PAN Israel: Preventive Nutrition for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

The key factor in preventing and treating NAFLD is a holistic lifestyle modification approach, encompassing a diet based on healthy eating patterns of unprocessed foods, exercise, and balanced drinking and smoking habits. The Mediterranean diet and other healthy dietary patterns can reduce liver fat and may be related to lower disease progression. The growing global consumption of ultra-processed foods, which is the polar opposite of the Mediterranean diet and its concept of home-based cooking, poses a significant challenge in preventing NAFLD and probably hepatocellular carcinoma. This talk provides insights into tailoring the diet to a patient’s personal preferences, and how changing dietary composition and quality may offer a feasible alternative to prevent and treat NAFLD, beyond weight reduction.

Prof. Zelber-Sagi is a clinical dietitian, epidemiologist and researcher in nutritional and lifestyle epidemiology, chronic diseases related to lifestyle, and related public health aspects. Currently, she is a full Professor and Head of the School of Public Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, at the University of Haifa. She has published around 150 scientific publications, mostly dealing with lifestyle and liver disease and other chronic diseases, including nutrition, physical activity, smoking, alcohol and policy recommendations.

PAN Switzerland: Was is(s)t das Mikrobiom?

Darm gut alles gut?

In diesem Webinar von PAN Switzerland wurde diese Frage in drei 20-minütigen Vorträgen aus unterschiedlichen Blickwinkeln beleuchtet: Im ersten Teil präsentierte Dr. Philipp Busche, als Leitender Arzt des Zentrums für Integrative Gastroenterologie, wie sich das Mikrobiom in den ersten 1000 Lebenstagen entwickelt und welche gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen dies auf das Erwachsenenalter hat.
Anna Maria Bramböck, Ernährungsberaterin mit Schwerpunkt Mikrobiom sowie Prä- und Probiotika, ging im zweiten Teil auf den Einfluss unserer Ernährung auf das Darmmikrobiom ein. Abschliessend griffen Prof. Lia Bally und Prof. Ziad Al Nabhani nochmals auf, wie das Mikrobiom mit dem Entstehen von metabolischen Erkrankungen zusammenhängt.

PAN South Africa: Improving diabetic outcomes using whole food plant-based nutrition in SA

A few days after World Diabetes Day 2022, PAN South Africa hosted a 75-min side event at the Food4Climate pavilion at COP27 in Egypt. They presented their findings of the first-ever implementation study on whole food plant-based nutrition for diabetes in the South African context. The research is in the form of a case study on the pilot program created by UBUNTU Wellness Institute, a 21-day Diabetes Reversal Challenge launched in early 2021.

PAN South Africa has gathered clinical information and interviewed ten type 2 diabetics who took the challenge, plus four physicians who monitored their progress. While sorting through the information, we continuously asked the question; how can a plant-based nutrition intervention be implemented in South Africa? Our findings are sorted into a socioecological model highlighting key health outcomes, interpersonal factors, the broader South African context, and integrations within the public health system. Our findings culminate into recommendations for health science researchers, implementation teams, and policymakers.

PAN Israel: Journal Club #6 – The Effect of Mediterranean Diet on Gut Microbiome

Once a month PAN Isreal holds a short half-hour session in which one of our community members presents an interesting and relevant issue or article in the field of plant-based nutrition. This month, on our 6th meeting, Conrad Schulz-Ruhtenberg from PAN University Groups in Germany introduced an article published in the Journal GUT (from BMJ journals): Mediterranean diet intervention alters the gut microbiome in older people, reducing frailty and improving health status: the NU-AGE 1-year dietary intervention across five European countries.