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This study aims to assess the exposure of Lebanese consumers to nutrition and health claims (NHCs) on pre-packed bread.

Bread samples (n = 354) from all the bakeries (n = 44) located in Mount Lebanon, between 2017 and 2018, were assessed. Breads with nutrition claims were analyzed using standard methods. A cross-sectional study was also conducted among 400 supermarket shoppers.

Results showed that among the collected samples of bread (n = 354), 59.6 per cent carried at least one claim, 47.2 per cent had non-nutrient claims, 32.5 per cent had nutrition claims and 15.3 per cent presented health claims. Claims related to sugar, salt and fiber content were the most commonly used (28.8 , 16.4 and 14.7 per cent, respectively). NHCs were mostly present on whole wheat bread. Breads with claims were more expensive. Half of the participants (49.8 per cent) relied on NHCs whenever purchasing bread, especially females (OR = 2.35, 95 per cent CI = 1.44-3.84, p = 0.001), those following a specific diet (OR = 4.56, 95 per cent CI = 2.02-10.25, p < 0.001) and those with the lowest household income (OR = 0.795, 95 per cent CI = 0.639-0.989, p = 0.040).

The overall findings showed that Lebanese consumers are highly exposed to NHCs, especially those at higher risk which could lead to serious public health issues if their use is not strictly regulated and controlled. Moreover, NHCs could be used as a tool to increase consumers’ awareness and help them make healthier choices during shopping.

This study aims to examine the effect of socio-demographic, lifestyle and dietary factors on body composition among students from a private Lebanese University.

In this cross-sectional study, socio-demographic and lifestyle variables were collected. Height and waist circumference were measured. Inbody 720 (Biospace, Korea) was used to assess body composition (percentage body fat [PBF], visceral fat area [VFA], skeletal muscle mass [SMM]) and fitness score. Diet was assessed using the MEDFICTS (meats, eggs, dairy, fried foods, fat in baked goods, convenience foods, fats added at the table and snacks) questionnaire.

Out of 392 students, 3.1 per cent were underweight, 59 per cent were normal and 40 per cent were overweight and obese. In women,10.5 per cent adhered to the therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) compared to men (2.5 per cent), while 52.5 per cent of men needed dietary changes compared to 39.5 per cent of women, (p < 0.01). The most important predictors of PBF were being a woman, older age, lower fitness score and lower MEDFICTS score. The predictors of VFA were being a man, older age, less sleep time and lower fitness score. Being a man, smoking, higher fitness score and higher MEDFICTS score were predictors of SMM.

Upon university acceptance and as part of usual health screenings in universities, the authors’ study recommends screening of lifestyle and dietary habits of students, identifying students at risk and providing appropriate health interventions tailored to students’ needs.

This study is the first, in Lebanon, to assess the effects of sleep, stress, fitness and dietary habits on body composition of Lebanese university students.

The relationship between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and reduced mortality or a lower incidence of major chronic diseases has been widely studied. The purpose of this study was to assess the adherence of a Lebanese adult sample to the Mediterranean diet.

This cross-sectional dietary survey involved a Lebanese population sample aged 19 to 70 years. A total of 615 men and women were asked to fill a diet history questionnaire (144 items), assisted by trained nutrition research assistants. Data were analyzed and compared to the Mediterranean diet recommendations, and the Mediterranean diet score, a ten-point scale based on above and below median levels of consumption, was estimated.

There was no significant difference in terms of adherence between men and women participants below the age of 30 years, while women over 30 years had a poorer score than men within this age group. The surveyed sample was found to have a 4.2 Mediterranean diet score and, thus, has a low adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern. Consumption of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, legumes and nuts of this Lebanese sample met the Mediterranean diet recommendations, while whole grains, poultry and fish consumption was lower than the recommended Mediterranean diet intake, and meat consumption was found to be much higher than what was recommended.

Facing the fast increase in non-communicable disease incidence, and with a more spread Western-type culture, it is central to raise awareness about the role of traditional Mediterranean diet in preventing and protecting against these diseases. This study contributes to the limited literature on the adherence to the Mediterranean diet in Lebanon.

Lebanese meals rich in vitamin C are taken for granted to contain this vitamin without consideration of its losses during the cooking and storing processes. This paper aims to examine the impact of different cooking pots, refrigeration and conventional reheating or via microwaving (MWR) on vitamin C depletion.

Two samples of three meals rich in vitamin C (AB: Aadas Bhamoud made of lentils and Swiss chard; CS: cauliflower stew; ML: Meloukhieh made of Jew's mallow) were analyzed in triplicates when they were raw, cooked in double based stainless steel (DBSS) or pressure cookers (PCs), refrigerated at 4 ^○C for 48 h, and when reheated in an open pot or in a microwave reaching 70 ^○C. The titration with 2,6‐dichlorophenolindophenol method was used for vitamin C analysis.

Relative vitamin C losses throughout the processing stages were 37.64, 65.43 and 79.00 percent for ML, CS and AB, respectively. DBSS tended to deplete vitamin C less than PC. AB lost 34.4 and 49.2 percent vitamin C with DBSS and PC, respectively; CS lost 52.3 and 57.5 percent with DBSS and PC, respectively; and ML lost 16.3 and 27.4 percent with DBSS and PC, respectively. Vitamin C loss at refrigeration was significant for both cooking pots used for the meals AB and ML but not for CS. Reheating resulted in further significant losses across meals and reheating methods.

The study highlights the importance of avoiding unnecessary cooking practices to minimize vitamin C depletion and more accurately estimating its daily intake.

The study presents for the first time the quantification of vitamin C losses in Lebanese meals subjected to different processing types and stages.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the individual effect of sumac (S), Turkish coffee (C) and yerba mate tea (Y) on the postprandial glycemic response to Lebanese mankoucheh, a common breakfast item in the Lebanese culture, and to determine the glycemic index (GI) of this food. S, C and Y are typical constituents of Lebanese meals. They may influence the postprandial glycemic response to carbohydrate-rich foods, but this has not been studied to date.

Twelve healthy normoglycemic adults consumed on separate days the following test meals: mankoucheh without S (M) with water (control meal); M prepared with single or double doses of S (S1 and S2) with water; M with 60 or 120 mL of unsweetened C; or M with 100 or 200 mL of unsweetened Y. Meals were prepared according to standardized recipes containing 50 g of available carbohydrates. Capillary blood glucose measures were taken at fast and six times after meal ingestion over a two hour period. The GI of mankoucheh was determined using a standard protocol.

The glycemic responses, evaluated at each time following meal ingestion, did not differ significantly among the seven meals, and neither did the incremental area under the glycemic response curves. The GI of mankoucheh was 61 ± 6, with no significant difference between M, M with S1 and M with S2.

This study contributes to better characterize the glycemic properties of S, C, Y and mankoucheh in conditions that closely resemble how these dietary items are used and consumed by some cultural groups.

This study aims to quantify the dietary intake of different fat classes in Lebanese adults, compare the intakes between adult age groups and gender and compare the intakes to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Despite the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, the diet of Lebanese adults may be altered away from the typical dietary lipid profile, possibly by the increased consumption of trans fatty acids (TFAs) and the ratio of omega 6 (n-6) to omega 3 (n-3) fatty acids.

This is a cross-sectional survey conducted on 657 Lebanese adults (19-70 years) who completed the USA National Institute of Health diet history questionnaire.

Mean daily energy intake was estimated at 2,900 ± 1,466 kcal in men and 1,977 ± 902 kcal in women. Mean TFA consumption was significantly higher in men than in women (7.2 ± 1.9 and 6.8 ± 2.0 per cent of total fat, p < 0.001) and was at least double the WHO recommendations of 1 per cent of total energy, particularly among younger adults. The n-6 to n-3 fatty acid intake ratio, fluctuated around 9:1 in both genders and in all age groups and is higher than the maximum 5-to-1 ratio recommended by WHO. The mean intake of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid was significantly lower than the latest recommendations (147 ± 182 mg/day for men and 100 ± 155 mg/day for women).

Limited data exists on the quantity and quality of fat consumed among Lebanese adults. In conclusion, this descriptive study estimated the quantity of different fat classes consumed and compared the intakes of critical fatty acids to the WHO recommendations. Future studies need to address the implications of the high intakes of TFA and n-6 to n-3 ratio on health outcomes, including cardiometabolic diseases in our population.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive summary of the effect of different dietary approaches on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

This review represents the history of PCOS, the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. It also includes up‐to‐date research articles on different types of diets that have been shown some promising effects in the treatment of PCOS.

PCOS is nowadays considered the most common endocrine abnormality, with a range of 4‐12 per cent of women affected by the syndrome. It has been proven that diet, in addition to exercise and medication, plays an important role in the treatment of PCOS. The proper dietary approach for women with PCOS should focus on the PCOS symptoms and also improve weight loss, increase fertility, and decrease risks of cardiovascular diseases.

This paper provides accessible and comprehensive information on PCOS (since its discovery in 1935) to researchers, nutritionists, and women with PCOS who are interested in the effect of the diet on PCOS management.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possible relationship of dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) with ulcerative colitis (UC) risks because there is insufficient evidence on the association of GI and GL with UC incidences.

In this case–control study, dietary GI and GL of 62 patients with histology-confirmed UC and 124 controls were assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The primary outcome measure was the association between dietary GI and GL and UC risk.

In age-adjusted and unadjusted models, there was no statistically significant association between dietary GI and GL and UC risk. However, after adjusting for all known covariates, the odds ratio of UC in third tertile of GI was 2.86 folds higher than first tertile (95% CI: 1.02–8.00, p for trend = 0.04). In the case of GL, when the confounders were adjusted, although subjects in the third tertile were at 2.70 times higher risk of having UC than those in the first tertile (95% CI: 0.72–10.15, p for trend = 0.15), the association was not statistically significant.

In conclusion, the findings indicate a positive relationship between dietary GI and risk of UC. Further prospective studies are needed to elucidate if the findings are consistent, in addition to experimental studies to explore the potential mechanisms of this association.

The development and commerce of functional foods (FF) is complex, expensive and risky. Besides technological obstacles and legislative aspects, consumer demands also need to be considered. The purpose of this study is to assess the Lebanese consumer’s knowledge, attitudes and acceptance of FF and functional ingredients.

A cross-sectional study recruited a convenience sample of adults living in Mount Lebanon in 2015. An interviewer-based questionnaire assessed socio-demographic factors, medical status, consumption and knowledge of FF and FI ingredients. The data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences.

Out of 251 respondents, 40.6 and 32.0 per cent were knowledgeable about FF and FI, respectively, and 67.3 per cent consumed them. Calcium (48.0 per cent) and omega-3 (38.6 per cent) were identified as the most important FI. The consumption of FF was mainly owing to their nutritional benefits beyond basic nutrition (44.2 per cent); however, fearing artificial additives and their side effects (33.4 per cent) were reasons for rejecting them. FF knowledge was higher among young (p = 0.005) and single individuals (p = 0.002) and those going to the gym (p = 0.001), whereas willingness to learn about them was only associated with higher education (p < 0.001). Prebiotic yogurt consumption was higher among gym visitors (p = 0.017) and knowers of FF (p < 0.001). The consumption of protein bars and shakes was higher among males and those going to the gym (p < 0.001). The consumption of cereal bars was higher among young individuals, single, with high income, going to the gym and knowledgeable about FF (p < 0.05).

The findings are useful for market orientation, development and successfully negotiating new market opportunities of FF for both food industries and policymakers.