Joanna Frąckiewicz

Objectives: The health of the adult population is the result of many interacting variables, with health behaviors and lifestyle playing a key role. This study aimed to identify associations among health-related behaviors and health and hydration status in Polish adults. Methods: The completion of a beverage frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was undertaken by a total of 337 participants. Blood pressure (BP), anthropometric parameters, and body composition were measured. Urine samples were analyzed for specific gravity (USG), osmolality (Uosm), and potential hydrogen value (pH). Health-related behaviors were assessed using the Health Index Score (HIS), classifying participants into two groups: unhealthy habits (0–2 HIS group) and healthy habits (3–5 HIS group). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: Approximately 30% of participants (n = 115) exhibited unhealthy habits. Individuals in the 0–2 HIS group were more likely to be male, smoke, have low physical activity, be overweight or obese, sleep < 6 h, and/or consume alcohol ≥ 2 times/week. In contrast, higher HIS (3–5) was associated with female gender, non-smoking, moderate-to-high physical activity, normal body mass index (BMI), adequate sleep, and consuming alcohol < 2 times/week. Fatigue during the day (OR: 1.45), waist circumference (WC) (OR: 1.35), and Uosm (OR: 1.87) increased un-healthy habits. Conversely, greater consumption of non-carbonated mineral water (OR: 0.54) was linked to lower unhealthy habits. Conclusions: The HIS and hydration-related parameters can complement the assessment of the health status of the adult population and the identification of groups requiring special support in health promotion interventions.

Objectives: Hydration is essential for overall health; therefore, this study aimed to identify associations between hydration status and beverage consumption, anthropometric measures, and urine biochemical analyses in Polish adults. Poland was chosen due to potential regional dietary habits and hydration patterns that may influence hydration status. Methods: A total of 337 participants completed a beverage frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Blood pressure (BP), anthropometric parameters, and body composition were measured. Urine samples were analyzed for specific gravity (USG), osmolality (Uosm), and potential hydrogen value (pH). Hydration status was assessed using the WUT model (weight, urine color, thirst level), classifying participants into two groups: dehydrated (2-3 WUT components) and properly hydrated (0-1 WUT component). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: Approximately 50% of participants (n = 165) exhibited dehydration symptoms, including higher thirst levels, darker urine, and elevated USG and Uosm (p ≤ 0.05). Dehydrated individuals more frequently reported fatigue (p = 0.009), headaches (p = 0.024), and heavy legs (p = 0.002). Higher BMI (OR: 1.49), waist circumference (OR: 1.79), USG (OR: 2.29), and Uosm (OR: 1.75) increased dehydration risk. Conversely, greater consumption of tea (OR: 0.52) and non-carbonated mineral water (OR: 0.45), higher total body water (OR: 0.49), and handgrip strength (OR: 0.81) were linked to lower dehydration risk. Four dietary patterns were identified: Reasonable, Unhealthy, Minimalist, and Loving Sweet Beverages. Conclusions: Multifactorial hydration assessment, combined with preventive strategies such as regular fluid intake and weight management, may improve hydration. The WUT model and Venn diagram provide a practical tool for hydration assessment in clinical and public health.

Introduction and objective: Hydration status is mainly influenced by the amount of beverages and water-rich foods they consume, although it is interesting to look for relations with other factors. Therefore, the aim of the study was to search for associations between hydration status and...

Introduction: Adequate hydration is essential for maintaining the health and functionality of the human body. This study aimed to examine the association between selected socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health factors and the hydration status of adults with metabolic disorders by analyzing their urine osmolality. Methods: The study involved 290 adults aged 18–70 years with metabolic disorders. Separate multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to evaluate the factors associated with urine osmolality in tertiles for women and men. Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Results: In women, the following factors of urine osmolality were identified in 1^st tertile: age (OR:1.04), physical activity (moderate/high vs. no/low; OR:0.38), and headaches (no vs. yes; OR:1.55), in 2^nd tertile: physical activity (moderate/high vs. no/low; OR:2.46) and fatigue during the day (sometimes vs. never/very rarely; OR:0.45), and in 3^rd tertile: age (OR:0.94), professional status (‘I work part-time/I study and I work’ vs. ‘I do not work/I study’; OR:0.27), fatigue during the day (very often vs. never/very rarely; OR:2.55), and headaches (no vs. yes; OR:0.44). In men, the following factors of urine osmolality were identified in 1^st tertile: place of residence (city vs. village; OR:2.72) and health assessment (average vs. poor; OR:0.32). Conclusion: Different factors affecting urine osmolality have been identified in women and men. These results highlight the need to implement studies to clarify the relationship between socioeconomic, lifestyle and health factors, and hydration status in adults with metabolic disorders.

It is important to understand which factors are central to the development of metabolic syndrome as the burden of the condition increases (MetS). The aim of this study was to search for associations between the frequency of non-alcoholic beverage consumption (FFQ), blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, biochemical parameters related to health and hydration status, and the number of MetS components in 290 adults diagnosed with metabolic disorders. Blood pressure and anthropometric measurements: body weight (BW), height (H), waist circumference (WC), handgrip strength (HGS), and total body water (TBW) were measured. Blood and urine samples were collected. We observed the highest frequency of consumption of tea drinks in women with four MetS components and fruit and vegetable juices in men with five MetS components. The highest systolic blood pressure (SBP) and BMI were found with five MetS components and the lowest TBW with three MetS components in both sexes. The lowest uric acid and urea were observed in women with three MetS components, while the lowest pH with five MetS components and the highest urine-specific gravity (USG) with four MetS components were observed in men. These findings highlight the need to focus on elucidating the relationship between diet, including beverage consumption, blood pressure, anthropometric measurements and biochemical parameters, and health and hydration status in adults with metabolic disorders in further research.

Background: Due to the spread of COVID-19 infections around the world, in early 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a global pandemic, i.e. an epidemic of particularly large dimensions affecting countries and entire continents. Long-term stay at home and self-isolation may have significantly impacted lifestyle, diet, food choices and access to food, as well as physical activity in the entire population, including students. Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the impact of social isolation caused by the coronavirus pandemic on changes in diet, lifestyle and body mass index in a group of students, so that we would be better prepared for future new viral infections with characteristics similar to Covid-19. Material and Methods: he study was conducted in 2021 using a cross-sectional online survey (using the CAWI technique). The survey was addressed to students of universities in Poland who were over 18 years of age. After excluding forms completed incorrectly or with incorrect data, the final analysis of the results included the responses of 196 respondents. Statistical analyzes were performed in STATISTICA 13.3. Statistical significance was assumed at the level of p ≤ 0.05. Results: The study involved 136 women and 60 men with an average age of 23. The majority of respondents were residents of cities with over 500,000 inhabitants (50%), were students of 1st degree (45%) in medical/natural sciences (36%). The largest percentage of respondents (above 70%), before the pandemic and during isolation, had normal body weight, according to the BMI. There were significant statistical differences between gender and changes during COVID-19 pandemic in sleeping (p=0.013), physical activity (p=0.028), as well as the consumption of tea (p=0.047), milk and dairy products (p=0.041), alcohol (p=0.001) and red meat (p=0.003), vegetables (p=0.049), sweets (p=0.029) and fast food (p=0.004). Conclusions: Due to the fact that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the diet and lifestyle has been demonstrated, it is very important that the recommendations of public health organizations spread the message about rational nutrition and physical activity in the event of new viral infections among young people, including students.

The study aimed at identifying the socioeconomic, eating- and health-related limitations and their associations with food consumption among Polish women 60+ years old. Data on the frequency of consumption of fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, poultry, fish, legumes, eggs, water and beverages industrially unsweetened were collected with the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA^®) and were expressed in the number of servings consumed per day or week. Three indexes: the Socioeconomic Status Index (SESI), the Eating-related Limitations Score (E-LS) and the Health-related Limitations Score (H-LS) were developed and applied. SESI was created on the base of two variables: place of residence and the self-reported economic situation of household. E-LS included: difficulties with self-feeding, decrease in food intake due to digestive problems, chewing or swallowing difficulties, loss of appetite, decrease in the feeling the taste of food, and feeling satiety, whereas H-LS included: physical function, comorbidity, cognitive function, psychological stress and selected anthropometric measurements. A logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the socioeconomic, eating-, and health-related limitations of food consumption. Lower socioeconomic status (vs. higher) was associated with a lower chance of consuming fruit/vegetables ≥ 2 servings/day (OR = 0.25) or consuming dairy ≥ 1 serving/day (OR = 0.32). The existence of multiple E-LS limitations (vs. few) was associated with a lower chance of consuming fruit/vegetables ≥ 2 servings/day (OR = 0.72), consuming dairy ≥ 1 serving/day (OR = 0.55) or consuming water and beverages industrially unsweetened ≥6 cups/day (OR = 0.56). The existence of multiple H-LS limitations was associated with a lower chance of consuming fruit/vegetables ≥ 2 servings/day (OR = 0.79 per 1 H-LS point increase) or consuming dairy ≥ 1 serving/day (OR = 0.80 per 1 H-LS point increase). Limitations found in the studied women were related to insufficient consumption of selected groups of food, which can lead to malnutrition and dehydration. There is a need for food policy actions, including practical educational activities, to eliminate barriers in food consumption, and in turn to improve the nutritional and health status of older women.

There is not any diet recommended for Hashimoto’s disease, despite that those patients are often undernourished. Because of the high heterogeneity of Hashimoto’s patients, insight into dietary patterns might shed some light on the patient-tailored dietary approach, thus improving their treatment and helping to identify patients with the highest probability of particular nutritional deficiencies. The aim of this study was to identify Hashimoto’s patients’ dietary patterns and their characterization based on both socio-demographic variables and dietary self-assessment. We collected data online from patients with Hashimoto’s disease. The questionnaire formula used in the study was developed based on a validated food frequency questionnaire KomPAN^®. K-means pattern analyses were used to characterize patients into patterns based on the frequency of particular types of foods consumption and socio-demographic factors. Four patterns were identified. We labeled them as ‘Convenient’, ‘Non-meat’, ‘Pro-healthy’, and ‘Carnivores’ with participants proportions at approximately one-fourth per each pattern. The patients were mainly of the female gender (94.08%), with a female: male ratio of 15.9. Hashimoto’s patients differed in their food product choices, food choice motives, dieting experience, nutritional knowledge, smoking habits, food allergies and intolerances, and lipid disorders, and thus represent different eating patterns. However, these patterns were not determined by comorbidities or the majority of ailments.

α-Tocopherol Protects the Heart, Muscles, and Testes from Lipid Peroxidation in Growing Male Rats Subjected to Physical Efforts: The effect of α-tocopherol supplementation on adaptation to training is still equivocal. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of training and α-tocopherol supplementation on α-tocopherol and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentration in the rat liver, heart, muscles, and testes. Male Wistar rats ( ) were divided into four groups (nonsupplemented, not trained—C; nonsupplemented, trained—CT; supplemented, not trained—E; supplemented and trained—ET). During the 14-day experimental period, 2 mg/d of vitamin E as α-tocopherol acetate was administered to the animals (groups E and ET). Rats in the training group (CT and ET) were subjected to 15 minutes of treadmill running each day. The α-tocopherol levels in rat tissues were assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Lipid peroxides were determined by TBARS spectrophotometric method. α-Tocopherol had a significant impact on α-tocopherol concentration in all tissues. Training increased the α-tocopherol concentration in the heart and muscles but reduced it in the liver. Training also caused increased lipid peroxidation in the muscles, heart, and testes; but a higher α-tocopherol content in tissues reduced the TBARS level. The main finding of the study is that impaired α-tocopherol status and its adequate intake is needed to maintain optimal status to prevent damage to the skeletal and cardiac muscles as well as the testes in growing individuals.