bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The use of social media for promoting nutrition in a conflict-affected country: Facebook Insights
Authors: Nyi SN. , Kaehne A. , Abayomi J. 
Published: December 2024

In Myanmar, exclusive breastfeeding amongst infants under six months is only 51%, although overall breastfeeding rate is almost universal at 98%. Only 16% of children aged 6 – 23 months meet the minimum acceptable dietary standards. In addition, 58% of children aged 6 – 59 months and 47% of women aged 15 – 45 years are anaemic(1). A Facebook page named “Dohmeetharsulay” was launched by a team of Burmese nutritionists and nurses (who also served as page administrators), in June 2019, aiming to contribute to closing the maternal and child nutrition promotion gap. A military coup happened on 1st February 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic(2) causing unrest, armed conflicts, and increasing the strain on the country’s health system. The military junta then imposed internet and media restrictions, including banning the use of Facebook(3). The aim of this study is to explore the important role of using social media in nutrition education in a challenging context by measuring engagement with the programme.Meta, previously known as Facebook, provides automatically calculated social media insight data on indicators such as page’s reach, audience demography and posts performance. Data for a three-year period, from 1 March 2021 (which is one month after the coup) to 29 February 2024, was reviewed and analysed numerically by the administrator team led by the main author (who is a nutritionist), to understand the page’s reach and overall performance in achieving its objective of promoting nutrition.The Dohmeetharsulay page had 2.6 million reaches, during the study period; with only 121,171 from paid promotion. The page had 45,300 lifetime followers (82.6% women and 17.4% men). Myanmar was the top country represented by 86.5% of total followers followed by Thailand (5.8%), Malaysia (1.7%), Singapore (1.1%), United States (0.7%), India (0.5%), Japan (0.4%), China (0.3%), Indonesia (0.3%) and Nigeria (0.3%). The contents received 172,500 engagements including reactions, comments, shares and clicks on the posts.Several authors have suggested that the use of social media has potential to improve positive health and nutrition behaviours, especially in hard-to-reach groups(4). Dohmeetharsuly is the only social media page dedicated to promoting evidence-based nutrition knowledge in the Burmese language, without any commercial influence. Despite the challenges and restrictions under the dictatorship, the data indicated that the page continued to communicate nutrition messages to the intended audience. Although further investigations are needed, it can be assumed that educational messages from the page have been benefiting families who have migrated or are displaced from Myanmar, in addition to the families inside Myanmar. Thus, the use of social media has an important role in providing nutrition education for families especially in places like Myanmar where reach of traditional health communication is limited due to conflict.
Comparison of Food Accessibility and Acculturation among South Asians in the United Kingdom and India: A Photovoice Study
Authors: James D. , Vijayakumaran R.K. , Gayathri G. 
Published: December 2024

South Asian diaspora is one of the largest in the world, with India having the largest diaspora in the world at over 17.7 million(1). In the United Kingdom, South Asian population increased from 56.1 million to 59.6 million between 2011 and 2022(2). Presently, there is a rise of non-communicable diseases among the South Asians, both residing in the United Kingdom and India. Could migration have impact on the eating habit and level of participation in physical activity and subsequent influence on health and wellbeing of the South Asian was the main research question. Therefore, young South Asians in two different countries were recruited to explore their eating behaviour to promote and support better health and wellbeing practices.This is qualitative research whereby photovoice was used with thematic analysis for the interview. For photovoice, after, the pre-trial photos were checked, participants were requested to take at least five pictures with captions to express their eating behaviour and related aspects such as that can best describe (i) the type of food they eat (ii) the place they eat their food or drink (iii) what influence what they eat.Interviews were conducted among 7 South Asians (3 from UK and 4 from India, all female and aged between 24-35 years old) was conducted. Photovoice was followed up with interviews, discussing the photographs and taken by the participants. NVivo was used to manage and thematically analysed.Four main themes emerged: changes to eating behaviour, impact of culture on food habits, impact of eating behaviour on wellbeing and impact of eating behaviour on physical activity. It was evident that their eating behaviour was deeply rooted in culture and shaped by their family habits. The impact of eating behaviour among the young adults were huge especially among the UK participants and many had to resolve to different means of coping with the changes. Some of the changes were evident in some students almost completely changing their food preference to foods that are available, affordable, acceptable and time-friendly. These factors were reported as negatively impacting on their health, mental health and wellbeing. They engaged in physical activity only when they have health challenges. Generally, they follow their family routine, which explains the reason the young adults were less interested in physical activity due to family influences and habits.Moving away from the family home among participants in the UK and India impacts healthy food consumption, wellbeing, and physical activity. Food accessibility and acculturation was evidently an issue, which was emphasized through photovoice. Food insecurity remains to be explored, especially among those who move to the UK, as they prefer to consume food that they are familiar with and culturally based.
A review of the sugar content in children’s foods across major UK supermarkets, cookbooks, and online resources: progress and challenges in the UK’s sugar reduction efforts
Authors: Olorunnisola K. , Setarehnejad A. , Fairchild R.M 
Published: December 2024

Responding to rising concerns about obesity and health issues among children, the UKGovernment has advised manufacturers to reduce the added sugar content in key product ranges that have been identified to be the major sources of sugar in children’s diets: baked products (cakes, cereal bars, biscuits, pastries), yoghurt, chocolate, and sweet spreads(1). Soft drinks were excluded in this review due to significant progress in this area(2). This study aimed to review the total sugar content in these key food products, in major supermarkets, popular children’s cookbooks, and website resources used by parents of children aged 6 months–5 years in the UK.This cross-sectional market analysis study was conducted between January 2023 and March 2024.1.Reviewed the total sugar content in these key product ranges from five major UK supermarketsand compared these findings with data from previous research(3).2.Analysed the same products from a website resource and 10 children’s cookbooks, eithermentioned by previously interviewed parents6 or UK bestsellers on Amazon7, as cooking is important in combating obesity but relies on ensuring popular recipes fit within healthy eating guidelines(4).Supermarket product total sugar content was determined by back-of-pack labelling(3). Nutritics software was utilised for total sugar analysis of the selected recipes(5).A total of 440 products were analysed from the supermarkets, 115 recipes from children’s cookbooks and 50 recipes from the BBC Good Food site. Supermarket chocolate and cake products contained the most total sugar per 100g ranging from 14-68g/100g (mean 51.79 ± 10.06g/100g) for chocolate and 27-71g/100g (mean 37.41 ± 8.50/100g) for cake. Yoghurt contained the lowest amounts of sugar (1.9-19g/100g mean 9.11 ± 3.88g/100g). Cereal bars, often believed to be healthy were found to be medium to high in sugar 7.3-45g/100g (mean 25.99 ± 7.28g/100g).These preliminary findings indicate a slight reduction in the average total sugar content of the reviewed supermarket products compared to 2016 levels3. However, a significant proportion of supermarket products (57.5%) and recipes still exceed the government’s high sugar threshold of 22.5g/100g1. More than 85% of cakes in children’s cookbooks and 60% of cakes on BBC Good Food website have high sugar. Overall products and recipes classified as low in sugar (5g or less per 100g) remain limited, with the majority out of the 605 combined products and recipes, 55%, contained high sugar, 38% medium sugar and 7% low sugar content.Many key food products and recipes intended for children remain high in sugar, highlighting a need for further reformulation/healthier recipe modifications. The persistence of high sugar content in children’s diets highlights the complexity of addressing UK childhood obesity levels.
From bean to bottle - A snapshot review of the caffeine-containing food supplements notified to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland between January 2023 and December 2023
Authors: Nic Sheoin S. , Hogan M.G. , Clarke N. , Farrell L. , Walsh S. , Grimes C. , O’Donovan C.B. 
Published: December 2024

This abstract was awarded the prize for best oral presentation.Caffeine, a natural stimulant, is found in foods, beverages, and food supplements (FS). Excessive caffeine consumption has been associated with cardiovascular impairments, anxiousness and sleep disruptions1. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) estimated safe intake levels of caffeine: a single dose of up to 200mg and a daily intake of up to 400mg, are considered safe for the general population2. Regulation (EU)1169/2011 requires products containing caffeine to include additional labelling warnings, ‘Contains caffeine’ or ‘High caffeine content’3. In Ireland, all FS placed on the market must be notified to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) via the Food Notifications System (FNS)4.The aims of this study were to: (1) Identify caffeine-containing FS notified to the FSAI from January 1st to December 31st 2023, (2) Investigate whether these FS comply with relevant labelling requirements, (3) Assess the safety of these products in line with the EFSA safe intake levels.Data on caffeine-containing FS notified to the FSAI in 2023 was extracted from the FSAI FNS. Information extracted included product name, contains caffeine/high caffeine content statements, amount of caffeine, ingredients list and directions for use. Analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS (version 29.0.01).There were 325 caffeine-containing FS notified to the FSAI in 2023. This study identified 8 categories of caffeine-containing FS, based on their function: pre-workout (n163), botanicals (n14), vitamin and minerals (n12), gaming (n7), before and/or during exercise (n45), fat burners (n57), general stimulants (n23) and energy drinks (n4).Over 80% of these FS (n276) used “contains caffeine” and 9% (n30) used “high caffeine content” statements on their label. The remaining 5% (n19) used neither statement. Less than a fifth (14%) (n45) of notified FS did not comply with legislative labelling warnings (these products contained incorrect or no caffeine labelling statements) while the remaining 86% (n280) were deemed compliant.Notified FS contained information on directions for use and were either to be consumed once-aday (n243) or multiple times throughout the day (n82). Over a quarter (n90) of the once-a-day FS exceeded EFSA’s safe single-dose intake of 200mg. Additionally n2 of the FS contained caffeine in amounts exceeding EFSA’s safe daily intake limit of 400mg.This study identified FS on the Irish market with high caffeine content, exceeding both EFSA’s safe single-dose and daily intake levels, before additional dietary sources of caffeine are considered. Labelling compliance rates in this study are high. The FSAI will continue to monitor this category of FS, as the market of caffeine-containing FS grows.
Integrating sustainability considerations into dietary guidelines: country practices and global guidance
Authors: Islas-Ramos A. , Orlandi L. , Buendia T. , Wijesinha-Bettoni R. , Hachem F. 
Published: December 2024

Dietary guidelines have emerged as a key tool with the potential to inform the transformation of food systems not only towards better nutrition but also towards sustainability(1). In the last few years, some countries have integrated different aspects of sustainability into dietary guidelines. However, there is lack of clarity on what this means or on how countries go about this integration. While there are multiple suggested approaches(2)(3), there is no agreed methodology on how to do it.The aim was to investigate countries’ conceptual understanding and practices for integrating sustainability into the dietary guidelines’ development process.Using the FAO/WHO sustainable healthy diets guiding principles(4) as a conceptual framework, FAO surveyed the 27 countries that had reported, into the FAO online repository, integrating at least one aspect of sustainability. The responses were coded, and common themes identified by two different researchers and reviewed by a third. The statistical methods used for analysis consisted of means and frequency distributions.So far, 16 countries have responded to the survey (59% response rate), however, among these, 3 skipped most of the questions (48% effective response rate). Preliminary results show that, for environmental sustainability, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) (54%) and food losses and waste (FLW) (54%) were the most common aspects included. For sociocultural sustainability, the most common aspects were local food culture (92%), followed by consumption patterns (85%) and local culinary practices (77%). Affordability was included by 61.5% of respondents. Some methods used by countries to integrate these different aspects included consideration of additional evidence and including additional data when performing linear programming for optimizing diets. Methods varied significantly among countries, the need for additional guidance is evident.These results reaffirmed the need for guidance that was expressed in a 2018 survey (FAO, forthcoming) on how to successfully integrate sustainability considerations into dietary guidelines. FAO is introducing a new methodology to develop, implement and use dietary guidelines with a food systems approach. Developed with inputs from multiple experts and stakeholders, it provides “step-by-step” guidance to countries on integrating the different aspects of sustainability across environmental, economic, and social dimensions. Several countries have already started using the Food systems-based dietary guidelines (FSBDG) methodology.(5)
Assessing the environmental impact of food consumption in Northern Ireland, a focus on greenhouse gas emissions
Authors: Griffin H. , Leighton V. , McNulty B. A. , Wright D. , Brennan L. , Nugent A.P. 
Published: December 2024

There is evidence that human health and environmental sustainability are linked(1) and a shift to more sustainable diets would be beneficial for both human and planetary health(2). Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) are an environmental metric that can be used to assess the environmental impact of diets(3). Research indicates that a nutritionally adequate diet low in GHGe can be achieved, but that a healthy diet will not always result in lower GHGe(4). To date, there is no information on the food choices driving GHGe in Northern Ireland. This study examined the food groups and derived nutrient intakes driving GHGe for Northern Ireland.Analyses were performed on the Northern Ireland sub cohort of the UK National Dietary NutritionSurvey (NDNS 2016-2019)(5) on adults aged 18-64 years old (n = 210). GHGe were sourced from Scheelbeek et al. 2020(6). Mean daily intakes (MDI) for nutrients and GHGe for the total population were calculated and the population was divided into tertile groups based on low (T1), medium (T2) and high (T3) GHGe. Differences in population characteristics, MDI of energy and key nutrients (%TE or per 10MJ) and contributing food sources to GHGe were examined across these tertiles, using chi-square and one-way ANOVA with covariates (blue water use, sex and social class) and correcting for multiple comparisons as appropriate (P<0.0011 for food groups and P<0.002 for nutrients).Mean GHGe for adults were 4.3 ± 1.9 kgC02eq/d and 7% of the population fell below the GHGe planetary boundary of 1.87 kgC02eq/d(7). The food groups ‘tea, coffee and water’ (0.80 ± 0.56 kgC02eq/d), ‘burgers, sausages, kebabs, meat pies and other meat and meat products’ (0.39 ± 0.64 kgC02eq/d) and ‘alcoholic beverages’ (0.39 ± 1.02 kgC02eq/d) were the major contributors to overall GHGe. Across the tertiles, the difference of GHGe between T3 and T1 was 3.6 kgC02eq/d (6.3 kgC02eq/d vs 2.7 kgC02eq/d). The contribution of ‘bacon, ham and dishes’, ‘beef, veal and dishes’, ‘lamb and lamb dishes’, ‘tea, coffee and water’ and ‘alcoholic beverages’ were higher (P<0.001) in T3 versus T1. MDI of energy (kcal) was higher in T3 versus T2 and T1 (2141.3kcal, 1791.2kcal and 1368.9kcal, P<0.001). Significantly lower carbohydrate (%TE) intakes were reported in T3 compared to T1 (42.7%TE vs 47.5%TE, P<0.001). Protein and fat (%TE) were higher in T3 in comparison to T2 and T1, with protein at 17.4%, 17.1% and 16.7%TE respectively, and fat at 35.4%, 35.3% and 33.7%TE respectively.In summary, the main food groups driving GHGe in NI were beverage and animal based.Differences in energy and carbohydrate intake were observed across the tertiles. These results will aid in the development of strategies to diversify foods within Northern Ireland to combat high GHGe.
Association of sarcopenic obesity with multimorbidity: cross-sectional study of UK Biobank cohort
Authors: Guerrero-Wyss M. , Alsowail A , Ho F , Jani B. , Grey S. , Celis-Morales C 
Published: December 2024

Sarcopenic obesity is associated with higher risk of falls, hospitalizations, mortality, and a wide range of poor health outcomes(1). However, its relationship with multimorbidity is less explored. This study aimed to investigate the association between sarcopenic obesity and multimorbidity across sexes.In this cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank, we included 171,448 participants (53.1% women, mean age 55 years). Sarcopenic obesity, defined according to the EWGSOP2 classification(2), was analysed as the outcome. Multimorbidity was the predictor, determined by self-reported chronic conditions and categorized into none, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5+ diseases. Poisson regression with robust error was used to estimate the risk ratio and its 95% confidence intervals (RR, 95%CI). Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.The prevalence of sarcopenic obesity increased with the number of chronic diseases in both men and women but varied significantly by sex (p-interaction = 0.030). Compared to individuals without chronic diseases, those with 5+ diseases exhibited prevalences of 55.7% in men and 51.2% in women. The prevalence of sarcopenic obesity increased by 94% (95% CI: 1.89, 2.00) for each additional chronic disease in women and 117% (95% CI: 2.09, 2.25) in men. Relative to those with no chronic conditions, individuals with 5+ diseases had 41.5 and 68.7-times higher prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in women and men, respectively.Our findings showed a robust association between sarcopenic obesity and multimorbidity, which varies by sex, further studies is needed to examine the predictive utility of using multimorbidity to identify sarcopenia.
Nitrosyl-heme and heme iron intake from processed meats and risk of colorectal cancer in the EPIC-Spain cohort
Authors: Rizzolo-Brime L. , Lujan-Barroso L. , Farran-Codina A. , Bou R. , Lasheras C. , Amiano P. , Aizpurua A. , Sánchez M.J. , Molina-Montes E. , Guevara M. , Moreno-Iribas C. , Gasque A. , Chirlaque-López M.D. , ColoradoYohar S.M. , Huerta J.M. , Zamora-Ros R. , Agudo A. , Jakszyn P. 
Published: December 2024

The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified processed meats (PMs) as “carcinogenic” and red meat as “probably carcinogenic” for humans(1). The possible relationship between colorectal cancer (CRC) risk and processed meats (PMs), along with the specific compound contributing to this association have not been established yet. Nitrosyl-heme and heme iron have been proposed as potential-related compounds. The aim of this study was to assess the association of nitrosyl-heme and heme iron intake with CRC risk among participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Spain study.This prospective study included 38,262 subjects (61.5% females) from the EPIC-Spain study. Food consumption was assessed by a validated diet history questionnaire(2). Dietary intake of nitrosylheme and heme iron was estimated by matching PMs intake and composition data based on laboratory analyses conducted using a High Performance Liquid Chromatography method(3). In brief, the daily intake of nitrosyl-heme and heme iron was determined by multiplying the intake of each PM (in grams/day) by its corresponding content of nitrosyl-heme and heme iron, and then summing up the estimated intakes from all PMs. The proportional hazards models were used to examine the association between sex-specific tertiles of nitrosyl-heme and heme iron intake and CRC risk and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using Cox regression. Age served as the time scale, stratified by age and centre with adjustments for sex, energy intake, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, education, smoking, physical activity in MET-h/week, lifetime alcohol consumption, dietary fibre, calcium intake, and family CRC history. Homogeneity of location subtype risk was also assessed. Interactions with smoking, BMI, physical activity, and alcohol were examined and sensitivity analyses were also conducted excluding the first three years of follow-up.During a mean follow-up of 16.7 years, 577 CRC were identified. We found no overall association between nitrosyl-heme (T3 vs T1; HR: 0.98 (95% CI: 0.79-1.21)) or heme iron intakes (T3 vs T1; HR: 0.88 (95% CI: 0.70-1.10)) with CRC risk, nor according to tumour subtypes. However, we found a non-statistically significant positive association between nitrosyl-heme intake and proximal colon, HR = 1.03; 95% CI, (0.65-1.61) and rectum cancer, HR = 1.04; 95% CI, (0.70-1.56).Our study found no evidence supporting a link between nitrosyl-heme or heme iron intake and CRC risk in Spanish subjects from the EPIC cohort. As these results are novel and preliminary, more heterogeneous studies are necessary to provide more convincing evidence on their role in colorectal carcinogenesis.