Browsing by Author "Aslan, Serkan"

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Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Adults: The Role of Environmental and Sustainable Food Literacy
(BMC, 2025) Ozata-Uyar, Gizem; Aslan, Serkan; Camli, Ayse; Arslan, Merve; Bozkurt, Osman; Kocaadam-Bozkurt, Betul
AimThis study aimed to evaluate the relationship between environmental literacy, sustainable food literacy, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) in adults.MethodData were collected via a web-based questionnaire created using Google Forms between April and August 2024 in Erzurum, Turkey. A total of 394 adults participated through snowball sampling. The questionnaire included sections on demographic information, anthropometric measurements, the Environmental Literacy Scale for Adults (ELSA), the Sustainable Food Literacy Scale (SFLS), and the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS).Results38.6% of the participants were found to adhere to the Mediterranean Diet (MD). Married participants were more likely to have adhered to the MD than single ones (odds ratio [OR]:0.41, p = 0.006). Adherence to the MD was associated with higher education duration (OR = 1.05, p = 0.011), a higher SFLS total score (OR = 1.01, p = 0.025), and a higher ELSA score (OR = 1.04, p = 0.004).ConclusionThe MD is a sustainable dietary model that enhances health and is environmentally friendly. For this reason, it may be possible to direct society towards healthier and less environmentally damaging food choices through training to increase individuals' sustainable literacy and environmental literacy levels.
Fermented Foods and Brain Health: Gut-Brain Axis Mechanisms and Clinical Insights
(Elsevier Science Inc, 2026) Bodur, Mahmut; Kocaadam-Bozkurt, Betul; Bozkurt, Osman; Aslan, Serkan; Agagunduz, Duygu
The gut-brain axis represents a complex bidirectional communication network connecting the central nervous and gastrointestinal systems. Fermented foods and their phenolic compounds, which increase their bioavailability due to microbial transformation in their contents, have the potential to affect the gut microbiota and therefore the gut-brain axis positively. Fermented foods such as kefir, yogurt, miso, natto, tempeh, kombucha, and their polyphenols have an effect on the gut microbiota and on the provision of neurological activities through neuroactive components that affect the nervous system. Phenolic compounds appear to have direct or indirect effects on brain tissue through various mechanisms such as reducing neuronal oxidative stress, suppressing microglial activation, supporting synaptic plasticity, and slowing down neurodegenerative processes such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. In addition, the polyphenol content enriched in fermented foods has been shown to exhibit psychobiotic effects in depression and anxiety models; it has been shown in clinical studies that it improves systemic inflammation and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction. Current data support the inclusion of fermented, polyphenol-rich foods as a noninvasive strategy to enhance neuroprotection and mental health. However, enhanced clinical studies are needed where heterogeneity in the fermentation process and dosage adjustment are standardized. This article reviews the current literature on the effects of fermented foods and polyphenols on brain health via the microbiota and gut-brain axis. (c) 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
More Mindful, More Selective, More Disordered? a Mediation Analysis of Picky Eating in the Link Between Mindful Eating and Orthorexia Nervosa Tendency
(Elsevier Science Inc, 2026) Ozata-Uyar, Gizem; Aslan, Serkan; Arslan, Merve; Camli, Ayse; Bozkurt, Osman; Kocaadam-Bozkurt, Betul
Aim: This study evaluated the relationship between picky eating, mindful eating (ME), orthorexia nervosa (ON) tendency, and diet quality in adults. The secondary aim was to examine whether picky eating mediates the effect of ME on ON tendency. Methods: A total of 541 adults (mean age 26.6 +/- 10.54 y, 50.6% women) participated. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire via face-to-face interviews and convenience sampling. Picky eating (PE) was assessed with the Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire, ME with the ME Inventory (MEI), ON tendency with the Test of ON-17 (TON-17), and diet quality with the Healthy Eating Index-2020. Dietary intake was measured using a 24-h dietary recall. Results: Among participants, 5.2% had ON, and 41.6% had inadequate diet quality. MEI was positively associated with PE (beta = 0.108; P = 0.013) and TON-17 (beta = 0.093; P = 0.025). PE was positively associated with TON-17 (beta = 0.213; P < 0.001) and negatively associated with Healthy Eating Index-2020 (beta = -0.126; P = 0.003). The indirect effect of MEI on TON-17 via PE accounted for 19.8% of the total effect, indicating that PE partially mediated this relationship. Conclusions: The findings suggest that ME is associated with healthier dietary behavior; however, they may also be related to increased orthorexic tendencies. It also showed that PE mediates between MEI and TON-17. Addressing selective eating behaviors and encouraging balanced, ME in public health strategies may help improve diet quality and reduce eating related problems. (c) 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
Nutritional Guidance for the Older Adults on YouTube: An Analysis of Video Quality, Reliability, and Source Credibility
(Taylor & Francis Inc, 2026) Sozlu, Saniye; Aslan, Serkan
Nutritional issues such as malnutrition, obesity, and dehydration are prevalent among older adults, posing serious health and economic challenges. YouTube is a popular platform for health information, but concerns remain regarding the accuracy and reliability of its content. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the quality, reliability, comprehensiveness, and accuracy of nutrition-related YouTube videos targeting older adult audiences. A total of 1,001 YouTube videos were initially identified using six different search keywords. After applying predefined exclusion criteria, 49 videos were deemed eligible and included in the final analysis. Two academic dietitians independently assessed the videos using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), the modified DISCERN instrument (mDISCERN), and the Geriatric Nutrition Scoring System (GNSS), which was specifically developed for the purposes of this study. Although no statistically significant overall differences were found (p > .05), most videos were of moderate quality (36.7%) and lacked reliability (57.1%). According to GNSS, only 30.6% of the videos demonstrated good comprehensiveness and accuracy. High-quality videos were primarily produced by professional organizations (50%) and healthcare professions (37.5%) (p < .05), yet these videos received limited audience engagement. The majority of analyzed videos were of moderate quality, exhibited low reliability, and lacked sufficient comprehensiveness and accuracy. While professional sources produced the highest quality content, these videos failed to attract significant viewer attention. These findings highlight the need for healthcare professionals to play a more prominent role in creating and promoting high-quality, reliable content on platforms like YouTube.
A Pilot Study of the Potential Role of ChatGPT in Stated-Calorie Diet Planning
(Springer Nature, 2025) Aslan, Serkan; Sozlu, Saniye
Background/objectives: Developments in artificial intelligence encourage society to seek advice from artificial intelligence regarding nutrition recommendations, as in other health issues. There are not enough studies in this field. We hypothesized that ChatGPT would plan meals and daily diet within the specified calories with high accuracy. Subjects/methods: This study used ChatGPT version 3.5, freely available to the public. ChatGPT was instructed to generate daily diet plans with 1500, 2000, and 2500 calories as well as recipes with 300, 500, and 700 calories (four distinct recipe prompts were utilized for each calorie group). The calories of the resulting recipes and diet plans were calculated using nutrition databases and compared with the actual value. Results: Only prompt-2 in the 500-calorie group showed a significant change (p 0.05). Among the diet plans provided by ChatGPT, there was no significant difference between the values of the 2500-calorie group and the actual calorie values in the control group (p > 0.05). Conclusions: According to these results, ChatGPT is more successful in creating recipe with the desired calories than daily diet planning. In this study, the calorie values of the diet plans and recipes provided by ChatGPT have demonstrated significant potential with their closeness to actual values. Further studies are needed to evaluate the reliability of ChatGPT in terms of nutritional science and the consumability of the recipes it provides.