To investigate the effect of polyphenolic‐rich seaweed extract (Ecklonia cava) on postprandial blood glucose (PPBG) and postprandial insulin level (PPIL) as well as investigating any associated side effects related to the study intervention in 20 prediabetic patients in Saudi Arabia. The double‐blind, randomized‐controlled trial was conducted from November 2020 to April 2021 in Riyadh, in 20 prediabetic patients with no other health complications. Subjects were given 600 mg of seaweed extract in a single dose for acute effect investigation. PPBG and PPIL were measured immediately at intervals of 30, 60, 90, and 120 min following 75 g of carbohydrate consumption, iAUC and peak concentration were calculated accordingly. Insignificant differences were shown for PPBG levels between study groups at intervals of 30 and 60 min (p > .05). However, PPBG results were significantly lower in the intervention group compared to placebo of 90 and 120 min after carbohydrate (75 g) consumption. The mean (SD) of PPBG in the seaweed group at 90 and 120 min was 108.1 (±8.9) and 101.3 (±8.7), respectively, compared to the placebo group at 90 and 120 min with a mean of 122.2 (±16.9) and 112.9 (±12.1), respectively (p value at 90 min = 0.032) and (p value at 120 min = 0.024). iAUC of PPBG shows no significant differences between the study groups (p > .05). There was no significant difference in PPIL between study groups at all study measurements (p > .05). Discomfort symptoms were similar between study groups (p > .05). This study indicated that a single dose of 600 mg of E. cava extract has a lowering effect on postprandial blood glucose with no associated side effects. Further research should investigate the glycemic modulating effects of marine algal extracts in the long‐term investigation.

Background: Nutrition plays a major role in the prevention and management of diet-related disease. With the absence of clinical nutrition dietitians, physicians are considered responsible for prescribing nutritional support. Identifying weaknesses in nutritional knowledge among Saudi physicians may provide guidance to improve their nutritional knowledge. Methods: A cross-sectional study that used an anonymous electronic questionnaire to investigate physicians’ knowledge of the clinical nutrition discipline. In addition to demographics, the questionnaire consisted of 15 questions covering six areas in the clinical nutrition discipline (macro- and micronutrients, nutrition and chronic diseases, nutrition and metabolic diseases, nutrition care process, nutrition support therapy, and research). For continuous variables, independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used. Results: A total of 332 had completed the questionnaire and were included in the study. Most of the physicians were Saudi (87%), male (73.5%), aged between 26 and 35 years (63.3%), and without health problems (56.3%). The mean score of the physicians’ knowledge was 5.3 ± 1.97 out of 15. Physicians who reported that they received some sort of nutritional training or course (M = 5.57, SD = 2.08) scored significantly more than physicians who did not (M = 5.10, SD = 1.86); t(330) = −2.174, p = 0.30. Conclusions: Nutrition should be reinforced as an important component of continuing medical education. There is a need for hiring more dietitians in health care settings in Saudi Arabia as an integral part of a multidisciplinary team delivering medical care services.

Background: Dietitians play a major role in health promotion and chronic diseases prevention. Graduates from clinical nutrition and dietetics major should be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills for their role to be more effective. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge and skills needed by current and future graduates in clinical nutrition and dietetics. Methods: In this qualitative study, structured interviews by focus groups were conducted. Dietitians from different governmental and private sectors were invited to participate in the study. Focus groups were stratified based on the participants' gender and years of experience to promote self-disclosure. Abridged transcript of relevant and useful points was performed. The transcripts were coded and cross-validated by two researchers. Results: A total of four focus groups were conducted. Two focus groups comprise 9 male participants and the other two comprise 10 females. The age of participants ranged 25-40 years old. Participants were employees in Riyadh city with experience that ranged 3-10 years old. Nine themes of the necessary knowledge and skills were identified. Conclusion: It is recommended for the Saudi government to create standards specialised for clinical nutrition and dietetics undergraduate and graduate programmes.

The prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) is growing, and early screening is important to prevent related health complications. The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) has been widely used as a diagnostic tool to identify cases of EDs; however, a validated Arabic version of the tool is needed to help in the screening process of EDs. The aim of this study was to validate the Arabic version of EDE-Q. A cross-sectional study included a sample of 549 adults, who were recruited mainly from the four major provinces in Saudi Arabia. A forward–backward translation method was conducted, and then the tool was validated using the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The dataset was split for further convergent analysis using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and CFA. The results of CFA from the main dataset did not support the four-factor original EDE-Q. The results of EFA from the first data-split suggested a three-factor EDE-Q-14 Arabic version. This was supported by the results of CFA of the second data-split. A total of five items were allocated in each shape and weight concern, and restraint component, with correlations ranging from 0.969 and 0.462 and from 0.847 to 0.437, respectively. A total of four items were allocated in eating concern, with correlations ranging from 0.748 to 0.556. The internal consistency of the global and the three subscales were high, with Cronbach’s α ranging from 0.762 to 0.900. Findings of the current study suggest that the Arabic version of the EDE-Q-14 is a valid and reliable tool to screen for EDs among adults in Saudi Arabia.

Introduction: Despite the wide availability of international guidelines that direct enteral nutrition practices, no recommendations or guidelines are tailored specifically for the unique healthcare environment in Saudi Arabia. Specifically tailored national guidelines are considered essential evidence that should be developed and followed. However, understanding the current practices, local needs, and gaps is important to facilitate the process of developing a practical national guideline. Methodology: In this qualitative study, focus groups using a structured interview technique were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of the current enteral nutrition practices and related needs/obstacles from 24 registered dietitians handling non-critically ill patients. The recorded sessions were transcribed, and then themes were identified via coding analysis. In addition, the inter-rater agreement of the data’s themes was evaluated. Results: Five focus group sessions that consisted of 24 participants (3 males and 21 females) working in private and governmental hospitals (18 governmental and 6 private) in Riyadh city were conducted. Ten enteral nutrition practice-related themes for non-critically ill patients were identified via coding analysis, in addition to four obstacle-related themes and four need-related themes. Conclusion: Non-critically ill patients represent the most significant majority of hospitalized patients. Therefore, it is recommended for the relevant regulatory authorities to develop national enteral nutrition guidelines and policies that guarantee consistent and sustainable care, along with improving the health outcomes for this population.

Background: With the increasing use of social media, platforms like Twitter (rebranded as X in 2023) have become popular channels for disseminating health information. In Saudi Arabia, Twitter is widely used, making it an effective tool for health awareness. However, the accuracy of nutrition-related content on social media is often questioned. Objective: The study aims to evaluate the accuracy and evidence-based quality of nutrition-related tweets posted by reputable Saudi health and nutrition awareness providers. Methods: A mixed methods content analysis was conducted on tweets published by 7 Saudi health organizations, examining content in Arabic and English over 12 months. Nutrition-related tweets were analyzed for accuracy, popularity, and evidence inclusion by a panel of experts in clinical nutrition, food science, and technology. Results: A total of 531 nutrition-related tweets were included in the study. Findings indicate that 445 (84%) of the tweets were accurate, of which only 17 (4%) included cited evidence. Yet, only 13 (2%) were inaccurate. The highest number of tweets are from Saudi Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) 96 (18%), Gulf Health Council (GHC) 91 (17%), Saudi Society for Clinical Nutrition (SSCN) 89 (16%), Kayl Association for Combating Obesity 83 (16%) and National Nutrition Committee (NNC) 80 (15%) and the lowest is Ministry of Health (MOH) 31 (5%). Significant relationships were observed between tweet accuracy and the source organization ( P =.009, 95% CI 0.008‐0.01), content type ( P =.03, 95% CI 0.03‐0.03), and tweet timing ( P =.04, 95% CI 0.04‐0.04). Governmental sources had higher popularity and were more frequently accurate compared to nongovernmental sources. Conclusions: Reputable Twitter accounts in Saudi Arabia generally provide accurate nutrition-related content, though evidence citation is minimal. Users are encouraged to rely on reputable accounts for health information, and further research is suggested to explore the quality of evidence in such posts.