Trends In Snacking Among U.S. Children

Nationally representative surveys of food intake in US children show large snacking increases between the 1989–91 to 1994–98 and 1994–98 to 2003–06 periods. Childhood snacking trends are moving toward three snacks per day with over 27% of daily calories coming from snacks. The largest increases have been in salty snack and candy consumption, while desserts and sweetened beverages remain the major sources of calories from snacks

Trends in purchases and intake of foods and beverages containing caloric and low-calorie sweeteners over the last decade in the United States: Consumption of caloric & low-calorie sweeteners

Current food databases might not capture rapidly occurring changes in the food supply, such as the increased use of caloric (CS) and low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) in products

Current patterns of water and beverage consumption among Mexican children and adolescents aged 1-18 years: Analysis of the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012

Objective: To evaluate patterns of water consumption from plain water, beverages and foods among Mexican children and adolescents and to compare actual patterns of total daily water intake with the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). Design: We analysed one 24 h dietary recall from Mexican children and adolescents. We calculated intakes of total daily water and water from foods and from beverages. Actual total water intake per capita was subtracted from the DRI for water to calculate the shortfall. Setting: Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey in 2012. Subjects: Mexican children and adolescents (n 6867) aged 1-18 years. Results: Approximately 73 % of children and adolescents aged 1 -18 years reported drinking plain water. Beverages and plain water represented 65.5 % and 26.5% of total daily water intake, respectively. Among 1-3-year-olds, the top three main sources of water were from foods, plain water and water from plain milk. Among 4-8- and 9-13-year-olds, the main sources were from foods, plain water and agua fresca (fruit water). Among 14-18-year-olds, the main sources of water were plain water, water from foods and soda. A higher proportion of 1-3-year-olds and 4-8-year-olds met the DRI for water (38 % and 29 %, respectively). Among 9-13-year-olds and 14-18-year-olds, 13-19 % of children met the DRI for water. Conclusions: Total daily water intakes remain below DRI levels in all age groups. Although plain water still contributes the greatest proportion to daily water intake among fluids, caloric beverages are currently major sources of water especially among older children and adolescents

Estimating usual intakes mainly affects the micronutrient distribution among infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers from the 2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey

Abstract Objective To compare estimates from one day with usual intake estimates to evaluate how the adjustment for within-person variability affected nutrient intake and adequacy in Mexican children. Design In order to obtain usual nutrient intakes, the National Cancer Institute’s method was used to correct the first 24 h dietary recall collected in the entire sample ( n 2045) with a second 24 h recall collected in a sub-sample ( n 178). We computed estimates of one-day and usual intakes of total energy, fat, Fe, Zn and Na. Setting 2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey. Subjects A total of 2045 children were included: 0–5·9 months old ( n 182), 6–11·9 months old ( n 228), 12–23·9 months old ( n 537) and 24–47·9 months old ( n 1098). From these, 178 provided an additional dietary recall. Results Although we found small or no differences in energy intake (kJ/d and kcal/d) between one-day v . usual intake means, the prevalence of inadequate and excessive energy intake decreased somewhat when using measures of usual intake relative to one day. Mean fat intake (g/d) was not different between one-day and usual intake among children >6 months old, but the prevalence of inadequate and excessive fat intake was overestimated among toddlers and pre-schoolers when using one-day intake ( P< 0·05). Compared with usual intake, estimates from one day yielded overestimated prevalences of inadequate micronutrient intakes but underestimated prevalences of excessive intakes among children aged >6 months. Conclusions There was overall low variability in energy and fat intakes but higher for micronutrients. Because the usual intake distributions are narrower, the prevalence of inadequate/excessive intakes may be biased when estimating nutrient adequacy if one day of data is used

Capturing the Healthfulness of the In-store Environments of United Kingdom Supermarket Stores Over 5 Months (January-May 2019)

INTRODUCTION: Numerous environmental factors within supermarkets can influence the healthfulness of food purchases. This research aims to identify the changes in store healthfulness scores and assess the variations by store type and neighborhood deprivation using an adapted Consumer Nutrition Environment tool. METHODS: Between January and May 2019, a total of 104 supermarkets in London were surveyed on 1-3 occasions. The adapted Consumer Nutrition Environment tool included data on 9 variables (variety, price, quality, promotions, shelf placement, store placement, nutrition information, healthier alternatives, and single fruit sale) for 11 healthy and 5 less healthy food items. An algorithm was used to create a composite score of in-store healthfulness and to assess inter-rater reliability. Longitudinal changes in overall store healthfulness and individual variables were investigated using multivariable hierarchical mixed models. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the differences by store type and neighborhood deprivation in each month. All analyses were conducted between January and July 2020. RESULTS: The adapted Consumer Nutrition Environment tool showed acceptable inter-rater reliability. Large stores exhibited healthier environments than small stores (p<0.001), with a similar pattern for each of the 9 individual variables. Within large stores, the overall healthfulness score did not change over the study period. Promotions on more healthful items increased in February (p=0.04), and the availability of healthier alternatives for less healthy foods decreased in March (p=0.01). Within small stores, there was a trend toward increasing healthfulness (p<0.001), primarily owing to more promotions on healthy items (p<0.001). There was no difference in overall healthfulness by neighborhood deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: The adapted Consumer Nutrition Environment tool is sensitive to longitudinal changes in environmental variables that contribute to store healthfulness. A wider application of this tool could be used to map in-store environments to identify targets for interventions to encourage healthier food purchasing

The double burden of under- and overnutrition and nutrient adequacy among Chinese preschool and school-aged children in 2009–2011

Coincident with economic development, China has experienced a dramatic transition from undernutrition to overweight/obesity over the last few decades. We aimed to explore the burden of under- and overnutrition and nutrient adequacy among 2-12 y-old Chinese children

Associations between food group intakes and circulating insulin-like growth factor-I in the UK Biobank: a cross-sectional analysis

PURPOSE: Circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations have been positively associated with risk of several common cancers and inversely associated with risk of bone fractures. Intakes of some foods have been associated with increased circulating IGF-I concentrations; however, evidence remains inconclusive. Our aim was to assess cross-sectional associations of food group intakes with circulating IGF-I concentrations in the UK Biobank. METHODS: At recruitment, the UK Biobank participants reported their intake of commonly consumed foods. From these questions, intakes of total vegetables, fresh fruit, red meat, processed meat, poultry, oily fish, non-oily fish, and cheese were estimated. Serum IGF-I concentrations were measured in blood samples collected at recruitment. After exclusions, a total of 438,453 participants were included in this study. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the associations of food group intakes with circulating IGF-I concentrations. RESULTS: Compared to never consumers, participants who reported consuming oily fish or non-oily fish ≥ 2 times/week had 1.25 nmol/L (95% confidence interval:1.19–1.31) and 1.16 nmol/L (1.08–1.24) higher IGF-I concentrations, respectively. Participants who reported consuming poultry ≥ 2 times/week had 0.87 nmol/L (0.80–0.94) higher IGF-I concentrations than those who reported never consuming poultry. There were no strong associations between other food groups and IGF-I concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: We found positive associations between oily and non-oily fish intake and circulating IGF-I concentrations. A weaker positive association of IGF-I with poultry intake was also observed. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms which might explain these associations

Evaluation of New Technology-Based Tools for Dietary Intake Assessment-An ILSI Europe Dietary Intake and Exposure Task Force Evaluation

BACKGROUND: New technology-based dietary assessment tools, including Web-based programs, mobile applications, and wearable devices, may improve accuracy and reduce costs of dietary data collection and processing. The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Europe Dietary Intake and Exposure Task Force launched this project to evaluate new tools in order to recommend general quality standards for future applications. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search identified technology-based dietary assessment tools, including those published in English from 01/2011 to 09/2017, and providing details on tool features, functions and uses. Each of the 43 tools identified (33 for research and 10 designed for consumer use) was rated on 25 attributes. RESULTS: Most of the tools identified (79%) relied on self-reported dietary intakes. Most (91%) used text entry and 33% used digital images to help identify foods. Only 65% had integrated databases for estimating energy or nutrients. Fewer than 50% contained any features of customization and about half generated automatic reports. Most tools reported on usability or reported validity compared with another assessment method (77%). A set of Best Practice Guidelines was developed for reporting dietary assessment tools using new technology. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary assessment methods that utilize technology offer many advantages for research and are often preferable to consumers over more traditional methods. In order to meet general quality standards, new technology tools require detailed publications describing tool development, food identification and quantification, customization, outputs, food composition tables used, and usability/validity testing