Under-Reporting of energy intake in elderly Australian women is associated with a higher body mass index

Design: Dietary intake was assessed using a 3-day weighed food record. Protein intake was validated by 24-hour urinary nitrogen. To examine under-reporting, participants were grouped according to their energy intake and compared to the Goldberg cut-off equation. Logistic regression was performed to assess the influence of body mass index (BMI) and social-demographic factors on under-reporting. Setting: Community dwelling elderly women from Perth, Western Australia. Participants: 217 elderly women aged 70–80 years. Results: Under-reporters had a higher physical activity level (p<0.001) compared with acceptable-reporters. The under-reporters also had a higher body weight (p=0.006), body mass index (BMI) (p=0.001), waist (p=0.011), hip circumference (p<0.001), whole body fat mass (p<0.001) and percentage body fat (p<0.001) than acceptable-reporters. Under-reporters had a significantly lower intakes of protein, fat, carbohydrate and alcohol (p<0.001) and fewer reported food items, compared with acceptable reporters. However, 24-hour urinary nitrogen was only marginally different between the two groups (p=0.053). Participants with a higher BMI were more likely to under-report their energy intake (BMI=25–29.9: odds ratio=2.98[95% CI=1.46–6.09]; BMI≥30: 5.84[2.41–14.14]). Conclusion: Under-reporting energy intake in elderly women was associated with a higher BMI, body fat and higher self-reported physical activity levels. A higher BMI (≥25) appears to be most significant factor in determining if elderly women will underreport their food intake and may be related to body image. These results have implications for undertaking surveys of food intake in elderly women

Carbon nanotube composite materials: opportunities and processing issues

In this article we present a general introduction into the field of carbon nanotubes composites. The opportunities for achieving novel high performance materials with superior properties are highlighted and the challenges to be overcome are discussed. Here, the focus lies on the following key issues: Nanotubes’ dispersion and aggregation, matrix compatibility, load-transfer and interface interactions. Processing strategies for different classes of polymers towards advanced functional nanomaterials are presented.Funding from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under projects MAT 2006-13167-C02-01 and -02, MAT2007-66927-C02-01, is gratefully acknowledged. M.N. acknowledges the CSIC for a postdoctoral contract (I3PDR-6-02), financed by the European Social Fund. We like to thank the European Commission for the synchrotron project at the Soft Condensed Matter A2 beamline at HASYLAB (DESY-Hamburg, I-20080056 EC).Peer reviewe