Development of an online Irish food composition database for nutrients

Food composition databases underpin national dietary surveys, support epidemiological and experimental research in human nutrition and are essential in the development of food regulations and dietary guidelines. To date, nutrition researchers in Ireland have not had access to national food composition data and have relied heavily on borrowed data—mainly from the United Kingdom. The aim of this project was to compile an on-line Irish food composition database, which is compatible with international standards. Data on foods specific to the Irish population, including commonly consumed manufactured products, composite dishes and nutritional supplements, were collected between 1997 and 2006 during national dietary intake surveys. In conjunction with EuroFIR (European Food Information Resource Network of Excellence), these foods have been compiled using standardised methodology. The database comprises 938 foods, with values for 41 components. Values for packaged products were sourced from manufacturers and values for composite dishes were calculated from ingredients. Homemade meat, fish and vegetable dishes, manufactured cereal products and nutritional supplements are the key foods in the database. The Irish food composition database is available on-line (http://www.ucc.ie/en/ifcdb) and is incorporated in the EuroFIR eSearch facility (http://www.eurofir.eu) alongside other European national and specialised food composition databases

Hypersynchrony in MEG spectral amplitude in prospectively-identified 6-month-old infants prenatally exposed to alcohol

Early identification of children who experience developmental delays due to prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) remains a challenge for individuals who do not exhibit facial dysmorphia. It is well-established that children with PAE may still exhibit the cognitive and behavioral difficulties, and individuals without facial dysmorphia make up the majority of individuals affected by PAE. This study employed a prospective cohort design to capture alcohol consumption patterns during pregnancy and then followed the infants to 6months of age. Infants were assessed using magnetoencephalography to capture neurophysiological indicators of brain development and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-III to measure behavioral development. To account for socioeconomic and family environmental factors, we employed a two-by-two design with pregnant women who were or were not using opioid maintenance therapy (OMT) and did or did not consume alcohol during pregnancy. Based on prior studies, we hypothesized that infants with PAE would exhibit broad increased spectral amplitude relative to non-PAE infants. We also hypothesized that the developmental shift from low to high frequency spectral amplitude would be delayed in infants with PAE relative to controls. Our results demonstrated broadband increased spectral amplitude, interpreted as hypersynchrony, in PAE infants with no significant interaction with OMT. Unlike prior EEG studies in neonates, our results indicate that this hypersynchrony was highly lateralized to left hemisphere and primarily focused in temporal/lateral frontal regions. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between estimated number of drinks consumed during pregnancy and spectral amplitude revealing a dose-response effect of increased hypersynchrony corresponding to greater alcohol consumption. Contrary to our second hypothesis, we did not see a significant group difference in the contribution of low frequency to high frequency amplitude at 6months of age. These results provide new evidence that hypersynchrony, previously observed in neonates prenatally exposed to high levels of alcohol, persists until 6months of age and this measure is detectable with low to moderate exposure of alcohol with a dose-response effect. These results indicate that hypersynchrony may provide a sensitive early marker of prenatal alcohol exposure in infants up to 6months of age. Keywords: Prenatal alcohol exposure, Rest, Spectral amplitude, Magnetoencephalography, Infant

Adequacy of vitamin D intakes in children and teenagers from the base diet, fortified foods and supplements

To describe vitamin D intakes in children and teenagers and the contribution from supplements and fortified foods in addition to the base diet. Analysis of 7 d weighed food records collected during the Children's and Teens’ National Nutrition Surveys in Ireland. Food composition data for vitamin D were updated from international analytical sources. Nationally representative cross-sectional dietary surveys. Children (n 594; 5–12 years) and teenagers (n 441; 13–17 years). Median vitamin D intakes were 1·9, 2·1 and 2·4 μg/d in 5–8-, 9–12- and 13–17-year-olds, respectively. The prevalence of vitamin D-containing supplement use was 21, 16 and 15 % in 5–8-, 9–12- and 13–17-year-olds and median intakes in users ranged from 6·0 to 6·7 μg/d. The prevalence of inadequate intakes, defined as the percentage with mean daily intakes below the Estimated Average Requirement of 10 μg/d, ranged from 88 to 96 % in supplement users. Foods fortified with vitamin D, mainly breakfast cereals, fat spreads and milk, were consumed by 71, 70 and 63 % of 5–8-, 9–12- and 13–17-year-olds. Non-supplement users who consumed vitamin D-fortified foods had median intakes of 1·9–2·5 μg/d, compared with 1·2–1·4 μg/d in those who did not consume fortified foods. It is currently not possible for children consuming the habitual diet to meet the US Institute of Medicine dietary reference intake for vitamin D. In the absence of nationally representative 25-hydroxyvitamin D data in children, the implications of this observation for prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and health consequences are speculative

Home FIRsT: interdisciplinary geriatric assessment and disposition outcomes in the Emergency Department

Background: Older people in the Emergency Department (ED) are clinically heterogenous and some presentations may be better suited to alternative out-of-hospital pathways. A new interdisciplinary comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) team (Home FIRsT) was embedded in our acute hospital's ED in 2017.Aim: To evaluate if routinely collected CGA metrics were associated with ED disposition outcomes.Design: Retrospective observational study.Methods: We included all first patients seen by Home FIRsT between 7th May and 19th October 2018. Collected measures were sociodemographic, baseline frailty (Clinical Frailty Scale), major diagnostic categories, illness acuity (Manchester Triage Score) and cognitive impairment/delirium (4AT). Multivariate binary logistic regression models were computed to predict ED disposition outcomes: hospital admission; discharge to GP and/or community services; discharge to specialist geriatric outpatients; discharge to the Geriatric Day Hospital.Results: In the study period, there were 1,045 Home FIRsT assessments (mean age 80.1 years). For hospital admission, strong independent predictors were acute illness severity (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.50-2.70, PConclusions: Routinely collected CGA metrics are useful to predict ED disposition. The ability of baseline frailty to predict ED outcomes needs to be considered together with acute illness severity and delirium.</p

Small increments in vitamin D intake by Irish adults over a decade show that strategic initiatives to fortify the food supply are needed

© 2015 American Society for Nutrition. Background: Food fortification could be an effective method of increasing vitamin D intakes and preventing deficiency with minimal risk of excessive dosing. Objective: Secular trends in vitamin D intakes were examined over a 10-y period. Methods: We compared vitamin D intakes among 18- to 64-y-old adults from the base diet, fortified foods, and supplements in 2 nationally representative dietary surveys in 1999 and 2009 implemented using the same methodology. Results: There was a slight increase in the median (IQR) intake of vitamin D from 2.9 (3.2) to 3.5 (3.7) µg/d ( mean ± SD, 4.3±4.0 to 5.0±6.4 µg). The median (IQR) intake from the base diet was 2.3 (1.6) µg/d in 1999 and 2.1 (1.8) µg/d in 2009. In vitamin D supplement users, median (IQR) intakes were 7.6 (6.7) and 8.7 (7.2) µg/d and the prevalence of inadequacy decreased from 67% to 57% in 2009. Although the consumption of vitamin D-containing supplements was similar in the 2 surveys (17% and 16%), the use of calcium-vitamin D supplements increased from 3% to 10% among women aged 50-64 y. The prevalence of fortified food consumption was also similar at 60%, and median (IQR) vitamin D intakes in consumers were 2.9 (2.2) and 3.7 (2.9) µg/d in 1999 and 2009, respectively. Mathematical modeling of food fortification using modified vitamin D composition data showed that there is potential to increase vitamin D intakes at the lower end of the distribution, without increasing the risk of exceeding the Tolerable Upper Intake Level. Conclusions: We report small increases in vitamin D intakes among Irish adults over a decade of focus on vitamin D and in the context of a voluntary fortification policy. Strategic management of vitamin D in the food supply is required to yield measurable benefits