The effect of adding group-based counselling to individual lifestyle counselling on changes in dietary intake. The Inter99 study – a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Few studies have investigated the specific effect of single intervention components in randomized controlled trials. The purpose was to investigate the effect of adding group-based diet and exercise counselling to individual life-style counselling on long-term changes in dietary habits.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was a randomized controlled intervention study. From a general Danish population, aged 30 to 60 years (n = 61,301), two random sample were drawn (group A, n = 11,708; group B, n = 1,308). Subjects were invited for a health screening program. Participation rate was 52.5%. All participants received individual life-style counselling. Individuals at high risk of ischemic heart disease in group A were furthermore offered group-based life-style counselling. The intervention was repeated for high-risk individuals after one and three years. At five-year follow-up all participants were invited for a health examination. High risk individuals were included in this study (n = 2 356) and changes in dietary intake were analyzed using multilevel linear regression analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At one-year follow-up group A had significantly increased the unsaturated/saturated fat ratio compared to group B and in men a significantly greater decrease in saturated fat intake was found in group A compared to group B (net change: -1.13 E%; P = 0.003). No differences were found between group A and B at three-year follow-up. At five-year follow-up group A had significantly increased the unsaturated/saturated fat ratio (net change: 0.09; P = 0.01) and the fish intake compared to group B (net change: 5.4 g/day; P = 0.05). Further, in men a non-significant tendency of a greater decrease was found at five year follow-up in group A compared to group B (net change: -0.68 E%; P = 0.10). The intake of fibre and vegetables increased in both groups, however, no significant difference was found between the groups. No differences between groups were found for saturated fat intake in women.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Offering group-based counselling in addition to individual counselling resulted in small, but significantly improved dietary habits at five-year follow-up and a tendency of better maintenance, compared to individual counselling alone.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The Inter99 study was approved by the local Ethics Committee (KA 98 155) and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (registration number: NCT00289237).</p

Uncertainty and Imperfect Information in Markets

This chapter deals with uncertainty and incomplete information in markets. It first considers situations in which the contract proposer is the ignorant party with the problem of designing a mecha-nism that induces the counter party, who is exogenously endowed with his information, to reveal that information in such a way that maximizes the contract proposer's expected payoff. In contrast to settings of symmetric information, inefficiencies will tend to arise in equilibrium. Also considered is the situation when each side of the transaction is endowed with his or her own payoff-relevant information. Here the focus is on whether and how a social planner could design a contract to achieve efficiency. The following section assumes it is the contract proposer who is endowed with the payoff-relevant information. The quintessential example of this is a seller who knows the quality of the good she seeks to sell. Because she cannot commit fully to not deceive her counter party, inefficiencies arise. The last section examines the problems that arise if the asymmetry of information arises endogenously, because one party's prior- To- Trade actions provide him or her payoff-relevant information

Applications of Wine Pomace in the Food Industry: Approaches and Functions

Winemaking generates large amounts ofwine pomace, also called grape pomace. This by-product has attracted the attention of food scientists and the food industry, due to its high content in nutrients and bioactive compounds. This review mainly focuses on the different published approaches to the use of wine pomace and its functions in the food industry. Traditionally, wine pomace has been used to obtain wine alcohol, food colorings, and grape seed oil. More recently, research has focused in the production of other value-added products, such as extracts of bioactive compounds, mainly phenols, recovery of tartaric acid, and the making of flours. The most common functions associated with wine pomace products are their use as antioxidants, followed by their use as fortifying, coloring, and antimicrobial agents. These products have mainly been applied to the preparation of meat and fish products and to, a lesser extent, cereal products.Autonomous Government of Castilla y León, Spain, through the research project BU282U13

Association between dietary glycemic index, glycemic load, and body mass index in the Inter99 study: is underreporting a problem?

Background: The few studies examining the potential associations between glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL), and body mass index (BMI) have provided no clear pictures. Underreporting of energy intake may be one explanation for this. Objective: We examined the associations between GI, GL, and BMI by focusing on the confounding factor of total energy intake and the effect of exclusion of low energy reporters (LERs). Design: This was a cross-sectional study of 6334 subjects aged 30 - 60 y. Dietary intake was estimated from a food-frequency questionnaire. GI and GL were estimated by using white bread as the reference food. Underreporting of energy intake was assessed as reported energy intake divided by basal metabolic rate (EI/BMR); LERs were defined as those having an EI/BMR &lt;1.14. Univariate and multiple linear regression models were used to test for associations between GI, GL, and BMI. The confounders were sex, age, smoking, physical activity, alcohol intake, and energy intake. All analyses were conducted on 1) the entire population and 2) a subsample excluding LERs. Results: In the univariate analyses of the entire population, GL was inversely associated with BMI. No association was observed for GI. After full adjustment (including energy intake), both GI and GL were positively associated with BMI. When LERs were excluded, GL was positively associated with BMI in all analyses, and GI was positively associated with BMI in the multiple analyses. Conclusions: We showed a positive association between GI, GL, and BMI. Energy adjustment and the exclusion of LERs significantly affected the results of the analysis; thus, we stress the importance of energy adjustment