Diet in 1-year-old farm and control children

BACKGROUND: A farming environment confers strong protection against allergy development. We have previously shown that farming mothers consume more full-fat dairy than control mothers, who instead consume more low-fat dairy, margarine, and oils; margarine and oil intake was associated with increased risk of allergy development in their children. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to investigate the differences in diet between children in farming and control families at 1 year of age, to investigate the relation between the diets of the mothers and their children, and to relate the children's diet to allergy development. DESIGN: The diet of 1-year-old children from dairy farming families (n=28) and from control families in the same rural area (n=37) was assessed by 24-h dietary recalls, followed by 24-h food diaries. Allergy was diagnosed by pediatricians at 3 years of age using strict predefined criteria. RESULTS: Farm children had a higher intake of farm milk, whole cream, cholesterol, saturated fat, and fat in total and tended to eat more butter, while controls consumed more carbohydrates and poultry and tended to eat more margarine. Farm children also had higher intakes of homemade porridge/gruel, oily fish, and iodine. The intake of butter and whole milk in children and mothers correlated significantly in farm families but not in controls. A weak negative association was found between seafood intake and allergy development, while allergy was positively associated with the intake of pork as well as zinc in the control group; these intakes also correlated with each other. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with mothers in farming families, the children consumed more full-fat dairy and saturated fat than did controls, but this could not be linked to the low risk of allergy in the farming group. Seafood intake might protect against allergy development, in accordance with earlier findings

Lifestyle intervention in first-degree relatives of patients with type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide, mainly due to unfavorable changes in diet and physical activity. Prevention strategies to slow this development are urgently needed. First-degree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients (FDR) have an increased risk of developing the disease. Lifestyle intervention in these and other high-risk individuals is one way of addressing the problem. Intervention strategies should not only be effective but also keep resource needs to a minimum. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and short- and long-term effects of an intervention program for implementing lifestyle change in non-diabetic FDR. One hundred FDR, recruited from the Göteborg area of West Sweden were screened. Seventy-seven non-diabetic men and women (aged 25-55 years) were included in the study and allocated to one of three arms: Diet group (D), Diet + Exercise (DE) group and Control group. The program s goals for diet and physical activity were based on The Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. Intervention groups received group counseling on two occasions and follow-up through unannounced telephone interviews. Effects of intervention were studied after 16 weeks, 1 year and 2 years. Changes in dietary intake and physical activity were monitored by questionnaires. Fatty acid composition of the erythrocyte membrane was used as an objective measure of polyunsaturated fatty acids intake. Treatment effects were measured by body weight, waist circumference, sagittal diameter, oral glucose tolerance test, insulin sensitivity, fasting insulin, fasting blood glucose and blood lipids. Compared to Controls, short-term results (16 weeks) in intervention groups showed improvements in diet and erythrocyte membrane composition. Physical activity increased, but only in persons initially inactive . Further, the Diet group showed a reduction in LDL cholesterol and Apolipoprotein B values, while body weight and waist circumference decreased in group DE. At 1-year follow-up the ratio of LDL/HDL cholesterol was significantly decreased in group D compared to Control as was the body weight in group DE. Two-year follow-up (no Controls) showed that dietary changes were sustained to a large degree, confirmed by fatty acid composition of the erythrocyte membrane. The inactive maintained their increased physical activity. Reductions from baseline were seen in LDL cholesterol in group D and in body weight and fasting insulin in group DE. Evaluation of attitudes to dietary changes, performed after 1 year of intervention, showed that advice was generally well perceived and adopted, especially advice aimed to improve dietary fat quality. In conclusion, the intervention program gave short- and long-term effects on lifestyle and metabolic variables that may lead to reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, and was well received in this high-risk population

Nutritional status, sarcopenia, gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life after gastrectomy for cancer - A cross-sectional pilot study

Background and aims Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, malabsorption, reduced food intake and weight loss are common sequela of gastrectomy. This can result in malnutrition with a subsequent prolonged recovery, reduced physical functioning and deteriorated quality of life (QoL). Few studies have investigated the relationship between GI-symptoms, QoL and malnutrition in long-term survivors of gastric cancer. Therefore, we assess nutritional status, GI-symptoms and QoL 2–5 years after gastrectomy for malignancy. Methods A cross-sectional, pilot study was carried out in patients who underwent total or subtotal gastrectomy at Oslo University Hospital between 2012 and 2016, who had not experienced disease recurrence. Subjects above 85 years were excluded. The nutritional status of the patients fell into three groups by a score of subjective global assessment (SGA)-A, B, and C. Muscle mass was measured by body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis and muscle strength was measured by handgrip strength (HGS). Dietary intake was assessed by repeated 24-h dietary recalls. GI-symptoms and QoL were assessed using GI-Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and the SF-36 questionnaire. Results 21 patients were included. Mean (SD) weight loss was 12.8% (11.6) from preoperative status to follow up. Percentage weight loss was larger after total gastrectomy compared with subtotal gastrectomy (17.9% (12.3) vs. 6.6% (7.1) (p = 0.03)). A low mean intake of energy and protein was reported compared to dietary recommendations for the general Nordic population and intake in a national dietary survey. All of the patients were classified as pre-sarcopenic, and 5% as sarcopenic. Persistent weight loss >10% was observed in 45% of the subjects and these were in risk of malnutrition. Subjects with malnutrition had higher GSRS score for the abdominal pain syndrome (p = 0.042) and lower SF-36 scores for bodily pain (p = 0.01) and vitality (p = 0.02) compared with those without malnutrition. Conclusions A high prevalence of weight loss, and pre-sarcopenia was observed. Malnutrition as assessed by SGA was associated with more GI-Symptoms and reduced QoL scores. Further studies with larger number of participants are needed to verify our findings

Predictive equations for estimating resting energy expenditure in women with overweight and obesity at three postpartum stages

Abstract The objective was to investigate which predictive equations provide the best estimates of resting energy expenditure (REE) in postpartum women with overweight and obesity. Lactating women with overweight or obesity underwent REE measurement by indirect calorimetry, and fat-free mass (FFM) was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at three postpartum stages. Predictive equations based on body weight and FFM were obtained from the literature. Performance of the predictive equations were analysed as the percentage of women whose REE was accurately predicted, defined as a predicted REE within ±10 % of measured REE. REE data were available for women at 10 weeks ( n 71), 24 weeks ( n 64) and 15 months ( n 57) postpartum. Thirty-six predictive equations (twenty-five weight-based and eleven FFM-based) were validated. REE was accurately predicted in ≥80 % of women at all postpartum visits by six predictive equations (two weight-based and four FFM-based). The weight-based equation with the highest performance was that of Henry (weight, height, age 30–60 years) (Henry WH30−60 ), with an overall mean of 83 % accurate predictions. The Henry WH30−60 equation was highly suitable for predicting REE at all postpartum visits (irrespective of the women's actual age), and the performance was sustained across changes in weight and lactation status. No FFM-based equation was remarkably superior to Henry WH30−60 for the total postpartum period

Sex differences in postprandial responses to different dairy products on lipoprotein subclasses: A randomised controlled cross-over trial

Men have earlier first-time event of CHD and higher postprandial TAG response compared with women. The aim of this exploratory sub-study was to investigate if intake of meals with the same amount of fat from different dairy products affects postprandial lipoprotein subclasses differently in healthy women and men. A total of thirty-three women and fourteen men were recruited to a randomised controlled cross-over study with four dairy meals consisting of butter, cheese, whipped cream or sour cream, corresponding to 45 g of fat (approximately 60 energy percent). Blood samples were taken at 0, 2, 4 and 6 h postprandially. Lipoprotein subclasses were measured using NMR and analysed using a linear mixed model. Sex had a significant impact on the response in M-VLDL (P=0·04), S-LDL (P=0·05), XL-HDL (P=0·009) and L-HDL (P=0·001) particle concentration (P), with women having an overall smaller increase in M-VLDL-P, a larger decrease in S-LDL-P and a larger increase in XL- and L-HDL-P compared with men, independent of meal. Men showed a decrease in XS-VLDL-P compared with women after intake of sour cream (P<0·01). In men only, XS-VLDL-P decreased after intake of sour cream compared with all other meals (v. butter: P=0·001; v. cheese: P=0·04; v. whipped cream: P=0·006). Meals with the same amount of fat from different dairy products induce different postprandial effects on lipoprotein subclass concentrations in men and women

Late introduction of fish and eggs is associated with increased risk of allergy development - results from the FARMFLORA birth cohort

The prevalence of allergy is markedly low in children growing up on farms. An increasing number of studies indicate that the timing of food introduction may affect allergy development. We aimed to investigate if protection against allergy in farm environments may be mediated through differences in food-introduction practices between farm and non-farm families, using an explorative approach. Twenty-eight farm and 37 non-farm children were included in the FARMFLORA birth cohort. Practices of breastfeeding and introduction of formulas and complementary foods were collected by questionnaires at 6, 12, and 18 months of age. Allergy was diagnosed by pediatricians at 3 years of age. The only difference in food-introduction practices observed between farm and non-farm children was an earlier introduction of nuts in farmers (median month: 11 [IQR: 8-6] in farmers, 15 [12-19] in non-farmers). One farm child (4%) and 10 non-farm children (27%) were allergic at 3 years of age. Lower risk of allergy development was associated with early exclusive breastfeeding (continuous variable; OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.39-0.89), but also having received eggs (OR = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.13-0.54) and fish (logistic regression not applicable, P = 0.01 in likelihood ratio testing [chi(2)]) at 10 months of age or earlier compared to later. Our results were not affected by reverse causation, as judged by a questionnaire sent to the families in retrospect. Timing of introduction of complementary foods is unlikely to contribute to the lower risk of allergy among farm children. Although early exclusive breastfeeding was associated with a lower rate of allergy development, postponed introduction of complementary foods might increase the risk of developing allergy. Owing to the limited sample size, our results are only indicative, but support prior findings

Infant cholesterol and glycated hemoglobin concentrations vary widely - associations with breastfeeding, infant diet and maternal biomarkers

Aim: Elevated total cholesterol (TC) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) are risk factors for cardiovascular disease however little is known about their determinants in infants. We aimed to describe TC and HbA1c concentrations in infants aged 8-14 months, and explore the relation between infant TC, HbA1c, breastfeeding, infant diet, and maternal TC and HbA1c. Methods: In this cross-sectional pilot study, mothers of infants aged 6 and 12 months were invited to complete a food frequency questionnaire and to take home-based dried blood spot samples from themselves and their infants. Results: Among the 143 included infants, the mean (SD, range) concentration was 4.1 (0.8, 2.3-6.6) mmol/L for TC and 4.9 (0.4, 3.7-6.0) % for HbA1c. There was no significant difference between age groups or sexes. There was a positive relation between TC concentrations of all infants and mothers (B=0.30 unadjusted, B=0.32 adjusted, P<0.001 for both), and a negative relation between infant TC and intake of unsaturated fatty acids in the oldest age group (B=-0.09, P=0.03 unadjusted, B=-0.08, P=0.06 adjusted). Infant HbA1c was not significantly related to diet or maternal HbA1c. Conclusion: TC and HbA1c concentrations varied widely among infants aged 8-14 months. Infant TC was associated with macronutrient intake and maternal TC

Dairy products influence gut hormone secretion and appetite differently: A randomized controlled crossover trial

Little is known about how dairy products with different nutrient contents and food matrices affect appetite sensation and gut hormone secretion. The objective of this study was to investigate how appetite sensation and gut hormone secretion in healthy adults are affected by meals with the same amount of fat but from different dairy products. Forty-seven healthy adults (70% women) were recruited to a randomized controlled crossover study with 4 dairy meals consisting of butter, cheese, whipped cream, or sour cream, corresponding to 45 g (approximately 60 energy percent) of fat. Plasma samples were collected for analysis of cholecystokinin (CCK), pancreatic polypeptide (PP), peptide YY (PYY), and ghrelin concentrations at 0, 2, 4, and 6 h after the meals and analyzed as the incremental area under the curve (iAUC0–6h) in a mixed model. Hunger, satiety, and appetite sensations were measured with a visual analog scale (VAS) immediately after finishing the meals and at 4 and 6 h postprandially. Intake of cheese induced a higher level of plasma PP-iAUC0–6h compared with butter or whipped cream, and a higher level of plasma CCK-iAUC0–6h compared with whipped cream. Intake of whipped cream increased VAS appetite at 4 h compared with cheese or sour cream, and at 6 h compared with cheese or butter. No significant meal effect was found for hunger, satiety, plasma PYY, or plasma ghrelin concentration. Intake of cheese increased postprandial plasma PP and CCK concentrations and decreased appetite compared with whipped cream but not with sour cream. These findings encourage further investigations of how different dairy products affect gut hormone secretion and appetite sensation