Background -- Eating disorders (EDs) and related risk factors have become an area of interest for researchers, and a challenge to manage for health care practitioners. EDs were considered mainly as western culture disorders; however recent studies showed a comparable raise of EDs in the Middle Eastern countries. Objective -- The purpose of this study was to estimate the proportion of Notre Dame University students (NDU) who are at risk of developing EDs, and examine the association of ED’s risk with socio-demographic, lifestyle, dietary factors and dietary patterns Methods -- This was a ...

Thyme herbs constitute a major part of the Mediterranean diet and are gaining worldwide popularity. However, their chemical contamination with toxic metals may put consumers at a health risk. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the incidence of Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb) and Mercury (Hg) in thyme herbs and thyme-containing products. For this, 180 samples pooled into 36 composite samples of the most consumed types of thyme-containing products and thyme herbs were collected twice at three-month intervals. Samples were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) ...

Background: Diabetes is a major health disease reaching epidemic levels in the Middle East Regions. It is associated with many complications that have an adverse effect on patient’s quality of life. Nutrition therapy is essential, where dietary modification and improved dietary habits are important for its management and control. Objective: This study aimed to assess the adherence to dietary recommendations of adult patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) diagnosed since at least one year residing in north Lebanon and to explore factors associated with this adherence. Methods: A cross-sectional ...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to present and evaluate the perception, preferences of parents. Living in Lebanon and the factors that affect the baby food purchasing behavior. Design/methodology/approach: A cross sectional study was conducted among 86 expecting moms and parents of babies between 0 and 3 years old living in Lebanon, between April and June. The results were statistically analyzed using SPSS v.22 with a statistically significant p value < 0.05. Findings: As a result of the conducted research, the most important conditions, shopping habits, attitudes, and preferences of parents ...

Introduction: Eating Disorders (EDs) are mental illnesses that affect all individuals worldwide, causing severe complications. EDs can be divided into classical (Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge-Eating Disorder), and non-classical (Pica, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, and Night Eating Syndrome). Several risk factors might lead to their development, in particular, stressful life events. The current COVID-19 pandemic is imposing psychological distress, mainly on individuals with existing mental health issues. To our knowledge, no studies have assessed the prevalence of ...

Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment, have a higher risk to foodborne infections as compared to other populations. Oncology nurses, having a direct significant contact with these patients, could be the first information source concerning food safety and play a pivotal role in reducing these risks. This study aims to assess the level of knowledge regarding food safety among oncology nurses, as well as their attitudes and practices in private hospitals in Lebanon. An observational cross-sectional study was carried out, using a self-administered questionnaire, recruiting 134 oncology ...

Background: Mediterranean diet (MD) is a traditional dietary pattern mainly followed in the Mediterranean regions and is shown to have positive health impacts, decreasing morbidity and mortality of major chronic diseases. A global shifting from the MD was documented especially in the Mediterranean regions, including Lebanon. Multiple individual and environmental factors were found to impact adherence to MD. In Lebanon, there is a shortage of recent information about adherence to the MD and its associated factors. Objective: The objectives of this study are to 1) evaluate the level of adherence ...

Introduction: Food safety has been evolving tremendously in the past century and its importance in food industries is now very well established. However, with all the regulations, training, audits and inspections foodborne outbreaks continue to happen. Food safety climate has a great impact on food safety output of food companies. However, the organizational characteristics, food handlers’ behavior, knowledge and motivation of individual employees could also contribute to the food safety output. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the major factors contributing to the food ...

Background: Worldwide, the prevalence of insulin resistance ranges from 15.5% to 46.5%, among adults. Lebanon reported one of the highest rates reaching 44.6%. The literature is suggesting an association between dairy product consumption and insulin resistance, however results are still inconclusive. To our knowledge, no study has examined this association in the Middle Eastern Region. Objectives: Examine the association between dairy products' consumption and insulin resistance in a sample of Lebanese adults and to assess the effect of different types of dairy products on insulin ...

Wild edible plants have attracted an increasing interest from researchers as they represent important inexpensive sources of nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins, as well as natural treatments for diseases. The genus Scorzonera includes about 170 species distributed worldwide, many species of this genus are either consumed as raw vegetables or cooked. In addition to their edible properties, some of the species ha ve been used in traditional medicine for various purposes. Nine species of the genus Scorzonera are found in Lebanon, with one of the nine species, Scorzonera Pheopappa ...