Body Composition and Metabolic Status of Italian and Spanish University Students: Relationship with Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Abstract

Most university students do not follow recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake, with a consequent increase in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The aim of this study was to compare obesity prevalence and biomarkers of metabolic status between Italian and Spanish university students, in relation with the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Food consumption, adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MD), level of physical activity (PA), blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides and ketones, blood pressure, and body composition were evaluated. Among CVD risk factors, only glucose was significantly higher in Spaniards (SP), and only 3.1% of SP presented ketosis. SP had a higher percentage of energy from fat. Although adherence to MD and fruit and vegetable consumption did not differ between Italians and SP, students who consumed at least four servings of fruit and vegetables (FV group) showed better values for pressure and metabolic parameters than the no FV group. We observed an association between consumption of fruit and PA. Students who consumed more vegetables than fruit reported a better body composition profile and lower glucose concentrations. As previously suggested, in addition to PA, two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day should be recommended.

Current status of bariatric surgery perceptions in Hail region, Saudi Arabia

“…The results of our study are consistent with the results of the previous study, which also showed that sports were practiced by only about half of the participants (Aldawqi et al, 2018). The low level of physical activity plays a very important role in increasing obesity rates (Pojednic et al, 2022;Xiao et al, 2022), in addition to the fact that there is a link between low fruit intake and high body mass index (Aiello et al, 2022;Nyanchoka et al, 2022). In general current study showed that the level of awareness to obesity and weight reduction surgeries not influenced by sex, educational level, economic status, smoking habits and a history of obesity.…”

“…Participants who have a medical history of obesityThe table4 shows perceptions of participants regarding obesity, factors that aid in weight reduction, and bariatric surgery, the majority 338 (84.5%) of participants believe obesity is a disease. Almost two thirds of participants 240 (60%) believe excessive eating is not the only cause of obesity, 300 (75%) believe genetics play a role in obesity, also 266 (66.5%) believe psychiatric illness can lead to obesity.…”

Factors associated with the consumption of fruits and vegetables in latin american university students

“…In general, students who consume the amount of F&V recommended by the WHO have better habits, for instance, a study conducted among Italian and Spanish university students found that there was a positive association between the practice of physical activity and a greater fruit consumption [9]. Another study among university students found a greater intake of F&V is correlated with greater physical activity, less stress and lower alcohol consumption 14 .…”

“…Consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V) is associated with a lower mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and cancer 1,2,3 , and with a lower risk of high blood pressure 4,5 , and type 2 diabetes 6,7 in the general population, and particularly in university students. Furthermore, a lower risk of excess weight 8 and improvements in body composition have been observed 9 . The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consumption of at least 400 g of F&V daily, which is equivalent to 5 servings per day 10 .…”