Levels of evidence for the association between different food groups/items consumption and the risk of various cancer sites: an umbrella review.

This study aimed to determine the level of evidence on the association between food groups/items consumption and the risk of different cancer sites from the meta-analyses/pooled analyses of observational studies. A systematic search was executed in Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, and Web of Science. The criteria from the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) Expert Report were adopted for evidence grading. In summary, there was convincing evidence for the association between fibre intake and decreased risk of colon and breast cancer. Also, consumption of dairy products, milk, fruits, and fibre was associated with a probable decreased risk of breast cancer. Consumption of whole grains, dairy products, milk, fruits, vegetables, and fibre had a probable inverse association with the incidence risk of gastrointestinal tract cancers. More qualified studies are needed to find reliable findings on the association between various food groups/items consumption and the risk of different cancer sites.

How practice contributes to trolley food waste. A qualitative study among staff involved in serving meals to hospital patients.

This study investigated the generation of trolley food waste at the ward level in a hospital in order to provide recommendations for how practice could be changed to reduce food waste. Three separate focus group discussions were held with four nurses, four dietitians and four service assistants engaged in food service. Furthermore, single qualitative interviews were conducted with a nurse, a dietitian and two service assistants. Observations of procedures around trolley food serving were carried out during lunch and supper for a total of 10 weekdays in two different wards. All unserved food items discarded as waste were weighed after each service. Analysis of interview and observation data revealed five key themes. The findings indicate that trolley food waste generation is a practice embedded within the limitations related to the procedures of meal ordering. This includes portion size choices and delivery, communication, tools for menu information, portioning and monitoring of food waste, as well as the use of unserved food. Considering positive changes to these can be a way forward to develop strategies to reduce trolley food waste at the ward level.

Chironomus calligraphus Goeldi, 1905 (Diptera: Chironomidae) Larvae: Feeding Habits, Growth, and Maturation.

Chironomus calligraphus Goeldi, 1905 has a flexible life cycle with several generations per year, which can be modified by the quality and type of food. To categorize the functional feeding group of the species, food preference was evaluated in larval instars III and IV, through laboratory experiments and gut content analysis. To evaluate the influence of the type of food on the duration of the life cycle growth and maturation, experiments were carried out. Instar III preferred conditioned leaves and animal food, while instar IV preferred algae and fine particulate organic matter. Gut contents of instar IV collected from streams showed increased consumption of fine particulate organic matter than other items. All these observations allowed us to assign the species to the gatherer collector group. The duration of the life cycle varied between the different types of foods, being the conditioned leaves, animal food, and algae the items that caused a greater growth in the larvae and a faster passage to the pupal instar. Our results suggest that the opportunistic feeding behavior of C. calligraphus allows it to use several different foods, but the quality of the foods influences the length of the life cycle and this contributes to its plasticity.

Food Item Avoidance of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome Compared with Healthy People.

BACKGROUND: To construct a dietary guideline for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), data about foods these people exclude from their diet to improve their symptoms are necessary. This study was designed to assess the prevalence of food exclusions as well as the reasons for such exclusions in a large group of IBS patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, data on 3846 Iranian adults, 828 of whom were patients with IBS, working in 50 different health centers were examined. A 106-item self-administered Dish-based Semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (DSFFQ) which was designed and validated specifically for Iranian adults was used for assessing dietary intake. IBS was assessed using a modified Persian version of the Rome III questionnaire. RESULTS: The whole prevalence of IBS was 21.5% (n = 828) in the total population (23.9% in women and 18.6% in men). Mean age of patients with IBS was 36.26 ± 7.91 years and for subjects without IBS, it was 36.52 ± 8.12 years. IBS patients had a greater probability to avoid consumption of ketchup (90% vs 33%, P = 0.005), Dough (100% vs 1%, P = 0.003), Gaz (50% vs. 1%, P = 0.035), grapes (33% vs. 7%, P = 0.034), fresh berries (56% vs. 14%, P = 0.036) and butter (100% vs. 60%, P = 0.02) due to gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms compared with healthy individuals. Although, the exclusion of plum (1% vs. 26%, P = 0.006), pickles (39% vs. 67%, P = 0.004), lemon juice (21% vs 35%, P = 0.027), egg (5% vs. 25%, P = 0.011), fresh fig (19% vs. 44%, P = 0.038) and cake (25% vs. 100%, P = 0.028) due to GI symptoms in IBS patients were lower than non-IBS participants. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that IBS patients were more likely to avoid consumption of ketchup, Dough, Gaz, grapes, fresh berries and butter due to GI symptoms compared with healthy individuals. Further studies are required to confirm these findings.

The Influence of Food Density, Flock Size, and Disturbance on the Functional Response of Bewick's Swans (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) in Wintering Habitats.

Perceiving how animals adjust their feeding rate under a variety of environmental conditions and understanding the tradeoffs in their foraging strategies are necessary for conservation. The Holling functional response, which describes the relationship of feeding rate and food density to searching rate and handling time, has been applied to a range of waterbirds, especially with regard to Type II functional responses that describe an increasing feeding rate with food density but at a decelerating rate as the curve approaches the asymptote. However, feeding behavior components (feeding rate, searching rate, and handling time) are influenced by factors besides prey density, such as vigilance and flock size. In this study, we aim to elucidate how Bewick's swans (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) adopt flexible foraging strategies and vary their feeding behavior components in response to disturbance, flock size, and food density. We collected focal sampling data on the foraging behavior of swans that foraged rice grains, foxnut seeds, and tubers in paddy field, foxnut pond, and lake habitats, respectively, in Shengjin and Huangpi lakes during winter from 2016 to 2018. The observed feeding rate was not correlated with food density and displayed a positive relationship with searching rate but negative relationships with handling time, flock size, overall vigilance time, and disturbance time. Handling time was negatively correlated with food density and flock size, yet it increased with disturbance, overall vigilance time, and normal vigilance time. Searching rate was negatively correlated with food density, flock size, and disturbance time. Feeding rate was affected by the combined effects of handling time and searching rate, as well as food density and searching rate. The shape of the observed functional response could not be fitted to Holling's disc equation. However, the disc equation of the predicted feeding rate of wintering swans was found to be driven by food density. This provides insight into how wintering waterbirds adopt appropriate foraging strategies in response to complicated environmental factors, which has implications for wildlife conservation and habitat management.

Spatial distributions, feeding ecologies, and behavioral interactions of four rabbitfish species (Siganus unimaculatus, S. virgatus, S. corallinus, and S. puellus).

Clarifying the underlying mechanisms that enable closely related species to coexist in a particular environment is a fundamental aspect of ecology. Coral reefs support a high diversity of marine organisms, among which rabbitfishes (family Siganidae) are a major component The present study aimed to reveal the mechanism that allows rabbitfishes to coexist on coral reefs in Okinawa, Japan, by investigating the spatial distributions, feeding ecologies, and behavioral interactions of four species: Siganus unimaculatus, S. virgatus, S. corallinus, and S. puellus. All four species had a size-specific spatial distribution, whereby small individuals were found in sheltered areas that were covered by branching and bottlebrush Acropora spp. and large individuals were found in both sheltered and exposed rocky areas. However, no clear species-specific spatial distribution was observed. There was some variation in the food items taken, with S. unimaculatus primarily feeding on brown foliose algae, red foliose algae, and red styloid algae, and S. virgatus and S. puellus preferring brown foliose algae and sponges, respectively. However, S. corallinus did not show any clear differences in food preferences from S. virgatus or S. unimaculatus, mainly feeding on brown foliose algae and red styloid algae. The four species exhibited differences in foraging substrate use, which was probably related to differences in their body shape characteristics: S. unimaculatus has a slender body with a remarkably protruding snout and mainly used concave substrates for feeding, whereas S. virgatus has a deeper body with a low degree of snout protrusion and mainly used convex substrates. The other two species have a low degree of snout protrusion combined with a deeper body in the case of S. corallinus and a slender body in the case of S. puellus and used concave, flat, and convex substrates to an equal degree for feeding. Behavioral interactions were categorized into "agonistic behaviors" (attack and agonistic displays) and "no interactions." For all four species, a greater frequency of agonistic behaviors was observed when two conspecific pairs approached each other than when two heterospecific individuals encountered each other. Together, these results suggest that food item partitioning is one of the main factors enabling the coexistence of these four syntopic rabbitfish species, which is enhanced by species-specific differences in feeding substrates as a result of their different body shape and behavioral characteristics.

On the Relationship Between Tooth Shape and Masticatory Efficiency: A Finite Element Study.

Dental topography has successfully linked disparate tooth shapes to distinct dietary categories, but not to masticatory efficiency. Here, the relationship between four dental topographic metrics and brittle food item breakdown efficiency during compressive biting was investigated using a parametric finite element model of a bunodont molar. Food item breakdown efficiency was chosen to represent masticatory efficiency as it isolated tooth-food item interactions, where most other categories of masticatory efficiency include several aspects of the masticatory process. As relative food item size may affect the presence/absence of any relationship, four isometrically scaled, hemispherical, proxy food items were considered. Topographic metrics were uncorrelated to food item breakdown efficiency irrespective of relative food item size, and dental topographic metrics were largely uncorrelated to one another. The lack of a correlation between topographic metrics and food item breakdown efficiency is not unexpected as not all food items break down in the same manner (e.g., nuts are crushed, leaves are sheared), and only one food item shape was considered. In addition, food item breakdown efficiency describes tooth-food item interactions and requires location and shape specific information, which are absent from dental topographic metrics. This makes it unlikely any one efficiency metric will be correlated to all topographic metrics. These results emphasize the need to take into account how food items break down during biting, ingestion, and mastication when investigating the mechanical relationship between food item shape, size, mechanical properties, and breakdown, and tooth shape.

Is It the Appropriate Time to Stop Applying Selenium Enriched Salt in Kashin-Beck Disease Areas in China?

We aimed to identify significant factors of selenium (Se) nutrition of children in Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) endemic areas and non-KBD area in Shaanxi Province for providing evidence of whether it is the time to stop applying Se-enriched salt in KBD areas. A cross-sectional study contained 368 stratified randomly selected children aged 4-14 years was conducted with 24-h retrospective questionnaire based on a pre-investigation. Food and hair samples were collected and had Se contents determined with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Average hair Se content of 349.0 ± 60.2 ng/g in KBD-endemic counties was significantly lower than 374.1 ± 47.0 ng/g in non-KBD counties. It was significantly higher in the male children (365.2 ± 52.3 ng/g) than in the female (345.0 ± 62.2 ng/g, p = 0.002) and significantly higher in the 4.0-6.9 years group (375.2 ± 58.9 ng/g) than the 7.0-14.0 years group (347.0 ± 56.1 ng/g, p < 0.01). Gender, living area, Se intake without supplements, Se-enriched salt, oil source and protein intake were identified as significant factors of hair Se contents. Cereals, meat and milk were commonly included as significant food categories that mainly contributed to Se intake without supplement of the whole population. Balanced dietary structure without Se supplement could effectively enhance and maintain children's Se nutrition. It may be the time to stop applying Se-enriched salt in KBD areas in Shaanxi Province.

The effects of relative food item size on optimal tooth cusp sharpness during brittle food item processing.

Teeth are often assumed to be optimal for their function, which allows researchers to derive dietary signatures from tooth shape. Most tooth shape analyses normalize for tooth size, potentially masking the relationship between relative food item size and tooth shape. Here, we model how relative food item size may affect optimal tooth cusp radius of curvature (RoC) during the fracture of brittle food items using a parametric finite-element (FE) model of a four-cusped molar. Morphospaces were created for four different food item sizes by altering cusp RoCs to determine whether optimal tooth shape changed as food item size changed. The morphospaces were also used to investigate whether variation in efficiency metrics (i.e. stresses, energy and optimality) changed as food item size changed. We found that optimal tooth shape changed as food item size changed, but that all optimal morphologies were similar, with one dull cusp that promoted high stresses in the food item and three cusps that acted to stabilize the food item. There were also positive relationships between food item size and the coefficients of variation for stresses in food item and optimality, and negative relationships between food item size and the coefficients of variation for stresses in the enamel and strain energy absorbed by the food item. These results suggest that relative food item size may play a role in selecting for optimal tooth shape, and the magnitude of these selective forces may change depending on food item size and which efficiency metric is being selected.

How does tooth cusp radius of curvature affect brittle food item processing?

Tooth cusp sharpness, measured by radius of curvature (RoC), has been predicted to play a significant role in brittle/hard food item fracture. Here, we set out to test three existing hypotheses about this relationship: namely, the Blunt and Strong Cusp hypotheses, which predict that dull cusps will be most efficient at brittle food item fracture, and the Pointed Cusp hypothesis, which predicts that sharp cusps will be most efficient at brittle food item fracture using a four cusp bunodont molar. We also put forth and test the newly constructed Complex Cusp hypothesis, which predicts that a mixture of dull and sharp cusps will be most efficient at brittle food item fracture. We tested the four hypotheses using finite-element models of four cusped, bunodont molars. When testing the three existing hypotheses, we assumed all cusps had the same level of sharpness (RoC), and gained partial support for the Blunt Cusp hypotheses. We found no support for the Pointed Cusp or Strong Cusp hypotheses. We used the Taguchi sampling method to test the Complex Cusps hypothesis with a morphospace created by independently varying the radii of curvature of the four cusps in the buccolingual and mesiodistal directions. The optimal occlusal morphology for fracturing brittle food items consists of a combination of sharp and dull cusps, which creates high stress concentrations in the food item while stabilizing the food item and keeping the stress concentrations in the enamel low. This model performed better than the Blunt Cusp hypothesis, suggesting a role for optimality in the evolution of cusp form.

Morfología de las piezas bucales y hábitos alimenticios de Leptonema y Smicridea (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) del río Gaira, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia / Morphology of mouthparts and feeding habits of Leptonema and Smicridea (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) from Gaira river, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

Resumen Los géneros Leptomea y Smicridea pertenecen a la familia Hidropsychidae y constituyen uno de los grupos más importantes en la dinámica de nutrientes en los ecosistemas acuáticos tropicales, cuya diversidad de microhabitats es aprovechada por las larvas de estos géneros. Sin embargo, se dispone de escasa información que describa y compare las piezas bucales entre ambos géneros y su posible relación con la dieta. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir la morfología de las piezas bucales y los hábitos alimentarios de ambos géneros en la cuenca media del río Gaira (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia). Las muestras se recolectaron mensualmente con una red Surber entre octubre y diciembre 2014 y mayo 2015. Se utilizó el Software Zen Blue© para las estimaciones morfométricas de las piezas cefálicas, utilizando 15 larvas por género. Las medidas se tomaron sobre fotografías obtenidas de una cámara AxioCam ERc5s ajustada a un estereoscopio Nikon SMZ 745T. Para la descripción detallada de las piezas cefálicas, se usó un microscopio-estereoscopio Leica M205A. Se evaluaron los hábitos alimentarios de 15 individuos en total, mediante el análisis de contenido estomacal.Se aplicó un análisis discriminante de Hotelling a las medidas morfométricas. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en el área de la cabeza (AC), el ancho de la cabeza (ANC3), largo de la cabeza (LC2) y largo de la mandíbula izquierda (LMI1). En la descripción morfológica se hallaron diferencias en: cabeza, labrum y submentón. Mediante el análisis del contenido estomacal se realizaron los perfiles dietarios para ambos géneros y se detectó que los ítems con mayor porcentaje para Leptonema fueron MOPG (38 %) y MOPF (32 %) y para Smicridea, MOPF (38 %) y MOPG (34 %), con diferencias significativas (F= 8.8298, p<0.05). Este estudio indica que los individuos evaluados consumen una amplia variedad de recursos y la diferencia entre la dieta de ambos géneros puede estar relacionada con las diferencias morfológicas detectadas.

Abstract The genera Leptonema and Smicridea belong to the family Hidropsychidae and constitute one of the most important groups in the nutrient dynamics in the tropical aquatic ecosystems, which diversity of microhabitats is exploited by their larvae. However, there is lack of information concerning the detailed and comparative descriptions of mouthparts between these two genera, and their possible relation with their diet. The aim of this paper was to describe the morphology of the mouthparts and the feeding habits of both genera, in the middle basin of the Gaira River (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia). The samples were collected on a monthly basis, with a surber net, between October and December of 2014, and May of 2015. A total of 15 larvae per genus were taken and the Blue Zen Software was used to determine the morphometric measurements of the cephalic pieces. Measurements were taken on photographs obtained from an AxioCam ERc5s camera adapted to a Nikon SMZ 745T stereoscope. To describe the mouthparts a M205A microscope-stereoscope Leica was used. The dietary habits of 15 individuals in total were evaluated by means of the analysis of stomach contents. A discriminant analysis of Hotelling was applied to the morphometric measurements. There were significant differences in head area (HA), head width (HW3), head length (HL2) and left mandible length (LML). In the morphological descriptions were found differences in: head, labrum and submentum. Dietaries profiles were performed to the stomach contents for both genera and the items with highest percentage for Leptonema was MOPG and MOPF with 38 % and 32 %, respectively, and for Smicridea MOPF (38 %) and MOPG (34 %) with significant differences (F = 8.8298, p < 0.05). This study indicated that the evaluated individuals consume a wide variety of resources and the difference of the diet of both genera can be related to the detected morphological differences.

Hábitos alimentarios de individuos inmaduros de Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera y Trichoptera en la parte media de un río tropical de montaña

Feeding habits of immature individuals of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera from middle reaches of a tropical mountain stream. Morphological and behavioral aspects of insects allow their grouping in trophic guilds and represent their dependence on food resources. We determined the feeding habits of immature organisms of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) from the middle reaches of Gaira stream (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia), using gut content analysis. We identified 13 EPT genera, but only ten were analyzed for a total of 100 organisms. We describe six food items: animal parts (AP), vascular plant tissue (VPT), microalgae (M), fungi (F), coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) and fine particulate organic matter (FPOM). Baetodes was determined to be a collector-scraper, since FPOM represented 46.6% of food content, followed by F (38.4%). Chimarra, Leptohyphes, Lachlania, and Thraulodes were categorized as collectors with average proportions of FPOM 86.8%, 93.1%, 93.1% and 93.7%, respectively. Phylloicus, Smicridea and Leptonema were main consumers of VPT and CPOM with proportions of 76.3%, 54.6%, and 62.4%, respectively; while ratios of FPOM were 22.3%, 38.8%, and 32.9%, respectively. While all are detritivores, Phylloicus is functionally classified as shredders and Smicridea and Leptonema as collectors. Atopsyche and Anacroneuria were the only taxa in which AP were observed in high proportions, 57.9% and 58.2%, respectively, for that reason they were classified as predators. The organisms examined consume a wide variability of resources. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (Suppl. 2): 169-178. Epub 2014 April 01.

Los aspectos morfológicos y de comportamiento de insectos permiten agruparlos en gremios, y representar la dependencia de la comunidad lotica hacia recursos alimentarios particulares. Se evaluó los hábitos alimentarios de organismos inmaduros de Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera y Trichoptera (EPT) de la parte media del río Gaira (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia), por medio del análisis del contenido estomacal. Se identificaron 13 géneros de EPT, pero solo a diez de éstos se les revisó el contenido estomacal, para un total de 100 organismos analizados. Se describieron seis ítems alimentarios: restos animales (RA), tejido de plantas vasculares (TPV), Microalgas (MA), hongos (HN), materia orgánica particulada gruesa (MOPG) y materia orgánica particulada fina (MOPF). Baetodes se registró como Recolector-Raspador, ya que su principal ítem alimentario fue MOPF (46.6%) seguido de HN (38.4%). Chimarra, Leptohyphes, Thraulodes y Lachlania, se categorizaron como Recolectores con proporciones promedio de 86.8%, 93.1%, 93.1% y 93.7% de MOPF, respectivamente. En los géneros Phylloicus, Leptonema y Smicridea se observó principalmente TPV y MOPG con 76.3%, 54,6% y 62.4% junto con proporciones de MOPF de 22.3%, 38.8% y 32.9%, respectivamente. Categorizado como Detritívoro, Phylloicus es funcionalmente clasificado como Fragmentador y Leptonema y Smicridea como Recolectores. Los géneros Anacroneuria y Atopsyche fueron clasificados como Depredadores y fueron los únicos taxones en los que se observó RA en altas proporciones (57.9% y 58.2%). Nuestro estudio sugiere que los organismos examinados ingieren una amplia variabilidad de recursos.

A Study on Development and Validation of Food Frequency Questionnaire for Estimating Energy Intake of Women in Child-Bearing Age / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study was conducted to develop a computerized food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for assessing nutritional status of women of child-bearing age. Computerized food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that reflect intakes of energy, carbohydrate, fat and protein was developed for women of child-bearing age. This FFQ is composed of 61 foods or food groups containing 192 dish items. To estimate of energy intake easily, we have developed a computer program that can be viewed on a computer screen in an actual size of dish items. Nutrient intakes of the last three months by the FFQ was validated with comparing the result of a 3-day diet record through 92 college students aged from 20 to 30. The level of energy, carbohydrate and sodium of estimating by the FFQ method was significantly higher than the level of a 3-day diet records method (p < 0.01). Pearson's correlation coefficients between the two methods were 0.50 for carbohydrate (p < 0.01), 0.55 for energy (p < 0.01) and 0.56 for protein (p < 0.01). Spearman's correlation coefficients were 0.53 for carbohydrate (p < 0.01), 0.55 for energy (p < 0.01) and 0.52 for protein (p < 0.01). The percent of subject in the lowest quartile in a 3-day diet record belonged to the first and second lowest quartile in food frequency questionnaire is 78.2% in energy, 91.3% in carbohydrate, 78.2% in protein, 69.5% in fat. Also, the percent of subject in the highest quartile in a 3-day diet record belong to the first and second highest quartile in food frequency questionnaire is 78.3% in energy, 73.9% in carbohydrate, 82.6% in protein, and 73.9% in fat. On the whole, the result of this study seemed to be in good agreement with other studies. Therefore, the FFQ developed by this study is considered to be a reliable tool to assess nutrients and food intakes for women of child-bearing age.