A cross-sectional study evaluated the clinical course, demographic characteristics and tolerance rate of allergic reactions induced by fruit and vegetables. The study involved 78 children aged around 5 years with suspected allergic reactions to fruit or vegetables. Analysis of the medical records revealed that class 1 and 2 allergies were identified in 65 and 13 cases respectively. Among the most encountered allergens were potato, banana, peach and tomato. Clinical symptoms included urticaria, oral allergy syndrome, angioedema and anaphylaxis. A total of 13 children achieved tolerance, with a median tolerance time of 13.5 months after diagnosis. While further work is needed to increase the understanding of fruit and vegetable allergy, this study is the first to provide information on tolerance.
A recent review provides a narrative summary of existing research on dietary factors affecting colorectal cancer mortality and disease- or recurrence-free survival. A total of 28 studies were included in the corpus. Some studies suggest beneficial effects of adherence to American Cancer Society guidelines and a plant-rich, low-carbohydrate diet on colorectal cancer mortality risk. These effects are potentially associated with the fiber content of cereals, vegetables and wholemeal products. In terms of survival, adherence to a Western dietary model and high consumption of refined cereals and sugar-sweetened beverages are correlated with an increased risk of recurrence and disease progression. Conversely, greater adherence to American Cancer Society recommendations and high consumption of omega-3 and fish reduced risk. These results underline the need for standardized studies on the role of diet in colorectal cancer survival.
A meta-analysis has evaluated the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of sarcopenia. A total of 14 observational studies involving 33,801 participants were included. Overall, 6436 cases of sarcopenia were identified. The results show that fruit and vegetable consumption is significantly associated with a reduced risk of sarcopenia. This association was only observed in cross-sectional studies and was particularly significant for people aged over 60. Thus, the conclusions of this meta-analysis suggest that fruit and vegetable consumption reduces the risk of sarcopenia. Further studies are still needed to provide more evidence.
A scoping study examined the deployment and characteristics of policies aimed at limiting sales and marketing of unhealthy foods in the school environment of 193 countries. According to the analyses, only 28% of the countries included have a national policy restricting food marketing or competitive food sales in schools. Moreover, more than half the policies were identified in high-income countries, and none of the low-income countries had any of the policies examined. Furthermore, 8 marketing policies and 14 competitive sales policies did not include explicit guidelines for policy monitoring or deployment. Future research is needed to assess the prevalence and effectiveness of policies aimed at improving other key aspects of the food environment in schools, such as the nutritional quality of meals or food supply.
A recent study has evaluated the association between the prevalence of food addiction and psychosocial aspects related to risk behaviors in a large representative sample of Generation Z. A total of 8755 Italian underage students completed a short version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 to assess food addiction. Risk and protective factors related to demographic, family, personality and behavioral variables were examined. According to the results, the prevalence of food addiction was 30.8% in the sample studied. Several risk factors such as social anxiety, depression, addiction to online gaming and social networks, and substance use were associated with an increased risk of addiction. Conversely, consumption of fruit and vegetables, competitive sports and an average sleep duration of 7 to 8 hours reduced the risk. These findings underline the need to take psychosocial determinants into account in the prevention of food addiction.
