Physical activity (PA) may influence the secretion of neurotransmitters and thereby have positive consequences for an individual’s vulnerability (i.e., reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms). This systematic review aims to analyse the potential bidirectional effects of exercise on dopamine from young adulthood to old age. The article search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science in December 2020. The inclusion criteria were longitudinal and experimental study design; outcomes included dopamine and exercise; effect of exercise on dopamine and vice versa; adults; and articles published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish. Fifteen articles were included in the review. We observed robust findings concerning the potential effects of PA on dopamine, which notably seem to be observable across a wide range of participants characteristics (including age and sex), a variety of PA characteristics, and a broad set of methods to analyse dopamine. By contrast, regarding the potential effects of dopamine on PA, findings were mixed across studies. Thus, there are robust effects of physical exercise on dopamine. These findings further strengthen the idea that innovative approaches could include PA interventions for treating and preventing mental disorders. Therefore, it seems that PA is a potential alternative to deal with mental health issues.

Atherosclerosis, chronic non-communicable diseases, and metabolic syndrome are highly interconnected and collectively contribute to global health concerns that reduce life expectancy and quality of life. These conditions arise from multiple risk factors, including inflammation, insulin resistance, impaired blood lipid profile, endothelial dysfunction, and increased cardiovascular risk. Adopting a plant-based diet has gained popularity as a viable alternative to promote health and mitigate the incidence of, and risk factors associated with, these three health conditions. Understanding the potential benefits of a plant-based diet for human health is crucial, particularly in the face of the rising prevalence of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Thus, this review focused on the plausible advantages of consuming a type of food pattern for the prevention and/or treatment of chronic diseases, emphasizing the dietary aspects that contribute to these conditions and the evidence supporting the benefits of a plant-based diet for human health. To facilitate a more in-depth analysis, we present separate evidence for each of these three concepts, acknowledging their intrinsic connection while providing a specific focus on each one. This review underscores the potential of a plant-based diet to target the underlying causes of these chronic diseases and enhance health outcomes for individuals and populations.

Poor health and diet quality are associated with living within a low socioeconomic status (SES). This study aimed to investigate the impact of SES on diet quality and body mass index in Latin America. Data from the “Latin American Health and Nutrition Study (ELANS)”, a multi-country, population-based study of 9218 participants, were used. Dietary intake was collected through two 24 h recalls from participants of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Diet quality was assessed using the dietary quality score (DQS), the dietary diversity score (DDS) and the nutrients adequacy ratio (NAR). Chi-squared and multivariate-variance analyses were used to estimate possible associations. We found that participants from the low SES consumed less fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fiber and fish and seafood and more legumes than those in the high SES. Also, the diet quality level, assessed by DQS, DDS and NAR mean, increased with SES. Women in the low SES also showed a larger prevalence of abdominal obesity and excess weight than those in the middle and high SES. Health policies and behavioral-change strategies should be addressed to reduce the impact of socioeconomic factors on diet quality and body weight, with gender as an additional level of vulnerability.

Objectives This study aims to examine the associations of daily step count with all-cause mortality and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) by sedentary time levels and to determine if the minimal and optimal number of daily steps is modified by high sedentary time. Methods Using data from the UK Biobank, this was a prospective dose–response analysis of total daily steps across low (<10.5 hours/day) and high (≥10.5 hours/day) sedentary time (as defined by the inflection point of the adjusted absolute risk of sedentary time with the two outcomes). Mortality and incident CVD was ascertained through 31 October 2021. Results Among 72 174 participants (age=61.1±7.8 years), 1633 deaths and 6190 CVD events occurred over 6.9 (±0.8) years of follow-up. Compared with the referent 2200 steps/day (5th percentile), the optimal dose (nadir of the curve) for all-cause mortality ranged between 9000 and 10 500 steps/day for high (HR (95% CI)=0.61 (0.51 to 0.73)) and low (0.69 (0.52 to 0.92)) sedentary time. For incident CVD, there was a subtle gradient of association by sedentary time level with the lowest risk observed at approximately 9700 steps/day for high (0.79 (0.72 to 0.86)) and low (0.71 (0.61 to 0.83)) sedentary time. The minimal dose (steps/day associated with 50% of the optimal dose) of daily steps was between 4000 and 4500 steps/day across sedentary time groups for all-cause mortality and incident CVD. Conclusions Any amount of daily steps above the referent 2200 steps/day was associated with lower mortality and incident CVD risk, for low and high sedentary time. Accruing 9000–10 500 steps/day was associated with the lowest mortality risk independent of sedentary time. For a roughly equivalent number of steps/day, the risk of incident CVD was lower for low sedentary time compared with high sedentary time.

Most population-based studies from Latin America have used questionnaires to measure physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB). Low reliability and validity of the questionnaires has limited the capacity to examine associations between PA and health. The purpose of this study was to compare self-reported and accelerometer–measured PA and SB and their associations with body composition in Latin American countries. Data were obtained from the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (aged 15–65 years), collected from September 2014 to February 2015. PA and SB were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (long version) and the Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer. Outcomes of interest included: body mass index (BMI), waist (WC) and neck circumference (NC). We used the Pearson and intraclass correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman plots, and multilevel linear regression models. Mean moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by accelerometer and IPAQ were 34.4 min/day (95% CI: 33.4 to 35.4) and 45.6 min/day (95% CI: 43.2 to 48.1), respectively. For SB (accelerometer and IPAQ) the means were 573.1 (95% CI: 568.2 to 577.9) and 231.9 min/day (95% CI: 225.5 to 238.3). MVPA, measured by the accelerometer was negatively associated with BMI (β = -1.95; 95% CI: -2.83 to -1.08), WC (β = -5.04; 95% CI: -7.18 to -2.89) and NC (β = -1.21; 95% CI: -1.79 to -0.63). The MVPA estimated through IPAQ was not significantly associated with any of the three outcome variables. SB, measured by the accelerometer, was positively associated with BMI (β = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.44) and WC (β = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.91). SB estimated through IPAQ was positively associated with NC only. Low correlation coefficients were observed for accelerometer-derived and IPAQ-reported estimates of PA and SB. Caution is advised when making comparisons between accelerometer-measured and self-reported PA and SB. Further, studies examining associations between movement and health should discuss the impact of PA and SB measurement methodology on the results obtained.