Papers by Lorenza Mistura
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology C-toxicology & Pharmacology, Aug 1, 2004
We evaluated the effects of beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, on the activity of some lyso... more We evaluated the effects of beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, on the activity of some lysosomal hydrolases and on the levels of their natural substrates in hamster major salivary glands during experimental oral 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) carcinogenesis. Sixty-four hamsters (Cricetus auratus) were divided into four groups--group 1: untreated control; group 2: DMBA was painted three times a week in the left buccal pouch; group 3: beta-carotene was painted three times a week in the left buccal pouch; group 4: DMBA and beta-carotene were painted alternatively in the left buccal pouch. After 16 weeks, the animals were sacrificed and the activities of some lysosomal hydrolases and their natural substrates in the major salivary glands were measured. beta-Carotene when administered topically in DMBA treated animals (group 4) reduced the levels of the majority of enzymes and substrates closer to those of the untreated control group, thus outlining a mild protective effect of beta-carotene towards the DMBA carcinogenic stress. Nevertheless, the presence of some enzymes which responded negatively to the combined administration of DMBA and beta-carotene suggests the necessity for future studies on the effect of beta-carotene at different concentrations, the systemic administration and the possibility to combine the topical beta-carotene administration with other chemopreventive drugs.
Appetite, Dec 1, 2013
Considering the lack of uniformity regarding school meals in Europe, information on adolescents' ... more Considering the lack of uniformity regarding school meals in Europe, information on adolescents' school 45 lunch patterns is of public health importance. Thus, the aim of this analysis was to describe and evaluate 46 lunchtime energy and food intake of European adolescents at different lunch locations. Data on nutri-47 tional and health-related parameters were derived from the HEalthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition 48 in Adolescence Cross-Sectional Study (HELENA-CSS). A sub-sample of 891 adolescents (47% male) with 49 plausible data on total and lunchtime energy intake (2 Â 24 h recall) as well as usual lunch location 50 was considered. Food intake was compared to lunch of the Optimized Mixed Diet (OMD) for children 51 and adolescents. Although energy intake was nearly in line with the recommendations, food intake 52 was suboptimal compared to the OMD regardless of usual lunch location. Adolescents had more potatoes 53 and less sweets at school, and more drinks (water, coffee and tea) and vegetables at home when each 54 compared with the other locations. Food intake of adolescents getting their lunch elsewhere was charac-55 terized by the smallest amounts of potatoes and the highest amounts of sweets. Although lunch patterns 56 may differ among countries, schools in Europe do not seem to reveal all their potential to offer access to a 57 healthy lunch for adolescents yet.
Pediatric obesity, Jul 15, 2013
What is already known about this subject • Although there is no clear evidence of the role of dai... more What is already known about this subject • Although there is no clear evidence of the role of dairy consumption on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk development in adults, several studies have suggested dairy consumption to have a protective effect. • Limited evidence on the relationship between milk and dairy products consumption and CVD risk factors among adolescents. What this study adds • Dairy consumption was inversely associated with CVD risk in European adolescent girls. • Higher dairy consumption was associated with lower adiposity and higher cardiorespiratory fitness in both genders.
EFSA Supporting Publications
Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2017
The aim of the present study was to monitor the consumption of foods containing intense sweetener... more The aim of the present study was to monitor the consumption of foods containing intense sweeteners present on the Italian food market and to investigate whether the Italian general population (aged >3-65+) was at risk for exceeding the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 10 intense sweeteners. A food label survey was performed in Rome (Italy), using market share data to identify the brands more representative of the market. A sample of 326 foods (table-top sweeteners included), beverages and food supplements containing intense sweeteners was collected and analyzed in order to establish the concentration levels. Intense sweeteners were only found in foods belonging to 8 sugar-free food categories out of 37 regulated. The dietary exposure was estimated using the tiered approach. Food consumption data from the last Italian national survey (INRAN-SCAI 2005-06) were combined with Maximum Levels at Tier 2, and with the actual concentration of sweeteners in the collected food products at Tier 3. The estimated exposure among consumers of sweeteners in Italy was well below the ADIs, in both tiers; non-alcoholic beverages, table-top sweeteners and food supplements were main contributors to exposure.
A short-term trend of abdominal obesity in adolescents through two samples from the city of Rome:... more A short-term trend of abdominal obesity in adolescents through two samples from the city of Rome: the HELENA and ALIADO studies Abdominal obesity in adolescents has been identified as a risk factor for occurrence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Objectives: To monitor abdominal obesity in Roman adolescents through a five year-period. Methodology: A total of 410 adolescents aged 14.5-17.9 years, living in the city of Rome, were selected from two cross-sectional studies conducted during 2006-2007 (HELENA Study) (n=198) and 2011-2012 (ALIADO Study) (n=212), respectively. Anthropometric measurements such as weight, height, waist circumference (WC) were performed in both surveys using the same methodology and trained staff. Overweight and obesity were defined by the IOTF references, abdominal obesity as a waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) greater than 0.5. Smoking data was collected by questionnaire and socio-economic status was assessed using the education level of both parents. Res...
Pediatric Obesity, 2013
SummaryWhat is already known about this subject Although there is no clear evidence of the role o... more SummaryWhat is already known about this subject Although there is no clear evidence of the role of dairy consumption on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk development in adults, several studies have suggested dairy consumption to have a protective effect. Limited evidence on the relationship between milk and dairy products consumption and CVD risk factors among adolescents. What this study adds Dairy consumption was inversely associated with CVD risk in European adolescent girls. Higher dairy consumption was associated with lower adiposity and higher cardiorespiratory fitness in both genders. ObjectiveTo identify those food groups best discriminating individuals at high/low cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and to investigate the relationship between dairy consumption and CVD risk factors (individual and scores) in adolescents (12.5–17.5 years) from eight European cities participating in the cross‐sectional (2006–2007) HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) ...
Public Health, 2013
Objectives: The authors designed an instrument to measure objectively aspects of the built and fo... more Objectives: The authors designed an instrument to measure objectively aspects of the built and food environments in urban areas, the EURO-PREVOB Community Questionnaire, within the EU-funded project 'Tackling the social and economic determinants of nutrition and physical activity for the prevention of obesity across Europe' (EURO-PREVOB). This paper describes its development, reliability, validity, feasibility and relevance to public health and obesity research.
Appetite, 2013
Considering the lack of uniformity regarding school meals in Europe, information on adolescents' ... more Considering the lack of uniformity regarding school meals in Europe, information on adolescents' school 45 lunch patterns is of public health importance. Thus, the aim of this analysis was to describe and evaluate 46 lunchtime energy and food intake of European adolescents at different lunch locations. Data on nutri-47 tional and health-related parameters were derived from the HEalthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition 48 in Adolescence Cross-Sectional Study (HELENA-CSS). A sub-sample of 891 adolescents (47% male) with 49 plausible data on total and lunchtime energy intake (2 Â 24 h recall) as well as usual lunch location 50 was considered. Food intake was compared to lunch of the Optimized Mixed Diet (OMD) for children 51 and adolescents. Although energy intake was nearly in line with the recommendations, food intake 52 was suboptimal compared to the OMD regardless of usual lunch location. Adolescents had more potatoes 53 and less sweets at school, and more drinks (water, coffee and tea) and vegetables at home when each 54 compared with the other locations. Food intake of adolescents getting their lunch elsewhere was charac-55 terized by the smallest amounts of potatoes and the highest amounts of sweets. Although lunch patterns 56 may differ among countries, schools in Europe do not seem to reveal all their potential to offer access to a 57 healthy lunch for adolescents yet.
EFSA Supporting Publications, 2021
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Frontiers in Public Health, 2021
Nutrients
Dietary factors play a major role in the development of non-communicable diseases, however little... more Dietary factors play a major role in the development of non-communicable diseases, however little is known regarding the impact of nutrition on rare diseases like sarcomas. This Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute study aimed to evaluate the relative validity of a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to measure the consumption of foods in comparison with a 3-days diary diet in a healthy Italian student population aged between 12 and 17 years. An extended version (including food groups for children) of the semi-quantitative FFQ used in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) was administered. The validity of the FFQ was assessed by comparing the intakes from the FFQ against the 3-day diary method. 254 Italian subjects were included in the analyses: 128 females; 126 males; 116 from High Secondary School (14–17 years); 138 from Low Secondary School (12–13 years). Mean and median intakes are overall higher in the FFQs than in the food diaries. Spearman correlation...
www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
Frontiers in Public Health, 2021
The eating patterns in a population can be estimated through dietary surveys in which open-ended ... more The eating patterns in a population can be estimated through dietary surveys in which open-ended assessment methods, such as diaries and interviews, or semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires are administered. A harmonized dietary survey methodology, together with a standardized operational procedure, in conducting the study is crucial to ensure the comparability of the results and the accuracy of information, thus reducing uncertainty and increasing the reliability of the results. Dietary patterns (i) include several target variables (foods, energy and nutrients, other food components), (ii) require several explanatory variables (age, gender, anthropometric measurements, socio-cultural and economic characteristics, lifestyle, preferences, attitudes, beliefs, organization of food-related activities, etc.), and (iii) have impacts in several domains: imbalance diets; acute and chronic exposures affect health, specifically non-communicable diseases; and then sanitary expenditur...
Reference Module in Food Science, 2018
Foods are complex objects with several attributes contributing to defining characteristics intere... more Foods are complex objects with several attributes contributing to defining characteristics interesting for nutritional analyses. Several ways of aggregating foods are possible to describe and evaluate eating behaviors (dietary contents, adequacy, exposure, environmental impacts, etc.). The difficulty of identifying all the inherent aspects and the needs or processing large set of data has led to design of food description and food aggregation systems. These systems facilitate information comparison making feasible the whole range of elaborations using a semi-automated food matching and data linking with further dietary assessment also facilitating the design of dietary survey carried out by exploiting advanced technologies.
Clinical Immunology, Endocrine & Metabolic Drugs, 2018
The FASEB Journal, 2014
Yogurt consumption and associated parameters were analysed on a subsample of 2831 subjects 蠅18 ye... more Yogurt consumption and associated parameters were analysed on a subsample of 2831 subjects 蠅18 years from the INRAN-SCAI 2005-06 survey. Association of yogurt consumption with socio-demographics, s...
This research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 202... more This research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 633692 (SUSFANS). Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for how the following information is used. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy.
Sustainability, 2020
Meat replacers could play a role in achieving more plant-based diets, but their current consumpti... more Meat replacers could play a role in achieving more plant-based diets, but their current consumption is limited. The present modelling study aimed to explore the nutritional and greenhouse gas emissions impacts of meat replacers. Using dietary surveys from Denmark, Czech Republic, Italy and France (~6500 adults), we composed alternative diets in which all the meat in the observed diet (in grams) was substituted by similar use meat replacers (with and without fortification). Starting from the observed diets and meat-replacement diets, diets with improved adherence to food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) were modelled using Data Envelopment Analysis. These improved diets were then further optimised for dietary preferences (MaxP, diet similarity index), nutrient quality (MaxH, Nutrient Rich Diet score, NRD15.3) or diet-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) (MaxS, CO2 equivalents). In all optimised modelled diets, the total amount of meat was lower than in the observed diets, i.e., 30...
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Papers by Lorenza Mistura