No abstract

Purpose Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a subjective multi-dimensional concept referring to an individual’s perception of health and well-being in domains related to physical, mental, emotional and social functioning. The current study aims at investigating possible associations between dietary quality, disordered eating attitudes and HRQOL in Greek adolescents. Design/methodology/approach A total of 400 students (198 boys; 202 girls), 14-17 years old, were recruited from five high schools in the area of Kallithea in Athens, Greece. Standard anthropometric measurements were taken, and obesity classification was conducted using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-off points. Students completed the KIDMED index, which evaluates the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) as a diet quality index, the EAT-26 questionnaire, which assesses disordered eating attitudes and the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire for children and adolescents assessing perceived HRQOL. Findings Disordered eating attitudes are significantly negatively correlated with the total score of HRQOL (p < 0.01) and with the subcategories: psychological well-being (p < 0.01), parents and autonomy (p < 0.01) and school environment (p < 0.001), whereas adherence to the MedDiet was positively correlated with all the components and total score of HRQOL. Linear regression analysis revealed that adherence to the MedDiet (p < 0.05), total number of meals/day (p < 0.01) and number of meals with the family (p < 0.05) were significant predictors of HRQOL in adolescents. Research limitations/implications The convenient sampling of 400 students was conducted from five schools, from one municipality of Athens, Greece. Originality/value Adherence to the MedDiet positively affects important components of HRQOL in adolescents, whereas disordered eating attitudes has a negative effect. Identifying adolescents with low HRQOL is highly important because it could result in an early detection of individualised healthcare needs and possible non-diagnosed ill-health problems.

Aim of the present study was to investigate eating attitudes in a group of Mediterranean high school students. One hundred and twenty high school students participated in this survey. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) was used for evaluating symptoms and attitudes associated with disordered eating. Body composition and dietary intake were also assessed. Using the cut-off point of 20 in the total EAT, 13 females (20.3%) and 4 males (7.3%) exhibited disordered eating behavior. Overweight students had significantly higher scores in the dieting scale than those in the normal BMI range. Percent fat mass was positively related to the total EAT (r=0.326, p<0.001) and the dieting scale (r=0.489, p<0.001). Waist/hip ratio was negatively related to total EAT and its scales. In conclusion, a significant percentage of students in this urban Mediterranean adolescent population found to have abnormal eating attitudes. This finding may be partly explained by the effect of cultural transition.

Altered expression of the facilitated glucose transporter GLUT1 affects pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. There is indication that variation of GLUT1 gene (SLC2A1) contributes to development of microangiopathy in diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM) patients. A genetic association study involving Caucasians was carried out to investigate the role of XbαI polymorphism in the GLUT1 gene in diabetic nephropathy (DN). Study population (n = 240) consisted of 148 unrelated patients with DM (92 cases with diabetic nephropathy (DN)), and of 92 matched healthy control subjects. Diabetic nephropathy was defined as persistent albuminuria (> 300 mg/24 h) and/or renal failure, in the absence of non-diabetes induced renal disease. The analysis showed that the risk of developing DM and DN in XbaI(−) carriers, when healthy individuals were considered as controls, was two-fold: odds ratio (OR) 2.08 [95% confidence interval (1.14–3.79)]. However, there was no evidence of association between XbaI(−) and DN when patients with DM and without DN were considered as controls: OR = 1.12 (0.55–2.26). Thus, the GLUT1 XbaI(−) allele is associated with DM, and possibly with a more severe form of the disease that can lead to development of DN.

No abstract