Lifestyle, Self-medication and Use of Nutraceuticals in a Population of Italian and Spanish Students

Plain-language summary

University students are considered a population class with a high risk of malnutrition and/or obesity, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, with a tendency to misuse drugs and self-medication. The interest in a healthy diet can lead to a psychological obsession known as orthorexia, frequent among students in the biomedical field and in the sports context. The high levels of stress recorded in university students have been related to the use of drugs to enhance their cognitive abilities. The phenomenon of self-medication is one of the main problems for public health, with high levels recorded among students of health professions. A high adherence to the Mediterranean diet seems to bring health benefits, with an impact even on the intestinal microbiota composition. Although several studies have investigated the effect of the Mediterranean diet on intestinal microbiota, little attention has been paid to the effect of this diet on the oral microbiota, one of the most relevant microbial habitats from a clinical point of view. The aim of this study is to evaluate self-medication, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, the relationship between lifestyle and biomarkers of the metabolic and immunological status, and impact of eating habits on the oral microbiota composition. Students, doctoral students, post-docs and specialists in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields will be recruited in Italy (N = 200) and in Spain (N = 200). Data will be collected through questionnaires in order to evaluate self-medication, eating habits, level of physical activity, orthorexia and lifestyle of the subjects. The entire group will be evaluated with clinical parameters of metabolic status and the quality of saliva and urine. The latter will be determining factors for the selection of 50 Italian and 50 Spanish students, on which parameters of immunological and antioxidant status, cortisol, urinary phenols, and the composition of the oral microbiota will be evaluated. Italian and Spanish students may have different eating habits and lifestyles. It is assumed that subjects with high adherence to the Mediterranean diet have a better metabolic and immunological status. Moreover, high rates of orthorexia are expected among students who practice sports. The composition of the oral microbiota could vary depending on the type of diet and consistently with the immunological status markers.

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