Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: MARIA LUISA DO NASCIMENTO FELIPE

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : MARIA LUISA DO NASCIMENTO FELIPE
DATE: 08/08/2025
TIME: 14:30
LOCAL: Sessão pública realizada por meio de Videoconferência
TITLE:

ANTIOXIDANT QUALITY SCORE AND TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY OF THE DIET IN INDIVIDUALS WITH AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS

KEY WORDS:

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Antioxidants. Eating. Diet. Micronutrients

PAGES: 40
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Nutrição
SUMMARY:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that significantly affects patients’ nutritional and functional status. Diet plays a crucial role in modulating inflammation, oxidative stress, and the clinical progression of the disease. Although dietary parameters such as the NOVA classification, the Dietary Antioxidant Quality Score (DAQS), and the Dietary Total Antioxidant Capacity (DTAC) are commonly used to assess diet quality, studies investigating their association with clinical outcomes in individuals with ALS remain scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the DTAC and the DAQS, and sociodemographic and clinical variables in patients with ALS. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 68 patients attending the multidisciplinary ALS outpatient clinic at the Onofre Lopes University Hospital (HUOL – UFRN). The sample was characterized by sex and demographic, clinical, and nutritional features. Disease progression and severity were assessed using the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale – Revised (ALSFRS-R). Nutritional status was evaluated through the body mass index (BMI, kg/m²), categorized as underweight, normal weight, or overweight. Dietary intake was assessed using two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls (24HR). Energy and micronutrient intake were analyzed using the Virtual Nutri Plus® software. The DTAC (mmol/1000 kcal/day) was estimated based on published values obtained via the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method and categorized as “high” or “low” according to the median. The DAQS was calculated based on intake of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and selenium, and categorized as “low/medium” or “high.” The DTAC was further described in terms of the percentage contribution of each NOVA food classification group to the total DTAC.All collected variables underwent descriptive analysis. Data with normal distribution were analyzed using the independent t-test, while non-normally distributed data were analyzed using the non-parametric Mann–Whitney test. These tests were applied to compare the DTAC (high vs. low) and the DAQS (high vs. low/medium) groups with demographic and clinical characteristics. Effect sizes were calculated for all tests. Statistical analyses were performed using R software, version 4.5.0, adopting a significance level (α) of 0.05.Male and female participants differed statistically, with males showing higher ALSFRS-R scores (p = 0.013) and greater energy intake (kcal/day) (p < 0.001). The majority of the DTAC (79.8%) was attributed to NOVA food group G1, with an individual mean contribution of 76.6% from this group. Higher BMI values were observed in the high DTAC group, which differed significantly from the low DTAC group (p = 0.039). The low/medium DAQS group differed from the high DAQS group in terms of longer symptom duration in months (p = 0.023) and ALSFRS-R classification (p = 0.047), with higher scores more frequent in the high DAQS group. In conclusion, antioxidant dietary parameters such as the DTAC and the DAQS were associated with relevant clinical indicators in patients with ALS, including nutritional status, functional capacity, and disease progression. The predominance of unprocessed and minimally processed foods as the main sources of antioxidants reinforces the importance of diet quality in the nutritional management of ALS.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - ***.476.444-** - LUCIA DE FATIMA CAMPOS PEDROSA - UFRN
Externa ao Programa - 2549958 - LUCIA LEITE LAIS - nullInterna - 1452705 - SEVERINA CARLA VIEIRA CUNHA LIMA
Externa à Instituição - SÉPHORA LOUYSE SILVA DE AQUINO - SESAP