Associations between Low-Calorie Sweetener Beverage Consumption and Diet Quality in Children and Adolescents

This study aims to investigate the association between LCSB consumption and diet quality in children and adolescents, and to compare the diet quality of LCSB consumers with that of water consumers, consumers, or combined consumers of both LCSBs+SSBs. Dietary data collected from children and adolescents enrolled in The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2016 were used to assess diet quality using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) total and subcomponent scores. Consumption of LCSBs or SSB+LCSBs does not appear to improve diet quality compared to water. These findings reinforce recommendations that SSBs should be replaced with water rather than LCSBs

The impact of parents\u27 categorization of their own weight and their child\u27s weight on healthy lifestyle promoting beliefs and practices

Objective. To evaluate parents’ beliefs and practices related to childhood obesity and determine if these are influenced by parent’s perception of their own weight or their child’s weight. Methods. Parents of obese (n = 689) or normal weight (n = 1122) children 4–15 years in Georgia, USA, were randomly selected to complete a telephone survey. Frequency of child obesity-related perceptions, beliefs, and practices were assessed, stratified by parent-perceived self-weight and child weight status, and compared using Chi-squared tests and multivariate logistic regression. Results. Most parents, regardless of perceived child weight, agreed that child overweight/obesity can cause serious illness (95%) but only one-half believed it was a problem in Georgia. Many (42.4%) failed to recognize obesity in their own children. More parents who perceived their child as overweight versus normal weight reported concern about their child’s diet and activity and indicated readiness for lifestyle change. Parents’ perception of their own weight had little additional impact. Conclusions. While awareness of child overweight as a modifiable health risk is high, many parents fail to recognize it in their own families and communities, reducing the likelihood of positive lifestyle change. Additional efforts to help parents understand their role in facilitating behavior change and to assist them in identifying at-risk children are required

The Impact of Parents’ Categorization of Their Own Weight and Their Child’s Weight on Healthy Lifestyle Promoting Beliefs and Practices

Objective. To evaluate parents’ beliefs and practices related to childhood obesity and determine if these are influenced by parent’s perception of their own weight or their child’s weight. Methods. Parents of obese ( = 689) or normal weight ( = 1122) children 4–15 years in Georgia, USA, were randomly selected to complete a telephone survey. Frequency of child obesity-related perceptions, beliefs, and practices were assessed, stratified by parent-perceived self-weight and child weight status, and compared using Chisquared tests and multivariate logistic regression. Results. Most parents, regardless of perceived child weight, agreed that child overweight/obesity can cause serious illness (95%) but only one-half believed it was a problem in Georgia. Many (42.4%) failed to recognize obesity in their own children. More parents who perceived their child as overweight versus normal weight reported concern about their child’s diet and activity and indicated readiness for lifestyle change. Parents’ perception of their own weight had little additional impact. Conclusions. While awareness of child overweight as a modifiable health risk is high, many parents fail to recognize it in their own families and communities, reducing the likelihood of positive lifestyle change. Additional efforts to help parents understand their role in facilitating behavior change and to assist them in identifying at-risk children are required

Consumption of Low-calorie Sweeteners in the United States 2009-12

We have previously demonstrated that low-calorie sweetener (LCS) consumption increased in the United States (US) between 1999 and 2008 (from 9% to 15 % in kids and from 27% to 32% in adults), but little is known about current consumption. We therefore analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data collected in 2011-12 and compared LCS consumption patterns across socio-demographic subgroups. Dietary sources of LCS were identified using NHANES food descriptions. Prevalence of consumption nationally and by age, race, gender, socio-economic status, educational attainment, were estimated using two 24-hour dietary recalls. F-tests were used to evaluate differences in consumption across socio-demographic subgroups. Forty-two percent of the adults and 26% percent of children reported consuming an LCS-containing food or beverage in 2009-12. Thirty-one percent of adults consumed beverages and 11% consumed foods sweetened with LCS. In addition, 14% reported addition of LCS from packets to their foods or beverages. Similar findings were observed among children, with 19% and 8% consuming LCS-containing beverages and foods, respectively. Less than 1% of children reported consuming LCS packets. LCS consumption was highest among non-Hispanic white (47%) compared to non-Hispanic black (29%), and Hispanic (32%) adults (

Low-Calorie Sweetened Beverage Consumption Does Not Reduce Total Energy or Sugar Intake among Children

Beverages containing low-calories sweeteners (LCSB) are used as alternatives to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), yet their effects on the overall diet and effectiveness for weight management are unclear. The objective of this analysis was to examine energy and macronutrient intake among children who report LCSB and SSB consumption. The findings of this analysis challenge the utility of LCSB consumption as a strategy for weight management in children

Avian oncogenesis induced by lymphoproliferative disease virus: a neglected or emerging retroviral pathogen?

Lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) is an exogenous oncogenic retrovirus that induces lymphoid tumors in some galliform species of birds. Historically, outbreaks of LPDV have been reported from Europe and Israel. Although the virus has previously never been detected in North America, herein we describe the widespread distribution, genetic diversity, pathogenesis, and evolution of LPDV in the United States. Characterization of the provirus genome of the index LPDV case from North America demonstrated an 88% nucleotide identity to the Israeli prototype strain. Although phylogenetic analysis indicated that the majority of viruses fell into a single North American lineage, a small subset of viruses from South Carolina were most closely related to the Israeli prototype. These results suggest that LPDV was transferred between continents to initiate outbreaks of disease. However, the direction (New World to Old World or vice versa), mechanism, and time frame of the transcontinental spread currently remain unknown

Glucose Induces Pancreatic Islet Cell Apoptosis That Requires the BH3-Only Proteins Bim and Puma and Multi-BH Domain Protein Bax

OBJECTIVE: High concentrations of circulating glucose are believed to contribute to defective insulin secretion and beta-cell function in diabetes and at least some of this effect appears to be caused by glucose-induced beta-cell apoptosis. In mammalian cells, apoptotic cell death is controlled by the interplay of proapoptotic and antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family. We investigated the apoptotic pathway induced in mouse pancreatic islet cells after exposure to high concentrations of the reducing sugars ribose and glucose as a model of beta-cell death due to long-term metabolic stress. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Islets isolated from mice lacking molecules implicated in cell death pathways were exposed to high concentrations of glucose or ribose. Apoptosis was measured by analysis of DNA fragmentation and release of mitochondrial cytochrome c. RESULTS: Deficiency of interleukin-1 receptors or Fas did not diminish apoptosis, making involvement of inflammatory cytokine receptor or death receptor signaling in glucose-induced apoptosis unlikely. In contrast, overexpression of the prosurvival protein Bcl-2 or deficiency of the apoptosis initiating BH3-only proteins Bim or Puma, or the downstream apoptosis effector Bax, markedly reduced glucose- or ribose-induced killing of islets. Loss of other BH3-only proteins Bid or Noxa, or the Bax-related effector Bak, had no impact on glucose-induced apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: These results implicate the Bcl-2 regulated apoptotic pathway in glucose-induced islet cell killing and indicate points in the pathway at which interventional strategies can be designed