Confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic can influence dietary profiles, especially those of adolescents, who are highly susceptible to acquiring bad eating habits. Adolescents’ poor dietary habits increase their subsequent risk of degenerative diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular pathologies, etc. Our aim was to study nutritional modifications during COVID-19 confinement in adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, compare them with their usual diet and dietary guidelines, and identify variables that may have influenced changes. Data were collected by an anonymous online questionnaire on food intake among 820 adolescents from Spain, Italy, Brazil, Colombia, and Chile. The results show that COVID-19 confinement did influence their dietary habits. In particular, we recorded modified consumption of fried food, sweet food, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. Moreover, gender, family members at home, watching TV during mealtime, country of residence, and maternal education were diversely correlated with adequate nutrition during COVID-19 confinement. Understanding the adolescents’ nutrition behavior during COVID-19 lockdown will help public health authorities reshape future policies on their nutritional recommendations, in preparation for future pandemics.

The COVID-19 lockdown clearly affected the lifestyle of the population and entailed changes in their daily habits, which involved potential health consequences, especially on patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to examine the impact of the lockdown caused by COVID-19 pandemic on both nutrition and exercise habits, as well as the psychological effects in patients with T2DM, compared to their usual diet and physical activity level previous to the complete home confinement. We also intended to analyse any potential variables that may have influenced these lifestyle modifications. A Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Food Craving Questionnaire-State (FCQ-S) and Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait (FCQ-T) were used. Our results showed an increase in vegetable, sugary food and snack consumption. An association between levels of foods cravings and snack consumption was also found. Data also showed a high percentage of physical inactivity before the COVID-19 lockdown, which was exacerbated during the home confinement. These findings emphasise the great importance to do further research with larger study samples to analyse and explore dietary habits and to develop public health policies to promote a healthy lifestyle in terms of diet and physical activity in these patients, especially after this strict period of lockdown.

Aim: to describe physical activity and ultra-processed foods consumption, their changes and sociodemographic predictors among adolescents from countries in Europe (Italy and Spain) and Latin America (Brazil, Chile, and Colombia) during the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic period. Methods: Cross-sectional study via web survey. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and weekly ultra-processed food consumption data were used. To compare the frequencies of physical activity status with sociodemographic variables, a multinomial logistic and a multiple logistic regression for habitual ultra-processed foods was performed. In final models, p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Sample of 726 adolescents, mostly females (59.6%) aged 16–19 years old (54.3%). Adolescents from Latin America presented odds ratio (OR) 2.98 (CI 95% 1.80–4.94) of being inactive and those whose mothers had higher level of education were less active during lockdown [OR 0.40 (CI 95% 0.20–0.84)]. The habitual ultra-processed consumption was also high during this period in all countries, and more prevalent in Latin America. Conclusion: A higher prevalence of inactivity was observed in this population, but reductions of physical activity and habitual ultra-processed consumption during the pandemic were more pronounced in Latin America. Our findings reinforce the importance of promoting a healthy lifestyle, i.e., exercise and diet, during periods of social isolation.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) crucial roles in translation repression and post-transcriptional adjustments contribute to regulate intestinal lipid metabolism. Even though their actions in different metabolic tissues have been elucidated, their intestinal activity is yet unclear. We aimed to investigate intestinal miRNA-regulated lipid metabolism-related genes, by creating an intestinal-specific Dicer1 knockout (Int-Dicer1 KO) mouse model, with a depletion of microRNAs in enterocytes. The levels of 83 cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism-related genes were assessed in the intestinal mucosa of Int-Dicer1 KO and Wild Type C57BL/6 (WT) littermates mice at baseline and 2 h after an oral lipid challenge. Among the 18 genes selected for further validation, Hmgcs2, Acat1 and Olr1 were found to be strong candidates to be modulated by miRNAs in enterocytes and intestinal organoids. Moreover, we report that intestinal miRNAs contribute to the regulation of intestinal epithelial differentiation. Twenty-nine common miRNAs found in the intestines were analyzed for their potential to target any of the three candidate genes found and validated by miRNA-transfection assays in Caco-2 cells. MiR-31-5p, miR-99b-5p, miR-200a-5p, miR-200b-5p and miR-425-5p are major regulators of these lipid metabolism-related genes. Our data provide new evidence on the potential of intestinal miRNAs as therapeutic targets in lipid metabolism-associated pathologies.

The role of miRNAs in intestinal lipid metabolism is poorly described. The small intestine is constantly exposed to high amounts of dietary lipids, and it is under conditions of stress that the functions of miRNAs become especially pronounced. Approaches consisting in either a chronic exposure to cholesterol and triglyceride rich diets (for several days or weeks) or an acute lipid challenge were employed in the search for intestinal miRNAs with a potential role in lipid metabolism regulation. According to our results, changes in miRNA expression in response to fat ingestion are dependent on factors such as time upon exposure, gender and small intestine section. Classic and recent intestinal in vitro models (i.e. differentiated Caco-2 cells and murine organoids) partially mirror miRNA modulation in response to lipid challenges in vivo. Moreover, intestinal miRNAs might play a role in triglyceride absorption and produce changes in lipid accumulation in intestinal tissues as seen in a generated intestinal Dicer1-deletion murine model. Overall, despite some variability between the different experimental cohorts and in vitro models, results show that some miRNAs analysed here are modulated in response to dietary lipids, hence likely to participate in the regulation of lipid metabolism, and call for further research.