A comparison of the nutritional quality of organic and conventional ready-to-eat breakfast cereals based on NuVal scores.

OBJECTIVE: To identify whether there were differences in nutritional quality between organic and conventional ready-to-eat breakfast cereals of similar types, based on NuVal scores. DESIGN: The current descriptive study analysed NuVal scores for 829 ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and eighteen different cereal types. ANOVA was used to compare the mean NuVal scores of 723 conventional cereals with those of 106 organic cereals. SETTING: Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (n 829) with NuVal scores. SUBJECTS: Not applicable. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in NuVal scores between conventional (mean 28·4 (sd 13·4)) and organic (mean 30·6 (sd 13·2)) cereal types. CONCLUSIONS: Consumers who choose the organic version of a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal believing that nutritional quality is superior may not be making a valid assumption. Public health nutrition educators must help consumers understand that organic cereals are not necessarily more nutritious and their consumption could result in excessive intake of undesirable nutrients, such as fat, sugar and sodium.

The impact of dietary restraint and moderate-intensity exercise on post-exercise energy intake in sedentary males.

Exercise is often used for successful weight management, particularly by males. However, exercise may have the potential to promote counter-regulatory eating, because of certain cognitive and psychological factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the unknown role of dietary restraint, BMI, and dieting status on acute and 12-hour post-exercise energy intake (PE-EI) in sedentary males following moderate-intensity exercise. The study consisted of two experimental conditions, exercise and rest, in a counterbalanced-crossover design on two days. Exercise consisted of walking on a treadmill for 60 min. Acute and 12-hour PE-EI were compared on exercise and rest days. Eighty males, mean age 30+/-8 years, participated in the study and were categorized by dietary restraint level, BMI, and dieting status. The main effects of condition and group, and the interaction were not significant for acute or 12-hour PE-EI, suggesting that a single bout of moderate-intensity exercise did not influence PE-EI in sedentary males in reference to dietary restraint, BMI, and dieting status. Therefore, moderate-intensity exercise as a prescription for weight loss does not appear to promote counter-regulatory eating in sedentary males.

Psychosocial risk factors for eating disorders in Hispanic females of diverse ethnic background and non-Hispanic females.

This study investigated differences in psychosocial risk factors for eating disorders among university females (n=406) of diverse Hispanic background (Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central American/Mexican, Dominican, Venezuelan) and among White non-Hispanic (n=102) female students. Risk factors were assessed using the Psychosocial Risk Factor Questionnaire (PRFQ) which includes four subscales: Social Pressure for Thinness, Media Pressure for Thinness, Concern for Physical Appearance, and Perception of Physical Appearance. There were significant differences among the groups in total PRFQ score, F(7,499)=2.76, P<.008, and the subscale score for Concern, F(7,499)=2.99, P<.004, with Dominicans, Venezuelans and Columbians having higher scores than White non-Hispanics and Central Americans/Mexicans. In addition, there was a significant difference in BMI, F(7,499)=2.70, P<.009. Both Puerto Ricans (24.27+0.81) and Venezuelans (24.66+1.00) had higher BMIs than White non-Hispanics (21.87+0.37), Cubans (21.99+0.24) and Brazilians (21.46+0.96). There was also a significant, F(7,498)=2.70, P<.009, difference among the groups in Ideal Body Image score. Puerto Ricans had the highest score and Brazilians the lowest. Acknowledging that differences in psychosocial risk factors exist among Hispanic females of diverse background can assist us in creating more targeted approaches for the prevention of potential eating disorders in this population.

CDE and non-CDE dietitians' knowledge of exercise and content of exercise programs for older adults with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To study differences between non-certified diabetes educator registered dietitians (non-CDE-RDs) and certified diabetes educator registered dietitians (CDE-RDs) in the design and content of programs to promote physical activity in older adults with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: The Exercise Teaching Questionnaire was used to assess knowledge of and promotion of physical activity. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Surveys were sent to CDE-RDs and non-CDE-RDs in Florida, California, and Texas. Ninety-four CDE-RDs and 73 non-CDE-RDs completed the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The independent variable was CDE status. The dependent variables were knowledge, design, content, and total exercise scores. ANALYSIS: Two-way ANOVA's tested for Knowledge, Design, and Content scores by RD status and one of the following: years practicing in diabetes education, state, and practice setting. RESULTS: The exercise Knowledge, Design and Content scores were significantly (P < .001) higher in the CDE-RDs compared to those of the non-CDE-RDs. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study indicate that education and experience play a key role in the design and content of programs to promote physical activity in older adults. Therefore, the results raise the question of the role the dietitian and nutrition educator should play in the promotion of physical activity in older adults.

Low-fat diet: effect on anthropometrics, blood pressure, glucose, and insulin in older women.

OBJECTIVE: The Women's Health Trial: Feasibility Study in Minority Populations (WHT: FSMP) documented that a low-fat diet was associated with a reduced fat intake in older women of diverse ethnic backgrounds. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of the low-fat diet on anthropometric and biochemical variables. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial in 2,208 postmenopausal women, 50 to 79 years of age. RESULTS: The decrease in fat intake correlated directly with a decrease in body weight (r=.22, P<.001). After 6 months, the intervention group had an average weight loss of 1.8 kg. Body mass index decreased 0.7 kg/m2. Waist circumference decreased 1.8 cm. All of these changes were statistically significant, compared to changes in the control group (P<.01). Changes in systolic (-3.1 mm Hg) and diastolic (-1.1 mm Hg) blood pressures (BP) occurred in the intervention group. The decrease in systolic BP reached statistical significance (P=.02), relative to the control group. Decreases in plasma glucose were small (-0.2 mmol/L) in the intervention group, although there was a trend for difference from the control group (P=.11). Decreases in serum insulin levels were small (-0.5 microIU/mL) in the intervention group, although there was, again, a trend for difference from the control group. CONCLUSIONS: In older White, Black, and Hispanic women, a long-term low-fat dietary intervention was accompanied by modest, but statistically significant, decreases in body weight and anthropometric indices, without any particular attempt being made to reduce calories. Changes in glucose and insulin were small. The long-term biological significance of the glucose and insulin changes is unknown.

Dietary restraint influences accuracies in estimating energy expenditure and energy intake among physically inactive males.

Inaccurate estimations of energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (EE) may ultimately affect body weight. The purpose of this study was to evaluate accuracy of estimated EI and EE among males in reference to exercise and rest using a counterbalanced, crossover, repeated-measures design. Participants (N = 80) were recruited from a large, urban university in South Florida. Exercise consisted of walking on a treadmill for 60 min at 65% age-predicted maximum heart rate. Food intake was evaluated immediately following exercise and rest. Participants underestimated EI (kcal) on both the exercise (M = 435, SEM = 69) and rest days (M = 439, SEM = 54), overestimated EE (kcal) for exercise (M = 129, SEM = 44), and underestimated EE for rest (M = 54, SEM = 10). Greater accuracy in estimating EE for exercise was significantly (p < .05) associated with higher dietary restraint. The findings suggest that among sedentary males, there is an inability to accurately estimate calories, which has the potential to influence behaviors that affect weight management.

Effect of moderate intensity exercise on acute energy intake in normal and overweight females.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of moderate intensity exercise on acute post-exercise energy intake (EI) in normal and overweight females. Twelve normal weight (BMI<25), and 12 over weight (BMI>25) inactive women (mean age 35+/-8) participated in a 2-day experimental study. On the exercise day, participants were asked to walk on a treadmill at 60% maximum heart rate for 1h. After the exercise, participants selected and ate food at a university cafeteria. Post-exercise EI was compared to a non-exercise day. A single mixed model repeated 2 x 2 ANOVA was used to determine the impact of exercise on post-exercise EI. The overweight women consumed significantly more (p<0.02) than the normal weight women on both experimental days and there was a significant (p<0.03) difference in fat intake. The higher post -exercise EI of the overweight group may have been due to the energy needs associated with a higher BMI but it is also possible that cognitive factors, food availability and environment may influence post-exercise EI.

Impact of dieting status and dietary restraint on postexercise energy intake in overweight women.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the unknown relationship between dieting status and dietary restraint on postexercise energy intake (PE-EI) in overweight sedentary women after a bout of moderate-intensity exercise. Specifically, this was investigated in women who were categorized as dieting with high restraint, nondieting with high restraint, or nondieting with low restraint. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This study consisted of two experimental conditions, exercise (E) and nonexercise (NE) in a counterbalanced-crossover design on 2 different days. On the E day, the subjects participated in moderate-intensity exercise, walking on a treadmill for 60 minutes at 60% to 70% of their maximum heart rate. PE-EI at lunch and 12 hours after was compared on the E and an NE day. Dietary restraint was determined using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. RESULTS: Participants (n = 36) were 26 +/- 7 years of age, sedentary, and had a mean body mass index of 27 +/- 3 kg/m(2). There was a significant interaction (F((2,33)) = 3.32, p = 0.049) of dieting/restraint status and condition (E vs. NE day) on 12-hour EI. The mean difference in 12-hour EI between the E and the NE day was significantly higher (p < 0.01) for the dieting with high restraint than for the nondieting with high restraint. DISCUSSION: The results of this study demonstrate that dieting status, high dietary restraint, and higher levels of disinhibition may influence PE-EI in overweight women after a bout of moderate-intensity physical activity.