The Mediterranean diet has shown to have positive health impacts on metabolic diseases and cognitive performance. However, Mediterranean countries have witnessed a decreased adherence during the past years and the adoption of a more westernized dietary pattern. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of Mediterranean diet adherence with sociodemographic, lifestyle, and anthropometric factors among Lebanese high school adolescents. Specifically, we aimed to analyse in this group the association between low adherence and breakfast intake. A cross-sectional survey was carried out on randomly selected students (268 boys and 332 girls), aged between 15 and 18 years old, from private and public schools in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. Data were obtained from self-administered questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. The Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents was used to assess the adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The results showed a high percentage of adolescents having a low adherence (43%), with girls (64.2%) having a significant (p<0.001) higher adherence than boys (35.8%). Furthermore, the study proved that a lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with a higher risk of obesity (15.5%), breakfast skipping (69.4%), and an unhealthy breakfast options (17.4%). Younger adolescents (47.4%), students from public schools (92.6%), and students with the highest grades (25.3%) had a significantly higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet than those from private schools (7.4%) and older adolescents (18.9%). In conclusion, results should plead for an increased awareness in Lebanese schools, supporting students to be more adherent to the Mediterranean diet, in order to prevent a further increase in metabolic diseases later in adulthood.

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aims</strong>: The aim of this work is to test the effects of soil-applied nitrogen (N) at budbreak and subsequent foliar-applied N at veraison on the N composition and partitioning in berries of water stressed Vitis vinifera L. cv. Sauvignon blanc vines.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: N fertilizer was applied to the soil at budbreak at doses of 30 or 60 kg N/ha, while the control did not receive any treatment. This did not increase N content of leaves and the vines showed symptoms of N deficiency from the beginning of the season. In order to overcome this deficiency, N foliar sprayings were applied at veraison at doses of 2.5 or 5 kg N/ha to vines having received 30 or 60 kg N/ha of soil-applied N, respectively. Total N of berry flesh responded to N foliar fertilization more than that any other berry part, whereas amino acids in skins were the more affected by N foliar fertilization than those of other berry parts. Only the 60 soil/5 foliar N treatment produced a measurable increase in the total, assimilable and amino N in berry juices at maturity. Assimilable N was a better indicator for N summer uptake by the vine than total N. Of all amino acids, arginine showed the highest increases following N fertilization and could be considered among the better indicators to distinguish between N summer fertilization treatments.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion</strong>: In conditions of severe water deficit and N deficiency, fertilization at a dose of 60 kg/ha soil-applied N combined with 5 kg/ha foliar-applied N improved fruit fermentability. Results support the use of foliar fertilization at veraison as a tool for enhancing grape quality and to a certain extent the style of wine.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Significance and impact of study</strong>: This work helps to provide insight into the effect of N soil fertilization along with foliar fertilization on waterstressed vines. This may be useful in fertilization programs in the Mediterranean area and may help to choose the type and the rate of the N fertilization in case of severe vine water deficit. Also, we provide information of utmost importance on the distribution of summer foliarapplied N in grape tissues.</p>