotype (Morning‐Evening Questionnaire), EE behaviors (Emotional Eating Questionnaire), and dietary habits (dietary records or food‐frequency questionnaire) were assessed. Among 162 participants (ONTIME‐MT subsample), additional measures of DLMO (physiological gold standard of circadian phase) were available.Results: In three populations, ETs presented with a higher EE score than morning types (p < 0.02); and they made up a higher proportion of emotional eaters (p < 0.01). ETs presented with higher scores on disinhibition/overeating as well as food craving factors and experienced these behaviors more frequently than morning types (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a meta‐analysis showed that being an ET was associated with a higher EE score by 1.52 points of a total of 30 points (95% CI: 0.89–2.14). The timing of DLMO in the early, intermediate, and late objective chronotypes occurred at 21:02 h, 22:12 h, and 23:37 h, with late types showing a higher EE score (p = 0.043).Conclusions: Eveningness associated with EE in populations with different cultural, environmental, and genetic backgrounds. Individuals with late DLMO also showed more EE.