Sleep and fruit and vegetable consumption in UK adults

A substantial burden of disease globally is attributable to both sleep disruption and low intakes of fruit and vegetable (FV) and increasing mechanistic and epidemiological evidence support a reciprocal relationship between the two. Short and long sleep durations are associated with an increased risk of mortality, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and obesity. These associations may be partly mediated by changes in dietary intake including FV consumption. In 2017, an estimated 3.9 million deaths worldwide were attributable to inadequate FV consumption. However, few researchers have explored associations between sleep and FV consumption. I first explored the cross-sectional associations between objective sleep measures (sleep onset, sleep offset, mid-sleep time and sleep duration) and FV consumption in healthy UK adults. I analysed a biomarker of FV consumption, vitamin C. Subsequent analyses showed that every hour later mid-sleep time (chronotype) was associated with 16% lower intakes of total fruit. Next, prospective analyses of The UK Women’s Cohort Study (UKWCS) showed an inverse association between FV intakes and their polyphenol content with sleep duration. Analyses of a nationally representative database showed that sleep duration was non-linearly associated with FV intakes. Short and long sleepers had lower FV intakes compared to the reference group. Finally, using the UKWCS, I explored both cross-sectional and prospective associations between sleep duration and FV consumption. Consistent with the previous findings, sleep duration was non-linearly associated with FV consumption with those sleeping the recommend 7-9 hours/day having the highest intakes compared to short and long sleepers. This project helped in bridging the gap between sleep duration and FV consumption in UK adults that might have key public health implications. The findings also strengthen the notion that sleep duration and FV consumption have a reciprocal relationship. Finally, this project shows that sleeping the recommended hours is associated with higher intakes of FV

Validity of an online 24-h recall tool (myfood24) for dietary assessment in population studies: comparison with biomarkers and standard interviews

Background: Online dietary assessment tools can reduce administrative costs and facilitate repeated dietary assessment during follow-up in large-scale studies. However, information on bias due to measurement error of such tools is limited. We developed an online 24-hour recall (myfood24) and compared its performance with a traditional interviewer-administered multiple-pass 24-hour recall, assessing both against biomarkers. Methods: Metabolically stable adults were recruited and completed the new online dietary recall, an interviewer-based multiple pass recall and a suite of reference measures. Longer-term dietary intake was estimated from up to 3 x 24-hour recalls taken 2 weeks apart. Estimated intake of protein, potassium and sodium were compared with urinary biomarker concentrations. Estimated total sugar intake was compared with a predictive biomarker and estimated energy intake compared with energy expenditure measured by accelerometry and calorimetry. Nutrient intakes were also compared to those derived from an interviewer-administered multiple-pass 24-hour recall. Results: Biomarker samples were received from 212 participants on at least one occasion. Both self-reported dietary assessment tools led to attenuation compared to biomarkers. The online tools resulted in attenuation factors around 0.2 to 0.3 and partial correlation coefficients reflecting ranking intakes, of approximately 0.3 to 0.4. This was broadly similar to the more administratively burdensome interviewer-based tool. Other nutrient estimates derived from myfood24 were around 10-20% lower than from the interviewer-based tool, with wide limits of agreement. Intra-class correlation coefficients were approximately 0.4 to 0.5 indicating consistent moderate agreement. Conclusions: Our findings show that, whilst results from both measures of self-reported diet are attenuated compared to biomarker measures, the myfood24 online 24-hour recall is comparable to the more time-consuming and costly interviewer-based 24-hour recall across a range of measures

Stress during Home Confinement Is Associated with Eating Misalignment among Adults during COVID-19 Lockdown

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced Saudi Arabia to implement several measures including mandatory home confinement, banning entry to many cities, and suspending religious activities. Studies have reported inconsistent findings of the effect of home confinement on lifestyle factors. This study aims to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 during home confinement and explore its association with dietary habits and weight change. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Saudi adults using an online survey between May and June 2020. Data on dietary habits, sleep quality, and stress were collected. Results: A total of n = 503 participants responded. Of 254 analyzed, 87% were females, 49% were overweight/obese (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2), and 79% were under lockdown for >40 days. In multiple linear regression, higher stress scores during confinement were associated with higher stress scores before confinement and poorer sleep quality. In multiple logistic regression, those who did not eat at the same time had higher stress scores compared to those who always ate at the same time, whereas consuming ≥three meals was associated with lower stress scores than consuming one–two meals. The odds of gaining weight during confinement were higher among married adults, those with lower sleep quality, and consuming ≥three meals. Conclusions: Stress during home confinement was associated with eating misalignment and the number of meals consumed. Although this study was limited by its cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data, it provides valuable insights into the dietary habits and weight-gain associated factors that need to be further explored and addressed in any future restrictions for improved well-being