Several risk factors including environmental exposures, socioeconomic status, and dietary factors including dietary patterns have been considered for childhood Asthma. The present study tried to examine the association between a western-style pattern and the likelihood of asthma and its symptoms in Yazd, Iran. In the present cross-sectional study, dietary intakes of elementary and high-school children were obtained through a validated GAN questionnaire. The GAN questionnaire, derived from the ISAAC questionnaire was used to assess the symptoms of allergic diseases and their related risk factors. A western dietary pattern score considered 9 food groups including chicken eggs, margarine, butter, sugar, fast foods, soft drinks, snacks, sauce, and chocolate. In total 7667 children aged 10.9 ± 3.35 years were included in the current investigation. Boys with higher adherence to western dietary pattern had a higher risk of wheezing in the past 12 months (OR 1.37, 5% CI 1.01-1.87, P = 0.04) and this association was also observed in the whole population (OR 1.30, 5% CI 1.05-1.60, P = 0.01). However, after adjustment for confounders this relation did not remain significant in boys. Our results support the hypothesis that a western dietary pattern is associated with an increased risk of wheezing in the past 12 months in children with asthma. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm this finding.

BACKGROUND: The A allele of rs9939609 polymorphism at the FTO gene has been consistently associated with higher body mass index in different populations, but conflicting results have been found regarding its contribution to food intake variability.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association between this genetic variant and nutrient and food intake in an urban Argentinian population.
METHODS: A cross-sectional, analytic investigation was performed between October 2018 and February 2020.
METHODS: Adults of both sexes residing in La Plata, Argentina, were recruited through social networks (Instagram and Facebook). Of 179 eligible adults, a total of 173 adults were included in the final analyses.
METHODS: Nutrient and food group intake data were obtained by an interview-administered food frequency questionnaire. Height and weight were measured, and genotypes were obtained by real-time polymerase chain reaction.
METHODS: The per-allele effect on nutrient and food group intake was assessed by general linear models, adjusting for age, sex, educational level, total energy intake, and body mass index. Dietary patterns were derived by principal component analysis. The association of the A allele with adherence to each dietary pattern was also evaluated by the general linear model.
RESULTS: The frequency of the risk allele was 27%. A-carriers showed a higher total fat (1.88 [0.55, 3.21] % of total energy intake), saturated fatty acids (0.82 [0.25-1.39] % of total energy intake), and monounsaturated fatty acids (0.66 [0.08, 1.24] % of total energy intake), and a lower carbohydrate (-1.99 [-3.48, -0.50] % of total energy intake) intake than TT homozygous. A-carriers also reported a higher \"milk and yogurt\" (1.08 [0.24, 1.91] % of total energy intake), \"animal fats\" (1.09 [0.14-2.03] % of total energy intake), and fat-rich ultraprocessed foods (2.10 [0.52, 3.67] % of total energy intake) intake in comparison with TT homozygous. Furthermore, A-carriers showed higher adherence to the Western dietary pattern.
CONCLUSIONS: The A allele contributed to nutrient and food intake variability in the studied population and was associated with the consumption of saturated fatty acids-enriched foods.

The objectives of this study are to identify eating patterns of university professors and to assess the relationships among sociodemographic factors in relation to lifestyle and physical activity. It is a cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational, and observational study with a representative sample of 127 educators, which covers almost the total population of university professors belonging to one of the campuses of the University of Granada (Spain). Two eating patterns were identified a posteriori through explanatory factor analysis: a Western pattern characterised by the consumption of dairy products, eggs, meat, sausages, refined oils, and butter, sugar, processed baked goods, and sugar-containing beverages and alcoholic drinks, and a Mediterranean pattern based on olive oil, fish, fruits, nuts, vegetables, pulses, cereals, and honey, which explain the 20.102 and 17.411 of variance, respectively. Significant differences are observed between the two genders with respect to anthropometric characteristics (weight and size, p < 0.001 in both cases) and to nutritional status (p = 0.011). Origin (p = 0.022) and level of physical activity (p = 0.010) were significantly related to adherence to a Western diet pattern. In the case of the Mediterranean diet pattern, significant differences are observed according to the professors\' type of bachelor\'s degree (p = 0.37). This study provides evidence on factors having an impact on adherence to eating patterns of professors of the University of Granada, and it suggests that programmes addressed to such groups should be developed to promote health.

OBJECTIVE: Diet is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes. Here, we aim to identify dietary patterns and to investigate their association with prediabetes, undetected diabetes and prevalent diabetes.
METHODS: The present study included 1305 participants of the cross-sectional population-based KORA FF4 study. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) measurements together with a physician-confirmed diagnosis allowed for an accurate categorization of the participants according to their glucose tolerance status into normal glucose tolerance (n = 698), prediabetes (n = 459), undetected diabetes (n = 49), and prevalent diabetes (n = 99). Dietary patterns were identified through principal component analysis followed by hierarchical clustering. The association between dietary patterns and glucose tolerance status was investigated using multinomial logistic regression models.
RESULTS: A Prudent pattern, characterized by high consumption of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and dairy products, and a Western pattern, characterized by high consumption of red and processed meat, alcoholic beverages, refined grains and sugar-sweetened beverages, were identified. Participants following the Western pattern had significantly higher chances of having prediabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.35, 2.73), undetected diabetes (OR 10.12; 95% CI 4.19, 24.43) or prevalent diabetes (OR 3.51; 95% CI 1.85, 6.67), compared to participants following the Prudent pattern.
CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, the present study is one of the few investigating the association between dietary patterns and prediabetes or undetected diabetes. The use of a reference group exclusively including participants with normal glucose tolerance might explain the strong associations observed in our study. These results suggest a very important role of dietary habits in the prevention of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss among the elderly.
This study aimed to determine the association between dietary patterns and food groups (used to make them) with the 18-year incidence of AMD.
ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) participants who showed change in AMD lesions between retinal photographs taken at visit 3 and visit 5 were graded side by side to determine incident AMD (any=144; early=117; late=27). A 66-line item food frequency questionnaire, administered at visit 1 and visit 3, was used to identify 29 food groups. Principal component analysis was used to derive dietary patterns from average food group servings. Logistic regression was used to estimate ORs and 95% CIs for incident AMD (any, early and late) by tertiles of dietary pattern scores, adjusted for age, race, education, total calories and smoking status. P-trend was estimated using continuous scores.
Western (unhealthy) and Prudent (healthy) dietary patterns were identified. No significant associations were observed between either dietary pattern and incident any or incident early AMD. However, a threefold higher incidence of late AMD was observed among participants with a Western pattern score above, as compared with below, the median (OR=3.44 (95% CI 1.33 to 8.87), p-trend=0.014). The risk of developing late AMD was decreased, but not statistically significant, among participants with a Prudent pattern score above, as compared with below, the median (OR=0.51 (95% CI 0.22 to 1.18), p-trend=0.054).
Diet patterns were not significantly associated with incident any or incident early AMD. However, consumption of a Western pattern diet may be a risk factor for development of late AMD.

OBJECTIVE: Are there any associations of dietary patterns with semen quality, reproductive hormone levels, and testicular volume, as markers of testicular function?
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that traditional Mediterranean diets may have a positive impact on male reproductive potential.
BACKGROUND: The Mediterranean diet has been related to lower risk of multiple chronic diseases, but its effects on reproduction potential are unclear.
METHODS: Cross-sectional sample of 215 male university students recruited from October 2010 to November 2011 in Murcia Region (Spain).
METHODS: Two hundred and nine healthy men aged 18-23 years were finally included in this analysis. Diet was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis. Linear regression was used to analyze the relation between diet patterns with semen quality parameters, reproductive hormone levels and testicular volume adjusting for potential confounders.
RESULTS: We identified two dietary patterns: a Mediterranean (characterized by high intakes of vegetables, fruits and seafood) and a Western pattern (characterized by high intakes of processed meats, French fries and snacks). The Mediterranean pattern was positively associated with total sperm count (P, trend = 0.04). The Western pattern was positively related to the percentage of morphologically normal sperm (P, trend = 0.008). We found an inverse association between adherence to the Western pattern and sperm concentration among overweight or obese men (P, trend = 0.04).
CONCLUSIONS: As with all cross-sectional studies, causal inference is limited. However, participants were blinded to the study outcomes thus reducing the potential influenced their report of diet. Although we adjusted for a large number of known and suspected confounders, we cannot exclude the possibility of residual confounding or chance findings.
CONCLUSIONS: This study was carried out on healthy and young men, so it is difficult to predict whether and how the observed differences in semen quality translate into reproductive success for men in couples trying to conceive. These results suggest that traditional Mediterranean diets may have a positive impact on male reproductive potential.