BACKGROUND The incidence of bronchial hyperreactivity has increased to one-third of the population in developed countries, which requires the adoption of preventive and therapeutic measures. The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of a traditional Mediterranean diet on patients diagnosed with childhood asthma and determine if there is a beneficial effect from this dietary i...

OBJECTIVE To compare and evaluate the reliability of several indexes of adherence to the Mediterranean diet. DESIGN The ten indexes included in the analysis were: Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), Mediterranean Score (MS), Dietary Score (DS), Mediterranean-Dietary Quality Index (Med-DQI), Mediterranean Dietary Pattern adherence index (MDP), Mediterranean Adequacy Index (MAI), Mediterranean Styl...

Some metabolic indicators of thyroid hormone activity have been investigated in rats fed on either protein-deficient or energy-restricted diets. Rats were divided into three groups. Control animals were maintained on a diet of protein energy: total energy (P:E) value of 0.20, while the low-protein group (LP) were allowed ad lib. access to food of P:E 0.03. Energy-restricted (ER) rats were given...

The effects of source of energy and energy restriction during lactation on sow and litter performance were investigated in an experiment with 90 primiparous sows. At parturition, the sows were randomly assigned to diets containing either tallow or cornstarch as a major energy source. Energy intake was restricted to 8 Mcal of metabolizable energy X sow-1 X d-1 during a 28-d lactation. All sows r...

OBJECTIVE To present the Mediterranean diet as an example of a sustainable diet, in which nutrition, biodiversity, local food production, culture and sustainability are strongly interconnected. DESIGN Review of notions and activities contributing towards the acknowledgement of the Mediterranean diet as a sustainable diet. SETTING The Mediterranean region and its populations. SUBJECTS Medi...

BACKGROUND Although changes in eating patterns may occur during gestation, predictors of these changes have not been explored. This study aimed to identify predictors of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) from the first to second trimester of pregnancy. METHODS A prospective study was conducted with 102 pregnant women aged 18-40, from the city of Porto, Portugal. Socio-demographic and l...

Inadequate dietary patterns and sedentary lifestyles are believed to be important factors in predisposing people to obesity. This study analyzed the potential interaction between habitual physical activity and the carbohydrate (CHO)-fat distribution in 2 hypocaloric diets and the impact of such interplay on body composition changes. Forty healthy obese women, 20-50 years old, were randomly assi...