Nutrition
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Mexico exhibits one of the highest prevalence rates of overweight and obesity globally, accompanied by a surge in non-communicable diseases, which in turn leads to elevated mortality rates. Existing efforts to address rising obesity rates have shown limited effectiveness. Maternal weight, diet, and physical activity (PA) during pregnancy affect the mother's and offspring's health. Despite the importance of establishing and engaging in healthy behaviors during pregnancy, little is known about which factors impact these behaviors among pregnant women in Mexico. This study explored perspectives on factors impacting healthy dietary behaviors and PA in pregnancy from pregnant women and health care professionals in Mexico. ⋯ This study identified factors impacting healthy dietary behaviors and PA in pregnancy in Mexico. Important considerations for future interventions include addressing sociocultural norms around healthy dietary behaviors and PA in pregnancy and involving pregnant women's families, closest social networks, and health care professionals working at the prenatal care unit.
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Iron is an important micronutrient in pathways of energy production, adequate nutrient intake and its balance is essential for optimal athletic performance. However, large studies elucidating the impact of iron deficiency on athletes' performance are sparse. ⋯ Iron deficiency is common in athletes (predominantly in female and in young athletes). Iron deficiency was independently associated with reduced VO2 peak during exercise testing and lower probability to reach a VO2 peak >50 ml/min/kg.
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Historical Article
An error in concept and definition of recommended dietary allowance developed in 1941: Time to create new ones.
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin C differs greatly (40-110 mg/d) across countries. In addition, vitamin D deficiency is, effectively, a pandemic, with a prevalence of approximately 25% to 80% across countries according to the findings in the recent scientific literature. ⋯ This is an extremely high intake level for a specific nutrient affecting only a few individuals (the upper 2.5%) of the generally healthy population. The RDA should be redefined by investigating at which intake level of a specific nutrient the incidence of a specific disease or mortality increases or decreases based on prospective cohort studies.
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Gut microbiota dysbiosis is among the risk factors for breast cancer development, together with genetic background and dietary habits. However, caloric restriction has been shown to remodel the gut microbiota and slow tumor growth. Here, we investigated whether the gut microbiota mediates the preventive effects of long-term chronic or intermittent caloric restriction on breast cancer predisposition. ⋯ Our study revealed the role of gut microbes in the preventive effects of caloric restriction against breast cancer development, implying the significance of diet and microbiome interplay.