Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of premature death in the 21^st century. Dietary factors, such as high salt intake, are related to increased risk of CVDs{Akpolat, 2009 #21}. One of the main sources of dietary salt is bread. On the other hand, salt content is a quality indicator of bread. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the salt content in a variety of consumed breads in Yazd city, Iran. Methods: This study was a cross sectional research conducted in Yazd. The list of the bakeries obtained from their industry office. Ten percent of about 600 bakeries in Yazd (62 bakeries; 2 samples in each bakery) were selected using simple random sampling based on sample frame of ID number of each bakery. Finally, 9 types of bread included in this study. Sodium content was measured using flame photometer method. Salt content in breads was reported in each 100 g bread. Results: It was found that Nan-Taftoon Tanuri is the most popular bread among traditional breads in Yazd (45.2%). It had significantly more salt than Nan-Fantezi and Nan-Sangak (P < 0.02). Also, Nan-Sangak had the least salt among traditional breads. However, the mean salt of traditional breads was more than the standard level (1g salt/100g bread (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The current study showed that the mean salt content of traditional breads was significantly more than the standard level. Furthermore, Nan-TaftoonTanuri had significantly more salt than others, such as Nan-Fantezi and Nan-Sangak.

Background: Today, bad and harmful nutritional behavior is one of the most important and common nutritional problems of young people. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between religiosity and nutritional behavior in students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd City, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 310 students in the academic year 2017-2018 by stratified sampling method. Data collection tools were demographic questionnaire, Serajzadeh religiosity measures, and nutritional behavior questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS16 using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The results showed a positive and significant correlation between religious attitude and nutritional behavior of students (P = 0.01, R = 0.78). Furthermore, religious attitude had a significant relationship with educational level and school of study. Moreover, a significant relationship was found between gender and nutritional behavior of students. Conclusion: Regarding the correlation between religiosity and nutritional behavior, the authorities are recommended to hold Islamic nutrition workshops in order to improve nutritional behavior of the students.

Background: Dietary factors are associated with the development of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in adults, but no studies have ever investigated the relationship between dietary patterns and the risk of IBS among adolescents. Methods: In this cross-sectional study a total of 750 adolescent girls aged 12 to 18 years old were recruited using a random cluster sampling method from several schools in different areas of Mashhad city, Iran. A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and the modified version of Rome III questionnaire were administered to assess the participants' dietary intakes and IBS, respectively. Socio-demographic data and anthropometric variables were also obtained. Factor analysis was performed to identify major dietary patterns. Results: The dietary patterns of healthy, mix, and western were identified in this study. An inverse non-significant association was also observed between the healthy dietary pattern and IBS (OR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.47-1.48). The relationship of IBS prevalence with mix and western dietary patterns was also non-significant. Conclusions: No statistically significant associations were found between dietary patterns and IBS among Iranian girl adolescents. Further studies, particularly longitudinal intervention studies with a larger sample size are required in this area.

Background: Millions of people worldwide suffer from foodborne diseases every year. So, these diseases are recognized as one of the most common problems worldwide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of education on knowledge, attitude, and practice of catering staffs about food hygiene and safety in Yazd City, Iran. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted among 55 employees of catering in Yazd in 2018. The cluster random sampling method was applied to select the participants. Data collection tool was a questionnaire containing four parts of demographic, knowledge, attitude, and practice data. Prior to the intervention, all participants were asked to complete the questionnaire. Later, they were provided with the necessary training for 8 hours in four consecutive weeks. Two months after the intervention, the participants were asked to complete the same questionnaire again. Results: The mean score of before and after the intervention of the participants' knowledge, attitude, and practice were 19.32 ± 3.15, 22.69 ± 4.99, 13.20 ± 1.74, 25.07 ± 3.51, 35.21 ± 2.64 and 17.40 ± 3.48, respectively. prior to and after the intervention, respectively. Based on the findings, the participants' mean score of knowledge, attitude, and practice increased significantly after the educational course (P < 0.05). A significant difference was also observed between the mean scores of practice and work experience before and after the intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusions: According to the results, the educational content should be revised and implementation of the acquired knowledge should be improved in order to achieve the desired level of knowledge, attitude, and practice. In addition, education on food hygiene should be continuous and meticulously planned.

 
Background: Eggs are of the few naturally occurring foods that meet the needs of human body in a balanced manner. The present study was conducted to determine the rate of egg per capita consumption in Tehran city in 2018. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 4.213 heads of families living in 22 regions of Tehran. Selected randomly using multistage cluster sampling method. The research data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire completed by interviews. Results: Mean egg consumption per person was 2.58 per week and 134 per capita (95%CI; 134-137). Moreover, 39.59% of the participants believed that brown-shelled eggs had a higher nutritional value and 61.99% were unaware about the presence of omega 3-enriched eggs. Concerning the participants' attitudes towards egg consumption effective factors, the 'recommendations of physicians and nutritionists to use eggs' and knowing about harmlessness of cholesterol found in eggs' received the mean highest scores of 3.47 and 3.31, respectively. Conclusion: Per capita consumption of eggs among families in Tehran was much lower than the recommended standards. Physicians and nutritionists are recommended to try to raise the community awareness about the nutritional value and correct the misconceptions about egg cholesterol

Background: Aflatoxin B1 is a secondary toxic metabolite produced by several aspergillus species. This study was conducted to determine the presence of aflatoxin in tomato paste samples. Methods: A total of 30 tomato pastes were analyzed for Aflatoxin B1 contamination via HPLC-FLD. Analyte extraction was done by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction. Results: The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.14 and 0.44 µg/kg, respectively. The recovery rates ranged from 91 to 94%. The findings showed all samples were contaminated with Aflatoxin B1 and the average concentration was 1.1 ± 0.02 µg/kg. The amount of aflatoxin B1 in 6 samples was higher than the limit set by the European Union. Conclusion: The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of tomato paste samples with quantitative results. The main advantages of the developed method include its simplicity in operation, rapid achievement of a very high sample, and low cost.

Background: Since breast milk is one of the ways of transferring toxic elements from the body, breast milk infection in any form can have adverse effects on the development of the baby. This study aims to investigate the effect of education on knowledge, attitude, and practice of breastfeeding mothers about heavy metals transferred by breast milk. Method: In this interventional study, 100 women referring to Abarkooh health centers were selected and randomly divided into case (n = 50) and control (n = 50) groups. The data collection tool was a questionnaire consisting of four parts, including background questions and knowledge, attitude, and practice. Then, eight two-hour classes were held weekly during two months by food health and safety expert in coordination with the test group. At the end of two months after the last training session, the questionnaires were repeated between the two groups (post-test). Results: The mean score of knowledge, attitude, and practice of the mothers in the intervention group after training significantly increased (P < 0.05), while in the control group no significant difference was observed in the variables before and after the intervention. There was a significant difference between mean of knowledge, attitude, and practice in mothers with demographic variables only between knowledge and education level (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that breastfeeding training program had a positive effect on promoting the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of the mothers. Therefore, it seems that continuous and varied educational programs are required to prevent the occurrence of heavy metal poisoning caused by breast milk and its consequences in infants.
 

Background: Nutrition and dietary habits is one of the determinant factor on glycemic control of diabetes mellitus. This study aims to investigate the association between type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and diet in the first two years of life as well as a select group of demographic variables. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 76 children with T1DM and 209 non-diabetic children selected through convenience sampling from the population of people visiting the community health centers of the city of Jahrom, Iran. The required data were collected by a questionnaire of diet and demographic information completed by the mothers of the children. The data were analyzed using logistic regression and adjusted odds ratio. Results: Finally, the results of multiple backward logistic regression showed that the studied factors had a significant association with T1DM (P < 0.05), including body mass index (BMI) less than 18 kg/m² for mothers before pregnancy (OR: 4.4, 95% CI: 1.61 to 11.97), mothers without a history of diabetes (OR: 0.02, 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.60), mother’s weight before pregnancy (OR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.84 to 0.91), mother’s excess weight during pregnancy (OR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75 to 0.93), exclusive breastfeeding for more than six months (OR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.96), low weight gain in the first two years of life (OR: 6.98, 95% CI: 2.16 to 22.5), and the breastfeeding less than 12 months  (OR: 10.52, 95% CI: 1.62 to 66.64). Conclusion: BMI less than 18 kg/m² for mothers before pregnancy, low weight gain in the first two years of life, and breastfeeding less than 12 months increased the risk of developing T1DM in children.

Background: It has been known that healthy nutrition is important in increasing immunity and reducing diseases. Lack of some nutrients can lead to a decrease in the function of the immune system and, as a result, an increase in the probability of infections or their exacerbation. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating knowledge, attitude and nutritional practice related to COVID-19 in the students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: The present descriptive and analytical study was conducted in 2022 on 350 students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. The research tools included a demographic checklist and a questionnaire of knowledge, attitude and nutritional practice related to COVID-19, used in a similar study. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 24 software using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance, independent t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 22.15±4.98 year.  The mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and nutritional behavior of students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences regarding COVID-19 were 23.17 ±4.17, 18.04 ±3.29, and 41.64 ±7.16, respectively. The results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between the knowledge score with the educational level and history of infection with COVID-19 and the nutritional practice score with the variable of history of infection with COVID-19 (P < 0.05). Also, there was a positive and significant correlation between Knowledge, attitude, and practice. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the studied students had a relatively good knowledge, attitude, and practice towards nutritional issues related to COVID-19; however, there is still room for improvement.
 

Background: Since most studies evaluating the prevalence of hospital malnutrition in Iran have only been conducted on a specific group of patients, the present study was designed to investigate the prevalence of malnutrition in several different hospital wards. Methods: The nutritional status of 284 hospitalized patients was evaluated using the PG-SGA short form and compared according to demographic data and body mass index (BMI). Demographic and SGA domains were compared across BMI categories. Malnutrition degree was also compared. Results: Among the participants, 37.0% (n=105) had moderate malnutrition and 51.1% (n=145) had severe malnutrition. Comparing differences within patients according to their BMI status, there were no significant differences according to age, hospitalization duration, and current food intake status. Only sex and cause of hospitalization showed significant differences. Most of male participants had normal weight and were hospitalized for non-GI disorders (P=0.001 and 0.031, respectively). As expected, the scores obtained from weight, food intake, and symptoms sections of the questionnaire were higher in underweight patients in comparison to other BMI categories. Comparison of the same characteristics as per malnutrition status showed that people with high risk of malnutrition were older (P= 0.023), had oral food intake (P=0.007) and normal BMI (P=0.001). Conclusion: The number of patients at high risk of malnutrition was relatively significant in the study. A high frequency of malnutrition was observed among individuals with normal BMI. Screening tools in addition to BMI should be used to detect patients at risk of malnutrition.
Corresponding Author:Fatemeh Azizi-Soleiman
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Background: Malnutrition is relatively common in hemodialysis (HD) patients, which increases the risk of mortality. Seven Point Subjective Global Assessment (7-point SGA) tool is recommended to evaluate and monitor malnutrition in HD patients. The aim of this study was to investigate malnutrition using 7-point SGA in HD patients referred to dialysis centers in Gorgan city (north-eastern of Iran) in 2020. Methods: The nutritional status of 133 HD patients referred to Gorgan city dialysis center in 2020 were assessed using the 7-point SGA tool. Weight, percentage of fat, and muscle mass were measured by Omron BF511. Height was measured using the SECA portable stadiometer. Serum hemoglobin levels were recorded based on the latest recorded routine tests during the last month. A demographic information questionnaire was completed for all individuals. Medications and supplements taken by patients as well as visits by a nutrition consultant and adherence to a special diet were investigated by reviewing the medical file and asking the patient. Results: Out of 133 patients, 43.61% had no malnutrition and 56.39% had moderate malnutrition. The nutrition status was not different regarding gender and education level, but was different regarding household size (P=0.032). Patients with moderate malnutrition were older and had less weight and body mass index (BMI), but there was no statistically significant difference between height, dialysis time span, body fat and muscle mass percentage, and serum hemoglobin concentration. Conclusion: This study showed a considerable rate of malnutrition in HD patients, which should be regarded by clinicians and health policymakers.
Corresponding Author:Amrollah Sharifi
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The prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is increasing worldwide, and the role of diet in its etiology has been established. The Dietary inflammatory index (DII) has attracted significant attention in evaluating associations between diet and diseases due to the role of chronic inflammation as an underlying cause of numerous disease processes. Therefore, the relationship between DII score and the risk of T2DM is evaluated in the Iranian population for the first time. Methods: 113 newly diagnosed T2DM patients and 226 apparently disease-free control cases aged 23-59 participated in this case-control study. A valid semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake. Then, energy-adjusted DII (E-DII) scores were computed and categorized into quartiles based on values in the population study. A logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between DII and the risk of T2DM after controlling for important potential confounders and effect modifiers. Results: A significant association was observed between E-DII score and T2DM in the crude model (P_-trend<0.001), model I (adjusted for physical activity, gender, education level, and family history of T2DM, P_-trend<0.001), model II (adjusted for model I + body mass index, P_-trend=0.005) (OR_quartile4vs1 =2.98 (95% CI: 1.18, 9.12; P= 0.005). Conclusions: A direct association was observed between DII score and the risk of T2D, implying that consuming a more anti-inflammatory diet would help to prevent T2DM. Future longitudinal studies should be conducted to further explore this association.