Ultra-Processed Food Consumption Is Related to Higher Trans Fatty Acids, Sugar Intake and Micronutrient-Impaired Status in Schoolchildren of Bahia, Brazil

Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption impacts nutrient intake and plays an important role in non-communicable diseases (NCD), even among schoolchildren. This cross-sectional study aimed to characterize the food consumption of this population and its relationship with laboratory and anthropometric aspects. A sample of 190 subjects aged 5 to 19 y was randomly selected for dietary, laboratory, and anthropometric assessment. Statistical inference was calculated using Spearman’s correlation. Excess weight was observed in 34%, a high Waist-to-Height Ratio in 9%, and hypertriglyceridemia in 17% of the subjects, higher among those from urban schools (45%, p = 0.011; 15%, p = 0.015; 24%, p = 0.026, respectively). UPF consumption represented 21% of caloric intake and showed a positive correlation with trans fatty acids (r = 0.70) and sugar (r = 0.59) intake. Unprocessed food consumption showed a weak, but significant, correlation with Body Mass Index (r = 0.22) and Waist Circumference (r = 0.23), while processed meat showed a negative correlation with serum ferritin (r = −0.16) and vitamins D (r = −0.20) and B12 (r = −0.15). These findings highlight the need for public policies to promote Food and Nutritional Security for schoolchildren to prevent NCD and nutritional deficiencies

The Genome of Anopheles darlingi, the main neotropical malaria vector

Anopheles darlingi is the principal neotropical malaria vector, responsible for more than a million cases of malaria per year on the American continent. Anopheles darlingi diverged from the African and Asian malaria vectors ∼100 million years ago (mya) and successfully adapted to the New World environment. Here we present an annotated reference A. darlingi genome, sequenced from a wild population of males and females collected in the Brazilian Amazon. A total of 10 481 predicted protein-coding genes were annotated, 72% of which have their closest counterpart in Anopheles gambiae and 21% have highest similarity with other mosquito species. In spite of a long period of divergent evolution, conserved gene synteny was observed between A. darlingi and A. gambiae. More than 10 million single nucleotide polymorphisms and short indels with potential use as genetic markers were identified. Transposable elements correspond to 2.3% of the A. darlingi genome. Genes associated with hematophagy, immunity and insecticide resistance, directly involved in vectorhuman and vectorparasite interactions, were identified and discussed. This study represents the first effort to sequence the genome of a neotropical malaria vector, and opens a new window through which we can contemplate the evolutionary history of anopheline mosquitoes. It also provides valuable information that may lead to novel strategies to reduce malaria transmission on the South American continent. The A. darlingi genome is accessible at www.labinfo.lncc.br/index.php/anopheles- darlingi. © 2013 The Author(s)

The complete genome sequence of Chromobacterium violaceum reveals remarkable and exploitable bacterial adaptability

Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) ≈500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) wide-spread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications

Development of a dietary index based on the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Program

Introdução: Índices dietéticos (ID) têm sido utilizados para estudar associações entre alimentação e doenças cardiovasculares (DCV). Um ID combina e resume aspectos de uma recomendação ou guia alimentar. Esses aspectos geralmente são a quantidade de nutrientes, alimentos ou grupos de alimentos a serem consumidos em um período de tempo (dia / semana / mês). A dieta do Programa Alimentar Brasileiro Cardioprotetor (DICA Br) classificou os alimentos em quatro grupos e definiu a quantidade diária a ser consumida. Uma vez que os aspectos nutricionais do DICA Br são diferentes de outras recomendações alimentares, não é possível utilizar os ID existentes para associar essa dieta com as DCV. Por isso, faz-se necessário o desenvolvimento de ID que considere as características da DICA Br. Objetivo: Descrever o desenvolvimento do ID DICA Br, avaliar a sua consistência interna, validade de constructo e as características da população associadas ao índice. Métodos: Foram utilizados dados de baseline do ensaio clínico randomizado DICA Br (www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT01620398). Os quatro grupos alimentares da dieta estudada foram adotados como componentes do índice. Os critérios para atribuir pontos foram definidos a priori com base nos princípios e recomendações da DICA Br. Cada componente do índice recebeu pontos que variam de 0 a 10, portanto a pontuação total variou de 0 a 40. A consistência interna foi avaliada por meio dos coeficientes de correlação entre a pontuação total e de cada componente do índice, assim como pelo alpha de Cronbach. A validade de constructo foi avaliada verificando como nutrientes se associam com o índice por meio de testes para tendência linear. Análises de regressão linear bruta e ajustada foram realizadas para avaliar as características da população associadas ao índice. Resultados: A análise incluiu 2044 indivíduos (58,6 por cento homens). A média do índice total foi maior entre as mulheres. Os componentes do índice apresentaram baixas correlações entre si e as correlações entre cada componente isolado e o índice total foram >0,40. O alpha de Cronbach foi 0,66. Maiores pontuações no índice estiveram inversamente associadas com o consumo de energia, gordura total, gordura monoinsaturada, colesterol e diretamente associadas com a ingestão de carboidratos e fibras. Homens hipertensos e mulheres diabéticas apresentaram maiores pontuações, enquanto homens fumantes apresentaram menores pontuações. Conclusões: O ID DICA Br apresentou confiabilidade e validade de constructo satisfatórias, refletiu a ingestão de nutrientes chaves e detectou características dos indivíduos que se associam com a DICA Br.Background: The diet of the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Programme (BALANCE) classified food into four groups and set the daily amount to be consumed. The nutritional aspects of BALANCE are different from other dietary recommendations, therefore it is not possible to use existing diet indexes (DI) to associate this diet with cardiovascular disease. Objective: To describe the development of BALANCE DI, evaluate its internal consistency, construct validity and population characteristics associated with the index. Methods: We analyzed baseline data from BALANCE randomized clinical trial (www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01620398). The four food groups of the studied diet were adopted as index components. Each index component received points ranging from 0 to 10 and the total score ranged from 0 to 40. The internal consistency was evaluated by means of correlation coefficients between total and each component index score, as well as the Cronbach´s alpha coefficient. The construct validity was assessed by checking how nutrients are associated with the index. Crude and adjusted linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the characteristics of the population that are associated with the index. Results: The analysis included 2044 subjects (58.6 per cent men). The average of the total index was higher among women. The components of the index showed low correlations with each other and the correlations between each individual component and the total index were > 0.40. Cronbach\'s alpha coefficient was 0.66. High scores in the index were inversely associated with the intake of energy, total fat, monounsaturated fat, cholesterol and directly associated with the intake of carbohydrates and fiber. Hypertensive men and diabetic women had higher scores, while male smokers had lower scores. Conclusions: The BALANCE DI showed satisfactory reliability and construct validity, reflected the intake of key nutrients and detected characteristics of individuals that are associated with the BALANCE diet

Sustainable livestock intensification and well-being in rural Brazil

Since the early 2000s, sustainable livestock intensification (SI) practices have slowly displaced unsustainable beef production in Brazil. Numerous studies have investigated the environmental and economic effects of SI, but the implications for social well-being and rural development are under-explored. This study investigates how a tendency towards livestock SI affects rural well-being in Brazil. We used propensity score matching (PSM) to estimate the effects of SI trends on a rural development index (RDI), poverty rates and other common development metrics of Brazilian microregions. We analysed historical data (10 years) on pasture area and herd size. Based on linear regressions, we assume microregions with a positive slope in herd size and a negative slope in pasture areas are following a SI trend. We found a negative correlation between the contribution of beef production to GDP and RDI across all regions (- 0.201, p-value < 0.001). However, using PSM we found the average effect of the SI trend is positive, with a magnitude of ~4 points in the RDI (95% CI 0.02; 7.74). The results suggest that beef production value does not drive rural development, but microregions following an intensification trend have better rural development than non-intensified regions

Development of a dietary index based on the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Program (BALANCE)

Abstract Background The diet of the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Program (BALANCE) classifies food into four groups and sets the daily amount to be consumed. The dietary approach of BALANCE is different from other dietary recommendations; therefore, it is not possible to use existing dietary indexes (DI) to assess patient’s adequacy to BALANCE diet. For this reason, it is important to develop a specific dietary index based on BALANCE diet. This study aims to describe the development of the BALANCE DI, evaluate its internal consistency, construct and content validity and population characteristics associated with the index. Methods We analyzed baseline data from the BALANCE randomized clinical trial (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT01620398). The four food groups of the diet were adopted as index components. Points ranging from 0 to 10 were given to each index component. Internal consistency was evaluated by correlation coefficients between total score and component scores, as well as Cronbach’s Alpha. Content and construct validity were assessed by checking how nutrients are associated with the index and if the index could distinguish between groups with known differences in diet, respectively. Crude and adjusted linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate population characteristics associated with the index. Results The analysis included 2044 subjects (58.6% men). The average of the total index was higher among women (p  0.40. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.66. High scores in the index were inversely associated (p < 0,05) with energy, total fat, monounsaturated fat (MUFA) and cholesterol; they were positively associated (p < 0,05) with carbohydrates and fiber. Hypertensive men and diabetic women had higher scores, while male smokers had lower scores. Conclusions The BALANCE DI showed reliability and construct validity similar to other DI. It also detected characteristics of individuals that are associated with higher or lower index scores

Association between plasma fatty acids and inflammatory markers in patients with and without insulin resistance and in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Proinflammatory biomarkers levels are increased among patients with cardiovascular disease, and it is known that both the presence of insulin resistance and diet may influence those levels. However, these associations are not well studied among patients with established cardiovascular disease. Our objective is to compare inflammatory biomarker levels among cardiovascular disease secondary prevention patients with and without insulin resistance, and to evaluate if there is any association between plasma fatty acid levels and inflammatory biomarker levels among them. Methods In this cross-sectional sub-study from the BALANCE Program Trial, we collected data from 359 patients with established cardiovascular disease. Plasma fatty acids and inflammatory biomarkers (interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), adiponectin, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha) were measured. Biomarkers and plasma fatty acid levels of subjects across insulin resistant and not insulin resistant groups were compared, and general linear models were used to examine the association between plasma fatty acids and inflammatory biomarkers. Results Subjects with insulin resistance had a higher concentration of hs-CRP (p = 0.002) and IL-6 (p = 0.002) than subjects without insulin resistance. Among subjects without insulin resistance there was a positive association between stearic fatty acid and IL-6 (p = 0.032), and a negative association between alpha-linolenic fatty acid and pro-inflammatory biomarkers (p < 0.05). Among those with insulin resistance there was a positive association between monounsaturated fatty acids and arachidonic fatty acid and adiponectin (p < 0.05), and a negative association between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and pro-inflammatory biomarkers (p < 0.05), as well as a negative association between polyunsaturated fatty acids and adiponectin (p < 0.05). Our study has not found any association between hs-CRP and plasma fatty acids. Conclusions Subjects in secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease with insulin resistance have a higher concentration of hs-CRP and IL-6 than individuals without insulin resistance, and these inflammatory biomarkers are positively associated with saturated fatty acids and negatively associated with unsaturated fatty acids

Absolute and Relative Agreement between the Current and Modified Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Program Dietary Index (BALANCE DI) and the American Heart Association Healthy Diet Score (AHA-DS) in Post Myocardial Infarction Patients

The American Heart Association Diet Score (AHA-DS) defines the cardiovascular health, and the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Program Dietary Index (BALANCE DI) was designed to evaluate diet quality in secondary cardiovascular prevention settings. Our aim was to assess the absolute and relative agreement between both tools in Brazilian adults after a myocardial infarction (MI). In this cross-sectional study, 473 individuals were included and had their diet assessed by a 24 h food recall and a semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. The weighted Kappa between BALANCE DI and primary AHA-DS was 0.66 (95% CI: 0.08–0.21), and between BALANCE DI and total AHA-DS was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.20–0.32). To improve the agreement between the tools, modifications were made to the BALANCE DI scoring system. The weighted Kappa between New BALANCE DI and primary AHA-DS was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.36–0.48), and between BALANCE DI and total AHA-DS was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.34–0.46). The mean bias observed between the New BALANCE DI as compared to the primary and total AHA-DS was −16% (−51 to 19) and −8% (−41 to 24), respectively. Our results suggest that the New BALANCE DI may be a useful tool to evaluate diet quality in post MI patients