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.
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.
BackgroundEffects of urbanisation on diabetes risk appear to be greater in indigenous populations worldwide than in populations of European origin, but the reasons are unclear. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine whether the effects of environment (Rural vs. Urban), adiposity, fitness and lifestyle variables on insulin resistance differed between individuals of indigenous Mapuche origin compared to those of European origin in Chile.Methodology/Principal Findings123 Rural Mapuche, 124 Urban Mapuche, 91 Rural European and 134 Urban European Chilean adults had blood taken for determination of HOMA-estimated insulin resistance (HOMAIR) and underwent assessment of physical activity/sedentary behaviour (using accelerometry), cardiorespiratory fitness, dietary intake and body composition. General linear models were used to determine interactions with ethnicity for key variables. There was a significant “ethnicity x environment” interaction for HOMAIR (Mean±SD; Rural Mapuche: 1.65±2.03, Urban Mapuche: 4.90±3.05, Rural European: 0.82±0.61, Urban European: 1.55±1.34, p (interaction) = 0.0003), such that the effect of urbanisation on HOMAIR was greater in Mapuches than Europeans. In addition, there were significant interactions (all p<0.004) with ethnicity for effects of adiposity, sedentary time and physical activity on HOMAIR, with greater effects seen in Mapuches compared to Europeans, an observation that persisted after adjustment for potential confounders.Conclusions/SignificanceUrbanisation, adiposity, physical activity and sedentary behaviour influence insulin resistance to a greater extent in Chilean Mapuches than Chileans of European descent. These findings have implications for the design and implementation of lifestyle strategies to reduce metabolic risk in different ethnic groups, and for understanding of the mechanisms underpinning human insulin resistance.
The functional interrelationship between biliary cholesterol secretion, sinusoidal lipoprotein cholesterol secretion and bile salt synthesis was studied in the rat. Diosgenin, fructose, and colestipol in the diet were used to, respectively, influence biliary cholesterol output, VLDL production and bile salt synthesis. In the acute bile fistula rat, biliary cholesterol output was 700% increased by diosgenin and 50% decreased by fructose. In the rats fed both diosgenin and fructose, biliary cholesterol secretion was increased only by 200%, whereas biliary bile salts and phospholipid outputs were unchanged.In the isolated perfused liver, VLDL-cholesterol output was 50% reduced by diosgenin alone, but was unchanged following feeding of diosgenin plus fructose. However, the livers of rats fed diosgenin plus fructose exhibited a 700% increase in VLDL-triglyceride production and a 200% increase in VLDLcholesterol output. A significant reciprocal relationship between VLDL-cholesterol secretion and the coupling ratio of cholesterol to bile salts in bile was observed. Colestipol added to the diet maintained both sinusoidal and biliary cholesterol outputs within the normal range.In the chronic bile fistula rat, colestipol increased bile salt synthesis by 100% while diosgenin and fructose diets had no effect. Similarly, the addition of fructose to the colestipol diet did not decrease bile salt synthesis.These data suggest a reciprocal relationship between biliary cholesterol secretion and hepatic secretion of cholesterol as VLDL particles. The free cholesterol pool used for bile salt synthesis seems functionally unrelated to the pool from which VLDL-cholesterol and biliary cholesterol originate. These findings support the idea that metabolic compartmentalization of hepatic cholesterol is a major determinant of the quantity of cholesterol available for recruitment by the bile salt-dependent biliary cholesterol secretory mechanism.
In summary, we confirm the association of the FTO gene single-nucleotide polymorphism rs9939609 with obesity in Chilean Amerindian children. Furthermore we show an association between the risk allele (A) and insulin resistance-related markers in prepubertal obese girls.
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