Objective

Smartphone use, psychological stress, and sleep quality are increasingly recognized as lifestyle factors that may influence dietary behaviors in young adults; however, their associations with overall diet quality remain unclear.
Methods
This cross-sectional study investigated the associations of daily smartphone use, perceived stress, and perceived sleep quality with diet quality and macronutrient intake among 497 Korean adults aged 20–39 years. Diet quality was assessed using the Nutrition Quotient for Korean Adults 2021 (NQ-2021), and dietary intake was evaluated using a 24-hour dietary recall.
Results
Longer smartphone use was inversely associated with total NQ and practice scores after adjustment for potential confounders. Participants with higher perceived stress consumed a greater amount of carbohydrates and a lower amount of fat per 1,000 kcal, whereas total NQ scores did not differ according to perceived stress level. Participants reporting poorer sleep quality had significantly lower total NQ, balance, and moderation scores and lower protein intake than those with better sleep quality.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that self-reported smartphone use, perceived stress, and perceived sleep quality are associated with different aspects of diet quality and macronutrient intake among Korean young adults. Prospective studies using validated or
objective
measures are warranted to clarify the temporal relationships between these lifestyle-related factors and dietary behaviors.

Objective

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) present a huge global burden, accounting for approximately 7.3 trillion cases and 43.8 million deaths in 2021. In India, 68% of all deaths are caused by NCDs. Carbohydrate intake has been associated with NCD development. Standard Indian diets mainly comprise carbohydrates. In this study, we aimed to analyze the association of vegetarian versus omnivorous diets with the odds of developing NCDs in patients visiting the emergency department.
Methods
Over 18 months, a cross-sectional epidemiological survey-based study was conducted among patients aged >18 years presenting to our department with documented comorbid conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus [DM], hypertension, heart disease, hypothyroidism, Alzheimer disease, and cancer). These patients completed a 32-item questionnaire survey regarding dietary and lifestyle choices. Associations between comorbidity status and dietary variables were evaluated by bivariate analysis. Additionally, unadjusted odds ratio (OR) and adjusted OR for DM, hypertension, and heart disease were calculated.
Results
This study included 11,011 patients, of which 55.31% were males and 68.91% were >55 years old. Furthermore, 65.87% were vegetarians, whereas 28.97% were omnivores. Hypertension, DM, and heart disease were found in 62.6%, 49.9% and 26.0%, respectively, while 58% had combinations of NCDs. Adjusted for age, sex, smoking, sugar, alcohol, exercise, and packaged food, OR (omnivore vs. vegetarian) was 0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86–1.03; P=0.180), 0.91 (95% CI, 0.83–1.00; P=0.052) and 1.02 (95% CI, 0.92–1.13; P=0.690) for DM, hypertension, and heart disease, respectively.
Conclusion
Most patients with NCDs followed a vegetarian dietary pattern, which was not associated with lower odds of developing NCDs.

Objective

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifests with various symptoms ranging from mild illness to multiorgan failure. Inflammatory markers such as ferritin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) may impact disease severity and outcomes. This study explored the association between ferritin and hs-CRP levels and symptoms and duration of hospital stay in Iranian adult patients with COVID-19.
Methods
This cross-sectional study included 107 patients with COVID-19 aged 20 to 60 years who were admitted to Amir Alam Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Serum levels of hs-CRP and ferritin were measured using immunoturbidimetric and ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) methods, according to the manufacturers’ protocols. Data regarding symptoms were collected using a demographic questionnaire and verified against their hospital records.
Results
Marginally significant negative association was observed between hs-CRP and appetite (β=−0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.003 to 0.000; P=0.05). Lower odds of contusion related to higher ferritin levels were detected (odds ratio, 0.995; 95% CI, 0.990 to 1.000; P=0.05).
Conclusion
Serum levels of hs-CRP and ferritin are probably associated with some clinical symptoms in patients with COVID-19. Higher hs-CRP levels were possibly associated with lower appetite, and higher ferritin levels were inversely associated with contusion.

Clinical nutrition studies generate diverse research materials, including study protocols, case report forms, dietary records, laboratory measurements, body composition data, and final reports. However, these resources are often fragmented across storage systems and remain underutilized after study completion. Large language models (LLMs) offer opportunities for knowledge retrieval and documentation, but cloud-based services raise concerns regarding data privacy, institutional governance, and regulatory compliance. This Research Note proposes an institutional local LLM-based framework for secure knowledge retrieval, research documentation, and knowledge reuse in clinical nutrition research. The framework integrates multidisciplinary perspectives from clinical nutrition, human intervention trials, and artificial intelligence. Its architecture comprises five interconnected layers: a clinical nutrition data layer encompassing research documents and structured datasets; a document processing layer for text extraction, metadata generation, and standardization; a knowledge repository layer combining structured and vector databases for metadata management and semantic retrieval; a local LLM layer integrating retrieval-augmented generation with a separate numerical analysis pipeline; and a researcher interface supporting natural language queries and evidence-linked documentation. The proposed framework provides a conceptual foundation for secure, reusable institutional research knowledge management.

Objective

Obesity is a major global public health concern. Psychological stress has recently gained attention as a significant factor influencing the onset and progression of obesity. However, studies focusing on adult Asian populations are limited. We therefore conducted a scoping review to identify research trends and further directions in the association between stress and obesity among Asian adults.
Methods
A literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Scopus, and Research Information Sharing Service (RISS) databases, targeting studies published over the last 20 years. Finally, 12 studies examining the association between stress and obesity were included in the review.
Results
Most studies employed a cross-sectional design. Obesity was assessed using indicators such as body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat percentage, while stress was measured using structured or researcher-developed questionnaires, most commonly a single-item question and the Psychosocial Well-being Index–Short Form. Most studies reported associations between higher stress levels and increased body mass index or a higher obesity risk, particularly in women. However, conflicting or null results were also reported. These differences in results could be attributable to variations in sex, study design, and stress assessment tools. The potential underlying interaction between an individual’s physiological and lifestyle factors may also contribute to such inconsistencies, but limited studies have considered such an effect.
Conclusion
Stress is an important contributing factor to the etiology of obesity among Asian adults. Further longitudinal studies considering biological and socioeconomic factors are required for better obesity prevention, treatment, and quality of life.

Objective

The incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rapidly growing. Awareness, comprehension, and use of food and nutrition labeling are vital for the prevention and management of NCDs. The
objective
of this review was to examine the association between NCDs and awareness and utilization of food and nutrition labeling in the Korean population, and to suggest future research directions to prevent and manage NCDs.
Methods
A literature search was conducted in the PubMed/MEDLINE and RISS databases from January 2016 to February 2026. Studies investigating the association between NCDs and awareness and/or use of food and nutrition labeling were included. Only studies conducted in Korea were included.
Results
A total of 27 cross-sectional studies were reviewed. Use of nutrition labeling was associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome. Older adults actively utilizing nutrition labeling had a lower risk of chronic kidney disease. Cancer survivors were less likely to purchase food depending on nutrition labeling than the general population. Hypertensive individuals who purchase food based on nutrition labeling are likely to choose foods lower in fat and salt. Nutrition education did not significantly affect the behavioral change of choosing healthy food in practice.
Conclusion
Nutrition education can prevent NCDs when combined with behavioral changes that enable individuals to make healthful food choices beyond recognizing nutrition labeling. An effective, structured, evidence-based food policy establishment should include the use of nutrition labeling and ensuring high visibility of the labels, such as front-of-package labeling.

Objective

Melatonin plays an important role in metabolic regulation and has been suggested to influence adipose tissue function through the modulation of leptin and adiponectin. However, evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of melatonin supplementation on these adipokines is inconsistent.
Methods
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar for RCTs on this topic published up to July 2025. We calculated weighted mean differences (WMDs) using random-effects models to identify net changes in risk factors.
Results
Our search yielded nine RCTs (with 11 arms). We found that melatonin supplementation had no significant effects on serum leptin (WMD, 0.172 ng/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI], −2.15 to 2.50; n=11) or adiponectin (WMD, 1.432 µg/mL; 95% CI, −0.112 to 2.976; n=7) levels.
Conclusion
This meta-analysis showed that melatonin supplementation does not significantly affect serum leptin and adiponectin levels. However, further studies are needed to confirm this.