bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The adipose-derived Nerve Growth Factor is associated with abdominal obesity in prepubertal and pubertal children
Authors: Arizón Pilar Argente , Rupérez Azahara Iris , Aguilera Concepción , Leis Rosaura , Campos Mercedes Gil , Gil Ángel , Moreno Luis Alberto , Bueno Gloria
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Obesity is known to be associated with a low-grade inflammatory state. Most studies reporting inflammation in obesity have been done in pubertal children or adults or have focused only on the relation between body mass index (BMI) and the classical inflammatory markers. Nerve growth factor (NGF), monocyte chemoattractant protein–1 (MCP-1) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are adipokines previously shown to be involved in the inflammatory context of obesity and metabolic syndrome but few studies have been conducted in children.

Objective

To evaluate the association between NGF, MCP-1, HGF with total and abdominal adiposity and in prepubertal and pubertal children.

Methods

889 children participated in a prospective obesity case-control study (50.2% males, 72% prepubertals, 27% overweight and 43% obesity), paired by age and sex. The relationship between total fat (assessed using the BMI, the sum of skinfolds thickness (SF) and fat mass index (FMI) from bioelectrical impedance analysis and waist circumference as a surrogate marker of abdominal obesity) and plasma concentrations of MCP-1, HGF, and NGF was studied in prepubertal and pubertal children.

Linear regression analysis for prepubertal and pubertal children, adjusting for age, sex and center was used.

Results

NGF was associated with WC, with a stronger association in prepubertal than in pubertal children. MCP-1 was positively associated with WC, SF, FMI and BMI in pubertal children whereas HGF was positively associated with WC and BMI only in prepubertal children. The strongest associations were between WC and NGF (β 0.123 95%CI 0.133, 0.709; p < 0.001) in prepubertal children and WC and MCP-1 (β 0.123 95%CI 0.438, 2.035; p < 0.001) in pubertal children.

Discussion

Total and abdominal adiposity are related to plasma concentrations of adipokines in prepubertal and pubertal children with obesity. Adipokines such as NGF, HGF and MCP-1 have not been so well studied so far in obese children. Particularly, NGF was associated with WC and BMI in prepubertal children and with WC in pubertal children. The association between this neurotrophin, secreted by adipose tissue and involved in the development and survival of sympathetic neurons, with adiposity, especially in prepubertal children, could suggest an anti-inflammatory mechanism and thus be a potential therapeutic target.

Conflict of interest

None
Relative validity of a food frequency questionnaire for obesity surveillance in school-aged children – The Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative in Ireland
Authors: Bel-Serrat Silvia , Madigan Mairéad , Sheane Rachel , Murrin Celine M. , Kelleher Cecily C. , Heinen Mirjam M
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Validation studies are indispensable to test the appropriateness of dietary assessment methods used within epidemiological surveys to accurately assess food intake in young populations. The aim of this study was to examine the relative validity of the food group frequency questionnaire (FGFQ) used to assess dietary intake in the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative.

Materials and Methods

This study was undertaken in a convenience sample of 33 Irish children aged 7–9 years old from urban Dublin-based primary schools. Food group intake estimates were collected with the FGFQand compared with those obtained with a 7-day semi-weighed food diary. Agreement between frequencies of intake between the two instruments were examined using Spearman's correlation coefficient, cross-classification analyses and weighted kappa.

Results

The FGFQ over-estimated the number of portions for most of the food groups as compared with the reference method. Spearman correlation coefficients ranged from 0.75 (cheese) to 0.03 (flavoured milk). Level of agreement was moderate with an average correlation coefficient of 0.45. The proportion of children classified in the same category ranged from 96.9% (sweet treats) to 60.6% (vegetables). Misclassification was less than 15% for fruit, soft drinks, low fat milk, fish, savoury snacks and sweet treats and above 30% for vegetables, dairy products and pastries & biscuits. Weighted kappa statistic values ranged from 0.84 (sweet treats) to 0.10 (vegetables). Mean level of agreement was moderate (0.39). No agreement (< 0.0) was found for soft drinks.

Discussion

Although the strength of association estimates varied by food group, strong to moderate levels of relative validity were observed. Our results show that the FGFQ gives acceptable estimates of food group intakes among Irish school-aged children and that the tool can be used for ranking subjects according to food group intakes.
Defining statistical measurement levels of Intuitive Eating with the Rasch Rating Scale Model
Authors: Gani Hanis , Ho Peter , Orfila Caroline
Published: June 2020

Intuitive eating is an intrinsic ability to moderate the amount and type of food, promoting a healthy diet and self-regulation of one's own weight. Different instruments (IES-H, IES-T, IES-2) have been developed to assess intuitive eating between different population groups from different countries. The construct validity and invariance of the 23-item Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) has been widely validated by Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis. However, these Classical Test Theory (CTT) methods have not always confirmed the same 4-factor structure.

Rasch analysis, a Modern Test Theory method (MTT), has been used as an alternative approach to examine the psychometric properties of various health and medical instrument (HADS, KIDSCREEN-52, LANSS, MHRM). One significant difference between CTT and MT is the method of calculating a composite score. A CTT total sore is based on the summation of raw categorical scores, whereas these raw categorical scores are converted to interval-scaled measures into a Rasch composite score.

Data was collected from 625 respondents was fitted to the Rasch Rating Scale Model. The data fitted the model adequately, as less than 5% and 1% of absolute standardised residuals were found to be ≥ 2 and ≥ 3, respectively. A Principle Component Analysis of Rasch residuals (PCAR) was used to determine the unidimensionality of the IES-2 and its subscales, after checking and adjusting for lack of item fit and proper rating scale functioning. PCAR indicated that all 23 items could not function as a single total unidimensional Rasch measure. However, the same item structure for the 4 subscales, originally proposed by Tylka and Kroon Van Diest, was confirmed by PCAR. The relationship between the respondents and the IES-2 items in each subscale could be explained using a Wright map, allowing both to be represented on the same logit scale.

Statistical different levels of intuitive eating were determined for each subscale from a table representing the relationship between the lowest and highest possible raw scores and their Rasch measures. Wright maps showed the position of respondents between cut-off lines indicating different statistical levels along each unidimensional subscale of intuitive eating. The majority of respondents were classified into 2 out of 4 levels in the subscale Unconditional Permission to Eat, 3 out of 5 levels in Eating for Physical Rather Than Emotional Reasons, 3 out of 5 levels in Reliance on Internal Hunger and Satiety Cues and 2 out of 4 levels in Body-Food Choice Congruence.
A smart phone application for increasing fruit and vegetable knowledge and intakes: Development and inital testing
Authors: Appleton Katherine , Passmore David , Burn Isobel , Pidgeon Hanna , Nation Philippa , Boobyer Charlotte , Jiang Nan
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Previous work suggests low intakes of fruit and vegetables (FV) across the world, poor knowledge of the details of FV recommendations, and associations between the two. This work aimed to develop an interactive mobile phone application (app) to facilitate adherence to the UK 5-a-day FV recommendations, and reports on the findings and feedback from the first test of the prototype.

Materials and Methods

Requirements for the app were first gained from previous research and potential end-users via four public engagement workshops, and prioritised using the MoSCoW method. A prototype app was then designed and developed using an agile approach. The prototype app was then tested in a randomized controlled pilot trial for impacts on FV knowledge and FV intake. Ninety-four adult volunteers were randomized to either receive (N = 50) or not receive the app (N = 44) for two or four weeks, and FV knowledge, self-report FV intakes, and FV behaviour (complimentary drink choice), were assessed at study start and study end. App use and feedback were also investigated.

Results

Low knowledge of the FV recommendations centred around portion sizes and the need for variety, and an interactive mobile phone app was considered a suitable tool for improving knowledge in a practical manner, that would be available both at time of consumption and outside of these times. Findings revealed improved FV behaviour in volunteers who received the app for two weeks at study end: 16 app users chose a fruit drink, compared to 4 app users who chose a non-fruit drink, where 4 control volunteers also chose a fruit drink and 6 control volunteers chose a non-fruit drink. App users also suggested increased FV intakes, but changes were small, and possibly masked in questionnaire measures. Improvements in FV knowledge (of approx. 10%) were also found, but with no differences between groups. App usage was low and feedback suggested a desire for reminder notifications and a wish to return to the input for a previous day due to forgetting. Increased awareness of low FV intakes was also offered as feedback.

Discussion

Our prototype app was well received and of potential benefit. A final version of the app was subsequently developed incorporating the findings and feedback from the pilot test. Improvements in the final version of the app include a message to increase awareness of low intakes and an option to add notifications to increase use. Testing of the final app is now needed.
Metabolic syndrome and perceived quality of life: a case-control study in Ghana
Authors: Agbozo Faith , Bannerman Edith , Klomegah Senam , Zotor Francis
Published: June 2020

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), which refers to co-occurrence of cardiovascular risks primarily obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance and atherogenic dyslipidemia was previously uncommon in sub-Sahara African. But it is increasingly becoming a public health concern heightened by the epidemiological transition associated with excess energy intake, sedentary lifestyles and urbanization. The aim of this study was to assess the dietary, lifestyle and physiologic risk factors associated with MetS and the effect on perceived quality of life. The design was one-to-one age and sex-matched case-control study. MetS was defined as concomitant adiposity, hypertension and diabetes. Cases (n = 76) were recruited in the diabetic clinic of a municipal hospital in Ghana while controls (n = 76) were recruited in the communities in which the cases lived. Lifestyle habits and physical activity were assessed using a validated lifestyle and habits questionnaire while habitual dietary intakes were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometry, blood pressure and fasting capillary glucose were measured. Differences between cases and controls were tested using McNemar and paired t-test tests. Crude odds ratio (COR) for MetS was estimated using conditional logistic regression.

Mean age of participants was 57.31 ± 5.46 years (range 45–65 years). Females constituted the majority (95%, n = 144). Among the cases and controls, lateral obesity (100% vs 60.5%), central obesity (98.7% vs 36.8%), hypertension (90.8% vs 2.6%) and diabetes (72.4% vs 1.3%) differed significantly. Fewer cases (10.5%) consumed diversified and healthy diets compared to the controls (77.6%) (p = 0.001). Significant number of cases felt a high risk for illness based on how they assessed their physical health (73.7% vs 2.6%), exercise and fitness regime (88.2% vs 13.2%), nutrition and weight control (14.5% vs 1.3%) and psychological health (19.7% vs 0%). However, none felt socially unhealthy. Lower risk for MetS was found among participants who had at least secondary education (COR:0.17 95% CI:0.04–0.73) and lived in a peri-urban setting (COR:0.22 95% CI:0.09–0.53) while unemployment (COR:9.00 95% CI:1.26–64.35) and central obesity (COR: 48.0 95% CI: 6.62–147.74) were associated with higher risk. MetS adversely affected general sense of wellbeing of the middle age adults. Obesity was an important predictor. Educational interventions to promote diversification of dietary intakes and enhance weight control are crucial to reduce MetS and could improve the quality of life of those affected. These interventions should be integrated into already existing community-based social support, and health systems.
Freaks or Foods: What motivates alternative nutrition and lifestyles?
Authors: Werner Aspasia , Risius Antje
Published: June 2020

Globally, the adverse effects of increased animal-protein consumption on the environment, the society, and the economy are a cause of growing societal concern. As a result, issues of food system sustainability have received considerable attention within the national and international community. For the European community, changes in food lifestyles of consumers, in particular a reduced share of animal-based foods within the diet, are of great importance for the establishment of sustainable food supply structures. Meanwhile, a worldwide trend for alternative nutrition and lifestyles is obvious, which is reflected by a growing number of plant-based nutrition styles and craft-foods. Often, alternative nutrition styles are ethically or health motivated. Nonetheless, changes in regard to nutrition are often not consistent. Up to now, research mainly focused on the quantitative and qualitative aspects of food lifestyle changes. However, extreme, alternative nutrition lifestyles seem to be more disciplined with regard to nutrition transformation. Nonetheless, especially extreme food consumption patterns have not been assessed with regard to a long-lasting sustainable transformation potential. However, we propose that a comprehensive framework of these issues must contain information on the specific motivational themes that lead people to make substantial changes in their diets. Hence, the objective of the proposed study is to assess the transforming potential by in-depth interviews with extreme alternative nutrition styles. We aim in gathering knowledge on the content of the motivational dynamics influencing consumers in adapting alternative food lifestyles like raw-foodism, Paleolithic diet, or Anthroposophic diet. The theoretical framework applied is grounded in self-determination theory, a meta-theoretical construct used for explaining motivational change dynamics in humans. The research questions that will be addressed are: “What motivates people to adapt extreme alternative dietary styles?”, “How do identity and individual worldview influence the transition process?” and “Which strategies were applied to successfully implement new dietary habits into daily routine? In-depth interviews, following an experience interview will be conducted with 18 participants who had practiced an alternative food lifestyle for a long-term period. The transcripts of these interviews will be structured using content analysis. Since data collection will take place in May 2019 results cannot be described by deadline for the call of abstracts. Results and conclusion that will be addressed in the FENS Conference will include the motivational drivers for long-lasting transformation potential and discuss the applicability for society and behavior change communication.
Evaluation of vitamin D bioaccessibility and iron solubility from test meals containing meat and/or cereals and/or legumes
Authors: Antoine Tiffany , Scorrano Giulia , Icard-Vernière Cristèle , Halimi Charlotte , Georgé Stéphane , Mouquet-Rivier Claire , Reboul Emmanuelle
Published: June 2020

Rethinking food systems from production to consumption, in order to provide better nutritional inputs at lower environmental cost, is a priority challenge for a sustainable future. Pulses present benefits that may improve the sustainability of our systems and diets, such as their ability to restore soils in nitrogen and their high contents in proteins, fibers and minerals. However, pulses also contain several bioactive compounds such as phytates or tannins that can negatively affect mineral absorption. Additionally, we recently showed in the laboratory that these bioactives, together with fibers and saponins, could negatively impact fat-soluble vitamin bioavailability. The objective of this study was thus to follow up vitamin D (as a model of fat-soluble vitamin) and iron (as a model of mineral) transfer to the aqueous phase of the bolus during digestion of meal containing or not pulses. To this aim, we performed in vitrodigestion using tests meals made of beef (as a model of meat) and/or semolina (as a model of cereals) and/or chickpeas (as a model of pulses). To identify the compounds responsible for the observed effects, we also performed in vitrodigestion using test meals made of potatoes supplemented or not in fibers, phytates, tannins and saponines. Vitamin D bioaccessibility and iron solubility were expressed as the ratio of vitamin D or iron recovered in the aqueous phase of the digestion on the total amount of vitamin D or iron recovered in the whole digesta, at the end of the digestion.

Our results showed that the presence of chickpeas within a meal induced a significant decrease of both vitamin D bioaccessibility (up to -56%, p < 0.05) and iron solubility (up to -28%, p < 0.05) compared to meals containing only meat and/or semolina. However, this effect was largely compensated for vitamin D by the fact that this vitamin was less stable (loss > 50%, p < 0.05) during the digestion of meal containing meat compared to meals containing only plant-based foods (i.e. semolina and chickpeas). Among the different bioactives, tannins appear to be the most deleterious regarding iron solubility, while both phytates and tannins were responsible for a decreased in vitamin D bioaccessibility.

Our results confirm that in some conditions, the presence of pulses within a meal can be deleterious regarding vitamin D and iron bioavailability. These data thus encourage research to propose dietary and technological solutions to tackle pulse negative effects on micronutrient bioavailability.
Functional genomic characterization of immunogenic gluten proteins from oat cultivars that differ in toxicity for celiac disease
Authors: Amador María de Lourdes Moreno , Iehisa Julio Masaru , Martín Carolina Sousa , Losada Francisco Barro
Published: June 2020

Introduction:

Oat human consumption has increased due to its nutritional value and its health benefits. Oat is a rich source of protein that contains high level of minerals, lipids, β-glucan, a mixed-linkage polysaccharide, which forms an important part of oat dietary fiber, and also contains various other phytoconstituents like flavonoids and sterols among others. Different pharmacological activities have been reported on oats like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic or anticholesterolaemic.

The safety of oats in a gluten-free diet has been a topic of debate for several years. Previous studies suggested that oats may induce the immunological response in celiacs and others confirmed the impossibility of consuming oats habitually by its toxicity. Our research group found oat cultivars with different immunotoxic potential against G12 monoclonal antibody that may explain the different clinical responses observed in patients suffering from celiac disease. In this study we have characterized by massive sequencing the transcriptomes of non-toxic and toxic varieties.

Materials and Methods:

The transcriptomes of both oat varieties were sequenced by Illumina HiSeq™2000. To assemble the contents, criteria of overlap > 40% and similarity > 95% were used. The functional annotations were inferred by similarity to Uniprot reference proteins. The minimum similarity threshold required for annotating a transcript was a BLAST e value minor than 10-10. Uniref90 was used for the selection of annotated proteins.

Results:

We have found 17 and 11 locus in the non-toxic and toxic varieties, respectively. We selected a set of 239983 reference proteins downloaded from Uniprot belonging to the taxonomic nodes BEP clade. Only proteins representative of Uniref90 clusters were used. The identification of immunotoxic epitopes in the coding sequences were determined by alignment with the T-cell recognized canonicals, encompassing one to three mismatches. We identified a total of 24 epitopes with an average of 2 modifications in the genome of the toxic variety with respect to the non-toxic. The epitope variants DQ2.5-ave-1β and DQ2.5-glia-α3 were the most repeated.

Discussion:

The presence of epitopes in the toxic oat variety that are not present in non-toxic variety could be related with the immunotoxic potential found in our previous assays and also with the different clinical responses in celiacs consuming oats. Preliminary results suggest that a depth study based on searching epitopes found in toxic oat variety could help to the identification of real oat varieties available for celiac patients, and therefore, their incorporation in improvement programs to obtain commercial lines without toxicity.
Microalgae: A new source of healthy ingredients. Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and incorporation as a functional ingredient for cheese making
Authors: Garrido María José Chapela , Fajardo Paula , Piñeiro Enma Conde , Martínez Mercedes Alonso , Farabegoli Federica , Vilariño José Manuel
Published: June 2020

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of nine species of microalgae have been determined to study its potential as healthy ingredients for functional foods. In order to determine the antioxidant capacity, two different techniques have been used. Firstly, a colorimetric test was carried out in order to detect the presence of lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant compounds, this method is based on the detection of the radical ABTS + , which is produced by the oxidation of ABTS in the presence of potassium persulfate, detection of the radical ABTS + decreases in the presence of antioxidant compounds. Also the ORAC test was also applied for this purpose. Results with both methods showed very promising results for Rhodomonas lens. Thus this species was chosen to develop a functional cheese and study the healthy properties that the microalgae confer on it.

To determine the antimicrobial activity five food food-borne pathogenic strains were used: Escherichia coli CECT 516, Enterococcus faecalis CECT 481, Listeria monocytogenes CECT 935, Salmonella enterica CECT 4594 and S. aureus CECT 435. First, extracts of different polarity were obtained from microalgae. From each species, 4 extracts were obtained using different solvents of higher to less polarity (MilliQ Water, ethanol, ethyl acetate and hexane). The use of these solvents is common in the preparation of plant extracts, since they ensure the solubility of most of the compounds of interest and do not show toxicity after evaporation to determine the antimicrobial activity. The agar diffusion technique was used and the plates were kept refrigerated at 4 ° C for 1 h to allow the extracts to diffuse through the agar and subsequently incubated at 37 ° C for 24 h to allow microbial growth. After that time the presence of inhibition halos was observed around the perforations of the plates. Results showed that the ethanolic extract presented more antimicrobial activity than the extracts using MilliQ Water, ethyl acetate or hexane. Salmonella was not inhibited by any of the extracts studied.
Trends in the use of gluten-free claims on Canadian food labels between 2013–2017 and assessment of their nutritional quality
Authors: Franco-Arellano Beatriz , Tjong Gabriel B. , L'Abbé Mary R.
Published: June 2020

Gluten-free claims (GFC) on food labels are becoming popular despite the fact that 1% and 6% of the population have celiac disorder or gluten sensitivity, respectively. A previous Canadian study found that GFC were displayed on 8% of food labels; however, certain food categories (e.g., snacks, meat products) were among the ones carrying most GFC. This study aimed to assess trends in the use of GFC on Canadian food labels in top food categories carrying GFC from 2013 to 2017 and to determine the nutritional quality between products with and without GFC.

This study was a repeated cross-sectional analysis of the University of Toronto Food Label Information Program 2013–2017. GFC were identified by systematically reviewing the photographs of food labels (n = 9,179) in seven food categories previously identified as carrying larger proportions of GFC: 1) desserts; 2) desserts toppings and fillings; 3) meat products; 4) nuts and seeds; 5) sauces and dips; 6) snacks; and 7) soups. GFC were coded as present, if a gluten-free declaration or symbol was made on package, otherwise products were coded as claim absent. Proportions of products displaying GFC were calculated overall and by food category. Mean contents of saturated fat (g per 100g/ml), sodium (mg per 100g/ml) and sugar (g per 100g/ml) were calculated for products with and without GFC. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tested differences in proportions and mean contents of those nutrients between years.

Results showed that among these categories, GFC have significantly increased from 11% in 2013 to 23% in 2017 (p < 0.001). At a category level, snacks had the greatest increase of GFC as their prevalence doubled (15% to 33%, p < 0.001), followed by nuts and seeds (12% to 27%, p < 0.001) and meat products (15% to 28%, p < 0.001), respectively for 2013 and 2017. The proportion of GFC in dessert toppings and fillings remained constant (16% in 2013 and 14% in 2017, p = 0.74). When the nutritional composition was examined, results were mixed: in dessert toppings and filling, meat products and, nuts and seeds, products with GFC had higher contents of saturated fat, sodium and sugar in comparison to their counterpart without claims, whereas the opposite was true for foods within desserts, sauces and dips, snacks, and soups categories (p < 0.001 for all nutrients, except for saturated fat in nuts and seeds). In conclusion, prevalence of GFC has doubled in the Canadian food supply; such claims are not indicative of better nutritional composition.
Changes in Attitudes toward Nutrition after an Education Program in Polish Teenagers: Report from the ABC of Healthy Eating Study
Authors: Hamulka Jadwiga , Wadolowska Lidia , Kowalkowska Joanna , Jeruszka-Bielak Marta , Frackiewicz Joanna , Gutkowska Krystyna
Published: June 2020

The sustainability of education focused on improving teenagers’ attitudes toward nutrition from a longer-term perspective has not yet been studied extensively. The aim of this study was to determine the sustainability of attitudes toward nutrition after 3 and 9 months among Polish teenagers in a follow-up study. An education-based intervention study was carried out among 464 Polish teenagers aged 11–12 years (educated/control group: 319/145). In the educated group, a multicomponent, school-based education program lasting three weeks and covering five diet-related and lifestyle-related topics was implemented. Attitudes toward nutrition were determined with a shorter version (TFEQ10; 10 statements) of a three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ13) dedicated to school-aged adolescents, where three subscales were developed: Emotional Eating (EE: 2 statements, 0–6 points), Uncontrolled Eating (UE: 5 statements, 0–15 points), and Cognitive Restraint of Eating (CRE: 3 statements, 0–9 points). The data was collected 3 times: (i) before education (at baseline), (ii) after 3 months to measure the short-term effect of education, (iii) after 9 months to measure the medium-term effect of education. Differences between groups (educated vs. control or baseline vs. follow-up) were verified with the Mann–Whitney test. At the baseline, the mean values for all three scales were not significantly different between educated and control groups, calculated separately for boys and girls as well as for normal or overweight/obese teenagers, with the exception for Emotional Eating in the total sample and normal weight students. After 3-month follow-up, the mean values decreased in an educated group for all three subscales, for the total sample (EE: 1.3 vs 1.2; UE: 5.2 vs 4.7; CRE: 4.2 vs 4.0), for both sexes, and both body weight subpopulations, while increased or remained on the same level in control group (for total sample EE: 1.5 vs 1.6; UE: 5.6 vs 5.8; CRE: 4.1 vs 4.2). After 9 months, in the educated group, the means slightly increased when compared to the means after 3 months, but were still lower than those at the baseline. This study has shown that nutritional education of teenagers 11–12 years gives a long-lasting effect of attitudes toward nutrition (Emotional Eating and Uncontrolled Eating) visible after 3 months, and to a less extent after 9 months. We suppose, that improvement of the attitudes toward nutrition in teenagers, education programs should be regularly conducted and addressed not only to children but also to the adults responsible for children's nutrition.
The association between perceived stress and diet quality in women of childbearing age: A systematic review
Authors: Khaled Karim , Hundley Vanora , Tsofliou Fotini
Published: June 2020

Poor diet quality is a major cause of maternal obesity and associated with adverse metabolic effects for mother and offspring. Psychological stress can increase intake of unhealthy dietary choices (e.g. highly palatable, energy dense diet), but no study has investigated the association between stress and diet quality in women of childbearing age.

This systematic review of the association between psychological stress and diet quality used the PEO (Population, Exposure, and Outcome) model.

Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Sciencedirect were searched (October 2018 - January 2019). From 139,552 hits, 471 papers were screened, but only 8 studies met our inclusion criteria: English language, stress (exposure) measured in combination with diet quality (outcome), healthy women (18–49 years of age (population). Data extraction was determined by the PEO. Quality assessment used CASP tool for Cohort studies.

The review included eight studies from USA (n = 6), Egypt (n = 1), and Iran (n = 1). The six cross-sectional and two longitudinal studies were published between 2011 and 2017 and had a total of 3,982 participants. Studies were heterogeneous in methods: three used food frequency questionnaires to assess dietary intake while the others used 24-hour dietary recalls. Diet quality was measured using different indices: Alternate Healthy Eating Index (n = 2), Healthy Eating Index (n = 2), Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet Index (n = 2), Dietary Quality Index- Pregnancy (n = 2), and Dietary Guideline Adherence Index (n = 1). Only one study used three diet quality indices. No study explored dietary patterns using factor analysis and other statistical techniques. Most studies used the perceived stress scale to measure stress; however, there were differences regarding the use of this scale to form a continuous or categorical variable (with varying cut-off scores) perceived stress, whereas no study reported biological response to stress. Outcomes also varied in direction of association; no association (n = 4), negative association (n = 3), mixed results (n = 1).

This review is the first to systematically examine association between stress and diet quality in women of childbearing age; there was heterogeneity in measures of diet quality and study designs. Future studies that explore diet quality/patterns should include both diet indices and factor analysis and additionally measure biological markers of both dietary intake and stress.
Very high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in South Asian adults (n 6433) in the UK Biobank: urgent action required
Authors: Darling Andrea , Blackbourn David , Ahmadi Kourosh , Lanham-New Susan
Published: June 2020

Published studies have suggested a high prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) deficiency in western dwelling South Asians, particularly in women. However, sample sizes have been relatively small with few men. Moreover, South Asians are vastly under-represented in national dietary surveys and further research into 25(OH)D status is needed. The UK Biobank is a cohort of 500,000 individuals; n 6433 are of South Asian ethnicity and have baseline serum 25(OH)D data (2006–2010, aged 40–69 years). Blood draws were spread across the year. Of note, the 25(OH)D measurements were produced using the DiaSorin Liaison XL assay which underestimates 25(OH)D by 4% at 25nmol/L, but overestimates 25(OH)D by 5–10% at ≥ 40nmol/\L(1). We used the commonly used cut-points of < 25nmol/L (deficiency), < 50nmol/L (insufficiency). In women (n 2927), median (IQR) was 24.3 (20.5) nmol/L with 50.4% < 25nmol/L, and 88.6% < 50nmol/L. In men (n 3506), median (IQR) was 21.7 (16.2) with 58.4% < 25 nmol/L and 93.8% < 50 nmol/L. Of concern, 17.8% of women and 21.1% of men had 25(OH)D < 15nmol/L. A Mann Whitney test showed that gender differences were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). In terms of ethnic sub-groups, in the Bangladeshi group (n 207), median (IQR) was 26.1 (14.3) nmol/L with 43.5% < 25nmol/L and 91.3% < 50nmol/L. In the Indian group (n 4792), median (IQR) was 23.8 (19.3) with 52.0% < 25nmol/L and 90.4% < 50nmol/L. Finally, in the Pakistani group (n 1434) median (IQR) was 19.3(14.5) with 65.7% < 25nmol/L and 94.9% < 50nmol/L. A Kruskal Wallis test showed that ethnic subgroup differences were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). To the authors’ knowledge, this is the largest analysis to date of 25(OH)D status in European dwelling South Asians. Deficiency of 25(OH)D was almost universal, with 50% or more not even reaching 25nmol/L. Of great concern, 20% of participants had levels < 15nmol/L which, although not a widely used cut-off point, still represents severe deficiency and likely osteomalacia. Moreover, these results are most probably an underestimation of this societal challenge as the UK Biobank is likely to contain participants that are healthier and more educated than the general population. In conclusion, our analyses suggest the need for urgent public health interventions to prevent and treat vitamin D deficiency in UK South Asians. This research was conducted using the UK Biobank Resource under application number 15168.
Consumption and Preferences of Fruits and Vegetables in Turkish Adults
Authors: Güldemir Hilal Hizli , Yousefirad Neda , Akman Cansu , Sezer Fatma Elif , Ilktac Havvanur Yoldas , Garipagaoglu Muazzez , Ersoy Gulgun
Published: June 2020

High fruit and vegetable intake is associated with reduced risk of future chronic diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the consumption of fruits and vegetables in adults living in Turkey.

The study was performed with selected by random sampling method on total of 7693 individuals, who lives in different geographical regions in Turkey. The research data were obtained through a questionnaire applied in face-to-face interview method in June-September 2017. In the study the consumption status, preferences and daily amount of vegetables and fruits were questioned; height, body weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) were evaluated. Statistical analyzes were performed with SPSS 22.0 program.

33.2% of the participants were male; 66.8% are female. The mean age of the subjects was 34.8 ± 13.2 years and BMI was 25.3 ± 5.0 kg / m2. According to the World Health Organization, 5.1% of individuals were lean, 46.7% were normal, 30.9% were slightly obese and 17.2% were obese. 95.5% of individuals reported that they consume vegetables and 96.5% of them consume fruits. In vegetable consumption preferences, it was determined that 62.9% of the individuals consumed raw vegetables every day, 80.4% of cooked with meat dishes, 85.0% of cooked meatless dishes, and 59.0% of them consumed as roasted at least once a week. Boiled and steamed vegetables are preferred rarely. In fruit consumption preferences, it was found that 58.7% of the individuals consumed fresh fruits every day, 40.9% of dried fruit, 17.0% of compote and 28.0% of fruit juice at least once a week. BMI was found to be significantly higher in individuals who did not consume vegetables and fruits (p < 0.05).

Although the majority of the individuals reported that they consumed vegetables and fruits in general, the BMI of 48.1% was above normal. Informative studies are needed to increase the amount and variety of consumption of vegetables and fruits in Turkish adults.
Role the awareness of healthy nutrition and lifestyle for improving dietary behavior and the bodily status of employees agri-food industry
Authors: Derouiche Abdelfettah , Makhlouki Houria , Elrbaoui Maria , Elkardi Younes , Jafri Ali , Martin Chloé
Published: June 2020

Introduction:

Awareness and education Nutritional contribute to the voluntary improvement of dietary behaviour and adopting healthy lifestyle. In a work environment, nutrition education falls under the social responsibility of the employer to promote healthier dietary choices. This study aims to assess the impact of nutrition education on dietary behaviour, lifestyle and body composition on a group of industry workers.

Materials and Methods:

A group of 44 workers have volunteered to participate to this 6 months’ trial. Participants were aged between 28 and 58 years old (43% women and 57% men). All participants have completed a cap-score questionnaire at the beginning and end of the study, the questionnaire was organised into 3 sections: food groups, dietary behaviour, and lifestyle. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, BMI, muscle mass, fat mass, hip circumference and waist circumference) were monitored during the study. Nutrition education sessions addressed 4 topics including healthy lifestyle. Participants were free to attend to any of the workshops.

Results:

Only fifteen participants attended all sessions. Data showed that obesity lowered by 28.6% and overweight increased by 32.6%, body composition changes were not significant. Changes in dietary behaviour were not significant, while scores of food groups and lifestyle changed significantly (p = 0.053 and p = 0.042 respectively).

Discussion:

This study reveals the commitment of workers to nutrition education which could be a part in improving their dietary choices, their health and their productivity.
Irish children's food and beverage portion sizes: a qualitative study of parents’ views and practices
Authors: Moore Sarah , Kairey Lana , Sikar Karen Matvienko , Kearney Patricia , Kelly Colette , Woodside Jayne , McKinley Michelle , Harrington Janas
Published: June 2020

Food portion sizes routinely consumed by children have increased over time and consumption of larger portion sizes is associated with higher weight status. Parents often have the critical role of deciding portion sizes of foods to serve their children. It is not well understood, however, how parents decide the amount of food to serve. This research aimed to investigate parental views on portion sizes of foods and beverages served to children.

A purposive sample of preschools and primary schools geographically located in either urban or rural areas of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and classified as either high or low deprivation were recruited. Selected schools were invited to facilitate this research. Parents with at least one child aged 2–12 years attending a recruited school were then invited to participate in a focus group. A maximum of three groups were scheduled with interested parents at each school. One researcher moderated the focus groups, assisted by another researcher in all groups where possible. A semi-structured discussion guide was followed, using probes to stimulate discussion. The guide explored practices in portioning foods and beverages for children, factors influencing portioning and views on portion sizes of foods and beverages served to children. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and data was analysed thematically. Nvivo software was used to manage the coded data.

Focus groups (n = 24) ranging in size from 3–12 parents were conducted across 19 schools. The response rate from parents at recruited schools ranged from 1–16%. A total of 144 parents (86% female, mean age 46y) participated, of which 60% had a child attending a high deprivation school and 64% had a child attending a rural school. Factors influencing parental portioning included seven themes comprised of sub-themes: parent knowledge (portion size knowledge, serving a learned amount), parent motivations (ensure child is fed, encourage healthier food), child-related factors (appetite, body size, food preferences, eating patterns), family influence (spouses and grandparents serving), food retail and other settings (restaurants, takeaways, special occasions), socio-cultural influences (parent childhood experiences, parents’ portion size norms) and portioning resources used (serve ware, utensils, hand sizes).

Parents’ main concern regarding the amount they feed their children was to ensure that they are fed a sufficient amount to feel full. Parents learned this amount through experience and felt it was specific to each child's appetite. These findings will inform future interventions and information campaigns to help parents understand child portion sizes.
Differential Effects of Lipid and Vitamin D treatment on Cell Viability and CYP24A1 Expression in Hepatocytes and Hepatic Stellate Cells
Authors: Zhang Zixuan , Thorne James L. , Moore J. Bernadette
Published: June 2020

Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are a key contributor to liver fibrosis and drive the progression to advanced disease for many liver conditions, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Previous studies suggest vitamin D may reduce inflammatory and pro-fibrogenic activity of HSCs in vitro. However, the mechanisms underpinning the effects of vitamin D in HSCs are not fully understood. The overall aim of these experiments was to mimic a lipid loading model on immortalised HSCs to test their responses to 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25(OH)2D3). Two different human immortalised cell lines: HepG2, hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and LX-2, hepatic stellate cells; were cultured using standard methods. Cell viability in different treatment vehicles (2% DMSO and/or 0.1% ethanol) under serum free conditions was measured by MTT assay after 6 and 24 h. Cells were cultured with increasing concentrations of fatty acids (0–500μM, 1:1 oleic acid: palmitic acid) or vitamin D. Nile red, a neutral lipophilic fluorescent dye, was used to measure total intracellular lipid and quantified relative to vehicle. CYP24A1 mRNA expression was measured by qPCR in response to 1000nM 1α,25(OH)2D3 treatment in both cell lines for 24 h using TaqMan® gene expression assays and normalised to 18S rRNA. Cell viability in response to vehicle was examined at 6 h and 24 h to determine the optimal experimental time points. Whereas, HepG2 cells remained unaffected at 24 h in response to either or both vehicles combined (n = 4; combined vehicles, P = 0.3187), LX-2 cells showed reduced viability even at 6 h (n = 5; combined vehicles, P = 0.0050). Fatty acid treatment led to intracellular lipid accumulation in both cell lines. In response to 500μM fatty acid treatment, intracellular lipid increased by 1.7-fold in LX-2 cells at 6 h (n = 5, P = 0.00174) and 3.9-fold in HepG2 cells after 24 h (n = 4, P = 0.00184). Notably, CYP24A1 mRNA expression was markedly induced by vitamin D treatment in LX-2 cells (136 ± 7.64-fold, n = 3, P = 0.0010) in comparison to HepG2 cells (22 ± 0.78-fold, n = 3, P < 0.0001). In summary, the cell viability data suggested optimal time points for both fatty acid and vitamin D treatments may be 6 h for LX-2 cells, and 24 h for HepG2 cells. While intracellular lipid accumulation differed between the cell lines in response to fatty acid treatment, both cell lines produced a dose-dependent increase in intracellular lipid. Lastly, CYP24A1 mRNA expression confirmed the responsiveness of both cell types to vitamin D treatment. Ongoing experiments are examining microRNA expression in HSCs in response to both vitamin D and lipid loading.
Dose-response study of the effect of a nutraceutical combining oat beta-glucan and green coffee hydroxycinnamates in overweight/obese subjects
Authors: Mateos Raquel , Garcia-Cordero Joaquin , Gonzalez-Ramila Susana , Sarria Beatriz , Bravo Laura
Published: June 2020

Obesity and its associated comorbidities (type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, etc.) are a major public health concern worldwide, with prevalence of obesity affecting in Europe up to 17% of the adult population (OCED/EU 2016). Strategies to lose weight mostly relay in lifestyle changes such as restriction in food intake and increased exercise. However, these are not always easily accepted by overweight/obese subjects and their long-term efficiency is limited. Nutraceuticals and functional foods might be an alternative means to help lose weight and reduce associated cardiometabolic risk factors in affected subjects. There are different nutraceuticals/functional foods containing dietary fibre (DF) or polyphenol-rich plant extracts, but to our knowledge there is no nutraceutical combining both bioactive compounds.

The objective of the present study was to assess the efficiency on different risk makers of a dietary supplement combining a soluble DF (oat beta-glucan -BG-) and a green coffee bean extract (GCBE) rich in polyphenols (PP) in overweight/obese subject.

A randomized, parallel, blind, dose-response study was performed in 60 overweight/obese subjects divided into four groups (n = 15) who consumed during 6 weeks two servings per day of one of four nutraceutical formulations containing low (3 g/d) or high (5 g/d) doses of BG of different purity (35 & 70%) and a fixed amount of GCBE providing 600 mg/d PP. Food intake, anthropometry and different cardiometabolic markers were assessed at the beginning and end of the intervention.

Results showed reduced levels of total cholesterol (p = 0.0001), LDL-cholesterol (p = 0.01), VLDL-cholesterol (p = 0.014) and triglycerides (p = 0.023). There were differences among both types of BG, with the 35% BG being more effective reducing lipid plasma levels than the 70% BG. Percentage of body fat significantly decreased after the intervention, the 70% BG being more efficient than the 35% BG. However, there was no effect on body weight and body mass index, which were not significantly modified

It can be concluded that DF and PP might have a synergistic effect reducing cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight/obese subjects.

Funded by Spanish State Research Agency, project AGL2015-69986-R