Development of a food frequency questionnaire for Sri Lankan adults

Abstract (provisional) Background Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) are commonly used in epidemiologic studies to assess long-term nutritional exposure. Because of wide variations in dietary habits in different countries, a FFQ must be developed to suit the specific population. Sri Lanka is undergoing nutritional transition and diet-related chronic diseases are emerging as an important health problem. Currently, no FFQ has been developed for Sri Lankan adults. In this study, we developed a FFQ to assess the regular dietary intake of Sri Lankan adults. Methods A nationally representative sample of 600 adults was selected by a multi-stage random cluster sampling technique and dietary intake was assessed by random 24-h dietary recall. Nutrient analysis of the FFQ required the selection of foods, development of recipes and application of these to cooked foods to develop a nutrient database. We constructed a comprehensive food list with the units of measurement. A stepwise regression method was used to identify foods contributing to a cumulative 90% of variance to total energy and macronutrients. In addition, a series of photographs were included. Results We obtained dietary data from 482 participants and 312 different food items were recorded. Nutritionists grouped similar food items which resulted in a total of 178 items. After performing step-wise multiple regression, 93 foods explained 90% of the variance for total energy intake, carbohydrates, protein, total fat and dietary fibre. Finally, 90 food items and 12 photographs were selected. Conclusion We developed a FFQ and the related nutrient composition database for Sri Lankan adults. Culturally specific dietary tools are central to capturing the role of diet in risk for chronic disease in Sri Lanka. The next step will involve the verification of FFQ reproducibility and validity

Genomic Interventions for Biofortification of Food Crops

Micronutrient deficiencies are reported to affect more than two billion people worldwide. Importantly, people inhabiting rural and semi-urban areas are more vulnerable to these nutritional disorders. In view of the inadequacy of nutrition-specific approaches that rely on changing the food-consumption behaviour, nutrition-sensitive interventions like crop biofortification offer sustainable means to address the problem of malnutrition worldwide. Biofortification enhances nutrient density in crop plants during plant growth through genetic or agronomic practices. Traditional plant breeding techniques and genetic engineering approaches are key to crop biofortification. Here, we summarize recent advances in genomics that have contributed towards the progress of crop biofortification. Rapidly evolving technologies like high-density genotyping assays have accelerated harnessing gains associated with natural variation of mineral contents available in crop wild relatives and landraces. The genetic nature of the mineral composition is being resolved, thus furthering the understanding of trait architecture. Conventional QTL mapping techniques have made significant contribution towards this end. New molecular breeding techniques like genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS) are opening new avenues for capturing the maximum variation for elemental content, majorly explained by small-effect QTL. The potential of GS in this respect is enhanced several fold with the increasing availability of rapid generation advancement systems and high-throughput elemental profiling platforms. Evidences from latest research involving cutting-edge omics techniques including metabolomics help better elucidate nutrient metabolism in plants. Increasing the efficiency of biofortification breeding could enhance the rate of delivery of nutritionally rich cultivars of food crops, which will be easily accessible to a larger segment of nutrient-deficient people in the most cost-efficient way