The objective of this study was to estimate inequalities in the consumption of fruits and vegetables. A multilevel study was performed based on cross-sectional data of adults from 18 to 64 years of age (n = 5,217) and in geodemographic units (n = 33). The consumption of fruits and vegetables was estimated with a food frequency questionnaire administered as part of the 2010 Colombian National Nutrition Survey (ENSIN). Inequality indices for the consumption of whole fruits and fruit juice and for raw and cooked vegetables were estimated using data on wealth, food security, geographical area and monetary poverty. The prevalence of the consumption of cooked vegetables was 64.8% (95%CI: 59.2-70.4) among men and the prevalence of the consumption of fruit juice was 86.1% (95%CI: 82.4-89.8) among women. The frequency of the consumption of fruit juice was 1.03 times/day (95%CI: 0.93-1.14) among women. The prevalence and frequency fruits and vegetables consumption per day for the three socioeconomic variables considered in this study are higher according to the higher socioeconomic level (p < 0.05), except for the consumption frequency of whole fruits/day (p = 0.24). At the individual level, the Gini coefficient for frequency/day ranged from 0.51 to 0.62. At the ecological level, the Gini index for prevalence ranged from 0.04 to 0.14; and for frequency/day ranged from 0.03 to 0.11. The Colombian population does not meet fruits and vegetables consumption recommendations. Men and women favor the consumption of fruit juice over whole fruits. The inequality in vegetable consumption is clear, with men at a disadvantage. The poor eat fewer fruits and vegetables.

BackgroundThis study characterizes the intake of sweetened beverages and establishes whether economic inequalities in their consumption exists.MethodsEcological study. Mixed methods using food frequency questionnaire and inequality indices. Based on the National Nutrition Survey, Colombia, 2010. The sweetened beverage intake of 17,514 subjects in 33 geodemographic units was estimated with a food frequency questionnaire and summarized. The calculation of inequality was based on the monetary poverty. The prevalence (yes/no) and frequency (times/day) of sweetened beverage consumption were estimated. Indices of economic inequality were calculated for both prevalence and frequency.ResultsThe prevalence of sweetened beverage consumption was between 79.2% (95% CI, 75.7 to 82.8) in adults and 88.5% (95% CI, 85.8 to 91.3) in minors. The frequency of consumption in terms of times/day, was between 0.20 (95% CI, 0.16 to 0.24) in adults and 0.40 (95% CI, 0.33 to 0.46) in minors. The Gini coefficient for the prevalence was close to zero, between 0.04 and 0.08; for the frequency, it was slightly higher, between 0.12 and 0.25.ConclusionsIt was established that there is no economic inequality in the consumption of sweetened beverages. Consumption taxes could be regressive.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-5037-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Both genetic background and diet are important determinants of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Understanding gene-diet interactions could help improve CVD prevention and prognosis. We aimed to summarise the evidence on gene-diet interactions and CVD outcomes systematically. Methods We searched MEDLINE® via Ovid, Embase, PubMed®, and The Cochrane Library for relevant studies published until June 6th 2022. We considered for inclusion cross-sectional, case–control, prospective cohort, nested case–control, and case-cohort studies as well as randomised controlled trials that evaluated the interaction between genetic variants and/or genetic risk scores and food or diet intake on the risk of related outcomes, including myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and CVD as a composite outcome. The PROSPERO protocol registration code is CRD42019147031. Results and discussion We included 59 articles based on data from 29 studies; six articles involved multiple studies, and seven did not report details of their source population. The median sample size of the articles was 2562 participants. Of the 59 articles, 21 (35.6%) were qualified as high quality, while the rest were intermediate or poor. Eleven (18.6%) articles adjusted for multiple comparisons, four (7.0%) attempted to replicate the findings, 18 (30.5%) were based on Han-Chinese ethnicity, and 29 (49.2%) did not present Minor Allele Frequency. Fifty different dietary exposures and 52 different genetic factors were investigated, with alcohol intake and ADH1C variants being the most examined. Of 266 investigated diet-gene interaction tests, 50 (18.8%) were statistically significant, including CETP-TaqIB and ADH1C variants, which interacted with alcohol intake on CHD risk. However, interactions effects were significant only in some articles and did not agree on the direction of effects. Moreover, most of the studies that reported significant interactions lacked replication. Overall, the evidence on gene-diet interactions on CVD is limited, and lack correction for multiple testing, replication and sample size consideration.

Oil exploitation, drilling, transportation, and processing in refineries produces a complex mixture of chemical compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which may affect the health of populations living in the zone of influence of mining activities (PZOI). Thus, to better understand the effects of oil exploitation activities on cytogenetic endpoint frequency, we conducted a biomonitoring study in the Hitnü indigenous populations from eastern Colombia by using the cytokinesis micronucleus cytome assay (CBMN-cyt). PAH exposure was also measured by determine urine 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) using HPLC. We also evaluated the relationship between DNA damage and 1-OHP levels in the oil exploitation area, as well as the modulating effects of community health factors, such as Chagas infection; nutritional status; and consumption of traditional hallucinogens, tobacco, and wine from traditional palms. The frequencies of the CBMN-cyt assay parameters were comparable between PZOI and Hitnü populations outside the zone of influence of mining activities (POZOI); however, a non-significant incremental trend among individuals from the PZOI for most of the DNA damage parameters was also observed. In agreement with these observations, levels of 1-OHP were also identified as a risk factor for increased MN frequency (PR = 1.20) compared to POZOI (PR = 0.7). Proximity to oil exploitation areas also constituted a risk factor for elevated frequencies of nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs) and APOP-type cell death. Our results suggest that genetic instability and its potential effects among Hitnü individuals from PZOI and POZOI could be modulated by the combination of multiple factors, including the levels of 1-OHP in urine, malnutrition, and some traditional consumption practices.

Background: Both genetic background and diet are important determinants of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Understanding gene-diet interactions could help improve CVD prevention and prognosis. We aimed to summarise the evidence on gene-diet interactions and CVD outcomes systematically. Methods: We searched MEDLINE® via Ovid, Embase, PubMed®, and The Cochrane Library for relevant studies published until May 7th 2021. We considered for inclusion cross-sectional, case-control, prospective cohort, nested case-control, and case-cohort studies as well as randomised controlled trials that evaluated the interaction between genetic variants and/or genetic risk scores and food or diet intake on the risk of related outcomes, including myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and CVD as a composite outcome. The PROSPERO protocol registration code is CRD42019147031.Results and discussion: We included 54 articles based on data from 29 studies; six articles involved multiple studies, and three did not report details of their source population. The median sample size of the articles was 2562 participants. Of the 54 articles, 19 (35.2%) were qualified as high quality, while the rest were intermediate or poor. Eight (14.8%) articles adjusted for multiple comparisons, four (7.0%) attempted to replicate the findings, 15 (27.7%) were based on Han-Chinese ethnicity, and 28 (52%) did not present Minor Allele Frequency. Forty-nine different dietary exposures and 47 different genetic factors were investigated, with alcohol intake and ADH1C variants being the most examined. Of 249 investigated diet-gene interaction tests, 47 (18.9%) were statistically significant, including CETP-TaqIB and ADH1C variants, which interacted with alcohol intake on CHD risk. However, interactions effects were significant only in some articles and did not agree on the direction of effects. Moreover, most of the studies that reported significant interactions lacked replication. Overall, the evidence on gene-diet interactions on CVD is limited, and lack correction for multiple testing, replication and sample size consideration.