Browsing by Author "Moreira, Pedro"
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- A Cross-Sectional Study on the Association between 24-h Urine Osmolality and Weight Status in Older AdultsPublication . Padrão, Patrícia; Sousa, Ana; Guerra, Rita; Álvares, Luísa; Santos, Alejandro; Borges, Nuno; Afonso, Cláudia; Amaral, Teresa; Moreira, PedroData on the association between hydration and body weight in the elderly are scarce. The objective of this work was to quantify the association between 24-h urine osmolality and weight status in the elderly. A cross-sectional study was conducted within the Nutrition UP 65 study. A quota sampling was implemented to achieve a nationally representative sample of Portuguese older adults (≥65 years) according to age, sex, education and region. From a sample size of 1500 participants, 1315 were eligible for the present analysis, 57.3% were women and 23.5% were aged ≥80 years. Participants were grouped using tertiles of 24-h urine osmolality by sex. World Health Organization cutoffs were used to classify participants according to weight status. Multinomial multivariable logistic regression models were conducted to evaluate the association of tertiles of osmolality with weight status, adjusting for confounders. Odds Ratios (OR) and respective 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Being in the 3rd urine osmolality tertile (highest) was associated with a higher risk of being obese in men, OR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.06, 3.66. No such association was found in women. These results highlight the need for implementing studies in order to clarify the association between hydration and weight status in the elderly.
- How Individual Variations in the Perception of Basic Tastes and Astringency Relate with Dietary Intake and Preferences for Fruits and VegetablesPublication . Louro, Teresa; Simões, Carla; Castelo, Paula Midori; Silva, Fernando Capela e; Luis, Henrique; Moreira, Pedro; Lamy, ElsaBackground: Oral food perception plays a major role in food acceptance, although the way it relates with food preferences and final choices in adults is still debatable. The objective of the present study was to assess the relationship between gustatory function, dietary habits and fruit and vegetable preferences. Methods: Recognition thresholds, suprathreshold and hedonics were accessed for sweet, bitter, sour, salty and astringency in 291 adult participants. A Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and a questionnaire for assessment of preferences for individual fruit and vegetables were filled by the participants. Results: Three clusters were obtained: “most sensitive”, “less sensitive” and “less sensitive only for sour”. The less sensitive cluster showed lower preferences for fruit and vegetables and higher intake of sweets and fast foods, whereas higher preferences for sweet veggies were observed in the “most sensitive” cluster. Basic tastes and astringency hedonics did not associate with fruit and vegetable preferences, but the sensitivity for these oral sensations did. Conclusions: Taste and astringency sensitivities are related with the preference for fruit and vegetables, being also associated with some dietary habits. The effectiveness of the strategies to promote plant-based healthy food consumption may benefit from the knowledge of individuals’ gustatory function.
- Nutrition up 65 educational strategies: health professionals qualification coursePublication . Sousa, Ana S.; Guerra, Rita. S; Álvares, Luísa; Valdiviesso, Rui; Padrão, Patrícia; Borges, Nuno; Santos, Alejandro; Afonso, Cláudia; Martins, Cátia; Ferro, Graça; Moreira, Pedro; Amaral, Teresa F.INTRODUCTION: Nutrition knowledge among health professionals has a major impact on older adults’ healthcare. However, there is a lack of specialized education offer in this area. Within the Nutrition UP 65 Project, a health professional’s qualification nutrition course was created and implemented from April 2015 to April 2017. We aim to describe this process here. METHODOLOGY: At Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação da Universidade do Porto, a course of twenty-seven hours was created by six professors. The course comprises eight hours of direct contact and nineteen hours of individual study and was accredited by the University of Porto and credited with one European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Educational materials and presentations for each session were produced including posters and flyers. A final test was developed to evaluate attendee’s knowledge. Approximately 10% of national health units were identified, randomly selected in each country regional area (NUTS II – “Nomenclatura Comum das Unidades Territoriais para Fins Estatísticos”) and invited to participate. RESULTS: Thirty-five course editions were carried out by twenty-three Porto University accredited instructors for 784 professionals from 241 different health units. Concerning the knowledge evaluation, a 99% approval rate was achieved and the average mark score was of 16.8 out of 20. Course satisfaction survey revealed that 45.7% of the participants classified the course as “good” and 41.1% as “very good”. CONCLUSIONS: The overall balance of this branch of the Nutrition UP 65 project is very positive. The results on health professional’s adherence demonstrate that the interest in this area of nutrition care is high and that this nutrition course is a good opportunity to expand access to specialized education. This highlights the need for further initiatives promoting educational sessions targeting nutrition topics. These course sessions must be acknowledged as a starting point to a new approach in older adult’s nutrition knowledge in Portugal.
- Relationship between Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Saliva CompositionPublication . Louro, Teresa; Simões, Carla; Penetra, Maria João; Carreira, Laura; Castelo, Paula Midori; Luis, Henrique; Moreira, Pedro; Lamy, Elsa: Dietary polyphenol exposure is known to change protein saliva composition in rodents, but less is known in humans. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between saliva protein composition and adherence to Mediterranean Diet (MD) and polyphenol intake levels. Participants were assessed for their dietary habits, which were converted in Mediterranean adherence level, according to Mediterranean Diet Adherence Score (MEDAS) score. Total polyphenol and total flavanol intakes were extrapolated from dietary data, using Phenol explorer database. Whole saliva was collected, and proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE. Salivary S-type cystatins were highly expressed in the group with medium adherence to MD, being positively correlated with wine intake in overweight individuals. The association between salivary amylase and MD adherence also depended on Body Mass Index (BMI), with a positive association only in normal weight individuals. Polyphenol intake was positively associated with S-type cystatins levels, particularly when flavanols were considered separately. These results show that saliva relationship with MD adherence depend on BMI, suggesting that normal weight and overweight individuals may have different salivary responses to diet. Moreover, these results reinforce the link between saliva and dietary polyphenols (flavanols) levels, leading to the hypothesis that salivary proteome can have a role in polyphenol-rich foods acceptance.
- Salivary Protein Profile and Food Intake: A Dietary Pattern AnalysisPublication . Louro, Teresa; Simões, Carla; Lima, Wilmara; Carreira, Laura; Castelo, Paula Midori; Luis, Henrique; Moreira, Pedro; Lamy, ElsaSaliva research has gained interest due to its potential as a source of biomarkers. One of the factors inducing changes in saliva, in the short term, is food intake, and evidence exist about changes in salivary proteome induced by some food components. Since this topic of research is in its early stages, it was hypothesized that saliva protein composition could be associated with different levels of adherence to dietary patterns that contain higher amounts of plant products. The aim of the present study was to test this hypothesis, in adults, by comparing salivary protein electrophoretic profiles of individuals with different diet characteristics, particularly dietary patterns (DP) that exhibit different proportions of animal and plant-based products. Dietary habits were assessed in 122 adults (61 from each sex, with ages ranging from 20 to 59 years) using Food Frequency Questionnaires. To identify the dietary patterns, a principal component analysis was used. Individual’s non-stimulated saliva was evaluated for flow rate, pH, protein concentration, α-amylase activity, and electrophoretic protein profiles. Seven dietary patterns (DP) were identified. Salivary amylase enzymatic activity was positively associated with animal-based and starchy foods DP, and with plant-based fatty foods without wine DP. At the same time, protein bands containing amylase and type S cystatins were positively associated with the cheese/yoghurt and wine DP. Our results support the association of salivary proteomics and different dietary patterns and highlight the need of considering food consumption habits in studies using saliva, since this is a factor associated with variations in the composition of this fluid.
- Sitting time and associated factors among Portuguese older adults: results from Nutrition UP 65Publication . Sousa, Ana Sofia; Mendes, Joana; Guerra, Rita S.; Padrão, Patrícia; Moreira, Pedro; Santos, Alejandro; Borges, Nuno; Afonso, Cláudia; Martins, Cátia; Ferro, Graça; Amaral, Teresa F.Older adults are particularly susceptible to sedentary behaviours. Sitting time has been increasingly referred to as a potentially modifiable risk factor in the prevention of chronic diseases. Identifying factors associated with sitting time, particularly those that are modifiable, will allow for more effective public health strategies. This study aimed to describe sitting time among Portuguese older adults and to evaluate associated factors. A cross-sectional study including 1423 older adults ≥ 65 years old was conducted. Sitting time was assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Socio-demographic, health, anthropometric and functional variables were collected. Bivariate and multivariate linear regression models were conducted to study the association between these variables and sitting time. The median of sitting time was 300 min/day (interquartile range = 240 min/day), which is equal to 5 h/day. The following factors were directly associated with longer sitting time: being male, age ≥ 80 years, living in Central or Southern Portugal, being retired from work, as well as presenting low physical activity, obesity or longer time to walk 4.6 metres. On the other hand, being married, having higher education and higher household income were inversely associated with longer sitting time. It can be concluded that Portuguese older adults spend a considerable amount of time sitting per day. Potentially modifiable risk factors associated with longer sitting time in this population were related to nutritional status and functional ability.
- Sodium and potassium urinary excretion and their ratio in the elderly: results from the Nutrition UP 65 studyPublication . Moreira, Pedro; Sousa, Ana Sofia; Guerra, Rita S.; Santos, Alejandro; Borges, Nuno; Afonso, Cláudia; Amaral, Teresa F.; Padrão, PatríciaBackground: We aimed to describe urinary sodium and potassium excretion and their ratio in a representative sample of Portuguese elderly population, according to sociodemographic characteristics and weight status. Methods: A cluster sampling approach was used, representing older Portuguese adults (≥65 years) according to age, sex, education level, and regional area within the Nutrition UP 65 study. This cross-sectional evaluation was conducted in 2015 and 2016. From a sample size of 1,500 participants, 1,318 were eligible for the present analysis, 57.3% were women, and 23.5% were aged ≥80 years. Sodium and potassium consumption was evaluated through one 24 h urinary excretion. Inadequate sodium intake was defined as ≥2,000 mg/day, inadequate potassium intake was considered as <3,510 mg/day, and inadequate sodium-to-potassium ratio was defined as >1, according to the World Health Organization cutoffs. Results: The proportion of the participants with an inadequate intake was 80.0% in women and 91.5% in men (sodium), 96.2% of women and 79.4% of men (potassium), and 98.4% of women and 99.1% of men (sodium- to-potassium ratio). Higher sodium adequacy was observed among the older elderly, unmarried, with lower household income, and underweight/normal weight. Higher potassium adequacy was observed in the younger elderly, married, and with higher income. Conclusion: The majority of the Portuguese elderly population was classified as having inadequate sodium, potassium, and sodium-to-potassium ratio urinary excretion. Therefore, strategies for reducing sodium and increasing potassium intake are priorities in the Portuguese elderly population.
- The Influence of (Poly)phenol Intake in Saliva Proteome: Short- and Medium-Term Effects of ApplePublication . Louro, Teresa; Carreira, Laura; Caeiro, Inês; Simões, Carla; Ricardo-Rodrigues, Sara; Rato, Ana Elisa; Silva, Fernando Capela e; Luis, Henrique; Moreira, Pedro; Lamy, ElsaThe relationship between salivary proteome and dietary habits was studied in previous works, where a relationship between salivary proteins like cystatins and polyphenol/tannin levels in diet was observed. However, it remains to be elucidated if this association results from an effect of polyphenol-rich food ingestion on saliva composition. The aim of this work was to test the effects of apple intake on the saliva proteome, both in the short and medium term (after 4 days of continuous intake). By incubating saliva samples with apple phenolic-rich extract, protein bands containing α-amylase, S-type cystatins, and proline-rich proteins (PRPs) appeared in the fraction that precipitated, showing the potential of these (poly)phenols to precipitate salivary proteins. Among these, it was salivary cystatins that presented changes in their levels both in the saliva samples collected immediately after apple intake and in the ones collected after 4 days of intake of an extra amount of apple. These results support the thought that intake is reflected in the salivary proteome. The effect of a polyphenol-rich food, like the apple, on salivary cystatin levels is in line with results observed in animal models and, due to the involvement of these proteins in oral food perception, it would be interesting to explore in future studies the effect of these changes on sensory perception and acceptance of polyphenol-rich food.
- The NutriClock Study Protocol - Assessing the Impact of a Chrononutrition Intervention in Patients With Cardiometabolic DisturbancesPublication . Lages, Marlene; Gaspar, Laetitia; Carmo-Silva, Sara; Frontini, Roberta; Álvaro, Ana; Cavadas, Cláudia; Fonseca, Rui; Barros, Renata; Guarino, Maria Pedro; Moreira, Pedro