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Objectives: The consumption of whole grains is widely recognised as healthy and included in several national dietary guidelines. Despite that, the consumption of whole grain products remains sub-optimal. Methods: We developed a questionnaire investigating perceptions of price, taste, positive and negative health effects, sustainability and versatility of whole grains and the consumption frequency of whole grain food products. This questionnaire was administered to a sample of 1,014 individuals in Northern Italy. Results: We observed an overall positive attitude towards whole grain products, especially in relation to positive health effects, versatility and taste, that resulted in strong drivers for whole grain consumption. Age, gender and educational level were identified as influences on whole grain perceptions, especially for taste and positive health effects. Respondents were clustered according to the attitudes they expressed. Conclusion: The characteristics of these clusters could be used to customise future nutritional education programmes.

Background: Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), a novel term for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), is associated with liver mitochondrial dysfunction. We previously demonstrated that mitochondrial respiratory capacity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was significantly reduced in patients with MASLD compared to non-MASLD controls. For MASLD treatment, guidelines recommend behavioral and dietary changes to reduce body weight. A recent 12-month clinical trial demonstrated that ameliorating patients' lifestyles through improved adherence to the Mediterranean diet and encouraged physical activity results in MASLD remission or regression. Methods: As a sub-study of the 12-month clinical trial, we evaluated the effects of the Mediterranean diet-oriented intervention on PBMC mitochondrial DNA content and respiratory parameters and on various biomarkers associated with MASLD. Results: Contrary to what was found at the baseline, after twelve months of intervention, systemic inflammatory and bioenergetics parameters did not differ between MASLD patients (N = 15) and control subjects (N = 17). PBMCs from MASLD subjects showed rescued basal respiration, ATP-linked respiration, maximal respiration, and spare respiratory capacity. The observed recovery coincided with a significant increase in the patients' adherence to the Mediterranean diet (Medscore). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that a Mediterranean diet-oriented intervention, without calorie reduction, preserves blood cell mitochondrial function in MASLD subjects. Thus, PBMC bioenergetics-based assays might be taken into account not only for diagnosing but also for monitoring therapeutic responses in MASLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants and endocrine disruptors that have been implicated in potential damage to human semen. However, the studies conducted so far provide contrasting results. Our study aimed to investigate the associations between PCB serum and semen levels and semen quality in high school and university students living in a highly PCB-polluted area of Italy. Subjects with a normal body mass index who did not make daily use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or medication were selected. All participants provided a fasting blood and a semen sample. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine the concentrations of 26 PCB congeners. The concentrations of PCB functional groups and total PCBs were also computed. A total of 143 subjects (median age 20, range 18–22 years) were enrolled. The median total PCB concentrations were 3.85 ng/mL (range 3.43–4.56 ng/mL) and 0.29 ng/mL (range 0.26–0.32 ng/mL) in serum and semen, respectively. The analysis of the associations between sperm PCB concentration and semen parameters showed (a) negative associations between some PCB congeners, functional groups and total PCBs and sperm total motility; (b) negative associations of total PCBs with sperm normal morphology; and (c) no association of PCBs with sperm concentration. Subjects at the highest quartile of semen total PCB concentration had 19% and 23% mean reductions in total motility and normal morphology, respectively, compared to those at the lowest quartile. The analysis of the associations of serum PCB levels with sperm parameters yielded null or mixed (some positive, other negative) results. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence of a negative effect of some PCB congeners and total PCBs in semen on sperm motility and normal morphology. However, the associations between the concentration of serum and semen PCB congeners and functional groups and sperm quality parameters were inconsistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the relationship between intensity of physical activity (PA) and semen quality in healthy young men., Design: A prospective cohort study with repeated measures for each subject., Setting: Not applicable., Patient(s): Healthy high school and university students who did not regularly smoke tobacco, drink alcohol, or take drugs or medicine, with normal body mass index and abdominal circumference., Intervention(s): The participants underwent urologic visit, fasting blood and semen sampling, and anthropometric measurements, and filled in the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, at enrollment and after 4 and 8 months. Duration and frequency of walking, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity activities in the last week were assessed, and a score was computed for total PA., Main Outcome Measure(s): Semen specimens were taken at each visit through masturbation, after 3-5 days of abstinence, and analyzed by an expert urologist. Sperm concentration, total and progressive motility, and proportion of spermatozoa with normal morphology were measured. Linear and generalized linear mixed models with the Poisson family were fitted to assess the relationships between PA variables and sperm parameters, after adjusting for season, time, and study arm. The shape of the relationship was modeled through restricted cubic spline regression., Result(s): A total of 143 male subjects, aged 18-23 years (median, 20 years), were enrolled. They had a median PA of 1,960 (95% confidence interval, 1,055-3,182) Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks in min/wk. Statistically significant differences were found for total, progressive motility, and percent of cell with normal morphology across categories of total PA; the highest medians of total (47%) and progressive motility (34%) and of the percentage of normal morphology cells (7%) were found for medium PA. Positive associations of sperm total motility and normal morphology with medium levels of PA, and negative associations with walking and vigorous-intensity activity emerged. Spline regression analysis confirmed these findings, showing an inverse U-shape relationship, with the highest value of total motility and normal morphology for medium PA, and the lowest values for lower and higher activity., Conclusion(s): These findings support the present recommendations to practice moderate PA for health improvement, including semen quality., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests F.D. has nothing to disclose. M.R. has nothing to disclose. E.C. has nothing to disclose. G.C.V.V. has nothing to disclose. M.M. has nothing to disclose. D.Z. has nothing to disclose. S.L. has nothing to disclose. L.M. has nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants and endocrine disruptors that have been implicated in potential damage to human semen. However, the studies conducted so far provide contrasting results. Our study aimed to investigate the associations between PCB serum and semen levels and semen quality in high school and university students living in a highly PCB-polluted area of Italy. Subjects with a normal body mass index who did not make daily use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or medication were selected. All participants provided a fasting blood and a semen sample. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine the concentrations of 26 PCB congeners. The concentrations of PCB functional groups and total PCBs were also computed. A total of 143 subjects (median age 20, range 18-22 years) were enrolled. The median total PCB concentrations were 3.85 ng/mL (range 3.43-4.56 ng/mL) and 0.29 ng/mL (range 0.26-0.32 ng/mL) in serum and semen, respectively. The analysis of the associations between sperm PCB concentration and semen parameters showed (a) negative associations between some PCB congeners, functional groups and total PCBs and sperm total motility; (b) negative associations of total PCBs with sperm normal morphology; and (c) no association of PCBs with sperm concentration. Subjects at the highest quartile of semen total PCB concentration had 19% and 23% mean reductions in total motility and normal morphology, respectively, compared to those at the lowest quartile. The analysis of the associations of serum PCB levels with sperm parameters yielded null or mixed (some positive, other negative) results. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence of a negative effect of some PCB congeners and total PCBs in semen on sperm motility and normal morphology. However, the associations between the concentration of serum and semen PCB congeners and functional groups and sperm quality parameters were inconsistent.