Inequalities in education and national income are associated with poorer diet: Pooled analysis of individual participant data across 12 European countries.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition linked to noncommunicable diseases presents major health problems across Europe. The World Health Organisation encourages countries to conduct national dietary surveys to obtain data to inform public health policies designed to prevent noncommunicable diseases. METHODS: Data on 27334 participants aged 19-64y were harmonised and pooled across national dietary survey datasets from 12 countries across the WHO European Region. Weighted mean nutrient intakes were age-standardised using the Eurostat 2013 European Standard Population. Associations between country-level Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and key nutrients and nutrient densities were investigated using linear regression. The potential mitigating influence of participant-level educational status was explored. FINDINGS: Higher GDP was positively associated with total sugar intake (5·0% energy for each 10% increase in GDP, 95% CI 0·6, 9·3). Scandinavian countries had the highest vitamin D intakes. Participants with higher educational status had better nutritional intakes, particularly within lower GDP countries. A 10% higher GDP was associated with lower total fat intakes (-0·2% energy, 95% CI -0·3, -0·1) and higher daily total folate intakes (14µg, 95% CI 12, 16) in higher educated individuals. INTERPRETATION: Lower income countries and lower education groups had poorer diet, particularly for micronutrients. We demonstrate for the first time that higher educational status appeared to have a mitigating effect on poorer diet in lower income countries. It illustrates the feasibility and value of harmonising national dietary survey data to inform European policy regarding access to healthy diets, particularly in disadvantaged groups. It specifically highlights the need for strong policies supporting nutritional intakes, prioritising lower education groups and lower income countries.

Preparation of Dutch food consumption data for risk assessment.

The availability of detailed and high-quality food consumption data collected at an individual level is essential for assessing the exposure to potential risks in the food chain. During the years 2012-2016, the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey was conducted in the Netherlands as part of the EU Menu survey, following the EFSA 2009 guidance on 'General principles for the collection of national food consumption data in the view of a pan-European dietary survey'. Complete results were obtained for 4,313 persons aged 1-79 years (response rate 65%). The work programme proposed to the European Food Risk Assessment (EU-FORA) Fellow included FoodEx2 mapping of the Dutch food consumption data and preparing the final scientific report for EFSA as well as analysing habitual intake of nutrients using the SPADE programme. Further activities were added, such as performing a literature search as to the validity and usability of mobile applications for collecting food consumption data and exploring methods for estimating added-sugar/free-sugar intake.

[Identification of the first Duchess of Brabant. Anatomo-historical study]. / Identificatie van de eerste hertogen van Brabant. Anatomo-historische studie.

After World War I, the St. Peter's church at Louvain had to be restored. When the floor of the choir was broken up, a vaulted tomb house, containing a heap of bones, was discovered. The study of the historical past of the church building was committed to Leo Van der Essen, Professor of History at the Louvain university, while Charles Nelis, Professor of Anatomy at the same university, was charged to identify, as far as possible, the discovered bones. Prof. Nelis succeeded in rebuilding three skeletons with bones that fitted together. He chiefly discovered on these skeletons a number of osteological variants, which in fact are known as being very rare; but their frequent existence on the three skeletons and their absence on the other bones, pointed towards an hereditary factor and the kinship of the three persons. By combining Prof. Van der Essen's historical data with his own heredomorphological findings, Prof. Nelis identified in the year 1930 the Dukes of Brabant from the twelfth and the thirteenth centuries, namely Godfrey II, Godfrey III and Henry I (father, son and grandson). With the help of the medical historian Dr. Tricot-Royer, Prof. Nelis extended his investigation to other members of the dukes' family, namely Saint Albert, Prince-bishop of Liège and brother of Henry I, whose shrine was preserved in Mechlin, and Henry II, son of Henry I, whose tomb was located in the ruins of the abbey of Villers-la-Ville. By measuring and digging in the gardens of the Affligem-abbey, according to historical documents, Dr. Tricot-Royer could find the graves and the skeletons of the first Duke Godfrey I with the Beard, of his daughter Queen Alice and of Godfrey of Gaesbeeck, brother of Henry II. Thanks to the unusual frequency of the same hereditary traits, the kinship with the first three skeletons was established and the historical indications could be confirmed by the anatomical science. The heredo-morphological pioneer research of Prof. Nelis on eight personages from five generations of the same family is unique.

Snapshot diagnosis: syndromes, facies and heart disease.

In some syndromes the facial appearance of the patients is so typical that a correct diagnosis can be made 'à vue'. The five cases presented here are examples of this statement and the additional clinical data make it possible to decide on the syndromes and the complicating cardiac anomalies.