Food Group Intake of Pregnant Jordanian Women Based on the Three Pregnancy Trimesters

Macronutrients Not Micronutrients Are Associated With the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: A Jordanian Case-Control Study

OBJECTIVES

Pancreatic cancer (PC) has been related directly to many risk factors; however, diet is considered one of the most modifiable risk factors. This study is designed to observe the associations between the intake of macromicronutrients and the risk of pancreatic cancer in a Jordanian population.

METHODS

A case-control study included 100 patients with the incident and histologically confirmed PC and 309 control subjects frequency-matched on age, educational level, occupation, and marital status. Face-to-face interview was used to collect the study's sociodemographic, physical activity, and dietary information. Intakes of macronutrients and micronutrients were assessed by a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and confidence intervals.

RESULTS

The patients reported higher consumption of almost all the macromicronutrients and micronutrients as compared with control subjects. The highest tertile of dietary intake of carbohydrates, sugars, fats, saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and vitamin B3 was positively associated with PC risk (Ptrend < 0.05). However, dietary intakes of polyunsaturated fats, omega-3, and some vitamins and minerals were not associated (Ptrend > 0.05) with the risk of PC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support the positive role of proteins, carbohydrates, sugars, fats, saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol on pancreatic carcinogenesis.

Dietary intake and lifestyle practices of eastern mediterranean postpartum women before and during COVID-19 pandemic: An internet-based cross-sectional survey

Background

During the lockdown period, a substantial group of these women reported lifestyle changes.

Aim

The aim of the study is to characterize the dietary patterns, intake and the adherence to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) pregnancy guidelines before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Mediterranean postartum women.

Methods

An internet-based cross-sectional survey was used to collect the data. The survey was carried out among 1,939 postpartum women from five countries from the Eastern Mediterranean region. Change in dietary intake from the five food groups and the adherence to USDA's daily recommendations were assessed.

Findings

There was a significant increase in the mean (SD) consumption of all the food groups, including bread, rice, and other cereals, fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products, white and red meat, and nuts during the pandemic. Around 84% of participants reported no/low adherence (0–2) to USDA guidelines, whereas only 15% reported moderate or high adherence (3–5) to the guidelines before the pandemic. However, there was an increase in the proportion of subjects reporting moderate/high adherence (22%) during the pandemic.

Discussion and conclusions

A substantial proportion of our study participants reported a lower dietary intake than the recommended amounts, and low adherence to the five food groups. Reasonable and applicable actions should be taken to protect postpartum women and their children from the effects of low dietary intake, particularly during pandemics and lockdowns. More researches are needed to identify the modifiable factors which could improve the nutritional status of the postpartum women during the pandemic.

Adherence to the United States Department of Agriculture Dietary Recommendations Pre- and During the Coronavirus Disease-19 Pandemic Among Pregnant Women in Arab Countries

During pregnancy, woman’s diet is one of the most preeminent factors affecting mother and child’s health. Prior to the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, inadequate maternal diet and low adherence to dietary guidelines was reported among pregnant women in the Arab countries. Nowadays, COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is widely discussed among literature. However, there is limited data on the health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-infected pregnant women. This substantially larger group also suffered significant lifestyle changes during the lockdown period. The aim of the study is to characterize dietary patterns, intake and adherence to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) pregnancy guidelines before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Arab pregnant women. Using a specially designed questionnaire and using the snowball sampling method, the survey was carried out among a convenient sample of 1,939 pregnant women from five Arab countries. Our study found an increment in the consumption of cereals, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats, and nuts that occurred during the pandemic compared to the preceding period. Despite this noticeable increase during the pandemic, the Arab pregnant women in this study had significantly lower adherence to the USDA pregnancy guidelines. The daily consumption of almost all food groups was lower than the USDA’s daily recommendations, except for fruits intake, which was higher than the daily standard. Demonstrated poor adherence to prenatal USDA dietary guidelines by Arab pregnant women can lead to numerous deficiencies and health risks among their offspring. In conclusion, our study showed that before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, poor adherence to dietary recommendations occurred in a considerable number of Arab pregnant women. The findings emphasize the need for nutritional education and intervention during prenatal visits.