Paola Aiello

PhD Graduate

PhD program:: XXXIV



Thesis title: Dietary habits, lifestyle and self-medication in an Italian and Spanish university population

BACKGROUND: Over the past 20 years there has been an increase in obesity rates among university students, therefore they should be seen as a group that requires special attention regarding health promotion. The interest in a healthy diet can lead to a psychological obsession known as orthorexia nervosa (ON), frequent among students in the biomedical field and in the sports context. The high levels of stress recorded in university students have been related to the use of drugs to enhance their cognitive abilities. However, a high adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) can bring cognitive benefits, with an improvement in depressive symptoms and anxiety, enabling a better academic outcome. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate self-medication, adherence to MD, and the relationship between lifestyle and biomarkers of metabolic status in a university population. METHODS: Students, doctoral students, post-docs and specialists have been recruited in Italy (N = 108) and Spain (N = 86). Data were collected through questionnaires in order to evaluate lifestyle, self-medication, alcohol consumption (AUDIT), eating habits, in particular adherence to MD and food neophobia (FN), level of physical activity (IPAQ), orthorexia (ORTO-15 and subscores), body concerns (MBSRQ and BUT), psychological distress (K10), eating attitude (EAT-26) and malnutrition (SSI). Participants have been evaluated with clinical parameters of metabolic status (glycaemia, cholesterol, triglycerides, and ketones). RESULTS: Italian females had higher MED-55 and FNS (Food Neophobia Scale) scores, and a lower AUDIT score than Spaniards (p < 0.01). Students who stayed with their family (resident) were more adherent to MD than those who moved away from home. Resident Italians consumed less beer, hard liquors, and cocktails than Spaniards on Saturday nights (p < 0.01). There were negative correlations between AUDIT and QueMD (R2: 0.137, p < 0.05), and AUDIT and non-typical MD foods score (ntMED) (R2: 0.201, p < 0.01) in Spaniards; however, there was no relationship between AUDIT and other MD scores. Most of the sample (72.8% of IT and 62.3% of SP) used medicines without medical prescription, with a higher tendency to self-medication among Italian females (IT-F) and Spanish males (SP-M). Moreover, 47.6% of IT and 31.1% of SP read the leaflet before taking a drug (p < 0.05). The ORTO-15 positive subjects, assessed with the originally proposed cut-off, were above 70% in both IT and SP students, with a higher prevalence in the Spanish sample (96-97%). According to ORTO-7, about 30% of Italian and 48% of Spanish students were positive to ON, with not significant gender differences. When excluding students underweight, overweight or obese, as well as those potentially at risk of eating disorders or presenting mild, moderate, and severe distress (K10neg-EAT-26neg subgroup), we did not find many correlations between ORTO scores and BUT, SSI, total MBSRQ and some of its components. ORTO-7 resulted the only ON score unrelated with body mass index, MBSRQ components and IPAQ-assessed intense activity, in the NW - K10neg -EAT-26neg subgroup. After this sort of “exclusion diagnosis”, the prevalence of ON of these students on the overall sample resulted of 16.9%, 12.2%, 15.2% and 25.9% for IT-F, IT-M, SP-F and SP-M, respectively. As regards the metabolic status, Spaniards had higher blood glucose levels than Italians (IT-F vs SP-F, p < 0.01; IT-M vs SP-M, p < 0.001), whereas a state of ketosis has been observed in SP-M. CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggest that non-typical MD foods and Saturday night consumptions, related to being far from home, have a great impact on alcohol consumption. In some university students ON could be a symptom of other conditions related to body image concerns and distress, as well as to high PA and appearance, fitness, health, or illness orientation. However, ORTO-7 became independent from these confounding, after the exclusion of underweight, overweight, obese and students positive to EAT-26 and K10, suggesting the possibility of identifying orthorexic subjects with this specific questionnaire.

Research products

11573/1686473 - 2023 - Lifestyle and effects of the consumption of olive products on the inflammatory profile of university students: a pilot study
Aiello, Paola; Ilaria, Peluso; Débora Villaño, Valencia - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: World Conference on Food Science and Technology (Roma)
book: Food Week 2023 - ()

11573/1691611 - 2023 - Cardiorespiratory fitness, energy intake and cardiovascular risk in a sample of Paralympic athletes with locomotor impairment
Aiello, Paola; Poggiogalle, Eleonora; Peluso, Ilaria; Scognamiglio, Luca; Valentini, Francesca; Squeo, Maria Rosaria; Guerra, Emanuele; Adami, Paolo Emilio; Rosponi, Alessandro; Bernardi, Marco - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: XIV Congresso Nazionale della Società Italiana delle Scienze Motorie e Sportive (Napoli)
book: SISMES 2023 - ()

11573/1685421 - 2023 - Assessment of lifestyle, metabolic status and prevalence of orthorexia nervosa in a population of Italian and Spanish university students
Aiello, Paola; Toti, Elisabetta; Villaño Valencia, Débora; Raguzzini, Anna; Peluso, Ilaria - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: 7th Edition of Innovations in Food Science and Human Nutrition (Francoforte)
book: IFHN - 2023 - ()

11573/1675749 - 2023 - Nutrition, body composition and metabolic status in Paralympic athletes with locomotor impairments
Aiello, Paola; Valentini, Francesca; Peluso, Ilaria; Bernardi, Marco - 04f Poster
conference: SANIS Stati Generali della Nutrizione Sportiva (Roma)
book: SANIS Stati Generali della Nutrizione Sportiva - ()

11573/1652002 - 2022 - Body composition and metabolic status of Italian and Spanish university students: relationship with fruit and vegetable consumption
Aiello, Paola; Peluso, Ilaria; Di Giacomo, Silvia; Di Sotto, Antonella; Villaño Valencia, Débora - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: NUTRIENTS (Basel, Switzerland: Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)) pp. 3296- - issn: 2072-6643 - wos: WOS:000845851900001 (5) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85137124904 (3)

11573/1612143 - 2022 - Alcohol consumption by Italian and Spanish university students in relation to adherence to the Mediterranean diet and to the food neophobia: a pilot study
Aiello, Paola; Peluso, Ilaria; Villaño Valencia, Débora - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: HEALTHCARE (Basel : MDPI) pp. - - issn: 2227-9032 - wos: WOS:000976129200004 (5) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85125136223 (4)

11573/1657060 - 2022 - Overlap of orthorexia, eating attitude and psychological distress in some Italian and Spanish university students
Aiello, Paola; Toti, Elisabetta; Villaño, Débora; Raguzzini, Anna; Peluso, Ilaria - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: WORLD JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY (Hong Kong : Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited) pp. 1298-1312 - issn: 2220-3206 - wos: WOS:000884410300003 (3) - scopus: (0)

11573/1652680 - 2022 - The potential role of naringin and naringenin as nutraceuticals against metabolic syndrome
Villaño Valencia, Débora; Massaro, Luca; Raguzzini, Anna; Aiello, Paola - 01g Articolo di rassegna (Review)
paper: ENDOCRINE, METABOLIC & IMMUNE DISORDERS DRUG TARGETS (BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBL LTD, EXECUTIVE STE Y26, PO BOX 7917, SAIF ZONE, SHARJAH, U ARAB EMIRATES, 1200 BR) pp. - - issn: 1871-5303 - wos: WOS:001005522900003 (4) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85152373364 (7)

11573/1335786 - 2021 - Dietary flavonoids: Nano delivery and nanoparticles for cancer therapy
Aiello, Paola; Consalvi, Sara; Poce, Giovanna; Raguzzini, Anna; Toti, Elisabetta; Palmery, Maura; Biava, Mariangela; Bernardi, Marco; Kamale, Mohammad A.; Perry, George; Peluso, Ilaria - 01g Articolo di rassegna (Review)
paper: SEMINARS IN CANCER BIOLOGY (Elsevier Science Limited:Oxford Fulfillment Center, PO Box 800, Kidlington Oxford OX5 1DX United Kingdom:011 44 1865 843000, 011 44 1865 843699, EMAIL: asianfo@elsevier.com, tcb@elsevier.co.UK, INTERNET: http://www.elsevier.com, http://www.elsevier.com/locate/shpsa/, Fax: 011 44 1865 843010) pp. 150-165 - issn: 1044-579X - wos: WOS:000631703400011 (71) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85071626772 (79)

11573/1522639 - 2021 - Adherence to the Mediterranean diet, orthorexia and use of supplements in a population of university students practicing sports
Aiello, Paola; Toti, Elisabetta; Catasta, Giovina; Peluso, Ilaria; Palmery, Maura; Villaño Valencia, Débora - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: 2nd Edition of Nutrition and Food Science Conference (Online)
book: Global Episteme - ()

11573/1586282 - 2021 - Orthorexia in university students
Aiello, Paola; Toti, Elisabetta; Peluso, Ilaria - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: International Conference on Food Science and Nutrition (Vienna; Austria)
book: International conference on food science and nutrition - ()

11573/1558537 - 2021 - Estilos de vida y hábitos alimenticios en relación con la composición corporal de individuos deportivos
Aiello, Paola; Toti, Elisabetta; Peluso, Ilaria; Palmery, Maura; Villaño Valencia, Débora - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: VII Jornadas de Investigación y Doctorado UCAM "ODS con Ciencia" (Universidad Catolica San Antonio de Murcia)
book: VII Jornadas de Investigación y Doctorado - ()

11573/1586284 - 2021 - Chapter 6 - Vitamins
David García Benzal, José; Aiello, Paola; Moreno, Diego A.; García Viguera, Cristina; Villaño, Débora - 02a Capitolo o Articolo
book: Nutraceutical and functional food components - ()

11573/1430737 - 2020 - Lifestyle of a population of Italian university students
Aiello, Paola; Toti, Elisabetta; Raguzzini, Anna; Peluso, Ilaria; Palmery, Maura; Villaño Valencia, Débora - 04f Poster
conference: VI Jornadas de Investigación y Doctorado (Murcia)
book: VI Jornadas de Investigación y Doctorado - ()

11573/1407517 - 2020 - Entomophagy: a narrative review on nutritional value, safety, cultural acceptance and a focus on the role of food neophobia in Italy
Toti, Elisabetta; Massaro, Luca; Kais, Aisha; Aiello, Paola; Palmery, Maura; Peluso, Ilaria - 01g Articolo di rassegna (Review)
paper: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATION IN HEALTH, PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION (Almería : ASUNIVEP) pp. 628-643 - issn: 2174-8144 - wos: WOS:000551586200004 (40) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85089673701 (46)

11573/1278626 - 2020 - Supplementation with dairy matrices impacts on homocysteine levels and gut microbiota composition of hyperhomocysteinemic mice
Zinno, Paola; Motta, Vincenzo; Guantario, Barbara; Natella, Fausta; Roselli, Marianna; Bello, Cristiano; Comitato, Raffaella; Carminati, Domenico; Tidona, Flavio; Meucci, Aurora; Aiello, Paola; Perozzi, Giuditta; Virgili, Fabio; Trevisi, Paolo; Canali, Raffaella; Devirgiliis, Chiara - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUTRITION (Heidelberg: Springer Darmstadt Germany:: Dr Dietrich Steinkopff Verlag) pp. 345-358 - issn: 1436-6207 - wos: WOS:000512078900029 (12) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85071633214 (13)

11573/1317375 - 2019 - Flavonoid-statins interactions
Aiello, Paola; Minosi, Paola; Peluso, Ilaria; Palmery, Maura - 04f Poster
conference: 2nd Conference on Innovations in Food Science & Human Nutrition (Londra)
book: 2nd Conference on Innovations in Food Science & Human Nutrition (IFHN-2019) - ()

11573/1317376 - 2019 - Oxidative stress biomarkers
Aiello, Paola; Minosi, Paola; Peluso, Ilaria; Palmery, Maura - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: 2019 Annual Conference on Genetics (Vienna)
book: Archives of Applied Medicine - ()

11573/1334776 - 2019 - Medicinal plants in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer
Aiello, Paola; Sharghi, Maedeh; Malekpour Mansourkhani, Shabnam; Pourabbasi Ardekan, Azam; Jouybari, Leila; Daraei, Nahid; Peiro, Khadijeh; Mohamadian, Sima; Rezaei, Mahdiyeh; Heidari, Mahdi; Peluso, Ilaria; Ghorat, Fereshteh; Bishayee, Anupam; Wesam Kooti, And - 01g Articolo di rassegna (Review)
paper: OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY (London: Hindawi Austin, TX : Landes Bioscience) pp. - - issn: 1942-0994 - wos: WOS:000522169000001 (87) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85077005166 (102)

11573/1330196 - 2019 - Cardiovascular risk factors and haematological indexes of inflammation in paralympic athletes with different motor impairments
Bernardi, Marco; Fedullo, Anna Lucia; Di Giacinto, Barbara; Squeo, Maria Rosaria; Aiello, Paola; Dante, Donatella; Romano, Silvio; Magaudda, Ludovico; Peluso, Ilaria; Palmery, Maura; Antonio Spataro, And - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY (London: Hindawi Austin, TX : Landes Bioscience) pp. - - issn: 1942-0994 - wos: (0) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85076017935 (14)

11573/1317287 - 2019 - Association of antioxidant nutraceuticals and acetaminophen (paracetamol): Friend or foe?
Minosi, Paola; Aiello, Paola; Peluso And Maura Palmery, Ilaria - 04f Poster
conference: 2nd Conference on Innovations in Food Science & Human Nutrition(IFHN-2019) (Londra)
book: 2nd Conference on Innovations in Food Science & Human Nutrition(IFHN-2019) - ()

11573/1330458 - 2019 - Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of barberry (Berberis vulgaris) and its main compounds
Nasiri Kalmarzi, Rasool; Nima Naleini, Seyyed; Ashtary-Larky, Damoon; Peluso, Ilaria; Jouybari, Leila; Rafi, Alireza; Ghorat, Fereshteh; Heidari, Nishteman; Sharifian, Faezeh; Mardaneh, Jalal; Aiello, Paola; Helbi, Sobhan; Wesam Kooti, And - 01g Articolo di rassegna (Review)
paper: OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY (London: Hindawi Austin, TX : Landes Bioscience) pp. - - issn: 1942-0994 - wos: WOS:000502070900001 (25) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85076101129 (38)

11573/1290915 - 2019 - Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, mediterranean diet, and bone health in coeliac disease patients: a pilot Study
Palmacci, Francesca; Toti, Elisabetta; Raguzzini, Anna; Catasta, Giovina; Aiello, Paola; Peluso, Ilaria; Biava, Mariangela; Palmery, Maura - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY (London: Hindawi AUSTIN, USA, TX: LANDES BIOSCIENCE) pp. 1-14 - issn: 1942-0900 - wos: WOS:000492999600001 (10) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85070093697 (10)

11573/1333451 - 2019 - Menopausal symptoms: from soy isoflavones to combined soy-exercise interventions
Raguzzini, Anna; Bernardi, Marco; Peluso, Ilaria; Palmery, Maura; Aiello, Paola - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: ADVANCES IN NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCE (Harrison New Jersey: Kosmos Publishers) pp. - - issn: 2641-6816 - wos: (0) - scopus: (0)

11573/1652001 - 2019 - Polypharmacy and Nutraceuticals in Veterans: Pros and Cons
Sciarra, Tommaso; Ciccotti, Mario; Aiello, Paola; Minosi, Paola; Munzi, Diego; Buccolieri, Cosimo; Peluso, Ilaria; Palmery, Maura; Lista, Florigio - 01b Commento, Erratum, Replica e simili
paper: FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY (Lausanne: Frontiers Media S.A., 2010-) pp. 994- - issn: 1663-9812 - wos: WOS:000485166900001 (6) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85073037195 (6)

11573/1308177 - 2019 - Polypharmacy and Nutraceuticals in veterans: 1 partners in crime?
Tommaso, Sciarra; Ciccotti, Mario; Aiello, Paola; Minosi, Paola; Diego, Munzi; Cosimo, Buccolieri; Peluso, Ilaria; Palmery, Maura; Florigio, Lista - 01b Commento, Erratum, Replica e simili
paper: FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY (Lausanne: Frontiers Media S.A., 2010-) pp. - - issn: 1663-9812 - wos: (0) - scopus: (0)

11573/1177403 - 2018 - Nutraceutical-based integrative medicine: adopting a mediterranean diet pyramid for attaining healthy ageing in veterans with disabilities
Ciccotti, Mario; Raguzzini, Anna; Sciarra, Tommaso; Catasta, Giovina; Aiello, Paola; Buccolieri, Cosimo; Reggi, Raffaella; Palmery, Maura; Lista, Florigio; Peluso, Ilaria - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: CURRENT PHARMACEUTICAL DESIGN (Bentham Science Publishers BV:PO Box 7917, Exec Ste Y 26, Saif Zone Sharjah Uae:011 971 6 5571132, EMAIL: benthams@emirates.net.ae, INTERNET: http://www.bentham.org, Fax: 011 971 6 5571134) pp. 4186-4196 - issn: 1381-6128 - wos: WOS:000456592300011 (8) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85061114225 (10)

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