Evaluation of fruit consumption habits and anthroopometric measurement and biochemical parameters in patients applicable to family medicine polyclinic

Introduction and Aim: Fruits are among the natural and nutritious foods that are highly beneficial for health. Including fruits in our diet in a varied and balanced way is important for a healthy life. Unfortunately, many people do not meet the recommended level of their daily fruit consumption. Getting a variety of nutrients from different fruits and following daily portion recommendations is ideal for healthy eating. With this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between fruit consumption frequency and fruit consumption amount, fruit consumption time, fruit preference according to whether there is a chronic disease or not, and the relationship of fruit consumption with anthropometric measurements and biochemical parameters. Materials and Methods: This study is a descriptive-cross-sectional study. In order to collect data in the study, a face-to-face printed questionnaire was used. Our survey; sociodemographic data, some dietary habits, chronic diseases and 24 questions measuring the amount and frequency of fruit consumption of patients. Along with the data obtained from the participants, anthropometric measurements (height, weight, BMI, body fat ratio, FFM, visceral fattening, TANITA device and tape measure were used for waist and hip circumference. These data were evaluated by comparing them with the biochemical parameters (HOMA-IR, HDL, LDL, TG, glucose, fasting insulin, AST, ALT) routinely examined in obesity outpatient clinic. The data were evaluated in SPSS 23.0 statistical package form. A value of p<0.05 was accepted for statistical significance. Results: 286 people participated in the study. 73.08% of the participants were female and 26.92% were male. 31.82% of the participants had chronic disease. It was seen that the participants included in the study skipped meals at a high rate (63.99%). When he was hungry during the day, unhealthy snacks were the highest among the foods he preferred. The desire to eat sugar/sweets during the day was present in 70.63% of the participants. Most of those who have this desire stated that their first choice is cakes, cakes, cookies, biscuits. When the frequency of fruit consumption of the participants was examined, it was seen that the highest consumption was 2-3 times a week. When the timing of fruit consumption was examined, 60.84% of the participants consumed it in the evening and 80.42% of the participants consumed it after meals. 93.71% of the participants preferred fresh fruit first in their fruit consumption. When asked about the most consumed fruit of all time, the participants answered apples. There was a significant difference in the fact that insulin resistance was higher in those who consumed the fruit the night before the meal (p=0.015). There was a significant difference in visceral fattening (p=0.034) and BC/CT ratio higher in those who consumed the night before meals (p=0.003). The intensity of post-meal consumption was marked as more evening, but the significant difference in insulin resistance was in the direction of those who consumed at night (p=0.015). There was a significant difference in BC/CT in those who consumed at night after meals (p=0.007). There was no significant difference between the presence of a diagnosis of chronic disease and the weekly calories of fresh fruit, dried fruit, fruit juice and total weekly fruit calories consumed. There was no significant relationship between the total weekly calories taken from the fruit and the anthropometric data and biochemical parameters of the participants (p>0.05). Conclusion: Individuals gaining awareness about nutrition, increasing their knowledge and putting into practice the knowledge and skills they have gained is an important step for improving the quality of life. This study also showed that fruit consumption is much lower than the recommended amounts. There is a need to give due importance to balanced fruit consumption in healthy nutrition and to conduct more comprehensive scientific research on this subject. Keywords: Fruit, fructose, BMI, visceral fattening, insulin resistance, body fat ratio