Lactose intolerance is a condition with an elevated prevalence worldwide, especially in Latin American, Asian, and African countries. The aim of the present narrative review was to highlight the importance of accurately diagnosing lactose intolerance to prevent self-diagnosis that results in the unnecessary elimination of milk and dairy products from the diet and the consequent deprivation of nutrients that could be essential at certain stages of life. The pathophysiologic mechanism of deficient lactose absorption in the intestine can be primary, secondary to other enteropathies, or coexistent with other intestinal diseases with similar symptoms, such as irritable bowel syndrome, bacterial overgrowth syndrome, or celiac disease, causing confusion in relation to diagnosis and treatment. Lactose intolerance consists of a set of symptoms attributed to the consumption of milk and dairy products that are assumed to be due to deficient digestion of that disaccharide. A wide range of tests have been validated to detect deficient digestion that include blood tests, genetic mutation analyses, breath tests, and recently, a urine test, all of which are described in the present article. Nevertheless, there are few validated questionnaires for symptom evaluation and measurement, partly due to the heterogeneity of concepts and the subjectivity of each of the symptoms.

Perceived changes in diet quality, emotional eating, physical activity, and lifestyle were evaluated in a group of Mexican adults before and during COVID-19 confinement. In this study, 8289 adults answered an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. Data about sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported weight and height, diet quality, emotional eating, physical activity, and lifestyle changes were collected. Before and after confinement, differences by sociodemographic characteristics were assessed with Wilcoxon, Anova, and linear regression analyses. Most participants were women (80%) between 18 and 38 years old (70%), with a low degree of marginalisation (82.8%) and a high educational level (84.2%); 53.1% had a normal weight and 31.4% were overweight. Half (46.8%) of the participants perceived a change in the quality of their diet. The Diet Quality Index (DQI) was higher during confinement (it improved by 3 points) in all groups, regardless of education level, marginalisation level, or place of residence (p < 0.001). Lifestyle changes were present among some of the participants, 6.1% stopped smoking, 12.1% stopped consuming alcohol, 53.3% sleep later, 9% became more sedentary, and increased their screen (43%) as well as sitting and lying down time (81.6%). Mexicans with Internet access staying at home during COVID-19 confinement perceived positive changes in the quality of their diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption, but negative changes in the level of physical activity and sleep quality. These results emphasise the relevance of encouraging healthy lifestyle behaviours during and after times of crisis to prevent the risk of complications due to infectious and chronic diseases.

Asprosin is a recently discovered adipokine involved in the regulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis and appetite, but its role in hepatic lipid metabolism, a key aspect of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether asprosin could regulate hepatic lipid metabolism in vitro and in an animal model and to determine the potential association between circulating levels of asprosin and the severity of hepatic steatosis in humans. The effects of asprosin on the metabolic phenotype of mice with diet-induced obesity (DIO), as well as on de novo lipogenesis, β-oxidation, and mitochondrial function, were analyzed in both cultured primary hepatocytes and mice by assessing mRNA and protein levels of metabolic pathway components, along with mitochondrial functional. Furthermore, serum asprosin levels were measured in 314 subjects who also underwent transient elastography. The results showed that in vitro, asprosin reduced expression of lipogenic genes and increased those of fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial activity in hepatocytes. In the DIO model, asprosin-treated mice showed reduced lipid accumulation, improved metabolic parameters and increased abundance of proteins of lipid catabolism. Furthermore, asprosin levels were positively correlated with the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness (KPa) in FibroScan measurements. Higher asprosin levels were observed in subjects with severe steatosis (S2 and S3) compared to those without (S0). This adipokine appears to play a protective role in early hepatic steatosis by modulating lipid metabolism and enhancing mitochondrial function.

Background/Objective: Ingestion of dietary fiber can influence in the remission of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). There are no current recommendations for fiber intake in UC; therefore, we evaluate the association between dietary fiber and the activity of the disease. Methods: Ours is a cross-sectional study in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of UC to whom a 24 h recall was applied; this allowed for the estimation and classification of type of dietary fiber. The patients were divided into two groups: (1) remission and (2) active UC. We analyzed the quantity and type of fiber with the grades of disease activity through Spearman correlation and logistic regression. Results: A total of 152 patients were included; it was found that those with clinically active UC consumed less total fiber (p = 0.016) and insoluble fiber (p = 0.018). Meanwhile, in endoscopic grade, the difference was for insoluble fiber (p = 0.038). Insoluble fiber had an inversely significant correlation with fecal calprotectin levels (r = −0.204; p = 0.018). Logistic regression showed that less than 11 g of insoluble fiber was a risk factor for clinical activity (OR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.107–5.019; p = 0.026). Conclusions: Consumption below the current recommendation of total and insoluble dietary fiber is associated with clinical activity of UC.

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a prevalent disease influenced by dietary factors. While high sugar and fat consumption are associated with weight gain, their specific impact on liver fat accumulation remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sugar and saturated fat intake and liver and body fat composition. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2021 to February 2023 in workers from a tertiary care center in Mexico City. Anthropometric measurements, body composition (bioelectrical impedance analysis and skinfold assessment), physical activity, and liver fat (vibration-controlled transient elastography) were measured. Dietary intake was assessed with a 24-h recall questionnaire and analyzed with specialized software. Linear and logistic regression models were fitted to study the relationship between nutrient intake and liver/body fat. Results: A total of 534 healthcare workers (median age: 41.5 years, 61.4% female) were included. Hepatic steatosis was present in 42.5% of participants. Higher carbohydrate intake was associated with increased liver fat (β = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.02–0.45), with each additional 15 g of carbohydrates increasing the odds of steatosis by 5% (OR = 1.053, 95% CI: 1.006–1.102). Fat and sugar intake were associated with higher body fat but not liver fat. Conclusions: Carbohydrate intake was linked to liver fat accumulation, whereas fat and sugar intake were primarily associated with body fat. Tailored dietary recommendations could be informed by these findings. Prospective dietary assessment methods and a nutritional geometry approach could be applied in future studies.

Background: Confinement measures that were put in place in Mexico to reduce the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can affect individual’s lifestyle and well-being; Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess perceived changes in diet quality, emotional eating, physical activity and lifestyle, in a group of Mexican adults before and during the COVID-19 confinement. Methods: 8289 adults answered an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. Data about diet quality, emotional eating, physical activity and sociodemographic characteristics, weight and height were collected. Before and after confinement differences by sociodemographic characteristics were assessed with Wilcoxon, Anova and linear regression analyses. Results: Most participants were women (80%) between 18 and 38 years old (70%), with a low degree of marginalization (82.8%) and a high educational level (84.2%); 53.1% had a normal weight and 31.4% were overweight. Half (46.8%) of the participants perceived a change in the quality of their diet. Lifestyle changes were present among some of the participants, 6.1% stopped smoking, 12.1% stopped consuming alcohol, 53.3% sleep later, 9% became more sedentary, and increased their screen (43%), sitting and lying down time (81.6%). Conclusion: Mexicans staying at home during the COVID-19 confinement, that completed the ESCAN-COVID19Mx Survey, perceived positive changes in the quality of their diet, and smoking and alcohol consumption, but negative changes in the level of physical activity and quality of sleep.