nutrition

A meta-analysis published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews concludes that intermittent fasting is not particularly effective for weight loss in adults who are obese or overweight, who showed moderate weight loss. This strategy also does not differ significantly from standard dietary advice or improvement in quality of life. The review included 22 studies with nearly 2,000 participants and evaluated various forms of intermittent fasting, including restricting food intake for most of the day and fasting every other day.

Adopting a healthy diet at age 45 can add between two and three years to life expectancy in men, and between 1.5 and 2.3 years in women, according to a study based on data from more than 103,000 people in the United Kingdom. The positive impact is greater for men who follow a diabetes risk reduction diet (DRRD) and for women who follow a Mediterranean-style diet (AMED), says the article published in Science Advances.

An international team has analyzed data from nearly 60 studies involving more than 48,000 children with different types of diets and compared the nutritional profile and various health parameters between those following vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and omnivorous diets. The results indicate that plant-based diets, if well-planned, can promote healthy growth with benefits such as a better cardiovascular profile and lower cholesterol levels. However, they may have difficulty achieving adequate levels of vitamins D and B12, calcium, iron, and zinc. According to the authors, the findings underscore the need for careful planning and supplementation in children following these types of diets. The study is published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 

A study published in PLOS Biology analysed whether supplementation with zinc, serine and branched-chain amino acids —valine, isoleucine and leucine— improves autism-related symptoms in three mouse models. These nutrients are believed to regulate synaptic formation and activity. The results show that the combination of the three nutrients, at low doses for seven days, improved affected brain traits —such as hyperactivity and hyperconnectivity of the amygdala— and the social behaviour of the animals. Individual supplementation did not show such improvements. 

Three articles with Spanish participation, published in The Lancet, review the evidence that ultra-processed foods are worsening diet quality and displacing the consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods. Furthermore, they warn that their consumption is linked to a higher risk of multiple chronic diseases. According to the authors, who also review the associated policies and commercial factors, only a coordinated global response can combat the strategy of the companies that market these products.

The use of creatine among athletes is not new, although its consumption has become popular on social media. We answer questions about this compound with the help of experts in nutrition, sports and dietetics.

The Planetary Health Diet promotes environmentally sustainable consumption, based, among other things, on increasing vegetable intake and reducing dairy and red meat consumption. Previous studies had found an association with better human health, although there were some conflicting results. Now, a study combining two cohorts of more than 150,000 people and a meta-analysis of 37 studies involving more than three million volunteers reinforces this association, finding that greater adherence to the diet is associated with lower all-cause mortality. The results are published in the journal Science Advances.

On 22 August, the UN officially declared famine in Gaza, defined as an extreme situation of food insecurity in which there is insufficient access to food to survive, leading to high rates of malnutrition, disease and mortality. The Spanish Society of Epidemiology explains how this situation is technically assessed, as well as the implications of the declaration.

Eating three servings of French fries per week is associated with a 20% increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but eating similar amounts of potatoes cooked in other ways (boiled, baked, or mashed) does not substantially increase the risk, according to a study published in BMJ. The study, which analyzed the diets of more than 205,000 adults over decades, showed that replacing any form of potato with whole grains was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Intermittent fasting has similar effects to calorie-restricted diets in terms of weight loss, concludes a meta-analysis, published in The BMJ, pooling the results of 99 previous clinical trials. Of three types of intermittent fasting (alternate-day fasting, time-restricted eating and all-day fasting), intermittent fasting has a higher impact on weight reduction compared to continuous energy restriction, the study adds.