Protocol of a parallel, randomized controlled trial on the effects of a novel personalized nutrition approach by artificial intelligence in real world scenario.

BACKGROUND: Nutrition service needs are huge in China. Previous studies indicated that personalized nutrition (PN) interventions were effective. The aim of the present study is to identify the effectiveness and feasibility of a novel PN approach supported by artificial intelligence (AI). METHODS: This study is a two-arm parallel, randomized, controlled trial in real world scenario. The participants will be enrolled among who consume lunch at a staff canteen. In Phase I, a total of 170 eligible participants will be assigned to either intervention or control group on 1:1 ratio. The intervention group will be instructed to use the smartphone applet to record their lunches and reach the real-time AI-based information of dish nutrition evaluation and PN evaluation after meal consumption for 3 months. The control group will receive no nutrition information but be asked to record their lunches though the applet. Dietary pattern, body weight or blood pressure optimizing is expected after the intervention. In phase II, the applet will be free to all the diners (about 800) at the study canteen for another one year. Who use the applet at least 2 days per week will be regarded as the intervention group while the others will be the control group. Body metabolism normalization is expected after this period. Generalized linear mixed models will be used to identify the dietary, anthropometric and metabolic changes. DISCUSSION: This novel approach will provide real-time AI-based dish nutrition evaluation and PN evaluation after meal consumption in order to assist users with nutrition information to make wise food choice. This study is designed under a real-life scenario which facilitates translating the trial intervention into real-world practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial has been registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100051771; date registered: 03/10/2021).

[Survey on the awareness rate of nutrition and health knowledge among residents aged 18-64 in Shanghai in 2021].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the nutrition and health knowledge of residents aged 18-64 in Shanghai, and to understand the level of nutrition and health knowledge and its influencing factors. METHODS: The total of 6518 residents aged 18-64 years old in Shanghai were selected by stratified random sampling in 2021. The subjects were grouped by gender, age, education levels, occupations, and regions. The awareness rate of nutrition and health knowledge and its influencing factors were investigated using the questionnaire and scoring standard designed by National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Household survey, face-to-face questioning by surveyors and help to fill in the options. RESULTS: The score of nutrition and health knowledge of residents aged 18-64 in Shanghai was 68.43±12.82, and the awareness rate was 35.78%. The average score(t=-5.04, P<0.01) and awareness rate(χ~2=14.06, P<0.01) of women were significantly higher than men. Significant differences in average scores and awareness rates were found among different groups of ages(F=15.02, P<0.01;χ~2=23.46, P<0.01), education levels(F=191.45, P<0.01;χ~2=210.29, P<0.01), occupations(F=99.17, P<0.01;χ~2=224.12, P<0.01) and regions(F=22.11, P<0.01;χ~2=44.61, P<0.01). The female(OR=1.13, 95%CI 1.02-1.25), high school education and above(OR=1.68-2.85) had better knowledge of nutrition and health. While 18-34 years(OR=0.69-0.74), people engaged in non-medical health institutions(OR=0.46-0.70) and living in non-urban central areas(OR=0.74-0.81) had poorer awareness of nutrition and health knowledge. CONCLUSION: The awareness rate of nutrition and health knowledge among residents aged 18-64 in Shanghai is still upside potential.

Iodine Excess May Lead to Low Exam Score in Children Aged 8-10 Years.

Recent research has shown that iodine excess may damage children's intelligence. Years of monitoring results in Shanghai show the iodine status has approached the upper limit of the appropriate range for children aged 8-10 years, indicating a risk of iodine excess. We used multi-stage random sampling to select children. Sixteen districts of Shanghai were divided into five units based on geographic location, and one primary school was randomly selected from each unit. In each selected school, about 40 children aged 8-10 years were randomly recruited to measure their urinary iodine concentration (UIC), household salt iodine concentration (SIC), the score of the final unified exam of the last semester, and school canteen salt iodine concentration. The median UIC of 3213 children aged 8-10 years in Shanghai was 195.4 (122.0, 285.8) µg/L and exceeded 200 µg/L in 48.8% of the population. Household and school canteen iodized salt coverage rates were 60.3% and 82.5% respectively, and mean household and school canteen SICs were 21.51 ± 9.30 mg/kg and 25.29 ± 3.40 mg/kg respectively. By correcting for potential confounding factors, logistic regression demonstrated that compared to the adequate iodine status group, students in the slight iodine excess group were less likely to get "A" (score > 90) in math, Chinese, and English exams (Math: OR = 0.775, 95% CI = 0.660-0.911, P = 0.002; Chinese: OR = 0.707, 95% CI = 0.543-0.842, P < 0.001; English: OR = 0.720, 95% CI = 0.610-0.849, P < 0.001). In Shanghai, the iodine status of 8-10-year-old children is approaching the upper limit of the adequate range. Iodine excess in Shanghai may lead to low exam scores for students.

The Joint Effects of Bisphenols and Iodine Exposure on Thyroid during Pregnancy.

The aim of this research was to study the combined effects of bisphenols and iodine exposure on the thyroid gland during pregnancy. We included 162 pregnant women from a cohort established in Shanghai. Urinary concentrations of bisphenol A, bisphenol B(BPB), bisphenol C(BPC), bisphenol F, bisphenol S, and bisphenol AF(BPAF) were examined. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and quantile g-computation models were used. The geometric means of BPA, BPB, BPC, BPF, BPS, BPAF, and ΣBPs levels in urine were 3.03, 0.24, 2.66, 0.36, 0.26, 0.72, and 7.55 µg/g creatinine, respectively. We observed a positive trend in the cumulative effects of BPs and iodine on serum triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4), as well as a U-shaped dose-response relationship between BPs and the probability of occurrence of thyroperoxidase autoantibody positivity in women with low urinary iodine concentration. In addition, a synergistic effect on the probability of occurrence of thyroid autoantibody positivity was observed between BPF and BPB, as well as between BPC and BPAF in this study. There were adverse health effects on the thyroid after co-exposure to BPs and iodine. Even if pregnant women were exposed to lower levels of BPs, women with iodine deficiency remained vulnerable to thyroid autoimmune disease.

The Interactive Effects of Severe Vitamin D Deficiency and Iodine Nutrition Status on the Risk of Thyroid Disorder in Pregnant Women.

Thyroid dysfunction is associated with both vitamin D deficiency and iodine; however, it is unclear whether they interact. This study aimed to investigate whether and to what extent the interactions between vitamin D and iodine contribute to the risk of thyroid disorder. Participants (n = 4280) were chosen using multistage, stratified random sampling from Shanghai. Fasting blood was drawn for the 25(OH)D and thyroid parameter tests. Spot urine samples were gathered to test for urine iodine. To evaluate the interactive effects of vitamin D and iodine, crossover analysis was carried out. Pregnant women with a high urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and severe vitamin D deficiency had a significantly higher risk of thyrotropin receptor antibody (TrAb) positivity (odds ratio = 2.62, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32, 5.22) in the first trimester. Severe vitamin D deficiency and high UIC interacted positively for the risk of TrAb positivity (relative excess risk due to interaction = 1.910, 95%CI: 0.054, 3.766; attributable proportion = 0.700, 95%CI: 0.367, 1.03). Severe vitamin D deficiency combined with excess iodine could increase the risk of TrAb positivity in pregnant women in the first trimester.

[Relationship of ghrelin and obesity induced by high-fat diet in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of expression and secretion of ghrelin on high-fat diet induced obesity in rats. METHODS: Forty male SD rats were randomly divided into high-fat diet group (n = 30) and chow fed control group (n = 10), and given either high-fat diet or chow for twelve weeks. Then the high-fat diet group was subdivided into dietary induced obesity (DIO) and dietary induced obesity resistant (DIR) group according to the final body weight. Fasting plasma ghrelin were determined by RIA. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to measure the expression of preproghrelin mRNA in gastric tissue. RESULTS: Cumulative caloric intake, body weight in DIO group were significantly higher than those in DIR and control group. Both fasting plasma ghrelin concentration and the preghrelin expression in gastric tissue were significantly lower in DIO group than in DIR and control group. CONCLUSION: Lower expression and secretion of ghrelin were closely associated with high-fat diet induced obesity and their higher caloric intake.