Impact of lipid-based nutrient supplementation (LNS) on children's diet adequacy in Western Uganda

Lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) can help treat undernutrition; however, the dietary adequacy of children supplemented with LNS, and household utilisation patterns are not well understood. We assessed diet adequacy and the quality of complementary foods by conducting a diet assessment of 128 Ugandan children, ages 6-59 months, who participated in a 10-week programme for children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM, defined as weight-for-age z-score<-2). Caregivers were given a weekly ration of 650kcalday-1 (126gday-1) of a peanut/soy LNS. Two 24-h dietary recalls were administered per child. LNS was offered to 86% of targeted children at least once. Among non-breastfed children, over 90% met their estimated average requirement (EAR) cut-points for all examined nutrients. Over 90% of breastfed children met EAR cut-points for nutrient density for most nutrients, except for zinc where 11.7% met cut-points. A lower proportion of both breastfed and non-breastfed children met adjusted EARs for the specific nutritional needs of MAM. Fewer than 20% of breastfed children met EAR nutrient-density guidelines for MAM for zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A and folate. Underweight status, the presence of a father in the child's home, and higher programme attendance were all associated with greater odds of feeding LNS to targeted children. Children in this community-based supplemental feeding programme who received a locally produced LNS exhibited substantial micronutrient deficiencies given the special dietary needs of this population. These results can help inform programme strategies to improve LNS targeting, and highlight potential nutrient inadequacies for consumers of LNS in community-based settings

Sustainable Diets, Food, and Nutrition: Proceedings of a Workshop

On August 1 and 2, 2018, the Food Forum of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a public workshop in Washington, DC, on sustainable diets, food, and nutrition. The workshop objectives were to review current and emerging knowledge on the concept of sustainable diets within the field of food and nutrition; explore sustainable diets and relevant impacts for cross-sector partnerships, policy, and research; and discuss how sustainable diets influence dietary patterns, the food system, and population and public health. The workshop was organized into four main sessions and a closing panel discussion of selected speakers. This Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief summarizes the key points made by the workshop participants during the presentations and discussions and is not intended to provide a comprehensive summary of information shared during the workshop. The views summarized here reflect the knowledge and opinions of individual workshop participants and should not be construed as consensus among workshop participants or the members of the Food Forum or the National Academies

Vitamin composition of ethnic foods commonly consumed in Europe.

Background: Vitamin analyses are particularly important for estimating dietary intakes, determining nutritional status and regulating food labelling. Due to the increased popularity of ethnic foods, the vitamin composition of these foods is required to ensure that national food databases are up-to-date.Objectives: The key objective of this study was to generate new and reliable data on the contents of fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A (all trans-retinol), D3 & E (α-tocopherol) and those that are water-soluble (vitamins B6, B12, C, biotin, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and thiamin) in ethnic foods commonly consumed in Europe.Design: Thirty commonly-consumed ethnic foods in Europe (from Belgium, France, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, and the UK) were analysed using harmonised methodologies for identification of representative foods, sampling, data scrutiny and documentation to generate reliable data. Analyses were carried out using International standard methods. Results: Certain vitamins were present in appreciable amounts: β-carotene in tayer leaves (7919µg/100g), thiamin in frik dry (0.24mg/100g), riboflavin in mbinzo worms (0.79mg/100g,) and niacin in commercial soy patty (17.5mg/100g). However, retinol, pantothenic acid, vitamins D and B12 were below detectable levels in the majority of the foods analysed.Conclusions: The majority of the foods contained most of the water-soluble vitamins but lacked fat-soluble vitamins. However, these preliminary data represent only a small number of foods per country and so no conclusions about vitamin imbalances can be drawn. Additional data are required on a much wider range of commonly-consumed ethnic foods to make firm conclusions about adequacy of diets

Impact of fresh fruit smoothie consumption on apparent health of Asian faces

Skin carotenoid coloration has been proposed as a valid cue to health in humans, reflecting fruit and vegetable intake, and enhancing apparent health. Supplementation with a carotenoid-rich fruit and vegetable smoothie affects skin colour, but it is not known if this skin color change enhances healthy appearance. In three experiments, we examine the effects of skin color change induced by supplementation with a carotenoid-rich fruit smoothie (25mg carotenoids/d) on the apparent health of Malaysian Chinese faces. In experiment 1, observers were asked to identify the healthier looking of pairs of photographs of the same subject taken pre- and post-supplementation (or pre- and post-placebo), choosing the pre-supplementation (or pre-placebo) images. When confounding due to facial expression was eliminated in experiment 2, observers showed no preference for unmodified pre-supplementation photograph or the same image with skin color manipulated to simulate a level of smoothie-induced color change associated with 4 weeks of supplementation. In experiment 3, observers manipulated the skin color of face photographs along the smoothie-induced color change axis to optimize healthy appearance. Observers chose to induce a color change approximately equivalent to one third of the change induced by daily consumption of our carotenoid rich smoothie. This suggests that the skin color change induced by the supplementation enhanced apparent facial health, however the dose and duration of the supplementation overshot the optimal healthy-looking color of Malaysian Chinese skin. This suggests that there is an optimal carotenoid color for healthy appearance, and that this optimal level may be constrained by preferences for averageness, by the association between very yellow skin and ill health, or by negative health impacts of very high doses of carotenoids

A systematic review and quantitative analysis of resting energy expenditure prediction equations in healthy overweight and obese children and adolescents

© The British Dietetic Association Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of 'Chima, L., Mulrooney, H. M., Warren, J., & Madden, A. (2020). A systematic review and quantitative analysis of resting energy expenditure prediction equations in healthy overweight and obese children and adolescents. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12735'. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.Background:  Resting energy expenditure (REE) estimate sare often needed in young people and can be predicted using prediction equations based on body weight.  However,these equations may perform poorly in obesity and overweight. The aim of this systematic review was to identify equations based on simple anthropometric and demographic variables which provide the most accurate and precise estimates of REE in healthy obese and overweight young people. Methodology:Systematic searches for relevant studies in healthy obese and overweight young people aged ≤18 years were undertaken using PubMed, Scopus, Cinahl, OpenGrey and Cochrane Library (completed January 2018). Search terms included metabolism, calorimetry, obesity and prediction equation. Data extraction,study appraisal and synthesis followed PRISMA guidelines. Results:From 390 screened titles, 13 studies met inclusion criteria. The most accurate REE predictions (least biased) were provided by Schofield equations (+0.8%[3-18 years]; 0% [11-18 years]; +1.1% [3-10 years]). The most precise REE estimations (percentage of predictions ±10% of measured) for 11-18 years were provided by Mifflin equations (62%), and for 7-18 years by the equations of Schmelzle (57%), Henry (56%) and Harris Benedict (54%). Precision of Schofield predictions was 43% in both age groups. No accuracy data were available for those <3 years or for precision for those <7 years. Principal conclusions: No single equation provided accurate and precise REE estimations in this population.  Schofield equations provided the most accurate REE predictions so are useful for groups.  Mifflin equations provided the most precise estimates for individuals aged 11-18 but tended to underestimate REE.  Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Changes in Retinol-Binding Protein Concentrations and Thyroid Homeostasis with Nonoccupational Exposure to DDT

BACKGROUND: The insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been used for malaria vector control in the northern and eastern parts of the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa, since 1945. Bioaccumulation of DDT raises concern because it reportedly affects thyroid function. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate the association between DDT uptake (as reflected in plasma concentrations) and thyroid homeostasis while considering related factors. METHODS: We compared dietary intake, serum retinol-binding protein (RBP), transthyretin (TTR) and albumin concentrations, and liver and thyroid function between cases with evidence of a body burden of DDT in the circulation (concentration of any DDT isomer ≥ 0.02 μg/g lipid; n = 278) and controls (concentration of all DDT isomers < 0.02 μg/g lipid; n = 40) in a cross-sectional study. Further analyses were performed to assess the relevance of changes in RBP status associated with DDT uptake. RESULTS: RBP concentrations below the reference range were more prevalent in cases (54% vs. 10% in controls; χ2 = 27.4; p < 0.001), which could not be explained by nutrient intake. We observed significantly lower thyroid hormone concentrations among cases (p ≤ 0.01). We also observed a significant linear trend for serum concentrations of free thyroxine and free triiodothyronine (p < 0.001) and a significant quadratic trend for serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (p = 0.025) and TTR (p < 0.001) across the control group and case groups with normal and relatively low RBP concentrations. Relatively low RBP concentrations were associated with significantly higher DDT and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (DDE) isomer concentrations and with a higher DDE/DDT ratio (p ≤ 0.01), which signifies long-term exposure. Inadequate intake of vitamin A and zinc were observed in 84% and 58%, respectively, of the total study population. CONCLUSION: RBP concentrations appear to decrease in the presence of long-term DDT uptake, which may have deleterious effects on thyroid function and vitamin A nutritional status. This is of major concern in a population with poor vitamin A and zinc intake

Effect of cut-type on quality of minimally processed papaya

BACKGROUND: This research was undertaken to study the effects of different cut-types (cube, parallelepiped, cylinder and sphere) on the quality and shelf-life of papaya cv. Sunrise Solo. Physicochemical analyses were carried out during 10 days of storage at 4 ◦C to determine colour, firmness, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, weight loss and vitamin C content. Microbiological analysis and sensory evaluation were also performed. RESULTS: Papaya spheres (1.55cm radius) presented the most favourable physicochemical and microbiological properties (smaller changes in colour parameters L∗, a∗, b∗, chroma and hue angle, firmer texture, lower increase in pH, higher titratable acidity, almost constant total soluble solids, reduced weight loss, high vitamin C content and lower microbial loads) and sensory characteristics on day 10, while papaya cubes (1.4cm side) proved to be the least acceptable. CONCLUSION: The results of physicochemical,microbiological and sensory analyses performed on different cuttypes of papaya indicated acceptable fresh-cut produce during 10 days of storage at 4 ◦C. The potential shelf-life at 4 ◦C is therefore 10 days, provided that no contamination occurs in the postharvest period and during minimal processing operations