Greater fruit selection following an appearance-based compared with a health-based health promotion poster

Background: This study investigated the impact of an appearance-based compared to a traditional health-based public health message for healthy eating. Methods: 166 British University students (41 male; aged 20.6±1.9 years) were randomized to view either an appearance-based (n=82) or a health-based (n=84) fruit promotion poster. Intentions to consume fruit and immediate fruit selection (laboratory observation) were assessed immediately after poster-viewing and subsequent self-report fruit consumption was assessed 3 days later. Results: Intentions to consume fruit were not predicted by poster type (β=0.03, p=0.74), but were associated with fruit-based liking, past consumption, attitudes, and social norms (smallest β=0.16, p=0.04). Immediate fruit selection was greater following the appearance-based compared to the health-based poster (β=-0.24, p<0.01), and this effect remained when controlling for participant characteristics (β=-0.21, p<0.01). Subsequent fruit consumption was greater following the appearance-based compared to the health-based poster (β=-0.22, p=0.03), but this effect became non-significant on consideration of participant characteristics (β=-0.15, p=0.13), and was instead associated with fruit-based liking and past consumption (smallest β=0.24, p=0.03). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the clear value of an appearance-based compared to a health-based health promotion poster for increasing fruit selection. A distinction between outcome measures, and the value of a behavioural measure is also demonstrated

Enhanced diffusion due to active swimmers at a solid surface

We consider two systems of active swimmers moving close to a solid surface, one being a living population of wild-type \textit{E. coli} and the other being an assembly of self-propelled Au-Pt rods. In both situations, we have identified two different types of motion at the surface and evaluated the fraction of the population that displayed ballistic trajectories (active swimmers) with respect to those showing random-like behavior. We studied the effect of this complex swimming activity on the diffusivity of passive tracers also present at the surface. We found that the tracer diffusivity is enhanced with respect to standard Brownian motion and increases linearly with the activity of the fluid, defined as the product of the fraction of active swimmers and their mean velocity. This result can be understood in terms of series of elementary encounters between the active swimmers and the tracers.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures in color, Physical Review Letters (in production

A Completion Method to Decide Reachability in Rewrite Systems

International audienceThe Knuth-Bendix method takes in argument a finite set of equations and rewrite rules and, when it succeeds, returns an algorithm to decide if a term is equivalent to another modulo these equations and rules. In this paper, we design a similar method that takes in argument a finite set of rewrite rules and, when it succeeds, returns an algorithm to decide not equivalence but reachability modulo these rules, that is if a term reduces to another. As an application, we give new proofs of the decidability of reachability in finite ground rewrite systems and in pushdown systems

Modelling the impact of compliance with dietary recommendations on cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality in Canada

Abstract: Objectives: Despite strong evidence indicating that unbalanced diets relate to chronic diseases and mortality, most adults do not comply with dietary recommendations. To help determine which recommendations could yield the most benefits, we estimated the number of deaths attributable to cardiovascular diseases and cancer that could be delayed or averted in Canada if adults changed their diet to adhere to recommendations. Study Design: Macrosimulation based on national population-based survey and vital statistics data. Methods: We used a macrosimulation model to draw age- and sex-specific changes in relative risks based on the results of meta-analyses of relationship between food components and risk of cardiovascular disease and diet-related cancers. Inputs in the model included Canadian recommendations (fruit and vegetable, fiber, salt, and total-, monounsaturated-, polyunsaturated-, saturated-, and trans-fats), average dietary intake (from 35 107 participants with 24-h recall), and mortality from specific causes (from Canadian Vital Statistics). Monte Carlo analyses were used to compute 95% credible intervals (CI). Results: Our estimates suggest that 30 540 deaths (95% CI: 24 953, 34 989) per year could be averted or delayed if Canadians adhered to their dietary recommendations. By itself, the recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake could save as many as 72% (55-87%) of these deaths. It is followed by recommendations for fibers (29%, 13-43%) and salt (10%, 9-12%). Conclusions: A considerable number of lives could be saved if Canadians adhered to the national dietary intake recommendations. Given the scarce resources available to promote guideline adhesion, priority should be given to recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the use of renin-angiotensin system drugs and COVID-19 clinical outcomes : What is the evidence so far?

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Component analysis of nutritionally rich chloroplasts: recovery from conventional and unconventional green plant species

A study of the literature indicates that chloroplasts synthesise a range of molecules, many of which have nutritional value for humans, but as yet no one has established the nutritional credentials of chloroplasts recovered from plant cells. Chloroplast-rich-fractions (CRFs) were prepared from green plant species and the macro- and micronutrient composition compared with the whole leaf materials (WLMs). The results indicated that, on a dry weight basis, CRF material from a range of green biomass was enriched in lipids and proteins, and in a range of micronutrients compared with the WLM. Vitamins E, pro-vitamin A, and lutein were all greater in CRF preparations. Of the minerals, iron was most notably concentrated in CRF. Spinach CRFs possessed the highest α-tocopherol (62 mg 100 g-1 , dry weight (DW)), β-carotene (336 mg 100 g- 1 DW) and lutein (341 mg 100 g-1 DW) contents, whilst grass CRFs had the highest concentration of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (69.5 mg g-1). The higher concentrations of α-tocopherol, β-carotene, lutein, ALA and trace minerals (Fe and Mn) in CRFs suggest their potential use as concentrated ingredients in food formulations deficient in these nutrients

Dietary factors and biomarkers of systemic inflammation in older people:the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

Date of Acceptance: 18/05/2015 Acknowledgements The authors thank the LBC1936 participants and study team. They also thank Shirley Jia, Leone Craig and Heather Clark at the University of Aberdeen for performing the FFQ dietary data extraction. The present study was funded by the Age UK’s Disconnected Mind project. The work was undertaken in the University of Edinburgh Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, part of the cross-council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative (MR/K026992/1). The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding from the Biotechnology and Diet and inflammation in later life 1095 British Journal of Nutrition Biological Sciences Research Council and Medical Research Council.Peer reviewedPublisher PD