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Lifestyle, Nutrition and Environmental Factors Influencing Health Benefits
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Lifestyle, Nutrition and Environmental Factors Influencing Health Benefits

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 19013

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giuseppe Valacchi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Plants for Human Health Institute, Department of Animal Sciences, NC State University, NC Research Campus, 600 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA
2. Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: regenerative medicine
Prof. Dr. Antonella De Donno

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: public health; environmental health; epidemiology; water; air and food pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Francesca Serio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: human health; nutraceuticals; agrifood; disease prevention; health promotion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food is the plants and animals we eat, and nutrition is how food affects the health of the body. Food is essential because it provides nutrients vital for survival, and helps the body function and stay healthy. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not simply the absence of disease or infirmity" and recognizes nutrition as a fundamental part of health and development.

In addition to nutrition, human health is affected by genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle, which are all variables that are included in the “exposome” term. Lifestyle involves the daily behaviors and functions of individuals in work, activities, entertainment and diet, but an important aspect of one’s lifestyle is one’s personal eating habits. Following a healthy lifestyle improves one’s overall health and well-being.

This Special Issue is dedicated to the role of and perspectives of lifestyle, nutrition and environmental factors on beneficial effects on health conditions, examined from different angles, including outdoor exercise. We welcome original research and reviews. For this Special Issue, papers dealing with these topics are invited, especially those combining a high academic standard with a practical focus on providing practical information and solutions:

  • Food, nutrition and health;
  • Impact of food safety on One health;
  • Food nutraceuticals on human health;
  • Current nutritional trends and nutritional behaviors as factors affecting human health;
  • Analytical methods applied to food analysis;
  • Consumer attitudes and food choices for the prevention and treatment of diseases;
  • Nutritional recommendations and dietary guidelines as strategies in the prevention and treatment of food-related diseases;
  • Exercise’s beneficial effect.

Dr. Giuseppe Valacchi
Prof. Dr. Antonella De Donno
Dr. Francesca Serio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • human health
  • nutrition
  • lifestyle
  • food nutraceuticals
  • prevention

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 260 KiB  
Editorial
Lifestyle, Nutrition, and Environmental Factors Influencing Health Benefits
by Francesca Serio, Antonella De Donno and Giuseppe Valacchi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5323; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075323 - 30 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2808
Abstract
Food is the plants and animals we consume, and nutrition is the way in which food influences bodily wellness [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle, Nutrition and Environmental Factors Influencing Health Benefits)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

17 pages, 1572 KiB  
Article
Effect of a Child-Owned Poultry Intervention Providing Eggs on Nutrition Status and Motor Skills of Young Children in Southern Ethiopia: A Cluster Randomized and Controlled Community Trial
by Anteneh Omer, Dejene Hailu and Susan J. Whiting
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 15305; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215305 - 19 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2276
Abstract
Eggs are highly nutritious foods, yet intake by children in Ethiopia is low. We hypothesized that a nutrition-sensitive poultry intervention improves nutritional status of children 6–18 months using a 6-month cluster randomized controlled community trial. Intervention group (IG) children received a gift of [...] Read more.
Eggs are highly nutritious foods, yet intake by children in Ethiopia is low. We hypothesized that a nutrition-sensitive poultry intervention improves nutritional status of children 6–18 months using a 6-month cluster randomized controlled community trial. Intervention group (IG) children received a gift of two egg-laying hens in a ceremony where children’s ownership of the chickens was declared by community leaders. Parents promised to add more hens and feed the owner-child one-egg-a-day. Trained community workers reinforced egg feeding, environmental sanitation and poultry husbandry. Control group (CG) mothers received usual nutrition education on child feeding. At baseline 29.6% of children were stunted, 19.4% underweight and 8.6% wasted. Egg consumption significantly increased only in IG, at 6 months. The intervention increased weight-for-age and weight-for-height z-scores by 0.38 (95% CI = 0.13–0.63) and 0.43 (95% CI = 0.21–0.64), respectively. Binary logit model indicated IG children were 54% (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.26–0.84) and 42% (OR = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.37–0.91) less likely to be underweight and stunted, respectively, compared to CG. IG children attained the milestone of running (p = 0.022; AHR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.05–1.95), kicking a ball (p = 0.027; AHR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.04–1.87) and throwing a ball (p = 0.045; AHR = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.01–1.86) earlier than CG. This nutrition-sensitive child-owned poultry approach should be implemented where animal-source food intake is low. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle, Nutrition and Environmental Factors Influencing Health Benefits)
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11 pages, 902 KiB  
Article
City-Level Travel Time and Individual Dietary Consumption in Latin American Cities: Results from the SALURBAL Study
by Joanna M. N. Guimarães, Binod Acharya, Kari Moore, Nancy López-Olmedo, Mariana Carvalho de Menezes, Dalia Stern, Amélia Augusta de Lima Friche, Xize Wang, Xavier Delclòs-Alió, Daniel A. Rodriguez, Olga Lucia Sarmiento and Leticia de Oliveira Cardoso
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13443; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013443 - 18 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2070
Abstract
There is limited empirical evidence on how travel time affects dietary patterns, and even less in Latin American cities (LACs). Using data from 181 LACs, we investigated whether longer travel times at the city level are associated with lower consumption of vegetables and [...] Read more.
There is limited empirical evidence on how travel time affects dietary patterns, and even less in Latin American cities (LACs). Using data from 181 LACs, we investigated whether longer travel times at the city level are associated with lower consumption of vegetables and higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and if this association differs by city size. Travel time was measured as the average city-level travel time during peak hours and city-level travel delay time was measured as the average increase in travel time due to congestion on the street network during peak hours. Vegetables and sugar-sweetened beverages consumption were classified according to the frequency of consumption in days/week (5–7: “frequent”, 2–4: “medium”, and ≤1: “rare”). We estimate multilevel ordinal logistic regression modeling for pooled samples and stratified by city size. Higher travel time (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.65; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.49–0.87) and delay time (OR = 0.57; CI 0.34–0.97) were associated with lower odds of frequent vegetable consumption. For a rare SSB consumption, we observed an inverse association with the delay time (OR = 0.65; CI 0.44–0.97). Analysis stratified by city size show that these associations were significant only in larger cities. Our results suggest that travel time and travel delay can be potential urban determinants of food consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle, Nutrition and Environmental Factors Influencing Health Benefits)
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22 pages, 9383 KiB  
Article
The Lesson Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Can an Active Chemical Be Effective, Safe, Harmless-for-Humans and Low-Cost at a Time? Evidence on Aerosolized Hypochlorous Acid
by Mascia Benedusi, Elena Tamburini, Mariaconcetta Sicurella, Daniela Summa, Francesca Ferrara, Peggy Marconi, Franco Cervellati, Stefania Costa and Giuseppe Valacchi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13163; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013163 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5370
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of disinfectants as tools to prevent and fight against coronavirus spreading. An ideal disinfectant and sanitizer must be nontoxic to surface contact, noncorrosive, effective, and relatively inexpensive as it is hypochlorous acid (HOCl). The present work [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of disinfectants as tools to prevent and fight against coronavirus spreading. An ideal disinfectant and sanitizer must be nontoxic to surface contact, noncorrosive, effective, and relatively inexpensive as it is hypochlorous acid (HOCl). The present work intended to evaluate, on different surfaces, the bactericidal and virucidal effectiveness of nebulized HOCl and test its safety usage in 2D and 3D skin and lung models. Our data showed that HOCl at the dose of 300 ppm did not affect cellular and tissue viability, not their morphology. The HOCl bactericidal properties varies with the surface analyzed: 69% for semi-porous, 96–99.9% for flat and porous. This discrepancy was not noticed for the virucidal properties. Overall, this study showed that nebulized HOCl can prevent virus and bacteria growth without affecting lung and skin tissues, making this compound a perfect candidate to sanitize indoor environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle, Nutrition and Environmental Factors Influencing Health Benefits)
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18 pages, 1891 KiB  
Article
Comparative Quality Assessment of Five Bread Wheat and Five Barley Cultivars Grown in Romania
by Elena Moroșan, Ana Andreea Secareanu, Adina Magdalena Musuc, Magdalena Mititelu, Ana Corina Ioniță, Emma Adriana Ozon, Ionuț Daniel Raducan, Andreea Ioana Rusu, Adriana Maria Dărăban and Oana Karampelas
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 11114; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711114 - 5 Sep 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2250
Abstract
Cereals whole grains contain vitamins, phytochemicals, antioxidants, resistant starch, and minerals with potential benefits to human health. The consumption of whole grains is correlated with a lowered risk of the most important chronic diseases, including type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers. [...] Read more.
Cereals whole grains contain vitamins, phytochemicals, antioxidants, resistant starch, and minerals with potential benefits to human health. The consumption of whole grains is correlated with a lowered risk of the most important chronic diseases, including type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers. This study aimed to characterize and evaluate the content of five cultivars of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and five cultivars of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) obtained by conventional plant breeding using crossing and selection methods. The novelty and the purpose of this research was to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze these ten cultivars from Romania and to show the importance of, and the changes produced by, crossing and selection methods when these are aimed at the physiological or morphological development of the cultivars. Studies based on gluten dosing; spectrophotometry using Bradford, fructan and protein dosing; Kjeldahl protein dosing; GC-MS/MS-protein and amino acid dosing; and identification of protein fractions using polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic method were conducted. This study demonstrates the possibility of developing future cultivars using conventional methods of improvement to modify the content and composition of nutrients to increase their health benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle, Nutrition and Environmental Factors Influencing Health Benefits)
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18 pages, 556 KiB  
Article
Longitudinal Associations of Physical Activity Patterns and the Environment: An 18-Year Follow-Up to the MESA Study
by Maíra Tristão Parra, Augusto César Ferreira De Moraes, Marcus Vinicius Nascimento-Ferreira, Paul J. Mills and Matthew Allison
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10925; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710925 - 1 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3201
Abstract
Introduction: Cross-sectional association between the neighborhood-built environment and physical activity (PA) has been demonstrated previously, indicating the importance of neighborhood perception characteristics such as walkability, safety, and the connectivity of streets on PA levels. Our study aimed to assess the longitudinal data from [...] Read more.
Introduction: Cross-sectional association between the neighborhood-built environment and physical activity (PA) has been demonstrated previously, indicating the importance of neighborhood perception characteristics such as walkability, safety, and the connectivity of streets on PA levels. Our study aimed to assess the longitudinal data from participants of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) to evaluate the potential relationship between perceived environment and PA patterns. Methods: We analyzed data from a subset of participants (n = 3097) with available PA data who participated in a prospective cohort conducted from 2000 to 2018. The exposure variables were the perceived aspects of the neighborhood environment and the perception of safety, and the outcome was patterns of PA. Patterns were defined as categories reflecting meeting versus not meeting PA guidelines over time. We created the following categories: adopters (individuals who did not meet guidelines at baseline but met guidelines at Exam 6), relapsers (individuals who met guidelines at baseline but did not meet guidelines at Exam 6), maintainers (individuals who met guidelines both at baseline and Exam 6), and insufficiently active (individuals who did not meet guidelines at either baseline or Exam 6). The maintainers’ group was considered the reference category. We estimated the relative risk to assess the magnitude effect of the association between environmental perceptions and the outcome. Results: Individuals who reported that lack of parks and playgrounds was “not a problem” in their neighborhood had a 2.3-times higher risk of decreasing their physical activity (i.e., the “relapser” category) compared to maintainers. After full adjustment, perceiving poor sidewalks as “somewhat a serious problem” was associated with a 64% lower risk of becoming an adopter than a maintainer. When compared to those who perceive the neighborhood as “very safe”, perception of the neighborhood as “safe” to “not at all safe” (ratings 3, 4, and 5, respectively, on the perceived safety scale) was significantly associated with being classified in the adopter category. Conclusions: As the first longitudinal study of the association of perceived environment and physical activity within the MESA cohort, we conclude that a few aspects are longitudinally associated with being physically active among adults. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle, Nutrition and Environmental Factors Influencing Health Benefits)
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