Methods and participant characteristics in the Cancer Risk in Vegetarians Consortium: a cross-sectional analysis across 11 prospective studies.

BACKGROUND: The associations of vegetarian diets with risks for site-specific cancers have not been estimated reliably due to the low number of vegetarians in previous studies. Therefore, the Cancer Risk in Vegetarians Consortium was established. The aim is to describe and compare the baseline characteristics between non-vegetarian and vegetarian diet groups and between the collaborating studies. METHODS: We harmonised individual-level data from 11 prospective cohort studies from Western Europe, North America, South Asia and East Asia. Comparisons of food intakes, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were made between diet groups and between cohorts using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: 2.3 million participants were included; 66% women and 34% men, with mean ages at recruitment of 57 (SD: 7.8) and 57 (8.6) years, respectively. There were 2.1 million meat eaters, 60,903 poultry eaters, 44,780 pescatarians, 81,165 vegetarians, and 14,167 vegans. Food intake differences between the diet groups varied across the cohorts; for example, fruit and vegetable intakes were generally higher in vegetarians than in meat eaters in all the cohorts except in China. BMI was generally lower in vegetarians, particularly vegans, except for the cohorts in India and China. In general, but with some exceptions, vegetarians were also more likely to be highly educated and physically active and less likely to smoke. In the available resurveys, stability of diet groups was high in all the cohorts except in China. CONCLUSIONS: Food intakes and lifestyle factors of both non-vegetarians and vegetarians varied markedly across the individual cohorts, which may be due to differences in both culture and socioeconomic status, as well as differences in questionnaire design. Therefore, care is needed in the interpretation of the impacts of vegetarian diets on cancer risk.

The Association of Oral Processing Factors and Nutrient Intake in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

CONTEXT: Oral health and food oral-processing issues emerge with functional decline in the older adult population, potentially increasing the risk of malnutrition. Impairment of oral health is associated with poorer nutrition status; however, the relationship between oral factors and the intake of each nutrient remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: The associations between different oral factors and nutrient intakes among community-dwelling older adults were investigated. DATA SOURCES: A literature search from 5 databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Ovid [MEDLINE and Embase], and CINAHL) was completed on February 1, 2022. The search was limited to peer-reviewed articles published between the years 2012 and 2022. DATA EXTRACTION: Six cross-sectional studies were included in the meta-analysis. Two authors independently completed the data extraction and summarized the study characteristics, factors adjusted for in the statistical analysis, the outcome, and summary statistics of the results. DATA ANALYSIS: Meta-analyses showed evidence of a significant association between compromised oral factors (namely, denture status, chewing ability, and the number of teeth) with lower energy (weighted mean difference [WMD], -107 kcal d-1 (95% CI, -132 to -81), protein (WMD, -5.2 g d-1; 95% CI, -6.6 to -3.8), fat (WMD, -4.6 g d-1; 95% CI, -6.7 to -2.6), carbohydrate (WMD, -8.8 g d-1; 95% CI, -13.9 to -3.7), and vitamin C intakes (WMD, -12.9 mg d-1; 95% CI, -16.6 to -9.2) in older adults. CONCLUSION: Oral health can be an indicator of compromised daily energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, and vitamin C intakes in older adults. However, the small sample size of the studies included in this review and the heterogeneity among macronutrient studies should be considered. Because of the lack of studies covering all aspects of food oral processing (eg, salivary flow rate, tongue pressure), the associations between oral processing and nutrient intake were not thoroughly explored. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022308823.

Nutrient intake and risk of multimorbidity: a prospective cohort study of 25,389 women.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity is becoming an increasingly serious public health challenge in the aging population. The impact of nutrients on multimorbidity remains to be determined and was explored using data from a UK cohort study. METHOD: Our research analysis is mainly based on the data collected by the United Kingdom Women's Cohort Study (UKWCS), which recruited 35,372 women aged 35-69 years at baseline (1995 to 1998), aiming to explore potential associations between diet and chronic diseases. Daily intakes of energy and nutrients were estimated using a validated 217-item food frequency questionnaire at recruitment. Multimorbidity was assessed using the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) through electronic linkages to Hospital Episode Statistics up to March 2019. Cox's proportional hazards models were used to estimate associations between daily intakes of nutrients and risk of multimorbidity. Those associations were also analyzed in multinomial logistic regression as a sensitivity analysis. In addition, a stratified analysis was conducted with age 60 as the cutoff point. RESULTS: Among the 25,389 participants, 7,799 subjects (30.7%) were confirmed with multimorbidity over a median follow-up of 22 years. Compared with the lowest quintile, the highest quintile of daily intakes of energy and protein were associated with 8% and 12% increased risk of multimorbidity respectively (HR 1.08 (95% CI 1.01, 1.16), p-linearity = 0.022 for energy; 1.12 (1.04, 1.21), p-linearity = 0.003 for protein). Higher quintiles of daily intakes of vitamin C and iron had a slightly lowered risk of multimorbidity, compared to the lowest quintile. A significantly higher risk of multimorbidity was found to be linearly associated with higher intake quintiles of vitamin B12 and vitamin D (p-linearity = 0.001 and 0.002, respectively) in Cox models, which became insignificant in multinomial logistic regression. There was some evidence of effect modification by age in intakes of iron and vitamin B1 associated with the risk of multimorbidity (p-interaction = 0.006 and 0.025, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight a link between nutrient intake and multimorbidity risk. However, there is uncertainty in our results, and more research is needed before definite conclusions can be reached.

Adherence to the national guidance on foods and drinks to limit or avoid during pregnancy in England: the PEAR Study.

OBJECTIVE: The National Health Service (NHS) England website provides guidance on foods/drinks to avoid or limit during pregnancy because of microbiological, toxicological or teratogenic hazards. The aims were to determine adherence and whether demographic characteristics were associated with adherence. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Online survey of postpartum women resident in England during pregnancy. PARTICIPANTS: Recently, postpartum women resident in England during their pregnancy (n 598; median age 33 (IQR 30-36) years) completed an online questionnaire (April-November 2022). Questions included those on consumption of twenty-one food/drink items that the NHS advises pregnant women to avoid/limit. The study is part of the Pregnancy, the Environment And nutRition (PEAR) Study. Summary statistics were used to determine proportions adhering to the guidance. Adjusted logistic regression was used to model the associations of adherence with demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Adherence was generally high (>90 % for eight of ten food/drink items to be avoided). However, among pre-pregnancy consumers, several items were not completely avoided, for example, 81 % (128/158) for game meat/gamebirds, 37 % (176/478) for cured meats and 17 % (81/467) for soft cheeses. Greater educational attainment (e.g. caffeinated soft drinks OR 2·25 (95 % CI 1·28, 3·94)), greater maternal age (e.g. oily fish 1·64 (1·05, 2·56)) and lower parity (e.g. caffeinated coffee 0.28 (0.11, 0.69)) were the most usual characteristics associated with adherence. CONCLUSION: Evidence of concerning levels of non-adherence for some food/drink items suggests a case for more education on some of the guidance, particularly for women with lower educational attainment, greater parity and greater maternal age. Further research on barriers to the implementation of the guidance is needed.

The impact of school-based cooking classes on vegetable intake, cooking skills and food literacy of children aged 4-12 years: A systematic review of the evidence 2001-2021.

BACKGROUND: Many children consume a poor quality diet with only a third of children aged 6-9 years eating vegetables daily. A high quality diet is important for good health in childhood; however, the prevalence of children living with obesity has doubled from 10% to 23% during primary school in the UK. Cooking lessons have the potential to improve diet quality and reduce obesity prevalence in childhood, both of which are associated with improved cardiometabolic outcomes in adulthood. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the impact of school-based cooking classes on cooking skills, food literacy and vegetable intake of children aged 4-12 years. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of OVID Medline, OVID Embase, EBSCO CINHAL and EBSCO ERIC for comparative studies that evaluated outcomes of children receiving cooking classes compared to a control group. Interventions included contained food preparation or a cooking activities and took place on school premises. Risk of bias was assessed using ROB2 and Robins-I. Outcomes were pooled in a meta-analysis using a random-effects model using standardised mean differences or reviewed using narrative synthesis. Certainty of evidence was assessed using GRADE. RESULTS: We included 21 studies, (6 randomised). Meta-analysis showed a small positive effect on cooking self-efficacy of 0.39 units (95% CI 0.05 to 0.54), and a small positive effect on vegetable intake of 0.25 units (95% CI 0.05 to 0.45). Programmes with more than 6 h of cooking showed the greatest effects. CONCLUSIONS: Children's cooking programmes result in small improvements in cooking efficacy and vegetable intake, particularly those with more than 6 h of classes. It is recommended that future interventions use consistent measurement for children's food literacy and cooking confidence.

Mediterranean diet associated with lower frailty risk: A large cohort study of 21,643 women admitted to hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Mediterranean diet is traditionally considered as a healthy dietary pattern, while its association with frailty has not been confirmed. This study investigated associations between Mediterranean diet and risk of frailty among women admitted to hospitals in England from an older-aged women's cohort study. METHODS: A modified Mediterranean diet was evaluated from a validated 217-item food frequency questionnaire. Incident frailty was determined using a hospital frailty risk score based on linkage to Hospital Episode Statistics up to March 2019. Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Further subgroup analyses stratified by age and body mass index (BMI), and sensitivity analyses were additionally explored. RESULTS: Over a mean follow-up of 13 years, there were 14,838 (68.6%) cases of frailty out of 21,643 individuals included in this study. Compared with low adherence to Mediterranean diet, moderate adherence was associated with 5% (HR = 0.95, 95%CI: 0.91, 0.99) lower risk of frailty, with high adherence associated with even lower risk (HR = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.85, 0.94). The magnitude of above associations remained consistent in subgroups stratified by age and BMI, except the association between moderate adherence and risk of frailty was attenuated in the ≥60-year (HR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.93, 1.06) and the BMI > 24.9 kg/m2 (HR = 0.97, 95%CI: 0.91, 1.03) subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to Mediterranean diet was associated with lower risk of frailty. The better the adherence, the greater the magnitude of the protective association. Older and overweight women may potentially benefit from greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet regarding frailty prevention.

Perspective: Peer Evaluation of Recommendations for CONSORT Guidelines for Randomized Controlled Trials in Nutrition.

Creating effective dietary guidance requires a rigorous evidence base that is predominantly developed from robust clinical trials or large-scale cohort studies, with the quality of the data available depending on the completeness and accuracy of their reporting. An international group of academics from 14 institutions in 12 different countries and on 5 continents, working on behalf of the Federation of European Nutrition Societies within its "Improving Standards in the Science of Nutrition" initiative, reviewed the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement checklist as it pertains to nutrition trials. This perspective piece documents the procedure followed to gain input and consensus on the checklist previously published by this group, including its presentation and interrogation at the International Union of Nutritional Sciences International Congress of Nutrition 2022 (IUNS-ICN 22), inputs from a survey of journal editors, and its piloting on 8 nutrition trials of diverse designs. Overall, the initiative has been met with considerable enthusiasm. At IUNS-ICN 22, refinements to our proposal were elicited through a World Café method discussion with participating nutrition scientists. The contributing journal editors provided valuable insights, and the discussion led to the development of a potential tool specific to assess adherence to the proposed nutrition extension checklist. The piloting of the proposed checklist provided evidence from real-life studies that reporting of nutrition trials can be improved. This initiative aims to stimulate further discussion and development of a CONSORT-nutrition-specific extension.

Safety, resource use and nutritional content of home-blended diets in children who are gastrostomy fed: findings from 'YourTube' - a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risks, benefits and resource implications of using home-blended food in children with gastrostomy tubes compared with currently recommended formula feeds. DESIGN: This is a cohort study. Data were collected at months 0, 12 and 18 from parents and clinicians using standardised measures. SETTING: 32 sites across England: 28 National Health Service trusts and 4 children's hospices. PATIENTS: Children aged 6 months-18 years who were gastrostomy fed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The main outcome measure was the PedsQL Gastrointestinal Symptoms Scales score. Secondary outcomes included quality of life, sleep (child, parent), dietary intake, anthropometry, healthcare usage, safety outcomes and resource use. RESULTS: 180 children and families completed the baseline data collection, with 134 (74%) and 105 (58%) providing follow-up data at 12 and 18 months. There were fewer gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms at all time points in the home-blended diet group, but there was no difference in change over time within or between the groups. The nutritional intake of those on a home-blended diet had higher calories per kilogram and fibre, and both home-blended and formula-fed children have values above the dietary reference values for most micronutrients. Safety outcomes were similar between groups and over time. The total costs to the statutory sector were higher among children who were formula fed, but the costs of purchasing special equipment for home-blended food and the total time spent on childcare were higher for families with home-blended diet. CONCLUSIONS: Children who are gastrostomy fed a home-blended diet have similar safety profile, adequate nutritional intake and lower burden of GI symptoms than formula-fed children. Trial registration number ISRCTN13977361.

First foods in a packaged world: Results from the COMMIT consortium to protect young child diets in Southeast Asia.

Although commercially produced complementary foods (CPCFs) are increasingly sold throughout Southeast Asia, concerns have been raised about CPCFs nutritional quality, labelling practices and the strength and scope of national CPCF regulations. The Consortium for Improving Complementary Foods in Southeast Asia (COMMIT), composed of UN agencies and civil society organizations, was formed to assess the nutrient gap in the diets of young children and the consumer, product and policy landscapes for CPCFs in seven Southeast Asian countries. Results from a nutrient gap assessment indicate that the diets of children aged 6-23 months are suboptimal and deficient in micronutrients. A consumer survey revealed that caretakers commonly use CPCFs, are conscious of the importance of nutrition and are influenced by label claims. Results from a CPCF benchmarking showed that many products sold in Southeast Asia contained added sugar or sweeteners, had a high total sugar and/or high sodium content and that no CPCF product adhered to all recommended labelling practices. Further, a legal review of national binding legal measures relevant to CPCFs showed minimal alignment with available global guidance. Urgent actions are necessary to strengthen national regulations related to CPCF nutrient composition and labelling practices. To speed progress, COMMIT developed a compendium of existing standards and global guidance to help countries align their national regulations with CPCF composition, labelling and production recommendations. Advocacy to garner public support for new or improved CPCF regulations, as well as strong government monitoring and enforcement of regulations, is crucial to support efforts to safeguard and improve the diets of older infants and young children in Southeast Asia.

Foods, Nutrients, and Risk of In-Hospital Frailty in Women: Findings from a Large Prospective Cohort Study.

Frailty is increasingly prevalent worldwide because of aging populations. Diet may play a role as a modifiable risk factor. This study aimed to investigate associations between dietary factors and risk of frailty in the UK Women's Cohort admitted to hospitals in England. Consumption of foods and nutrients was estimated using a validated 217-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Incident frailty was assessed via a hospital frailty risk score based on linkage with hospital episode statistics. Out of 25,186 participants admitted to hospitals, 6919 (27%) were identified with frailty and 10,562 (42%) with pre-frailty over a mean follow-up of 12.7 years. After adjustment for confounding, we observed a 12% increase in risk of frailty with each additional 10 g/MJ intake of total meat (HR = 1.12, 95%CI: 1.07, 1.17), with the highest risk observed for processed meats (HR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.21, 1.73). Similar associations were observed with pre-frailty. Vegetable intake was associated with slightly lower risk of frailty (HR = 0.98, 95%CI: 0.97, 1.00). There was no evidence of association between most nutrient intakes and in-hospital frailty risk. Overall, our findings suggest that reducing consumption of meat, especially processed meat, in adults may be beneficial regarding the development of frailty.

'YourTube' the role of different diets in gastrostomy-fed children: Baseline findings from a prospective cohort study.

AIM: To assess the risks, benefits, and resource implications of home-blended food for children with gastrostomy tubes compared with a formula diet. METHOD: This prospective cohort study of children (aged 0-18 years) collected baseline data on gastrointestinal symptoms, nutritional intake, anthropometric outcomes, parent and child quality of life, and resource use. A propensity score-weighted generalized linear mixed model was used to compare children receiving a home-blended versus formula diet. RESULTS: Baseline data were obtained for 180 children (2019-2021; 107 males, 73 females; mean age 9 years 7 months [SD 4 years 5 months]). Children receiving a home-blended diet (n = 104) had similar diagnoses and age but more lived in areas of lower deprivation and parental education was higher compared to the parents of children receiving a formula diet (n = 76). Children receiving home-blended diets had significantly better gastrointestinal scores than those receiving formula diets (B = 13.8, p < 0.001). The number of gut infections and tube blockages were similar between the two groups but with fewer stoma site infections in the group receiving home-blended food. Children receiving a home-blended diet had more fibre in their diet compared to children receiving a formula diet. INTERPRETATION: Home-blended diets should be seen as a safe option for children who are gastrostomy-fed unless clinically contraindicated. Equality of access to home-blended diets for children with gastrostomy should be assessed by local clinical teams.

Ethnic Differences in the Association Between Age at Natural Menopause and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Among Postmenopausal Women: A Pooled Analysis of Individual Data From 13 Cohort Studies.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between age at natural menopause, particularly premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) (natural menopause before age 40 years), and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) and identify any variations by ethnicity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We pooled individual-level data of 338,059 women from 13 cohort studies without T2D before menopause from six ethnic groups: White (n = 177,674), Chinese (n = 146,008), Japanese (n = 9,061), South/Southeast Asian (n = 2,228), Black (n = 1,838), and mixed/other (n = 1,250). Hazard ratios (HRs) of T2D associated with age at menopause were estimated in the overall sample and by ethnicity, with study as a random effect. For each ethnic group, we further stratified the association by birth year, education level, and BMI. RESULTS: Over 9 years of follow-up, 20,064 (5.9%) women developed T2D. Overall, POI (vs. menopause at age 50-51 years) was associated with an increased risk of T2D (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.20-1.44), and there was an interaction between age at menopause and ethnicity (P < 0.0001). T2D risk associated with POI was higher in White (1.53; 1.36-1.73), Japanese (4.04; 1.97-8.27), and Chinese women born in 1950 or later (2.79; 2.11-3.70); although less precise, the risk estimates were consistent in women of South/Southeast Asian (1.46; 0.89-2.40), Black (1.72; 0.95-3.12), and mixed/other (2.16; 0.83-5.57) ethnic groups. A similar pattern, but with a smaller increased risk of T2D, was observed with early menopause overall (1.16; 1.10-1.23) and for White, Japanese, and Chinese women born in 1950 or later. CONCLUSIONS: POI and early menopause are risk factors for T2D in postmenopausal women, with considerable variation across ethnic groups, and may need to be considered in risk assessments of T2D among women.

Major dietary patterns in the United Kingdom Women's Cohort Study showed no evidence of prospective association with pancreatic cancer risk.

Diet is a modifiable risk factor for pancreatic cancer. We hypothesized that specific dietary patterns would increase/decrease pancreatic cancer risk. We evaluated the association of dietary patterns with pancreatic cancer risk in the UK Women's Cohort Study. Dietary patterns were assessed at enrollment using: (1) self-reported practice of vegan/vegetarian dietary habits, (2) diet quality indices (World Health Organization Healthy Diet Indicator and Mediterranean Diet Score), and (3) principal component analysis-derived dietary patterns. The association of dietary patterns with pancreatic cancer incidence was quantified using Cox regression survival analysis. Over a median follow-up of 19 years of 35,365 respondents, there were 136 incident cases of pancreatic cancer. No association between dietary habits/quality and pancreatic cancer incidence was evident after adjustments (hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): self-reported omnivores vs vegan/vegetarian dietary habit: 1.13 (0.73-1.76); per-unit increase in World Health Organization Healthy Diet Indicator scores: 0.99 (0.91-1.09); per-unit increase in Mediterranean Diet Score: 0.92 (0.83-1.02). Similarly, no association of principal component analysis-derived dietary patterns with pancreatic cancer risk was evident ("prudent:" 1.02 [0.94-1.10]; ``meat-based:'' 1.00 [0.92-1.09]; ``fast-food, sugar-sweetened beverages, and carbohydrate-rich snacks:'' 0.96 [0.86-1.07]; ``cereal and dairy-rich:'' 1.04 [0.94-1.16], and ``low-diversity and lowfat:'' 1.00 [0.89-1.13]). In this prospective cohort of women, several major dietary patterns were of poor quality. There was no evidence of a prospective association between any of the dietary patterns explored and pancreatic cancer incidence.

Risk of hip fracture in meat-eaters, pescatarians, and vegetarians: a prospective cohort study of 413,914 UK Biobank participants.

BACKGROUND: Meat-free diets may be associated with a higher risk of hip fracture, but prospective evidence is limited. We aimed to investigate the risk of hip fracture in occasional meat-eaters, pescatarians, and vegetarians compared to regular meat-eaters in the UK Biobank, and to explore the role of potential mediators of any observed risk differences. METHODS: Middle-aged UK adults were classified as regular meat-eaters (n = 258,765), occasional meat-eaters (n = 137,954), pescatarians (n = 9557), or vegetarians (n = 7638) based on dietary and lifestyle information at recruitment (2006-2010). Incident hip fractures were identified by record linkage to Hospital Episode Statistics up to September 2021. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate associations between each diet group and hip fracture risk, with regular meat-eaters as the reference group, over a median follow-up time of 12.5 years. RESULTS: Among 413,914 women, 3503 hip fractures were observed. After adjustment for confounders, vegetarians (HR (95% CI): 1.50 (1.18, 1.91)) but not occasional meat-eaters (0.99 (0.93, 1.07)) or pescatarians (1.08 (0.86, 1.35)) had a greater risk of hip fracture than regular meat-eaters. This is equivalent to an adjusted absolute risk difference of 3.2 (1.2, 5.8) more hip fractures per 1000 people over 10 years in vegetarians. There was limited evidence of effect modification by BMI on hip fracture risk across diet groups (pinteraction = 0.08), and no clear evidence of effect modification by age or sex (pinteraction = 0.9 and 0.3, respectively). Mediation analyses suggest that BMI explained 28% of the observed risk difference between vegetarians and regular meat-eaters (95% CI: 1.1%, 69.8%). DISCUSSION: Vegetarian men and women had a higher risk of hip fracture than regular meat-eaters, and this was partly explained by their lower BMI. Ensuring adequate nutrient intake and weight management are therefore particularly important in vegetarians in the context of hip fracture prevention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05554549, registered retrospectively.

Relative Validity and Reproducibility of a Web-Based Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health-Next Generations MAX Study.

The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is designed to capture an individual's habitual dietary intake and is the most applied method in nutritional epidemiology. Our aim was to assess the relative validity and reproducibility of the FFQ used in the Diet, Cancer, and Health-Next Generations cohort (DCH-NG). We included 415 Danish women and men aged 18-67 years. Spearman's correlations coefficients, Bland-Altman limits of agreement and cross-classification between dietary intakes estimated from the FFQ administered at baseline (FFQbaseline), and the mean of three 24-h dietary recalls (24-HDRs) and the FFQ administered after 12 months (FFQ12 months) were determined. Nutrient intakes were energy-adjusted by Nutrient Density and Residual methods. Correlation coefficients ranged from 0.18-0.58 for energy and energy-adjusted nutrient intakes, and the percentage of participants classified into the same quartile ranged from 28-47% between the FFQbaseline and the 24-HDRs. For the FFQ12 months compared with FFQbaseline, correlation coefficients ranged from 0.52-0.88 for intakes of energy, energy-adjusted nutrients, and food groups, and the proportion of participants classified into the same quartiles ranged from 43-69%. Overall, the FFQ provided a satisfactory ranking of individuals according to energy, nutrient, and food group intakes, making the FFQ suitable for use in epidemiological studies investigating diet in relation to disease outcomes.

Perspectives on the application of CONSORT guidelines to randomised controlled trials in nutrition.

PURPOSE: Reporting guidelines facilitate quality and completeness in research reporting. The CONsolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement is widely applied to dietary and nutrition trials but has no extension specific to nutrition. Evidence suggests poor reporting in nutrition research. The Federation of European Nutrition Societies led an initiative to make recommendations for a nutrition extension to the CONSORT statement towards a more robust reporting of the evidence base. METHODS: An international working group was formed of nutrition researchers from 14 institutions in 12 different countries and on five continents. Using meetings over a period of one year, we interrogated the CONSORT statement specifically for its application to report nutrition trials. RESULTS: We provide a total of 28 new nutrition-specific recommendations or emphasised recommendations for the reporting of the introduction (three), methods (twelve), results (five) and discussion (eight). We also added two additional recommendations that were not allocated under the standard CONSORT headings. CONCLUSION: We identify a need to provide guidance in addition to CONSORT to improve the quality and consistency of the reporting and propose key considerations for further development of formal guidelines for the reporting of nutrition trials. Readers are encouraged to engage in this process, provide comments and conduct specific studies to inform further work on the development of reporting guidelines for nutrition trials.

Is there a link between infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature or early menopause? Results from pooled analyses of 9 cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Some reproductive factors (such as age at menarche and parity) have been shown to be associated with age at natural menopause, but there has been little quantitative analysis of the association between infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature (<40 years) or early menopause (40-44 years). In addition, it has been unknown whether the association differs between Asian and non-Asian women, although the age at natural menopause is younger among Asian women. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association of infertility, miscarriage, and stillbirth with age at natural menopause, and whether the association differed by race (Asian and non-Asian). STUDY DESIGN: This was a pooled individual participant data analysis from 9 observational studies contributing to the InterLACE consortium. Naturally postmenopausal women with data on at least 1 of the reproductive factors (ie, infertility, miscarriage, and stillbirth), age at menopause, and confounders (ie, race, education level, age at menarche, body mass index, and smoking status) were included. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to estimate relative risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association of infertility, miscarriage, and stillbirth with premature or early menopause, adjusting for confounders. Between-study difference and within-study correlation were taken into account by including study as a fixed effect and indicating study as a cluster variable. We also examined the association with number of miscarriages (0, 1, 2, ≥3) and stillbirths (0, 1, ≥2), and tested whether the strength of association differed between Asian and non-Asian women. RESULTS: A total of 303,594 postmenopausal women were included. Their median age at natural menopause was 50.0 years (interquartile range, 47.0-52.0). The percentages of women with premature and early menopause were 2.1% and 8.4%, respectively. The relative risk ratios (95% confidence intervals) of premature and early menopause were 2.72 (1.77-4.17) and 1.42 (1.15-1.74) for women with infertility; 1.31 (1.08-1.59) and 1.37 (1.14-1.65) for women with recurrent miscarriages; and 1.54 (1.52-1.56) and 1.39 (1.35-1.43) for women with recurrent stillbirths. Asian women with infertility, recurrent miscarriages (≥3), or recurrent stillbirths (≥2) had higher risk of premature and early menopause compared with non-Asian women with the same reproductive history. CONCLUSION: Histories of infertility and recurrent miscarriages and stillbirths were associated with higher risk of premature and early menopause, and the associations differed by race, with stronger associations for Asian women with such reproductive history.

Observational assessments of the relationship of dietary and pharmacological treatment on continuous measures of dysglycemia over 24 hours in women with gestational diabetes.

Objectives: Studies that use continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to monitor women with gestational diabetes (GDM), highlight the importance of managing dysglycemia over a 24-hour period. However, the effect of current treatment methods on dysglycemia over 24-hrs are currently unknown. This study aimed to characterise CGM metrics over 24-hrs in women with GDM and the moderating effect of treatment strategy. Methods: Retrospective analysis of CGM data from 128 women with GDM in antenatal diabetes clinics. CGM was measured for 7-days between 30-32 weeks gestation. Non-parametric tests were used to evaluate differences of CGM between periods of day (morning, afternoon, evening, and overnight) and between treatment methods (i.e., diet alone or diet+metformin). Exploratory analysis in a subgroup of 34 of participants was performed to investigate the association between self-reported macronutrient intake and glycaemic control. Results: Glucose levels significantly differed during the day (i.e., morning to evening; P<0.001) and were significantly higher (i.e., mean blood glucose and area under the curve [AUC]) and more variable (i.e., SD and CV) than overnight glucose levels. Morning showed the highest amount of variability (CV; 8.4% vs 6.5%, P<0.001 and SD; 0.49 mmol/L vs 0.38 mmol/L, P<0.001). When comparing treatment methods, mean glucose (6.09 vs 5.65 mmol/L; P<0.001) and AUC (8760.8 vs 8115.1 mmol/L.hr; P<0.001) were significantly higher in diet+metformin compared to diet alone. Finally, the exploratory analysis revealed a favourable association between higher protein intake (+1SD or +92 kcal/day) and lower mean glucose (-0.91 mmol/L p, P=0.02) and total AUC (1209.6 mmol/L.h, P=0.021). Conclusions: Glycemia varies considerably across a day, with morning glycemia demonstrating greatest variability. Additionally, our work supports that individuals assigned to diet+metformin have greater difficulty managing glycemia and results suggest that increased dietary protein may assist with management of dysglycemia. Future work is needed to investigate the benefit of increased protein intake on management of dysglycemia.

Corrigendum: Characterizing adolescents' dietary intake by taste: Results from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.893643.].