Objective: Food cravings play an important role in the neurobiology of appetitive behavior, being positively associated with negative feelings, eating disorders, and obesity. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait-reduced (FCQ-T-r), a short version of the most widely used measure of this behavior. Methods: Undergraduate students (n=505) completed the full version of the FCQ-T and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. Respondents’ height and weight were also measured. Exploratory factor analyses were performed. Results: The FCQ-T-r exhibited a single-factor structure and satisfactory internal consistency (α > 0.80). A positive correlation was observed between FCQ-T-r scores and those of the original version. Furthermore, FCQ-T-r scores correlated positively with uncontrolled eating and emotional eating behaviors. No correlation was found between body mass index and FCQ-T-r scores. Considering our sample characteristics, we suggested specific FCQ-T-r cutoff points for males and females in the Brazilian population. Conclusion: Our results support the structure of the Brazilian adaptation of the FCQ-T-r, which seems to be a viable instrument to investigate food cravings, particularly in time-constrained settings. Further studies are needed to verify these findings in other age ranges and clinical samples.

Neste estudo foi investigado o efeito da suplementação oral de zinco (Zn) em crianças e adolescentes com diabetes (DM), avaliando o controle metabólico da doença e concentrações de Zn na urina. A amostra foi constituída por 20 pacientes com DM tipo 1, os quais foram comparados com um grupo controle (n=17). O controle metabólico foi avaliado pela glicemia de jejum, glicosúria 24h e HbA1c. As concentrações de Zn foram investigadas na urina de 24h antes (T1) e após a suplementação (T2). Após a 1a coleta de dados dos pacientes com DM1 (T1), teve início a suplementação oral com Zn bis-glicina quelato sem sabor, por um período de 4 meses. As doses foram estabelecidas baseadas nas Dietary Reference Intakes. Os resultados evidenciaram um controle metabólico insatisfatório da doença, devido ao aumento da HbA1c de alguns pacientes, após a suplementação. A excreção urinária de Zn foi maior nos pacientes com DM1 e esteve correlacionado positivamente com o tempo de doença e HbA1c. A suplementação com Zn não corrigiu a heterogeneidade na variação circadiana da zincúria nos pacientes estudados, sugerindo que o controle metabólico inadequado no DM predispõe a distúrbios no metabolismo do Zn, independente da fonte, alimentar ou medicamentosa.

The effect of oral zinc (Zn) supplementation was investigated in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (DM1), evaluating their metabolic control and urinary Zn concentrations. Twenty DM1 patients were compared with a control group (n=17); the metabolic control included fasting glucose levels, 24h urinary glucose levels and HbA1c. Zn concentrations were measured in 24h urine before (T1) and after (T2) supplementation. DM1 patients were given oral supplements of tasteless bis-glycine chelated Zn during a 4 month period after the initial collection of baseline data. Doses were established based on the Dietary Reference Intakes. The results demonstrated unsatisfactory metabolic control due to higher HbA1c levels in some patients, after Zn supplementation. Urinary Zn excretion was higher in DM1 patients and disclosed a positive correlation with disease duration and HbA1c levels. Zn supplementation did not correct the heterogeneity of circadian variation in the studied patients, suggesting that inadequate metabolic control in DM may cause disturbances in Zn metabolism, regardless of the dietary or supplemental source.