Fish consumption and frying of fish in relation to type 2 diabetes incidence: a prospective cohort study of Swedish men.

PURPOSE: Epidemiological evidence on the association between fish consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes is heterogeneous across geographical regions. Differences related to fish consumption pattern could possibly help explain the discrepancy between the findings. We therefore aimed to investigate the association between fish consumption (total, fried, specific fish items) and type 2 diabetes incidence, taking exposure to contaminants present in fish (polychlorinated biphenyls and methyl mercury) into consideration. METHODS: The population-based Cohort of Swedish Men, including 35,583 men aged 45-79 years, was followed from 1998 to 2012. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: During 15 years of follow-up, 3624 incident cases were identified. Total fish consumption (≥4 servings/week vs. <1 serving/week) was not associated with type 2 diabetes in multivariable-adjusted analysis (HR 1.00; 95 % CI 0.85-1.18); however, a statistically non-significant inverse association was observed after adjustment for dietary contaminant exposures (HR 0.79; 95 % CI 0.60-1.04). Fried fish (≥6 servings/month vs. ≤1 servings/month) and shellfish consumption (≥1 serving/week vs. never/seldom) were associated with HRs of 1.14 (95 % CI 1.03-1.31) and 1.21 (95 % CI 1.07-1.36), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We observed no overall association between total fish consumption and type 2 diabetes. The results indicated that dietary contaminants in fish may influence the relationship. Fried fish and shellfish consumption were associated with higher type 2 diabetes incidence. These findings suggest that more specific advice on fish species sub-types (varying in contamination) and preparation methods may be warranted.

Dietary magnesium intake and the risk of diabetes in the Japanese community: results from the Takayama study.

PURPOSE: Several experimental studies showed that magnesium intake improved insulin resistance and glucose uptake in diabetes patients. However, epidemiological studies on the association between magnesium intake and diabetes risk have yielded inconsistent results. We investigated whether magnesium intake is related to the risk of developing diabetes in a population-based cohort study in Japan. METHODS: Study subjects were participants in the Takayama study. A total of 13,525 residents in Takayama City, Japan, responded to a self-administered questionnaire in 1992 and to a follow-up questionnaire seeking information about diabetes in 2002. Magnesium and other nutrient intakes were estimated from a validated food frequency questionnaire administered at the baseline. RESULTS: During a follow-up of 10 years, 438 subjects reported diabetes newly diagnosed by physician. Compared with women in the low quartile of magnesium intake, women in the high quartile were at a significantly reduced risk of diabetes (HR 0.50; 95 % CI 0.30-0.84; P-trend 0.005) after adjustments for covariates. In men, there was no association between magnesium intake and the risk of diabetes. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that diets with a high intake of magnesium may decrease the risk of diabetes in women.

Nutrition Facts Panel use is associated with diet quality and dietary patterns among Latinos with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims were to (i) identify determinants of Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP) use and (ii) describe the association between NFP use and dietary intake among Latinos with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: Baseline cross-sectional data from a clinical trial were used to assess the association between NFP use and dietary intake. Diet was measured using two methods: (i) a diet quality score (the Healthy Eating Index-2010) derived from a single 24 h recall and (ii) dietary pattern (exploratory factor analyses) from an FFQ. Multivariable logistic and non-parametric quantile regressions were conducted, as appropriate. Settings Hartford County, Connecticut, USA. SUBJECTS: Latino adults (n 203), ≥21 years of age, with diagnosed type 2 diabetes, glycosylated Hb≥7 %, and without medical conditions limiting physical activity. RESULTS: Participants' education level, diabetes-related knowledge and English speaking were positively associated with NFP use. At the higher percentiles of diet quality score, NFP use was significantly associated with higher diet quality. Similarly, NFP users were more likely to consume a 'healthy' dietary pattern (P=0·003) and less likely to consume a 'fried snack' pattern (P=0·048) compared with NFP non-users. CONCLUSIONS: The association between reported NFP use and diet quality was positive and significantly stronger among participants who reported consuming a healthier diet. While NFP use was associated with a healthier dietary pattern, not using NFP was associated with a less-healthy, fried snack pattern. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand whether improving NFP use could be an effective intervention to improve diet quality among Latinos with type 2 diabetes.

A combined high-sugar and high-saturated-fat dietary pattern is associated with more depressive symptoms in a multi-ethnic population: the HELIUS (Healthy Life in an Urban Setting) study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify a high-sugar (HS) dietary pattern, a high-saturated-fat (HF) dietary pattern and a combined high-sugar and high-saturated-fat (HSHF) dietary pattern and to explore if these dietary patterns are associated with depressive symptoms. DESIGN: We used data from the HELIUS (Healthy Life in an Urban Setting) study and included 4969 individuals aged 18-70 years. Diet was assessed using four ethnic-specific FFQ. Dietary patterns were derived using reduced rank regression with mono- and disaccharides, saturated fat and total fat as response variables. The nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess depressive symptoms by using continuous scores and depressed mood (identified using the cut-off point: PHQ-9 sum score ≥10). SETTING: The Netherlands. RESULTS: Three dietary patterns were identified; an HSHF dietary pattern (including chocolates, red meat, added sugars, high-fat dairy products, fried foods, creamy sauces), an HS dietary pattern (including sugar-sweetened beverages, added sugars, fruit (juices)) and an HF dietary pattern (including high-fat dairy products, butter). When comparing extreme quartiles, consumption of an HSHF dietary pattern was associated with more depressive symptoms (Q1 v. Q4: ß=0·18, 95 % CI 0·07, 0·30, P=0·001) and with higher odds of depressed mood (Q1 v. Q4: OR=2·36, 95 % CI 1·19, 4·66, P=0·014). No associations were found between consumption of the remaining dietary patterns and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Higher consumption of an HSHF dietary pattern is associated with more depressive symptoms and with depressed mood. Our findings reinforce the idea that the focus should be on dietary patterns that are high in both sugar and saturated fat.

Prevalence of Hypertension and Associated Risk Factors among Rural Bapedi Women in Sekhukhune Area, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

The study investigated the prevalence of hypertension and identified risk factors in the Bapedi women of Sekhukhune area. Fifty (50) women diagnosed with hypertension and receiving treatment from local clinics were recruited. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were used. Most participants were at the average age of 50.50 ± 7.93 years and weight of 81.17 ± 9.96 kg. Blood pressure measurements recorded were systolic blood pressure (SBP) 163 ± 22.41 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 91 ± 5.41 mmHg. An insignificant number of participants had smoking or drinking habits (0% and 2%, respectively). The largest group of women (46%) had primary level of education, 14% completed junior secondary education, 6% completed matric, and 2% had basic education. All women consumed cereal; a large number of women (50%) consumed oils and fats; 44% flesh meats; 30% fruits and vegetables; 26% tubers and roots; 22% organ meats; 10% fish, 10% eggs, and 8% milk. Results showed a high prevalence of hypertension in the Bapedi women in the Sekhukhune area. Changes in diet and lifestyle could significantly improve the health of most women in the area.

Substitution of meat and fish with vegetables or potatoes and risk of myocardial infarction.

Red meat has been suggested to be adversely associated with risk of myocardial infarction (MI), whereas vegetable consumption has been found to be protective. The aim of this study was to investigate substitutions of red meat, poultry and fish with vegetables or potatoes for MI prevention. We followed up 29 142 women and 26 029 men in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study aged 50-64 years with no known history of MI at baseline. Diet was assessed by a validated 192-item FFQ at baseline. Adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI for MI associated with specified food substitutions of 150 g/week. During a median follow-up of 13·6 years, we identified 656 female and 1694 male cases. Among women, the HR for MI when replacing red meat with vegetables was 0·94 (95 % CI 0·90, 0·98). Replacing fatty fish with vegetables was associated with a higher risk of MI (HR 1·23; 95 % CI 1·05, 1·45), whereas an inverse, statistically non-significant association was found for lean fish (HR 0·93; 95 % CI 0·83, 1·05). Substituting poultry with vegetables was not associated with risk of MI (HR 1·00; 95 % CI 0·90, 1·11). Findings for substitution with potatoes were similar to findings for vegetables. Among men, a similar pattern was observed, but the associations were weak and mostly statistically non-significant. This study suggests that replacing red meat with vegetables or potatoes is associated with a lower risk of MI, whereas replacing fatty fish with vegetables or potatoes is associated with a higher risk of MI.

Exchanging a few commercial, regularly consumed food items with improved fat quality reduces total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol: a double-blind, randomised controlled trial.

The healthy Nordic diet has been previously shown to have health beneficial effects among subjects at risk of CVD. However, the extent of food changes needed to achieve these effects is less explored. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of exchanging a few commercially available, regularly consumed key food items (e.g. spread on bread, fat for cooking, cheese, bread and cereals) with improved fat quality on total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and inflammatory markers in a double-blind randomised, controlled trial. In total, 115 moderately hypercholesterolaemic, non-statin-treated adults (25-70 years) were randomly assigned to an experimental diet group (Ex-diet group) or control diet group (C-diet group) for 8 weeks with commercially available food items with different fatty acid composition (replacing SFA with mostly n-6 PUFA). In the Ex-diet group, serum total cholesterol (P<0·001) and LDL-cholesterol (P<0·001) were reduced after 8 weeks, compared with the C-diet group. The difference in change between the two groups at the end of the study was -9 and -11 % in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, respectively. No difference in change in plasma levels of inflammatory markers (high-sensitive C-reactive protein, IL-6, soluble TNF receptor 1 and interferon-γ) was observed between the groups. In conclusion, exchanging a few regularly consumed food items with improved fat quality reduces total cholesterol, with no negative effect on levels of inflammatory markers. This shows that an exchange of a few commercially available food items was easy and manageable and led to clinically relevant cholesterol reduction, potentially affecting future CVD risk.

Associations between Respiratory Diseases and Dietary Patterns Derived by Factor Analysis and Reduced Rank Regression.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The study aims to identify children's dietary patterns and explore the relationship between dietary patterns and respiratory diseases. METHODS: Subjects were 2,397 fourth graders in 14 Taiwanese communities who participated in the Taiwan Children Health Study. This study is based on an evaluation of dietary patterns, performed from April until June 2011. Information pertaining to respiratory disease was obtained by The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire, and dietary intake data obtained by food frequency questionnaire. Factor analysis and reduced rank regression (RRR) were both used to analyze dietary patterns. RESULTS: Using factor analysis, it was found that children on a high-protein, high-fat, Western diet had a significantly higher risk of allergic rhinitis (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.01-1.20). Lower ORs were noted for current wheezing, ever asthma and bronchitis in children eating a healthy diet than those on a high-protein, high-fat, Western diet. Using RRR, it was found that children on a high-protein, high-fat diet had significantly higher risks of allergic rhinitis (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.07-1.27), current wheezing (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.04-1.45) and bronchitis (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.09-1.46). CONCLUSIONS: A diet rich in fat and protein may increase the risk of respiratory disease in children.

Dietary Patterns and Their Socioeconomic and Behavioral Determinants in 6- to 8-Year-Old Portuguese Children.

Adherence to a healthier diet is declining, with children consuming more saturated fats and simple carbohydrates. Factors influencing this choice were studied using a cross-sectional study with children (6 to 8 years old) living in Coimbra. Socioeconomic and behavioral factors were obtained from the parents. Dietary patterns of 1,063 children were identified: Mediterranean (MedDiet), saturated fats (SFatDiet), and base of Portuguese diet (BPDiet). Their relationship with socioeconomic and behavioral determinants was analyzed. SES determined strongly the dietary choices with lower SES being associated with higher consumption of SFatDiet and higher SES with BPDiet. Worse diet quality was shown to coexist with other unhealthy behaviors.

Consumption of Yogurt, Low-Fat Milk, and Other Low-Fat Dairy Products Is Associated with Lower Risk of Metabolic Syndrome Incidence in an Elderly Mediterranean Population.

BACKGROUND: The association between consumption of dairy products and the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS) is unclear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations between consumption of dairy products (total and different subtypes) and incident MetS in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular disease risk. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed 1868 men and women (55-80 y old) without MetS at baseline, recruited from different PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) centers between October 2003 and June 2009 and followed up until December 2010. MetS was defined according to updated, harmonized criteria. At baseline and yearly thereafter, we determined anthropometric variables, dietary habits by a 137-item validated food-frequency questionnaire, and blood biochemistry. Multivariable-adjusted HRs of MetS or its components were estimated for each of the 2 upper tertiles (vs. the lowest one) of mean consumption of dairy products during the follow-up. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 3.2 y, we documented 930 incident MetS cases. In the multivariable-adjusted model, HRs (95% CIs) of MetS for the comparison of extreme tertiles of dairy product consumption were 0.72 (0.61, 0.86) for low-fat dairy, 0.73 (0.62, 0.86) for low-fat yogurt, 0.78 (0.66, 0.92) for whole-fat yogurt, and 0.80 (0.67, 0.95) for low-fat milk. The respective HR for cheese was 1.31 (1.10, 1.56). CONCLUSIONS: Higher consumption of low-fat dairy products, yogurt (total, low-fat, and whole-fat yogurt) and low-fat milk was associated with a reduced risk of MetS in individuals at high cardiovascular disease risk from a Mediterranean population. Conversely, higher consumption of cheese was related to a higher risk of MetS. This trial was registered at controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN35739639.

Dietary patterns interact with APOA1/APOC3 polymorphisms to alter the risk of the metabolic syndrome: the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study.

The interaction of genetic and dietary factors, as an area of CVD research, has been explored poorly. The aim of the present study was to examine the interaction of dietary patterns and three genetic variants of APOA1 and APOC3, both independently and in combination, relative to the risk of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Tehranian adults. In the present matched, nested case-control study, 414 subjects with the MetS and 414 controls were selected from the participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Dietary patterns were determined by factor analysis. APOC3 (rs5128 3238C>G) and APOA1 (rs670, -75G>A and rs5069,+83C>T) SNP were genotyped by the conventional PCR followed by the restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Overall, three major dietary patterns were extracted: healthy dietary pattern (HDP); Western dietary pattern (WDP); fat-sweet dietary pattern (FSDP). The A and T allele carriers of the APOA1 SNP had a greater risk of developing the MetS in the highest quartile of WDP scores (OR 3·22, 95 % CI 1·21, 8·58, P(interaction)= 0·03). Compared with other genotype combinations, the combined effect of APOC3/APOA1 (CC/GA+AA/CT+TT) genotypes showed a further increase in the risk of the MetS in the highest quartile of WDP scores (OR 1, 2·49, 8·73, 6·32, P trend< 0·001, P(interaction)= 0·003). A significant interaction was found between the quartiles of FSDP scores and the APOA1 diplotype (GA+AA/CT+TT). OR for these genotype carriers were 1, 0·65, 0·57 and 0·22 (P(trend)= 0·006) in the lowest to the highest quartile of FSDP scores when compared with the other combined genotypes (P(interaction)= 0·03). Our findings suggest that the WDP and FSDP are associated with APOA1 and APOC3 SNP in relation to the risk of the MetS.

Migrant youth's emerging dietary patterns in Haiti: the role of peer social engagement.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examines whether rural-to-urban migrant youth consume a greater diversity of high-sugar beverages and fried snacks (HSBFS) compared with their peers who remain in rural areas. It also tests whether the association between migration and HSBFS diversity is moderated by migrant youth's social engagement with their peers. DESIGN: Participants were recruited in August and September 2011 following the completion of primary school (6th grade) and shortly before many rural youth migrate to urban areas. Participants were re-interviewed six months later. HSBFS diversity was assessed at follow-up; analyses control for baseline and follow-up characteristics. SETTING: Baseline interviews occurred in rural Southeast Haiti. Follow-up interviews of migrants occurred at urban destinations in Haiti. SUBJECTS: The sample includes 215 youth (mean age 15.9 years; 43.3 % female; 21.9 % rural-to-urban migrants) who were interviewed at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: Rural-to-urban migrant youth consumed a greater diversity of HSBFS products at follow-up than their rural counterparts (b=0.70, P≤0.05). Moreover, we found that this relationship varied by level of peer social engagement. Youth who migrated and had a high degree of peer social engagement consumed 2.2 additional types of HSBFS products daily than their counterparts who remained in rural areas and had low peer social engagement. CONCLUSIONS: Higher HSBFS diversity among migrant youth is consistent with the patterns proposed by the nutrition transition. Interactions with peers may have an important influence as migrant youth adopt new dietary preferences. Emerging dietary patterns among youth migrants have important implications for health trajectories and the development of degenerative diseases.

The association of binge eating and neighbourhood fast-food restaurant availability on diet and weight status.

OBJECTIVE: Fast-food restaurants (FFR) are prevalent. Binge eating is common among overweight and obese women. For women prone to binge eating, neighbourhood FFR availability (i.e. the neighbourhood around one's home) may promote poor diet and overweight/obesity. The present study tested the effects of binge eating and neighbourhood FFR availability on diet (fat and total energy intake) and BMI among African American and Hispanic/Latino women. DESIGN: All measures represent baseline data from the Health is Power randomized clinical trial. The numbers of FFR in participants' neighbourhoods were counted and dichotomized (0 or ≥1 neighbourhood FFR). Participants completed measures of binge eating status and diet. Weight and height were measured and BMI calculated. 2 (binge eating status) × 2 (neighbourhood FFR availability) ANCOVA tested effects on diet and BMI while controlling for demographics. SETTING: Houston and Austin, TX, USA. SUBJECTS: African American and Hispanic/Latino women aged 25-60 years. RESULTS: Of the total sample (n 162), 48 % had 1-15 neighbourhood FFR and 29 % were binge eaters. There was an interaction effect on BMI (P = 0·05). Binge eaters with ≥1 neighbourhood FFR had higher BMI than non-binge eaters or binge eaters with no neighbourhood FFR. There were no significant interactions or neighbourhood FFR main effects on total energy or fat intake (P > 0·05). A main effect of binge eating showed that binge eaters consumed more total energy (P = 0·005) and fat (P = 0·005) than non-binge eaters. CONCLUSIONS: Binge eaters represented a substantial proportion of this predominantly overweight and obese sample of African American and Hispanic/Latino women. The association between neighbourhood FFR availability and weight status is complicated by binge eating status, which is related to diet.

DNA methylation patterns are associated with n-3 fatty acid intake in Yup'ik people.

A large body of evidence links a high dietary intake of n-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) with improved cardiometabolic outcomes. Recent studies suggested that the biologic processes underlying the observed associations may involve epigenetic changes, specifically DNA methylation. To evaluate changes in methylation associated with n-3 PUFA intake, we conducted an epigenome-wide methylation association study of long-chain n-3 PUFA intake and tested associations between the diabetes- and cardiovascular disease-related traits. We assessed DNA methylation at ∼470,000 cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites in a cross-sectional study of 185 Yup'ik Alaska Native individuals representing the top and bottom deciles of PUFA intake. Linear regression models were used to test for the associations of interest, adjusting for age, sex, and community group. We identified 27 differentially methylated CpG sites at biologically relevant regions that reached epigenome-wide significance (P < 1 × 10⁻7). Specifically, regions on chromosomes 3 (helicase-like transcription factor), 10 (actin α 2 smooth muscle/Fas cell surface death receptor), and 16 (protease serine 36/C16 open reading frame 67) each harbored 2 significant correlates of n-3 PUFA intake. In conclusion, we present promising evidence of association between several biologically relevant epigenetic markers and long-term intake of marine-derived n-3 PUFAs.

Metabolic profile before and after short-term overfeeding with a high-fat diet: a comparison between South Asian and White men.

For the same BMI, South Asians have a higher body fat percentage and an adverse metabolic profile compared with whites. The objective of the present study was to determine the metabolic profiles of South Asian and white men matched for body fat percentage in response to short-term overfeeding with a high-fat diet. A total of ten healthy non-diabetic South Asian men matched for body fat percentage with ten white men were included in the study. A weight-maintenance diet (containing 30 % fat, 55 % carbohydrate and 15 % protein) was provided for 3 d followed by 4 d of overfeeding (150 % of energy requirement) with a high-fat diet (60 % fat, 25 % carbohydrate and 15 % protein). Before and after the overfeeding period, plasma glucose, insulin, TAG, NEFA, total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol concentrations were determined. Glucose clearance was calculated using a 2 h oral glucose tolerance test. The results revealed that in South Asian and white men, respectively, overfeeding with a high-fat diet decreased plasma TAG concentrations by 0·4 (sd 0·6) and 0·4 (sd 0·5) mmol/l (P diet= 0·008; P ethnicity= 0·24), increased HDL-cholesterol concentrations by 0·12 (sd 0·1) and 0·14 (sd 0·2) mmol/l (P diet= 0·001; P ethnicity= 0·06) and decreased glucose clearance by 48·8 (sd 53·5) and 37·2 (sd 34·2) ml/min per m2 body surface (P diet= 0·004; P ethnicity= 0·18). There was a significant interaction between diet and ethnicity with regard to the changes in total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations (P= 0·01 and 0·007, respectively), which trended towards a larger increase in South Asian subjects than in white subjects. Despite a similar body fat percentage, short-term overfeeding with a high-fat diet had more adverse effects on the lipid profile of South Asians than on that of whites.

Dietary patterns and breast cancer risk among women in northern Tanzania: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. It was tested within a case-control study in this region whether a specific dietary pattern impacts on the breast cancer risk. METHODS: A validated semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to assess the dietary intake of 115 female breast cancer patients and 230 healthy age-matched women living in the same districts. A logistic regression was performed to estimate breast cancer risk. Dietary patterns were obtained using principal component analysis with Varimax rotation. RESULTS: The adjusted logistic regression estimated an increased risk for a "Fatty Diet", characterized by a higher consumption of milk, vegetable oils and fats, butter, lard and red meat (OR = 1.42, 95 % CI 1.08-1.87; P = 0.01), and for a "Fruity Diet", characterized by a higher consumption of fish, mango, papaya, avocado and watery fruits (OR = 1.61, 95 % CI 1.14-2.28; P = 0.01). Both diets showed an inverse association with the ratio between polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids (P/S ratio). CONCLUSION: A diet characterized by a low P/S ratio seems to be more important for the development of breast cancer than total fat intake.

Breast milk fat concentration and fatty acid pattern during the first six months in exclusively breastfeeding Greek women.

PURPOSE: To determine fat and fatty acid (FA) profile of Greek mother's milk during the first 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and to examine their correlation with dietary and other maternal characteristics. METHODS: Milk samples and dietary records were obtained by mothers at 1st (n = 64), 3rd (n = 39), and 6th (n = 24) month postpartum. Fatty acid methylesters were separated and quantified by gas chromatography (GC/FID) and fat concentration by the creamatocrit method. RESULTS: At the 3 time points, milk fat concentration ranged between 26.3 and 30.2 g/l (p > 0.05). Milk's FA composition was expressed as weight percentage (% wt/wt of all FAs detected with a C6 to C22 chain length). Maternal macronutrient and FA dietary intake, as well as the FAs' profile in maternal milk, remained constant over the 6 months. Saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) represented approx. 46, 35, and 18 % of all FAs, while ω6 and ω3 PUFA were 17.4 and 0.8 %, respectively. Body weight gain during pregnancy was positively related to breast milk's concentration in SFA (p < 0.01) and negatively to milk's concentration in MUFA (p < 0.01). Age and parity were also independent factors affecting the FA profile in maternal milk. A strong positive effect was found during the first month postpartum, between mother's PUFA intake and the concentration of PUFA, ω3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic and linoleic acid (LA) in the milk, while MUFA intake was strongly correlated with the concentration of PUFA, ω6 fatty acids, and LA. CONCLUSION: This study is among few in literature to determine FA profile of breast milk in European populations and verified certain dietary factors that influence this profile. Maternal PUFA and MUFA intake were found to be important factors affecting breast milk's FA profile.

Food consumption and nutrient intake in Italian school children: results of the ZOOM8 study.

The food consumption and food habits of Italian third-class-primary-school children were assessed and their energy and nutrient intakes were compared with requirements. The study involved 1740 subjects (900 males and 840 females) aged 8-9 years, from the north, centre and south of Italy. Body weight and height were measured. Parents filled in a semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire for their child. The results showed that the diet of Italian children is unbalanced in terms of macronutrients and deficient in fiber. The average daily intakes of fruit (234 g/d), vegetables (134 g/d) and legumes (17 g/d), were lower than the nationally recommended ones. The percentages of energy intake from fats (41%) and from carbohydrates (45%) were higher and lower respectively than recommended. Low intakes of fiber (13.5 g/d) were reported. A national nutrition policy in Italy should focus on nutrition education programs in schools and for parents.

Trends in dietary energy, fat, carbohydrate and protein intake in Chinese children and adolescents from 1991 to 2009.

Few studies have examined nutrition transition in children in China. Our aim, in the present study, was to examine temporal trends in dietary energy, fat, carbohydrate and protein intake in Chinese children aged 7-17 years. The analysis used individual level, consecutive 3 d dietary recall data from seven rounds of the China Health and Nutrition Surveys in 1991 (n 2714), 1993 (n 2542), 1997 (n 2516), 2000 (n 2142), 2004 (n 1341), 2006 (n 1072) and 2009 (n 996). Mixed-effect models were constructed to obtain adjusted means and to examine trends after adjusting for intra-class correlation within clusters and for covariates including age, sex, urban/rural residence and income. From 1991 to 2009, daily energy intake steadily declined from 9511·0 to 7658·2 kJ (P<0·0001). There was a steady decline in daily carbohydrate intake from 382·5 to 254·1 g (P<0·0001), and in the proportion of energy from carbohydrate from 66·7 to 56·8 % (P<0·0001). In contrast, daily fat intake steadily increased from 54·8 to 66·0 g (P<0·0001), as did the proportion of energy from fat from 21·5 to 30·0 % (P<0·0001). The proportion of children who consumed a diet with more than 30 % of energy from fat increased from 20·1 to 49·4 % (P<0·0001). The proportion of energy from protein increased from 11·8 to 13·1 % (P<0·0001), although daily protein intake dropped from 66·2 to 58·0 g (P<0·0001). Our data suggest that Chinese children have been undergoing a rapid nutrition transition to a high-fat diet.

Roles of Sedentary Behaviors and Unhealthy Foods in Increasing the Obesity Risk in Adult Men and Women: A Cross-Sectional National Study.

Sedentary behaviors and dietary intake are independently associated with obesity risk. In the literature, only a few studies have investigated gender differences for such associations. The present study aims to assess the association of sedentary behaviors and unhealthy foods intake with obesity in men and women in a comparative manner. The analysis presented in this study was based on the data from a population-based, cross-sectional, nationally representative survey (Indonesian Basic Health Research 2013/RISKESDAS 2013). In total, 222,650 men and 248,590 women aged 19­55 years were enrolled. A validated questionnaire, physical activity card, and food card were used for the assessments. The results showed that the prevalence of obesity (body mass index of ≥27.5 kg/m²) was higher in women (18.71%) than in men (8.67%). The mean body mass index in women tended to be higher than in men. After adjusting for age and education, the gender effect on obesity persisted in women and was more significant than in men. There was also a positive and significant effect on obesity of sedentary behaviors and unhealthy foods intake. Moreover, fatty and fried foods displayed a positive multiplicative interaction, increasing obesity risk in women more than in men and indicating a possible dietary risk in in women in relation to obesity. The study suggests that the implementation of educational programs on nutrition and physical activity is particularly important for promoting a healthy body weight among Indonesian women.