Legumes and pulses - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

Consumption of legumes and pulses is associated with various health outcomes. Therefore, when updating the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR), summarizing the best available evidence on key health outcomes regarded as relevant for the Nordic and Baltics related to the consumption of legumes was essential. The aim of this scoping review was to evaluate the updated evidence on the effect of the consumption of legumes and pulses on various health outcomes, as well as their dose-response relationship in updated systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The scoping review is built on a de novo systematic review published in 2023 and additional searches on the consumption of legumes and pulses and its various health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Current available evidence shows that the consumption of legumes and pulses is associated with a lower risk of several cancers (evidence: low-moderate), and lower all-cause mortality (evidence: moderate). The associations with CVDs are neutral or inverse, with studies generally showing favourable changes in biomarkers for CVDs. Legume consumption is associated with a lower risk of obesity (evidence: low). For type 2 diabetes, no association was found with incidence, but trials on consumption of legumes and pulses and biomarkers generally indicated protective effects. Overall, the current evidence supports dietary recommendations to increase the consumption of legumes and pulses.publishedVersio

Vegetables, fruits, and berries – a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

Vegetables, fruits, and berries comprise a large variety of foods and are recognised to play an important role in preventing chronic diseases. Many observational studies have been published during the last decade, and the aim of this scoping review is to describe the overall evidence for the role of vegetables, fruits, and berries for health-related outcomes as a basis for setting and updating food-based dietary guidelines. A scoping review was conducted according to the protocol developed within the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 project. Current available evidence strengthens the role of consuming vegetables, fruits, and berries in preventing chronic diseases. The most robust evidence is found for cancer in the gastric system and lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. Steeper risk reductions are generally seen at the lower intake ranges, but further reductions have been seen for higher intakes for cardiovascular disease. Weaker associations are seen for type 2 diabetes. There is evidence that suggests a beneficial role also for outcomes such as osteoporosis, depression, cognitive disorders, and frailty in the elderly. The observed associations are supported by several mechanisms, indicting causal effects. Some subgroups of vegetables, fruits, and berries may have greater benefits than other subgroups, supporting a recommendation to consume a variety of these foods.publishedVersio

Nutrient Profiling Model Towards Recommendation of A Healthy Diet: A Scoping Review

The objective of this study is to identify the availability of Nutrient Profiling (NP) models worldwide and discuss their application. This scoping review is based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Extension for the Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) and the Arksey and O’Malley framework. Articles related to NP among adults published from 2012 to 2022, written in English, were retrieved from the Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, and Pubmed databases. Mendeley software was used for database acquisition and MS Excel for the syntesis process. Only 17 articles out of 2,019 article titles identified met the inclusion criteria for the review. This review discovers that the applications of NP in nutrition policies include food labelling, Front-Of-Pack (FOP), and regulations on food marketing, health, and nutrition. Fibre is the nutrient that needs to be included in the NP application compared to saturated fats, fatty acids, sodium, and total sugar. This scoping review demonstrates the scientific basis of the NP model’s development in public health policy, leading to advocacy and the recommendation of healthy diets

Integrating environmental sustainability into food-based dietary guidelines in the Nordic countries

The overall aim of this paper was to provide background knowledge to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 Committee for integrating environmental sustainability in a framework for national Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) within the Nordics and Baltics. Additionally, this paper aims to give an overview of recent Nordic scientific literature on environmental impact of foods and dietary patterns and of the FBDG of the Nordics. Finally, we suggest methods for developing national sustainable FBDG. Nordic and Baltic studies on sustainability of diets were searched in August 2022 and complemented with additional relevant literature. The studies show that current diets are far from environmentally sustainable, exceeding planetary boundaries for most impact categories; meat and dairy products being the largest contributors to dietary greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) and land use. Scenario, modelling, optimisation and intervention studies confirm the potential of shifting towards more plant-based diets to improve overall diet quality in terms of both health and environmental sustainability. Such diets comprised of vegetables, fruits, legumes, potatoes, whole grain and refined cereal products, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils, with animal foods in moderate or limited amounts. The FBDG in the Nordics promotes more plant-based diets than the current average diet but could improve from further integration of environmental sustainability. To form basis for sustainable FBDG dietary modelling at the national level, prioritising health outcomes and nutritional adequacy is essential. Second, integrating environmental sustainability involves estimating the impact of food choices and amounts on GHGE, land and water use, eutrophication and biodiversity loss. Exploring positive and negative implications of fortified foods and supplementation in relation to nutrient intake, health and environmental sustainability may be needed. Implementing dietary transition requires solutions beyond FBDG to ensure affordability, acceptability and ease of adaption

Healthy dietary patterns, cognition and dementia risk: Current evidence and context

\ua9 The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society.Approximately 60 million individuals worldwide are currently living with dementia. As the median age of the world\u27s population rises, the number of dementia cases is expected to increase markedly, and to affect ∼150 million individuals by 2050. This will create a huge and unsustainable economic and social burden across the globe. Although promising pharmacological treatment options for Alzheimer\u27s disease - the most common cause of dementia - are starting to emerge, dementia prevention and risk reduction remain vital. In this review, we present evidence from large-scale epidemiological studies and randomised controlled trials to indicate that adherence to healthy dietary patterns could improve cognitive function and lower dementia risk. We outline potential systemic (e.g. improved cardiometabolic health, lower inflammation, modified gut microbiome composition/metabolism, slower pace of aging) and brain-specific (e.g. lower amyloid-β load, reduced brain atrophy and preserved cerebral microstructure and energetics) mechanisms of action. We also explore current gaps in our knowledge and outline potential directions for future research in this area. Our aim is to provide an update on current state of the knowledge, and to galvanise research on this important topic

A Practical Narrative Review on the Role of Magnesium in Cancer Therapy

Magnesium (Mg2+) has gained oncologists’ attention due to its wide range of biological functions and frequent use as a complementary or integrative agent. This review outlines Mg’s actions, its complex role in carcinogenesis and tumor risk, and clinical issues. Mg2+ is essential in numerous biochemical processes, including adenosine triphosphate production, cellular signal transduction, DNA, RNA and protein synthesis, and bone formation. Pertinent full-text articles were thoroughly examined, and the most relevant ones were selected for inclusion in this review. There is conflicting scientific evidence about the relationship between Mg2+ changes and cancer risk, apart from colorectal cancer. Chronic Mg2+ deficiency leads to immune dysfunctions and enhanced baseline inflammation associated with oxidative stress related to various age-associated morbidities and cancer. On the other hand, Mg2+ deficiency is associated with drug or chemotherapy-related hypomagnesemia, postoperative pain, cachexia, opioid-induced onstipation, normal tissue protection from radiation damage, and prevention of nephrotoxicity. A balanced diet usually provides sufficient Mg2+, but supplementation may be necessary in some clinical settings

Sustainable and Healthy Diets: providing new insights and tools to guide food choices towards the green transition. A study on dietary reference intakes, minimum cost, consumer determinants, and the role of dietitians

El Sistema Alimentari actual està caracteritzat per les desigualtats al llarg de la cadena alimentària, per no assegurar la provisió d’aliments que protegeixin la salut de les persones, i per representar un risc major per l’estabilitat del planeta. Transformar el sistema alimentari és urgent per tal de fer front als reptes globals del s.XXI i, per això, resulta primordial incloure en el full de ruta la transició cap a una alimentació saludable i sostenible (ASS). Modificar els patrons alimentaris de les persones és un repte en si mateix a causa de la multitud de factors que conflueixen a l’hora de prendre decisions alimentàries: des de factors socioeconòmics, fins a característiques lligades a la persona com els seus valors i creences o l’entorn alimentari. Davant d’aquesta complexitat, es requereixen esforços des de totes les àrees de coneixement que interaccionen de forma directa o indirecta en l’alimentació de les persones. En aquest sentit, la figura de dietista-nutricionista és especialment rellevant atès el seu inherent rol en guiar en l’alimentació de les persones. No obstant això, la necessitat d’incorporar la vessant de sostenibilitat en la seva formació, no ha emergit fins recentment. Així doncs, aquesta tesi pretén contribuir en la transició verda proporcionant nous coneixements i instruments que permetin aconseguir un canvi en els patrons dietètics actuals per uns de més sostenibles, tot explorant el paper de les dietistes-nutricionistes. Per fer-ho, es combinen metodologies quantitatives i qualitatives per definir ingestes de referència per una ASS a Espanya, es determina el cost mínim d’una ASS per informar polítiques alimentàries, s’identifiquen els determinants percebuts per les persones a l’hora de seguir una ASS, es crea i valida un qüestionari per identificar barreres i facilitadors per una ASS, i s’explora el rol de les dietistes-nutricionistes Europees en la promoció d’una ASS. Els resultats proporcionen nous coneixements i eines que poden informar a diferents actors involucrats al llarg del sistema alimentari per tal de poder influir en l’alimentació de les persones des de diferents prismes. La perspectiva multidimensional i sistèmica d’aquesta tesi permet concloure que és indispensable que les decisions que es prenguin vinculades al sistema alimentari i la seva sostenibilitat posin en el centre l’equitat, la igualtat i el dret a una alimentació adequada. A més a més, es posa en relleu que les dietistes-nutricionistes són agents clau per la transició verda, però requereixen més suport per tal que així sigui.El Sistema Alimentario actual está caracterizado por las desigualdades a lo largo de la cadena alimentaria, por no asegurar la provisión de alimentos que protejan la salud de las personas, y por representar un riesgo mayor para la estabilidad del planeta. Transformar el sistema alimentario es urgente para afrontar los retos globales del s.XXI y, por ello, resulta primordial incluir en la hoja de ruta la transición hacia una alimentación saludable y sostenible (ASS). Modificar los patrones alimenticios de las personas es un reto en sí mismo debido a la multitud de factores que confluyen a la hora de tomar decisiones alimentarias: desde factores socioeconómicos, hasta características ligadas a la persona como sus valores y creencias, o el entorno alimenticio. Ante esta complejidad, se requieren esfuerzos desde todas las áreas de conocimiento que interaccionan indirecta o directamente en la alimentación de las personas. En este sentido, la figura de la dietista-nutricionista es especialmente relevante dado su inherente rol en guiar en la alimentación de las personas. Sin embargo, la necesidad de incorporar competencias en sostenibilidad en su formación no ha emergido hasta recientemente. Así pues, esta tesis pretende contribuir en la transición verde proporcionando nuevos conocimientos e instrumentos que permitan conseguir un cambio en los patrones dietéticos actuales por unos más sostenibles, así como explorar el papel de las dietistas-nutricionistas para alcanzar esta meta. Para ello, se combinan metodologías cuantitativas y cualitativas para definir ingestas de referencia para una ASS en España, se determina el coste mínimo de una ASS para informar políticas alimentarias, se identifican los determinantes percibidos por las personas a la hora de seguir una ASS, se crea y valida un cuestionario para identificar barreras y facilitadores para seguir una ASS, y se explora el rol de las dietistas-nutricionistas Europeas en la promoción de una ASS. Los resultados proporcionan nuevos conocimientos y herramientas que pueden informar a diferentes actores involucrados a lo largo del sistema alimentario para poder influir en la alimentación de las personas desde distintas vertientes. La perspectiva multidimensional y sistémica de esta tesis permite concluir que es indispensable que las decisiones que se tomen vinculadas al sistema alimenticio y su sostenibilidad pongan en el centro la equidad, la igualdad y el derecho a una alimentación adecuada. Además, se pone en relieve que las dietistas-nutricionistas son agentes clave para la transición verde, aunque requieren de más apoyo para que así sea.Contemporary food systems are characterised by the ongoing inequalities throughout the food chain, failing to ensure a supply of food that protects the health of the population, and representing a major threat to planetary health. Transforming food systems is urgent to overcome the global challenges of the 21st century and, in order for this to happen, it is crucial to design a roadmap towards more sustainable and healthy diets (SHD). Changing food behaviour is challenging due to the wide range of factors influencing dietary choices, from socioeconomic conditions to personality traits such as values and beliefs, and the food environment. Given this complexity, it is paramount to unite efforts across all disciplines that interact with people’s dietary patterns, either directly or indirectly. For this reason, involving dietitians in the dialogues and initiatives aimed at shifting diets towards more sustainable ones is especially important due to their inherent role in shaping people’s eating habits. However, the need to incorporate sustainability competencies into their training has only recently begun. Hence, this dissertation aims to contribute to the green transition by providing new knowledge and tools to contribute in the promotion of SHD, and exploring the role of dietitians in doing so. To achieve this, quantitative and qualitative methodologies are combined to define reference intakes for SHD in Spain, determine the minimum cost of a SHD to inform food policies, identify people’s determinants for following a SHD, create and validate a tool capable to identify individuals’ self-perceived barriers and facilitators for following a SHD, and explore European dietitians’ role in promoting SHD. The results offer new insights and tools that can inform multiple actors across the food system and leverage change through various entry points. Key conclusions derived from this thesis are that decisions related to food systems and their sustainability must prioritize equity, equality, and the right to food, and that dietitians are key actors for the green transition but require greater support

Mapping of nutrients, food additives and contaminants in plant-based and gluten-free food products and their meat, dairy and gluten-containing counterparts

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Mapping of nutrients, food additives and contaminants in plant-based and gluten-free food products and their meat, dairy and gluten-containing counterparts

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