Şenay Burçin Alkan

Objective: University students with celiac disease (CD) are considered a vulnerable group. The number of qualitative studies examining the challenges faced by this group is limited. The aim of the study was to analyse the social and economic impacts of the CD among university students diagnosed with CD who live away from their families. Design: A qualitative phenomenological design was utilised. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted. Data were analysed using Colaizzi’s seven-stage strategy. Setting: Türkiye. Participants: Nine university students (mean age: 22 ± 1·6 years) diagnosed with CD. Results: The students were living independently at home or dormitory in Konya. The qualitative analysis yielded six main themes: ‘encountering the disease’, ‘adapting to the disease’, ‘living with the disease’, ‘impact on relationships’, ‘economic burden’ and ‘patient expectations’. Participants reported significant challenges regarding social isolation, lack of societal awareness (confusion between gluten and glucose) and food insecurity within university cafeterias and dormitories. The high cost of gluten-free products was identified as a major economic barrier, with the student described CD as a ‘disease of the wealthy’. Conclusion: This study highlights that CD is not merely a clinical condition but a complex lifestyle challenge affecting all aspects of a student’s educational and social life. Recognising CD from this holistic perspective is crucial for developing effective interventions, including targeted psychological counselling and institutional support mechanisms.

Objective: Human studies have shown that the microbiome can also be affected by diet. In addition, there is a relationship between the type of birth, microbiota, and food preferences. It was aimed to reveal the effect of the mode of birth of mothers with children in the 7-12 age group on Mediterranean diet quality in children, its relationship with mothers’ microbiota awareness. Methods: It is a descriptive study. The universe of the study consisted of all of volunteer mothers students (between the ages of 7-12) studying at a primary school in the center of a city in Türkiye. Socio-demographic Characteristics Information Form on Nutrition and Microbiota, Microbiota Awareness Scale (MAS) and Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) were used. While evaluating data, descriptive statistical methods, t test for independent groups, Kruskal Wallis, One-way analysis, ANOVA of variance were used. Results: The mean score of mothers from MAS was 66.2±10.7. The mean scores of general knowledge, product information, chronic disease information, probiotic and prebiotic scores, which are sub-dimensions of the scale, were 22.7±4.0, 9.7±3.4, 15.7±3.4, and 18.2±3.2, respectively. The mean score of KIDMED is 6.1±2.8. The rate of those who are highly compliant with the Mediterranean diet is 30.4%. KIDMED score of children living in the city center is higher than those living in rural areas. Mothers stated that the mode of delivery did not affect microbiota development (35.2%) or that they had no idea about this issue (41.2%). Conclusions: It was found that the microbiota awareness levels of mothers who delivered vaginally in terms of delivery method were positively higher than other preference methods. It was determined that mothers and children were not fed in accordance with the Mediterranean diet.

Yeşil çay, Camellia sinensis yapraklarından elde edilir ve antioksidan içeriği yüksek bir içecektir. Günümüzde süzen poşette sunulan aromalı yeşil çaylar hazırlama ve tüketim kolaylığı nedeniyle tüketiciler tarafından sık tercih edilebilmektedir. Bu araştırmada beş markaya ait süzen poşette tüketime sunulmuş limonlu yeşil çayın yaprağı, yeşil çay infüzyonu, süzen poşet materyalinde ve infüzyon için kullanılan içme suyunda alüminyum (Al), krom (Cr), demir (Fe), kobalt (Co), bakır (Cu), arsenik (As), kadmiyum (Cd), cıva (Hg) ve kurşun (Pb) miktarının analizinin yapılması ve yeşil çay için günlük önerilen tüketim miktarı üzerinden ağır metallere olası maruziyet riskinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Analizler İndüktif Eşleşmiş Plazma Kütle Spektrometresi (ICP-MS) ile yapılmıştır. Beş markadan birine ait yeşil çay yapraklarının ağır metal içeriğinin ortanca değerinin (Al: 1980,1(1916,2-2035,2) mg.kg-1, Cr: 4,3 (3,3-5,6) mg.kg-1 Cu: 12,3 (12,6-12,8) mg.kg-1 ve Cd: 0,048 (0,04-0,05) mg.kg-1) diğer bazı markalara göre daha yüksek olduğu bulunmuştur. Bir markanın tüm numunelerinin ve diğer bir markanın iki numunesinin yeşil çay yapraklarının Hg (>0,3 mg.kg-1 mg.kg-1) içeriğinin maksimum limiti aştığı tespit edilmiştir. Yeşil çay infüzyon örneklerinde Fe, Co, Cd, Hg ve Pb tespit edilmemiştir. Yapılan değerlendirmelere göre Marka 2 (0,03 mg), 4 (0,12 mg) ve 5’in (0,39 mg) tüketimiyle Al ve Marka 5’in tüketimiyle Cu (5,9 mg) için günlük oral referans doz miktarının aşıldığı belirlenmiştir. Bu bulgular, bazı markalara ait limonlu yeşil çayların tüketimiyle Al ve Cu’ın günlük oral referans doz miktarının aşılabileceğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu alanda düzenleme ve izlemelerin ve tüketicilerin farkındalığının artırılması gereklidir

Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are important for the neurological development of the fetus during pregnancy. Since dietary intake of EPA and DHA is generally insufficient in the general population, dietary supplements are recommended for pregnant women. This study aims to analyze the fatty acid composition of commercially produced dietary supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids for pregnant women, to determine the differences between products, and to evaluate the consistency of DHA:EPA ratios with label claims. In current research, the fatty acid composition of 9 different brands of dietary supplements was determined using gas chromatography. All supplements contained both EPA and DHA, though in widely varying proportions. EPA and DHA percentages ranged from 4.8 to 19.7% and 3.3 to 59.4%, respectively. Brands 1 and 6 contained significantly lower EPA and DHA levels compared to other brands. Furthermore, three supplements (Brands 1, 4, and 6) displayed DHA:EPA ratio variances exceeding ±20% of their labeled declarations. Large variation in fatty acid composition among supplements underscores the need for rigorous quality control and accurate omega-3 labeling.

E-sports has become popular among young people in recent years. The online nature of esports might contribute to differences in the dietary habits and lifestyles of university students who engage in this activity. The study aimed to compare the dietary habits, adherence to the Mediterranean diet and sleep duration of esports players (ESp) and non-eSports players (nESp) university students in Türkiye. The study was designed as a cross-sectional analysis, and data were collected through an online form. The form consisted of questions on socio-demographic characteristics, dietary habits, food frequency, physical activity, sleep duration and the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale. The study included 115 ESp participants (mean age: 20·5 ( sd 1·5) years) and 110 nESp participants (mean age: 21·0 ( sd 1·5) years). The ESp group had significantly higher rates of alcohol (45·2 % v . 15·5 %) and energy drink (34·8 % v . 12·7 %) consumption compared with the nESp group ( P < 0·001). A significantly higher proportion of ESp skipped breakfast compared with nESp (68·3 % v . 46·2 %) ( P = 0·004). The adherence rates to the Mediterranean diet were comparable between the two groups, with 30·4 % of ESp and 36·4 % of nESp adhering to the dietary pattern. Although physical activity, sleep duration and Mediterranean diet adherence were similar between groups, esports players reported higher consumption of alcohol, energy drinks and processed foods, which might increase the risk of obesity and metabolic disorders. These findings highlight the need for targeted nutritional guidance and health promotion strategies to support healthier lifestyle behaviours among ESp.

The awareness and consumption of functional foods (FFs) have increased in recent years. To develop FFs and accurately inform consumers, fundamental knowledge of students enrolled in the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts (GCA), Food Engineering (FE), and Nutrition and Dietetics (ND) is essential. The aim of the study is to evaluate the attitudes and knowledge of students enrolled in the GCA, FE, and ND departments regarding FFs. The study was planned as a cross‐sectional study, and data were collected using an online survey form. Students were asked to evaluate various traditional and fortified foods in terms of their functional properties. Additionally, students' attitudes and knowledge toward FFs were assessed through questionnaires. The statistical analysis of the data was conducted using the Chi‐square test in SPSS version 22. The study included 348 students (34.8% from GCA, 33.0% from FE, 32.2% from ND departments). Among the participants, 36.5% enrolled in a course on FFs. The proportion of students who identified enriched foods as FFs was highest in the FE department, while students in the GCA department predominantly identified traditional foods as FFs. Students in the ND department commonly identified both traditional and enriched foods as FFs. Positive attitudes toward FFs were more prevalent among those who enrolled in the FFs course, and these students prioritized health claims, food composition, price, and safety when purchasing FFs. The study recommends incorporating FFs courses into the curricula to enhance students' knowledge and their ability to innovate and promote FFs in society.

The purpose of the study is to determine if artificial intelligence (AI) models could provide dietary recommendations to manage chemotherapy-induced nutritional symptoms in breast cancer (BC) patients that are on comparable levels with the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute and World Cancer Research Fund guidelines which were used as evidence-based recommendation. The AI models-ChatGPT, ChatGPT 4.0, Gemini, Gemini Advanced, Copilot, and Copilot Pro-were evaluated based on their adherence to the guidelines. Specific queries were posed to each model, and the generated responses were rated by two experienced dietitians using a 5-point likert scale. Gemini provided the most adherent recommendations for metallic taste in mouth, while Gemini Advanced excelled in managing dehydration. ChatGPT and Gemini Advanced were the most effective in addressing heartburn, and Copilot Pro consistently showed the lowest performance across most symptoms. Overall, ChatGPT 4.0 attained the highest total score, followed by Copilot and Gemini, indicating a general trend where certain models were better suited for specific symptoms. Various AI models (e.g. ChatGPT 4.0) show potential in addressing certain chemotherapy-induced symptoms, but they do not consistently align with evidence-based recommendations. Improvement of AI models is necessary for their adherence to evidence-based recommendations.

Objective: To evaluate whether machine learning algorithms can predict healthcare professionals’ occupations (physiotherapist, nurse, and dietitian) from PACPS (Physical Activity Counseling Practices Scale) item responses. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Konya (January–April 2025) with 242 participants. Five algorithms (Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machine, Decision Tree, and Naive Bayes) were trained and evaluated as follows: we first performed a stratified 70:30 split of the original dataset (train n = 126, test n = 116). Data augmentation was then applied only to the training set to address class imbalance, increasing it to n = 269, while the test set remained untouched (n = 116), preserving an effective ≈70:30 ratio. Performance was assessed on the independent test set (n = 116) using accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Random Forest feature importance was examined to aid interpretability. Results: On the test set (n = 116), accuracies were 0.76 (Support Vector Machine), 0.82 (K-Nearest Neighbors), 0.71 (Naive Bayes), 0.75 (Random Forest), and 0.67 (Decision Tree). Random Forest identified PACPS12 as the most informative item for discrimination among occupations. Conclusion: PACPS responses contain distinctive patterns that enable moderate occupation prediction, with SVM and KNN yielding the best generalization in this small-sample setting. These results support the feasibility of combining a clinically grounded scale with machine learning methods, while underscoring the need for larger and externally validated datasets before clinical implementation.

This study aims to assess the health literacy (HL) and electronic health literacy (e-HL) levels of the caregivers of students with special education needs (SEN) and to compare these levels with the caregivers of students who continue typically developing (TD) education. The research was conducted on students with SEN and TD and their caregivers. HL and e-HL levels of the caregivers and sociodemographic characteristics were collected by face-to-face questionnaire. The HL and e-HL levels of caregivers were assessed with the Turkish Health Literacy Scale-32 and e-Health Literacy Scale, respectively. A total of 138 students and their caregivers, 71 of whom were in SEN and 67 in TD education, participated in the study. The literacy levels and economic status of the caregivers of students with SEN were lower compared to the caregivers of TD students. The HL and e-HL levels of the caregivers of students with SEN were significantly lower than the caregivers of TD students (p = 0.004 and p = 0.037, respectively). Based on the results of multiple regression analysis, it was found that sociodemographic characteristics had a 30% impact on HL (Model 1). For e-HL, the effect of health-related data from the internet was found to be 3.7%. Caregivers of students with SEN demonstrated significantly lower HL and e-HL compared to caregivers of TD students. Developing targeted interventions and policies to enhance HL among caregivers of students with SEN is essential, along with a multidisciplinary approach to address this issue.

The study determined the fatty acid profiles of pecan and walnut samples from various regions of Türkiye and proposed a rapid method for profiling fatty acids. Twenty walnut samples (Ahırlı, İncesu-Seydişehir and Derbent-Konya, Yenişarbademli and Yalvaç-Isparta, Burdur, Göksun and Çağlayancerit-Kahramanmaraş, Ezine-Çanakkale, Belen-Hatay, Denizli, Mut-Mersin, Ermenek-Karaman and Osmaniye) and one pecan sample (Narlıca-Hatay) were analysed. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) were prepared using direct methylation of 0.1-gram samples, and compositions were determined via gas chromatography. The study compared direct methylation to other extraction methods (ASE and Bligh & Dyer) using the “Maraş-18” cultivar. Results showed that linoleic acid levels in walnuts ranged from 48.5 to 64.1%, with an average of 57.16%. Oleic acid content ranged from 13.6 to 33.4%, with a mean of 20.5%. Alpha-linolenic acid varied between 7.6 and 17.1%, with the highest levels in the “Native” cultivar from Yenişarbademli. The pecan sample had high oleic acid (59.6%) but low α-linolenic acid (1.14%). While the “Maraş-18” cultivar showed consistent fatty acid profiles across methods, minor statistical differences in individual fatty acid percentages were observed. Due to its speed, efficiency, and alignment with green chemistry, the direct methylation method may be recommended for fatty acid analysis in walnut kernels.