Ruokailutottumukset, painoindeksi ja syljen mikrobiota suomalaisilla nuorilla

Healthy eating habits, such as the consumption of fruits and vegetables and eating regular meals, reduce the risk of being overweight and obese in childhood as well as other noncommunicable diseases. However, eating habits have been examined only to a limited extent in Finland, such that further and updated information on eating habits and body mass is needed among adolescents. Healthy eating habits maintain health. Moreover, dietary choices and food timing shape the gut microbiota, although less is known about their relevance to saliva microbiota. This study aims to: 1) identify the eating habits of Finnish adolescents; 2) examine the associations between eating habits and body mass; and 3) examine the associations between eating habits and the saliva microbial diversity and composition. The study dataset consisted of 9- to 14-year-old Finnish adolescents participating in the Finnish Health in Teens (Fin-HIT) study between 2011 and 2014. Study I and study II consisted of 10 569 participants from 496 schools in 44 municipalities in southern, middle, and northern Finland. Study III included 842 randomly selected participants from the Fin-HIT study. These participants answered a web-based questionnaire on an electronic tablet. The questionnaire assessed lifestyle factors, such as diet and eating-related health behaviours. Participants also provided unstimulated saliva samples and trained fieldworkers measured their height and weight in a standardised way in school. Measurements used to calculate body mass index (BMI). BMI was categorised as underweight, normal weight and overweight or obese. The results from the current study identified three eating habit groups in adolescents: ‘healthy eaters’ (4 661; 44.1%), ‘unhealthy eaters’ (1 298; 12.3%) and ‘fruit and vegetable avoiders’ (4610; 43.6%). Healthy eaters most frequently ate a regular breakfast and other meals (lunch and dinner) and had parents with a high education level. Unhealthy eaters, however, most frequently ate breakfast and other meals irregularly and had parents with a low education level (study I). Avoiding fruits and vegetables was associated with a high risk of being underweight. Eating breakfast irregularly was associated with a high risk of being overweight and obese and a decreased risk of being underweight. Similarly, eating dinner irregularly was associated with a decreased risk of being underweight (study II). More diverse saliva microbiota composition was observed among regular breakfast eaters compared to irregular breakfast eaters. Similarly, a tendency for a higher diversity in the saliva microbiota was found among regular dinner eaters compared to irregular dinner eaters. More specifically, Prevotella was highly abundant among fruit and vegetable avoiders and irregular breakfast and dinner eaters (study III). The results presented here on eating habits emphasise that more attention must be devoted to adolescents’ eating habits, particularly to those who avoid fruits and vegetables and those who irregularly eat meals since they are at high risk for adverse health outcomes, such as being overweight and obese. Futhermore, the results here on eating habits and body mass will assist public health personnel in guiding adolescents regarding how to maintain a normal weight. The association between avoiding fruits and vegetables and eating irregular meals, respectively, and the abundance of Prevotella in saliva warrants further studies on Prevotella and eating habits.Terveelliset ruokailutottumukset, kuten hedelmien ja kasvisten nauttiminen ja säännöllinen ateriointi, pienentävät ylipainon ja lihavuuden sekä muiden kroonisten tautien riskiä lapsuusiässä. Ruokailutottumuksia on Suomessa tutkittu suppeasti, jonka vuoksi päivitettyä tietoa nuorten ruokailutottumuksista ja painoindeksistä tarvitaan lisää. Terveelliset ruokailutottumukset tukevat terveyttä. Lisäksi ruokavalinnat ja aterioiden ajoitus muokkaavat suoliston mikrobiotaa, vaikka niiden merkityksestä syljen mikrobiostolle tiedetään vielä vähän. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteina oli: 1) tunnistaa ruokailutottumusten piirteitä suomalaisilla nuorilla; 2) tutkia ruokailutottumusten ja painoindeksin yhteyttä; ja 3) tutkia ruokailutottumusten yhteyttä syljen mikrobiotan monimuotoisuuteen ja koostumukseen. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu 9–14-vuotiaista suomalaisista nuorista, jotka osallistuivat Hyvinvointi Teini-iässä (Fin-HIT) –tutkimukseen vuosina 2011– 2014. Ensimmäinen ja toinen osatutkimus koostui 10 569 osallistujasta, jotka osallistuivat 496 koulusta yhteensä 44 kunnassa Etelä-, Keski- ja Pohjois- Suomessa. Kolmas osatutkimus koostui 842 satunnaisesti valitusta tutkittavasta, jotka osallistuivat Fin-HIT-tutkimukseen. Osallistujat vastasivat internetissä kyselylomakkeeseen elektroniselta tabletilta. Kyselylomake arvioi elintapatekijöitä, kuten ravitsemusta ja ruokailuun liittyvää terveyskäyttäytymistä. Tutkittavat antoivat stimuloimattomat sylkinäytteet ja koulutetut kenttätyöntekijät mittasivat pituuden ja painon standardisoidulla tavalla koulussa. Mittoja käytettiin painoindeksin laskemiseen. Tutkittavat jaettiin painoindeksin perusteella alipainoon, normaalipainoon ja ylipainoon tai lihavuuteen. Tässä tutkimuksessa löydettiin kolme ruokailutottumusryhmää nuorilla: terveellisesti syövät (4 661; 44,1 %), epäterveellisesti syövät (1 298; 12,3 %) ja hedelmien ja kasvisten välttelijät (4 610; 43,6 %). Terveellisesti syövät nuoret söivät säännöllisemmin aamupalan ja muita aterioita (lounas ja illallinen) ja heidän vanhempansa olivat korkeammin koulutettuja. Sen sijaan epäterveellisesti syövät nuoret söivät epäsäännöllisemmin aamupalan ja muita aterioita ja heidän vanhempansa olivat matalammin koulutettuja (osatutkimus I). Nuoret, jotka välttelivät kasviksia ja vihanneksia, olivat useammin alipainoisia. Nuoret, jotka söivät epäsäännöllisen aamupalan, olivat useammin ylipainoisia ja lihavia ja harvemmin alipainoisia. Samoin nuoret, jotka söivät epäsäännöllisen illallisen, olivat harvemmin alipainoisia (osatutkimus II). Syljen monimuotoisen (diversiteetin) mikrobiotan koostumus havaittiin runsaammaksi nuorilla, jotka söivät säännöllisen aamupalan, verrattuna niillä, jotka söivät epäsäännöllisen aamupalan. Samoin runsaampi syljen mikrobiotan monimuotoisuus löydettiin nuorilla, jotka söivät säännöllisen illallisen, verrattuna niillä, jotka söivät epäsäännöllisen illallisen. Erityisesti, Prevotella-bakteeria oli runsaasti nuorilla, jotka välttelivät kasviksia ja vihanneksia, ja söivät epäsäännöllisesti aamupalan ja illallisen (osatutkimus III). Ruokailutottumusten tulokset korostavat, että nuorten ruokailutottumuksiin tulisi kiinnittää enemmän huomiota, etenkin niihin nuoriin, jotka välttelevät hedelmiä ja kasviksia sekä syövät aterioita epäsäännöllisesti, koska he ovat alttiita terveydellisille haittavaikutuksille, kuten ylipainolle ja lihavuudelle. Lisäksi, ruokailutottumusten ja painoindeksin tulokset auttavat henkilöitä, jotka edistävät kansanterveyttä ja pystyvät opastamaan nuoria ylläpitämään normaalia painoa. Kasvisten ja hedelmien välttelemisen ja aterioiden epäsäännöllisen syömisen yhteys syljen Prevotella-bakteerin runsaaseen määrään antaa aihetta jatkotutkimuksille Prevotella:sta ja ruokailutottumuksista

Identifying eating habits in Finnish children : a cross-sectional study

BackgroundWe aimed to identify different eating habits among Finnish children and to evaluate their association with meal patterns, breakfast consumption, and socio-demographic characteristics in a large, nationwide cohort of children.MethodsWe evaluated 10,569 children aged 9-14years into the Finnish Health in Teens cohort in a cross-sectional design. The hierarchical K-means method was used to identify groups of children with different eating habits, based on five factors obtained through factor analysis of 10 food items. Multiple correspondence analysis was used to show associations between groups with different eating habits and meal patterns, breakfast patterns, gender, age, and language spoken at home.ResultsAnalyses identified three groups: unhealthy eaters (12.3%), fruit and vegetable avoiders (43.3%), and healthy eaters (44.1%). Most children had regular meal and breakfast patterns. The proportion of boys was higher among unhealthy eaters. Unhealthy eaters also showed irregular meal and breakfast patterns, and had parents with low education level. There was a higher proportion of girls among healthy eaters. Healthy eaters also showed regular meal and breakfast patterns, and had parents with high education level.ConclusionsAlthough the number of unhealthy eaters was small, special attention should be still paid to these, mostly male children, as they have poor eating habits and they lack regular eating routine. Skipping breakfast was more common among older children and girls, although girls had healthier eating habits overall. Our results can contribute to public health efforts to improve eating behaviours, especially among children with poor eating habits and those skipping healthy food items.Peer reviewe

Prevalence of Thinness, Overweight, Obesity, and Central Obesity in Finnish School-Aged Children : A Comparison of National and International Reference Values

Introduction: The global epidemic of obesity concerns children, and monitoring the prevalence is of highest priority. Body mass index (BMI) with age- and sex-specific cutoff values determines weight status in children, although multiple reference systems exist. Our aim was to compare the prevalence for thinness, normal weight, overweight, and obesity in Finnish school-aged children according to national and international reference values, as well as to determine which cutoff values for overweight agree with the criteria for central obesity. Methods: This study includes 10,646 children aged 9-12 years from the Finnish Health in Teens cohort. Height, weight, and waist circumference were measured in 2011-2014. BMI (weight [kg]/height [m](2)) and the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR; waist [cm]/height [cm]) were calculated. The WHtR cutoff of >0.5 indicated central obesity. We compared the sex-specific prevalence of thinness, overweight, and obesity using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), World Health Organization (WHO) and Finnish (FIN) BMI-for-age reference values, as well as these three against central obesity based on the WHtR. Results: The prevalence of thinness, overweight, and obesity were 11.0%, 12.7%, and 2.6%, respectively, using IOTF; 2.6%, 15.9%, and 5.2% using WHO; and 5.1%, 11.4%, and 2.2% using FIN. Overweight and obesity were more common in boys than girls using WHO and FIN, while thinness was more common in girls using IOTF and FIN. IOTF versus WHO exhibited moderate agreement (kappa = 0.59), which improved for IOTF versus FIN (kappa = 0.74). Of those classified as overweight by WHO, 37% and 47% were regarded as normal weight according to IOTF and FIN, respectively. The prevalence of central obesity was 8.7%, and it was more common in boys than girls. WHO provided the highest sensitivity: 95% of individuals with central obesity were classified with overweight or obesity. Using FIN provided the highest specificity (93%). Conclusion: Our findings show that WHO overestimates the prevalence of overweight and obesity, while IOTF overrates thinness. Thus, comparing prevalence rates between studies requires caution. The novelty of this study is the comparison of the cutoff values for overweight with central obesity. The choice of reference system affects the generalizability of the research results. (C) 2021 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, BaselPeer reviewe

Meal Regularity Plays a Role in Shaping the Saliva Microbiota

Background Diet may influence health directly or indirectly via the human microbiota, emphasizing the need to unravel these complex relationships for future health benefits. Associations between eating habits and gut microbiota have been shown, but less is known about the association between eating habits and saliva microbiota. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate if eating habits and meal patterns are associated with the saliva microbiota. Methods In total, 842 adolescents, aged 11-14 years, from the Finnish Health in Teens (Fin-HIT) study cohort were included in this study. Eating habits and breakfast and dinner patterns were derived from a web-based questionnaire answered in school. Three major eating habit groups were identified: fruit and vegetable avoiders (FV avoiders), healthy and unhealthy. Microbiota profiles were produced from 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4) sequencing of DNA from the saliva samples. Statistical models were adjusted for gender, age, parental language, body mass index (BMI) categories, and sequencing depth. Results Regular breakfast eaters had a higher alpha diversity (Shannon index with mean (standard error of means) 2.27 (0.03) vs. 2.22 (0.03), p = 0.06, inverse Simpson's index with 6.27 (0.17) vs. 5.80 (0.02), p = 0.01), and slight differences in bacterial composition (PERMANOVA: p = 0.001) compared with irregular breakfast eaters. A similar trend in alpha diversity was observed between regular and irregular dinner eaters (Shannon index with 2.27 (0.03) vs. 2.22 (0.03), p = 0.054, inverse Simpson's index with 6.23 (0.17) vs. 6.04 (0.22), p = 0.28), while no difference was found in composition (PERMANOVA: p = 0.08). No differences were identified between eating habit groups and saliva microbiota diversity (Shannon index p = 0.77, inverse Simpson's index p = 0.94) or composition (PERMANOVA: p = 0.13). FV avoiders, irregular breakfast eaters and irregular dinner eaters had high abundances of Prevotella. Conclusion Regularity of eating, especially breakfast eating, was associated with more diverse saliva microbiota and different composition compared with irregular eaters. However, the dissimilarities in composition were small between regular and irregular breakfast eaters. Our results suggest that Prevotella abundances in saliva were common in FV avoiders and meal skippers. However, the clinical implications of these findings need to be evaluated in future studies.Peer reviewe

Eating habits and weight status in Finnish adolescents

Objective: To investigate the association between eating habits and weight status in adolescents in Finland. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: The Finnish Health in Teens (Fin-HIT) study is a cohort study conducted in adolescents attending third to sixth grade in 496 schools in forty-four municipalities in Southern, Middle and Northern Finland in 2011-2014. Participants: Analyses included 10 569 adolescents from the Fin-HIT study aged 9-14 years (5005 boys and 5564 girls). Adolescents were categorized by their eating habits: healthy eaters (44 center dot 1 %; n 4661), unhealthy eaters (12 center dot 3 %; n 1298), and fruit and vegetable avoiders (43 center dot 6 %; n 4610); and they were grouped into weight status: underweight (11 center dot 1 %), normal weight (73 center dot 6 %) and excess weight (15 center dot 3 %). Results: We found an increased risk of underweight in fruit and vegetable avoiders (OR = 1 center dot 28; 95 % CI 1 center dot 12, 1 center dot 46). An irregular breakfast pattern showed an inverse association with underweight (OR = 0 center dot 70; 95 % CI 0 center dot 59, 0 center dot 84) and an increased risk of excess weight (OR = 1 center dot 56; 95 % CI 1 center dot 37, 1 center dot 77) compared with a regular breakfast pattern. An irregular dinner pattern was inversely associated with underweight (OR = 0 center dot 83; 95 % CI 0 center dot 69, 0 center dot 99) compared with a regular dinner pattern. Conclusions: Avoiding fruits and vegetables and following irregular breakfast and dinner patterns were associated with underweight and excess weight in adolescents.Peer reviewe