Energy metabolism of overweight women before, during and after weight reduction, assessed by indirect calorimetry

Previous studies had suggested that periods of low energy intake evoke compensatory adaptations in energy metabolism, which retard weight loss, and promote weight regain when energy intake returns to normal. The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether a slimming (low-energy) diet based on alternating energy intake could counteract this decrease in energy requirement. The persistance of the reduction of energy metabolism was studied 1 month and approximately 1 year after weight reduction.The effects of three slimming diets were compared pairwise in three separate studies. To this end, a cross-over design was used (fig. 2). Two alternating diets (diet AB/100: one day solely bread, water. coffee and tea, the other day providing 100 % (normal diet) the daily energy need and diet A50/100: one day providing 50 % of the daily energy need, the other day 100 %) and one continuous diet (C50: providing 50 % of daily energy need every day) were prescribed or supplied. Ten women participated in each study. First each subject lived on a weight-maintenance diet (S100) for 8 days, then two periods of low energy intake, of 4 weeks each, followed immediately afterwards. Energy balances were determined during the final 8 days of each diet period. The 24 hour energy expenditure was measured in a respiration chamber for 2 or 3 successive days. The activity pattern in the respiration chamber was standardized. Dopplermeters and actometers were used to record physical activity.Follow-up measurements of energy balance were made on ten subjects 1 month after slimming and on eight subjects energy balance was determined approximately 1 year after slimming. Weight-maintenance diets, adjusted for weight loss, were supplied during the follow-up measurement periods.Over the first 4 weeks of slimming body weights decreased by averages of 5.8 kg (C50), 4.5 kg (AB/100) and 3.9 kg (A50/100). The average weight losses over 8 weeks were 6.9 to 9.0 kg. After 8 weeks at a low energy intake 24 hour energy expenditure had declined by 12 - 15 %. This decline was partly (50 %) accounted for by the reductions in body weight and partly (30 %) by reduced dietary induced thermogenesis. The remaining part (20 %) of the decline was probably due to the reduced cost and amount of physical activity which was indicated by Dopplermeter counts and actometer counts.Sleeping energy expenditure also decreased during slimming by 6 - 13 %, but this was no more than could be expected from weight loss.Weight reduction by alternating (low with normal) low energy intakes resulted in a reduction of energy expenditure which, when weight loss and energy intake were taken into account, was similar to the reduction by continuous low energy intake, thus alternating low energy intake did not prevent energy expenditure rates from declining.Subjects participating in the follow-up studies maintained their reduced body weights successfully. Their 24 hour energy expenditure rates in the follow-up studies were still below the rates measured before slimming. When body weight and energy intake were taken into account, both the 24 hour energy expenditure values and the sleeping energy expenditure values were the same before slimming, and 1 month or 1 year after slimming.The changes of energy metabolism were determined by alterations in body weight and energy intake and probably in physical activity as well. It remains to be investigated whether other adaptive mechanisms are evoked when energy intake is restricted more severely or for longer periods.</TT

Do dietary patterns in older men influence change in homocysteine through folate fortification? The Normative Aging Study

Objective We aimed to describe the difference in B-vitamin intake and in plasma B-vitamin and homocysteine concentrations before and after folic acid fortification, in relation to dietary patterns. Design The Normative Aging Study (NAS) is a longitudinal study on ageing. Between 1961 and 1970, 2280 male volunteers aged 21¿80 years (mean 42 years) were recruited. Dietary intake data have been collected since 1987 and assessment of plasma B vitamins and homocysteine was added in 1993. Setting Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Subjects In the present study, 354 men who had completed at least one FFQ and one measurement of homocysteine, both before and after the fortification period, were included. Results Three dietary patterns were identified by cluster analysis: (i) a prudent pattern, with relatively high intakes of fruit, vegetables, low-fat milk and breakfast cereals; (ii) an unhealthy pattern, with high intakes of baked products, sweets and added fats; and (iii) a low fruit and vegetable but relatively high alcohol intake pattern. Dietary intake and plasma concentrations of folate increased significantly (P <0·05) among all dietary patterns after the fortification period. Homocysteine tended to decrease in supplement non-users and in subjects in the high alcohol, low fruit and vegetable dietary pattern (both P = 0·08). Conclusions After fortification with folic acid, folate intake and plasma folate concentration increased significantly in all dietary patterns. There was a trend towards greatest homocysteine lowering in the high alcohol, low fruit and vegetable grou

Dietary assessment methods for micronutrient intake in elderly people: a systematic review

The European micronutrient recommendations aligned (EURRECA) Network of Excellence seeks to establish clear guidelines for assessing the validity of reported micronutrient intakes among vulnerable population groups. A systematic literature review identified studies validating the methodology used in elderly people for measuring usual dietary micronutrient intake. The quality of each validation study selected was assessed using a EURRECA-developed scoring system. The validation studies were categorised according to whether the reference method applied reflected short-term intake ( <7 d), long-term intake ( = 7 d) or used biomarkers (BM). A correlation coefficient for each micronutrient was calculated from the mean of the correlation coefficients from each study weighted by the quality of the study. Thirty-three papers were selected, which included the validation of twenty-five different FFQ, six diet histories (DH), one 24-h recall (24HR) and a videotaped dietary assessment method. A total of five publications analysed BM, which were used to validate four FFQ, and one 24HR, presenting very good correlations only for vitamin E. The analysis of weighted correlation coefficients classified by FFQ or DH showed that most of the micronutrients had higher correlations when the DH was used as the dietary method. Comparing only FFQ results showed very good correlations for measuring short-term intakes of riboflavin and thiamin and long-term intakes of P and Mg. When frequency methods are used for assessing micronutrient intake, the inclusion of dietary supplements improves their reliability for most micronutrients

Made to Order: A Preliminary Review of Crime Risk Assessments in New South Wales, Australia

In 2001, guidelines were introduced in New South Wales (NSW) to ensure that proposed developments/redevelopments of the built environment reflected key crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) principles. The guidelines state that in certain circumstances a crime risk assessment report is required on the proposed development. To date, these guidelines have not been evaluated, making it impossible to assess their impact and the utility of the associated crime risk assessment reports. Partially to address this gap, a small number (four) of publicly available crime risk assessment reports have been reviewed and key issues highlighted here. In particular, the relevance of some aspects of these reports is questioned, as is the impact of the relationship between the client (i.e. developer) commissioning the report and the ‘independent’ consultant. The small sample of risk assessment reports reviewed here cannot be considered representative of the larger body of such reports. Further research is required to determine the veracity of the findings of this small review.Sydney Institute of Criminology; School of Social Sciences at the University of Western Sydne

Vitaal naar de eindstreep

Hoe worden we gezond oud? Trainen en extra eiwitten werken, blijkt uit onderzoek van de afdeling Humane voeding. Over het effect van vitamines en omega-3 vetzuren is het laatste woord nog niet gezegd

Overview of methods used to evaluate the adequacy of nutrient intakes for individuals and populations

The objective of the present paper is to review the methods of measuring micronutrient intake adequacy for individuals and for populations in order to ascertain best practice. A systematic review was conducted to locate studies on the methodological aspects of measuring nutrient adequacy. The results showed that for individuals, qualitative methods (to find probability of adequacy) and quantitative methods (to find confidence of adequacy) have been proposed for micronutrients where there is enough data to set an average nutrient requirement (ANR). If micronutrients do not have ANR, an adequate intake (AI) is often defined and can be used to assess adequacy, provided the distribution of daily intake over a number of days is known. The probability of an individual's intake being excessive can also be compared with the upper level of safe intake and the confidence of this estimate determined in a similar way. At the population level, adequacy can be judged from the ANR using the probability approach or its short cut – the estimated average requirement cut-point method. If the micronutrient does not have an ANR, adequacy cannot be determined from the average intake and must be expressed differently. The upper level of safe intake can be used for populations in a similar way to that of individuals. All of the methodological studies reviewed were from the American continent and all used the methodology described in the Institute of Medicine publications. The present methodology should now be adapted for use in Europe

Associations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D with fasting glucose, fasting insulin, dementia and depression in European elderly: the SENECA study

Purpose The classical consequence of vitamin D deficiency is osteomalacia, but recent insights into the function of vitamin D suggest that it may play a role in other body systems as well. The objective of this study was to examine the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and markers of glucose metabolism (n = 593), global cognitive functioning (n = 116) and depression (n = 118) in European elderly participating in the SENECA study. Moreover, we wanted to explore whether the observed associations of 25(OH)D with depression and global cognitive performance were mediated by fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels. Methods Cross-sectional associations between 25(OH)D and FPG, fasting plasma insulin (FPI) and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), a marker of insulin resistance, were estimated from multiple regression analyses. Associations of 25(OH)D with global cognitive functioning (Mini Mental State Examination) and depression (Geriatric Depression Scale) were examined using Poisson regression. Results An inverse association was observed between 25(OH)D and FPG (ß-0.001), indicating a 1 % decrease in FPG per 10 nmol/L increase in 25(OH)D, but after full adjustment for demographic factors, lifestyle factors and calcium intake, this association was not statistically significant (P = 0.07). Although participants with intermediate and high serum 25(OH)D levels showed a tendency towards a lower depression score after adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors, RR and 95 % CI: 0.73 (0.51–1.04) and 0.76 (0.52–1.11), respectively, these findings were not statistically significant. Conclusion An inverse association of 25(OH)D with depression and FPG was observed, but this association was not statistically significant. There was no association between 25(OH)D with FPI and HOMA-IR or with global cognitive functioning. More studies are needed to further explore the possible role of vitamin D in the various body system

Langer fit met beter eten

Ouderen die zelfstandig thuis wonen, lopen het risico ondervoed te raken. Wageningen UR onderzoekt hoe dat is te voorkomen met producten en maaltijden die verrijkt zijn met extra eiwit. Maar hoe breng je die op de markt? De meeste ouderen voelen zich niet oud en zijn zich totaal niet bewust van hun voedingsstatus

Validation of dietary history method in a group of elderly women using measurements of total energy expenditure.

The objective of the present study was to validate energy intake data, obtained by dietary history, in twelve elderly women aged 69–82 years. Energy and protein intakes were obtained using the dietary history method with a reference period of 30 d. Reported energy intake was compared with total energy expenditure (TEE) measured on two consecutive days in a respiration chamber. Reported protein intake was compared with mean N excretion from four 24 h urine collections. Mean reported energy intake was 7.2 (SD 1.5) MJ/d which was lower than TEE (P=0.059). Reported protein intake was 64 (SD 13) g/d and lower than estimated protein intake (P=0.053). The percentage underestimation was not related to body weight or percentage body fat. Subjects with a relatively high TEE or a relatively high estimated protein intake underestimated their energy intake to a greater extent. The discrepancy between reported energy intake and TEE was positively associated with the discrepancy between reported and estimated protein intakes. The results of this present study show an underestimation of energy intake of about 12% when using the dietary history method. Physical activity diaries completed in the chamber and during 4 d at home, as well as pedometer counts, indicated a higher level of physical activity in the free-living situation compared with the chamber situation. This suggests that the actual underestimation of energy intake may be even higher in this group of elderly women. These results have implications for the use of the dietary history method in, for example, epidemiological studies carried out in elderly subjects