Virginia Gabriela Aguilera Cervantes

The Relationship between Consumption, Socioeconomic Level and Reasons of Tomato Intake in Mexico

The red tomato has been associated to Mexico throughout history. This vegetable is native to the New World and was domesticated in Mesoamerica, before its arrival to Europe. It has always been of great cultural importance in Mexicans diet and of great economic value. Currently, Mexico is the first tomato exporter in the world. However, its marketing affects its price and availability and can harm consumption. Then, due to the cultural role of this vegetable, it is interesting to analyze the relationship between consumption, socioeconomic status and tomato intake reasons in the case of Zapotlan el Grande, Jalisco, Mexico. For this reason, a Food Consumption Frequency Questionnaire (FCFQ) was applied to 384 adults from 18 to 65 years old, which included classification of socioeconomic level and consumption reasons. The results showed that the tomato was ingested by more than 90% of the population, with an average frequency of 21.66 ± 10.57 times per month and 114.68 daily grams per capita. For the relationship between socioeconomic level and intake reasons, it was found that there was an impact of monthly income, occupation and gastronomy on the intake of this vegetable.

Land-use Change and Its Impact on Production and Consumption of Strawberry in Tapalpa, Jalisco, Mexico

In recent years, the municipality of Tapalpa, Jalisco, has suffered a gradual deterioration of natural resources (water, forest, soil). There has been a growth of population and an increase in tourism activities that do not consider natural resources, types of landscape or their socio-economic implications. One of the most relevant changes in the municipality, in addition to deforestation, is the change of land use by another type of agriculture. Change and the availability of new foods can lead to change the consumption habits of the community. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the impact of agribusiness strawberry with respect to changes in the environment, and its impact on the feeding process, since this depends largely food security. For this purpose, a multi-temporal analysis of Landsat ETM+ satellite images from 2000 and 2017 respectively was carried out in the municipality of Tapalpa, Jalisco. Likewise, a Food Consumption Frequency Questionnaire (FCFC) was applied, taking a sample of 264 adults distributed between 18 and 60 years of age, to evaluate strawberry consumption in the municipality. The results showed an evolution of landscape fragmentation at all levels with a reduction in the percentage of hectares of forest land use and a significant increase in hectares of protected agriculture. Regarding consumption, the results indicated that 67% of the sample consumes strawberry and that the amount depends on the harvest period.

Fasting effect on eating behavior in university students

Scientific evidence on the characterization of eating behavior indicates that food deprivation situations, such as fasting, the food value increases and alter the feeding pattern. Consequently food consumption increases and therefore caloric intake. The situation worsens when after a deprivation period the preferred foods are unhealthy or consumed in excess becoming tiggers for health problems (Capaldi, 1993; Gottschalk, Libby & Graff, 2000; Velez & Garcia, 2003). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fasting on caloric intake and changing food preferences. This study was conducted with the participation of 9 university students who were classified according to their Body Mass Index (BMI) into three groups: Low-weight, Normo-weight and Over-weight. At the baseline participants were exposed to eight different foods. Same participants during the experimental phase were exposed to a period of fasting, subsequently were exposed to the same foods and record their consumption. Results showed that caloric intake and food preferences were altered after the fasting condition, differential effects among participants were observed. Low-weight group increased their food consumption while Normal-weight and Over-weight groups decreased.

Effect of early exposure to sucralose on fluid intake in rats

Abstract Experimental evidence has demonstrated the effect of exposure history on feeding behavior in organisms. However, it is reported that sucralose is not adequately consumed by the rats.The aim of this study was to evaluate effect of early exposure to sucralose in subsequent fluid intake in Wistar rats. Twenty rats were assigned into two groups, A and S. The S group was exposed to sucralose from nursing, since her mother drank a solution with sucralose during this stage. Group A was exposed to water. At 90 days of age both groups received a solution with sucralose for 10 days, followed by 10 days in which they returned to initial conditions (A, water and S, sucralose). Later both groups received water for 10 days, ending the experiment with a return to initial conditions for 10 days. The results showed a differential effect in sucralose and water consumption with respect to sex. In particular females consumed more sucralose than males. However, experimental group exposed to it early sucralose showed a higher consumption compared with the group exposed to water. These results showed that exposure to sucralose flavor during lactation influences the fluids habitually consumed by females, also showed differential effects with respect to sex. Animals exposed to sucralose from nursing showed an increase in sucralose consumption after water intake. This evidence demonstrates the role that early exposure to specific flavors in the pattern of consumption in adulthood. Additionally, it is possible to point out the importance of learning at an early age as a tool to prevent the development of food pathologies.