Nutrient intakes in early life and risk of obesity

There is increasing evidence that environmental factors in early life predict later health. The early adiposity rebound recorded in most obese subjects suggests that factors promoting body fat development have operated in the first years of life. Birth weight, growth velocity and body mass index (BMI) trajectories seem to be highly sensitive to the environmental conditions present during pregnancy and in early life ("The first 1000 days"). Particularly, nutritional exposure can have a long-term effect on health in adulthood. The high protein-low fat diet often recorded in young children may have contributed to the rapid rise of childhood obesity prevalence during the last decades. Metabolic programming by early nutrition could explain the development of later obesity and adult diseases

Are risk and time preferences associated with food intake, diet quality and weight status? Results of a French national survey

International audienc

Associations between motives for dish choice during home-meal preparation and diet quality in French adults: findings from the NutriNet-Santé study

A number of motives such as constraints or pleasure have been suggested to influence dish choices during home-meal preparation. However, no study has evaluated how the importance conferred to these motives potentially influence diet quality. The present study aims at investigating the difference in diet quality according to the importance attached by individuals to various dish choice motives. The importance of twenty-seven criteria related to dish choices on weekdays was evaluated among 48 010 French adults from the NutriNet-Sante study. ANCOVA and logistic regression models, adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, were used to evaluate the association between the importance attached to dish choice motives (yes upsilon. no) and energy and food group intakes, as well as adherence to French nutritional guidelines (modified Programme National Nutrition Sante-Guideline Score (mPNNS-GS)). A higher adherence to nutritional guidelines was observed in individuals attaching importance to a healthy diet (mPNNS-GS score 7.87 (SD 0.09) upsilon. 7.39 (SD 0.09)) and specific diets (mPNNS-GS score 7.73 (SD 0.09) upsilon. 7.53 (SD 0.09)), compared with those who attached little/no importance (all P < 0.0001). These individuals also exhibited higher intakes of fruits and vegetables, but a lower consumption of meat, milk and cheese, sugary products and convenience foods compared with their respective counterparts (all P < 0.0001). For other motives, that is, constraints, pleasure and organisation, only small differences were observed. The main difference in diet quality was related to the importance placed on a healthy diet. Although a causal link should be demonstrated, our findings suggested that strategies aiming at enabling people to take into account diet quality during home-meal preparation might be effective levers to promote healthy eating

Liking for fat is associated with sociodemographic, psychological, lifestyle and health characteristics

Sensory liking influences dietary behaviour, but little is known about specifically associated individual profiles. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between liking for fat-and-salt and fat-and-sweet sensations and sociodemographic, economic, psychological, lifestyle and health characteristics in a large sample. Individual characteristics and liking scores were collected by a questionnaire among 37 181 French adults. Liking scores were constructed using a validated preference questionnaire. Multinomial logisticregression models were used to assess the associations between liking levels and individual characteristics. In both sexes, subjects belonging to low-level occupational categories (OR 1·39, 95% CI 1·16, 1·67 in men; OR 1·28, 95% CI 1·16, 1·41 in women), highly uncontrolled eaters (men: OR 2·90, 95% CI 2·60, 3·23; women: OR 2·73, 95% CI 2·27, 3·30) and obese subjects (men: OR 1·45, 95% CI 1·14, 1·84; women: OR 1·47, 95% CI 1·29, 1·68) were more likely to have a strong liking for the fat-and-sweet sensation, whereas older individuals(men: OR 0·13, 95% CI 0·10, 0·16; women: OR 0·11, 95% CI 0·09, 0·14) and highly cognitive restrainers (men: OR 0·52, 95% CI 0·44, 0·63; women: OR 0·60, 95% CI 0·55, 0·66) were less likely to have a strong liking. Regarding liking for the fat-and-salt sensation, the same associations were found and specific relationships were also highlighted: current smokers and heavy drinkers were more likely to stronglyprefer the fat-and-salt sensation compared with non-smokers and abstainers or irregular alcohol consumers. The relationship between individual characteristics and a liking for fat sensation provides new and original information that may be useful for a better understanding of the associations between sensory liking and individual behaviour

Child temperament predicts the adiposity rebound. A 9-year prospective sibling control study

The goal of this study is to examine the extent to which child temperament predicts the adiposity rebound, a steep increase in the body mass index (BMI) between ages 5 and 7 years. If this increase occurs at an earlier age, the risk for later obesity is elevated. To improve the accuracy of the examination, we use a genetically informed design, a sibling-control study, to control for genetic and familial confounding. We hypothesize that temperament traits tapping negative emotionality, approach and avoidance are associated with the adiposity rebound. Methods: We repeatedly examined 25889 siblings within the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, following them from the mothers’ pregnancy through child age 8 years. Information on the children’s height and weight was collected by means of health registries and maternal reports. Information on the siblings’ temperament was collected by questionnaires completed when they were 1.5, 3, and 5 years old. We examined the associations of temperament at different child ages with the timing of the adiposity rebound among siblings and controls by means of growth curve and multilevel analyses. Results: Within siblings, high scores on the approach trait of sociability predicted an earlier adiposity rebound and high scores on the avoidance trait of shyness predicted a later adiposity rebound with timing differences ranging between 6 and 16 weeks. Surprisingly, negative emotionality did not predict the adiposity rebound. The associations between temperament and the adiposity rebound increased with increasing child age. The results within controls—comparing siblings with the population, broadly paralleled those within siblings. Conclusions: The findings encourage the notion that child temperament functions as an early marker for the adiposity rebound. Future studies may advance our knowledge by including measures of child personality along the taxonomy of the adult Five Personality Factors

Validity of a questionnaire measuring motives for choosing foods including sustainable concerns

Since the 1990s, sustainability of diet has become an increasingly important concern for consumers. However, there is no validated multidimensional measurement of motivation in the choice of foods including a concern for sustainability currently available. In the present study, we developed a questionnaire that measures food choice motives during purchasing, and we tested its psychometric properties. The questionnaire included 104 items divided into four predefined dimensions (environmental, health and well-being, economic and miscellaneous). It was administered to 1000 randomly selected subjects participating in the Nutrinet-Santé cohort study. Among 637 responders, one-third found the questionnaire complex or too long, while one-quarter found it difficult to fill in. Its underlying structure was determined by exploratory factor analysis and then internally validated by confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was also assessed by internal consistency of selected dimensions and test–retest repeatability. After selecting the most relevant items, first-order analysis highlighted nine main dimensions: labeled ethics and environment, local and traditional production, taste, price, environmental limitations, health, convenience, innovation and absence of contaminants. The model demonstrated excellent internal validity (adjusted goodness of fit index = 0.97; standardized root mean square residuals = 0.07) and satisfactory reliability (internal consistency = 0.96, test–retest repeatability coefficient ranged between 0.31 and 0.68 over a mean 4-week period). This study enabled precise identification of the various dimensions in food choice motives and proposed an original, internally valid tool applicable to large populations for assessing consumer food motivation during purchasing, particularly in terms of sustainability

Intuitive eating dimensions were differently associated with food intake in the general population-based NutriNet-Sante study

Background: Intuitive eating (IE) is characterized by eating in response to physiological hunger and satiety cues rather than emotional cues and not considering certain foods to be forbidden. Evidence supports an inverse association of IE with body mass index (EMI), but little is known about its association with food intake. Objective: We aimed to examine the relation between IE and food intake in a large sample from the general adult population. Methods: A total of 9581 men and 31,955 women aged >= 18 y participating in the NutriNet-Sante cohort were included in this cross-sectional analysis. IE was assessed by using the validated French version of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (modeled in quartiles). Food intake was assessed by using >= 6 self-reported 24-h dietary records (2009-2015). The associations between IE subscales (Eating for Physical rather than Emotional Reasons, referred to as Physical Reasons; Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues, referred to as Cues; and Unconditional Permission to Eat, referred to as Permission) and food intake were assessed by using multiple linear and logistic regression models. Results: In women, higher Physical Reasons and Cues scores were associated with lower energy intake (P < 0.0001). Also, a higher Physical Reasons score was associated with lower sweet- and fatty-food intake in both women (143 g/d in quartile 1 compared with 124 g/d in quartile 4) and men (153 compared with 138 g/d) and lower intakes of dairy products and meat, fish, and eggs in women (all P< 0.0001). A higher Cues score was associated with a lower intake of dairy products and meat, fish, and eggs in both sexes and a higher whole-grain intake in women (all P< 0.0001). In contrast, higher Permission scores were associated with a higher energy intake and unhealthier intake, including lower fruit, vegetable, and whole-grain intake (all P < 0.0001). Conclusions: IE dimensions such as Physical Reasons and Cues subscales were associated with healthier dietary intakes overall, whereas the Permission dimension was associated with unhealthier. dietary intakes. From a public health perspective, these findings suggest the importance of developing strategies to promote eating in response to hunger and satiety signals. This study was registered at eudract.ema.europa.eu as 2013-000929-31

Comparison of Sociodemographic and Nutritional Characteristics between Self-Reported Vegetarians, Vegans, and Meat-Eaters from the NutriNet-Santé Study

Background: There is a growing trend for vegetarian and vegan diets in many Western countries. Epidemiological evidence suggesting that such diets may help in maintaining good health is rising. However, dietary and sociodemographic characteristics of vegetarians and vegans are not well known. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe sociodemographic and nutritional characteristics of self-reported, adult vegetarians and vegans, compared to meat-eaters, from the French NutriNet-Santé study. Methods: Participants were asked if they were following a specific diet. They were then classified into three self-reported diet groups: 90,664 meat-eaters, 2370 vegetarians, and 789 vegans. Dietary data were collected using three repeated 24-h dietary records. Multivariable polytomic logistic regression models were perfomed to assess the association between the sociodemographic characteristics and type of diet. The prevalence of nutrient intake inadequacy was estimated, by sex and age for micronutrients, as well as by type of self-reported diet. Results: Compared with meat-eaters, vegetarians were more likely to have a higher educational level, whereas vegans had a lower education level. Compared with meat-eaters, vegetarians were more likely to be women, younger individuals, and to be self-employed or never employed rather than managerial staff. Vegetarians and vegans substituted animal protein-dense products with a higher consumption of plant protein-dense products (e.g., soy-based products or legumes). Vegetarians had the most balanced diets in terms of macronutrients, but also had a better adherence to French dietary guidelines. Vegetarians exhibited a lower estimated prevalence of inadequacies for micronutrients such as antioxidant vitamins (e.g., for vitamin E, 28.9% for vegetarian women <55 years of age vs. 41.6% in meat-eaters) while vegans exhibited a higher estimated prevalence of inadequacies for some nutrients, in particular vitamin B12 (69.9% in men and 83.4% in women <55 years of age), compared to meat-eaters. Conclusions: Our study highlighted that, overall, self-reported vegetarians and vegans may meet nutritional recommendations

Variation des corrélations entre l’attirance sensorielle déclarée et l’attirance sensorielle mesurée pour le gras, le salé et le sucré selon le niveau de désirabilité sociale

Poster 330 présenté à:13. Journées Francophones de Nutrition (JFN) ; Marseille (France) - (2015-12-09 - 2015-12-11) / CongrèsL’attirance sensorielle influence les consommations alimentaires et est associée au statut pondéral (pour les sensations de gras et de sucré). Identifier les déterminants sensoriels du comportement alimentaire à l’échelle populationnelle est utile pour apprécier la généralisation de ces résultats. Dans une précédente étude, un questionnaire développé pour être applicable à des études épidémiologiques (PrefQuest n = 40 000) a été couplé à des tests sensoriels (PrefSens n = 557) permettant de mesurer objectivement l’attirance sensorielle pour le gras, le sucré et le salé. Afin de confirmer que la mesure épidémiologique issue du PrefQuest peut être considérée comme un marqueur fiable de l’attirance réelle grâce aux résultats issus du PrefSens, il est utile de comparer les deux outils. La désirabilité sociale (DS) se définissant comme le fait d’être plus ou moins sensible à la norme sociale, peut être considérée comme un biais dans la mesure de l’attirance par questionnaire. L’hypothèse de ce travail était que les sujets ayant un fort niveau de DS auraient de faibles corrélations entre les deux outils, alors que les sujets ayant un faible niveau de DS auraient de meilleures corrélations. Ainsi, l’objectif de cette étude était d’estimer les corrélations entre l’attirance sensorielle déclarée et l’attirance sensorielle mesurée pour le gras, le salé et le sucré, selon le niveau de DS

Association between time perspective, food choice motives, and food intake in a general population

Improving food choices represents a major goal for the environment and public health. Consideration of future consequences (CFC) is a psychological construct that distinguishes individuals who adopt behaviors based on immediate needs and concerns from individuals who consider the future implications and consequences of their behavior. The objective of this study was to assess the association between CFC and indicators of dietary behaviors such as food choice motives, food intake, diet quality, and snacking. A sample of 50,955 participants from the NutriNet-Santé study completed the CFC-12 questionnaire. Food choice motives were assessed using a validated questionnaire regrouping 9 food choice motives. Food intake and diet quality (mPNNS-GS) were evaluated with of 24-h dietary records, and snacking frequency by using an ad-hoc question. Linear and logistic regressions adjusted for socio-demographic factors were performed. CFC was associated with all food choice motives (p<.0001), with the strongest associations observed for “environmental limitations” and “health” motives. CFC was also associated with intake of 13 out of the 16 food groups (p<.02). The strongest positive associations were found for fruits and vegetables and whole-grain products, while the strongest negative associations were found for alcohol and meat. Overall, CFC was positively associated with diet quality (p<.0001) and negatively associated with snacking frequency (p<.0001). Our data suggest that future-oriented individuals are concerned by their future individual health and also by more distal and altruistic environmental goals