7 research outputs found
Carbohydrate Intake in Early Childhood and Body Composition and Metabolic Health: Results from the Generation R Study
High sugar intake in childhood has been linked to obesity. However, the role of
macronutrient substitutions and associations with metabolic health remain unclear. We examined
associations of carbohydrate intake and its subtypes with body composition and metabolic health
among 3573 children participating in a population-based cohort in the Netherlands. Intake of total
carbohydrate, monosaccharides and disaccharides, and polysaccharides at age 1 year was assessed
with a food-frequency questionnaire. We repeatedly measured childrenâs height and weight to
calculate BMI between their ages of 1 and 10 years. At ages 6 and 10 years, fat and fat-free mass
were measured with dual-energy X-ray-absorptiometry and blood concentrations of triglycerides,
cholesterol, and insulin were obtained. For all outcomes, we calculated age and sexspecific SD-scores.
In multivariable-adjusted linear mixed models, we found no associations of intake of carbohydrates
or its subtypes with childrenâs BMI or body composition. A higher intake of monosaccharides
and disaccharides was associated with higher triglyceride concentrations (0.02 SDS per 10 g/day,
95% CI: 0.01, 0.04). Higher monosaccharide and disaccharide intake was also associated with lower
HDL-cholesterol (â0.03 SDS, 95% CI: â0.04; â0.01), especially when it replaced polysaccharides.
Overall, our findings suggest associations of higher monosaccharide and disaccharide intake in early
childhood with higher triglyceride and lower HDL-choleste
Associations of family feeding and mealtime practices with children's overall diet quality: Results from a prospective population-based cohort
Food parenting practices are considered to have a key influence on children's dietary habits, with potential long term effects. In this study, we explored the associations of parental feeding practices and family mealtime practices in early childhood with children's overall diet quality at school age among 3626 parents and their children in a population-based cohort study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Parental feeding practices (monitoring, pressure to eat, and restriction) and family mealtime practices (meal skipping behaviors and family meal frequency) at age 4 years were assessed by parental questionnaires. Children's dietary intake was assessed at age 8 years using a food-frequency questionnaire, from which diet quality scores (range 0â10) were calculated, reflecting adherence to age-specific dietary guidelines. Using multivariable linear regression models, we found that monitoring was associated with higher diet quality of children (ÎČ = 0.12; 95%CI: 0.08, 0.16), whereas pressure to eat was associated with lower diet quality (ÎČ = â0.08; 95%CI: â0.12, â0.04)), both independent of child BMI. Restriction was associated with a higher child diet quality, but this associati
Diet quality in childhood: the Generation R Study
Purpose: We aimed to evaluate diet quality of 8-year-old children in the Netherlands, to identify sociodemographic and lifestyle correlates of child diet quality, and to examine tracking of diet quality from ea
Diet quality in early and mid-childhood in relation to trajectories of growth and body composition.
Background: A balanced diet in childhood is important for growth and development. We aimed to
examine associations of overall diet quality in both early and mid-childhood with trajectories of growth
and body composition until age 10 years.
Methods: We included 3991 children from the Generation R Study, a population-based, prospective
cohort in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. At child's ages of 1 and 8 years, dietary intake was assessed using
food-frequency questionnaires to calculate diet quality scores (0e10), which measure adherence to agespecific dietary guidelines. Height and weight were measured repeatedly between ages 1 and 10 years.
Body composition was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at ages 6 and 10 years. We
calculated sex- and age-specific SD-scores for body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass
index (FFMI), and body fat percentage (BF%).
Results: After adjustment for socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, results from linear mixed models
showed that higher diet quality at 1 year was associated with higher height, weight, and BMI up to age 10
years. Using linear regression analyses, similar associations were observed for diet quality at 8 years. For
diet quality at both time points, positive associations with BMI were fully driven by a higher FFMI
(b
Dietary taste patterns in early childhood: The Generation R Study
Background: Taste preference is an important determinant of dietary intake and is influenced by taste exposure in early life. However, data on dietary taste patterns in early childhood are scarce. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate dietary taste patterns in early childhood, to examine their tracking between the ages of 1 and 2 y, and to examine their associations with socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. Methods: Dietary intake of children participating in a population-based cohort was assessed with a 211-item age-specific FFQ at the ages of 1 y (n = 3629) and 2 y (n = 844) (2003â2007). Taste intensity values of FFQ food items were calculated based on a food taste database that had been previously constructed and evaluated using a trained adult sensory panel. Cluster analysis based on taste values identified 5 taste clusters that we named: âneutral,â âsweet and sour,â âsweet and fat,â âfat,â and âsalt, umami and fat.â Linear regression models were used to examine associations of percentage energy (E%) intake from these taste clusters with socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. Results: At the age of 1 y, 64% ± 13% (mean ± SD) of energy intake was obtained from the âneutralâ cluster, whereas at age 2 y, this was 42% ± 8%. At age 2 y, children had higher energy intakes from the âsweet and fatâ (18% ± 7%), âfatâ (11% ± 4%), and âsalt, umami, and fatâ (18% ± 6%) clusters than at age 1 y (7% ± 6%, 6% ± 4%, and 11% ± 6%, respectively). In multivariable models, older maternal age, longer breastfeeding duration, and later introduction of complementary feeding were associated with more energy from the âneutralâ cluster (e.g., ÎČ: 0.31 E%; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.43 E% per 1 mo longer breastfeeding). Higher child BMI was associated with more energy from the âsalt, umami, and fatâ cluster (ÎČ: 0.22 E%; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.38 E% per BMI standard deviation score). Conclusions: Dietary taste patterns in this Dutch cohort were more varied and intense in taste at age 2 y than at 1 y, reaching a level similar to that previously observed in Dutch adults. Important factors related to dietary taste patterns of young children are maternal sociodemographic factors and feeding practices
Diet quality throughout early life in relation to allergic sensitization and atopic diseases in childhood
Early-life nutrition is an important modifiable determinant in the development of a childâs immune system, and may thereby influence the risk of allergic sensitization and atopic diseases. However, associations between overall dietary patterns and atopic diseases in childhood remain unclear. We examined associations of diet quality in early life with allergic sensitization, self-reported physician-diagnosed inhalant and food allergies, eczema, and asthma among 5225 children participating in a population-based cohort in the Netherlands. Diet was assessed during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood using validated food-frequency questionnaires. We calculated food-based diet quality scores (0â10 or 0â15), reflecting adherence to dietary guidelines. At age 10 years, allergic sensitization was assessed with skin prick tests. Information on physician-diagnosed inhalant and food allergies, eczema, and asthma was obtained with questionnaires. We observed no associations between diet quality during pregnancy and allergic sensitization (odds ratio (OR) = 1.05 per point in the diet score, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99, 1.13), allergies (0.96, 95% CI: 0.88, 1.04), eczema (0.99, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.06), or asthma (0.93, 95% CI: 0.85, 1.03) in childhood. Also, diet quality in infancy or childhood were not associated with atopic outcomes in childhood. Our findings do not support our hypothesis that a healthy dietary pattern in early life is associated with a lower risk of allergic sensitization or atopic diseases in childhood