Investigation of the 1-week effect of traffic light nutrition labeling on diet selection among Japanese university students: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The method of displaying nutrition information labels on the front of food packaging (FOP: Front of Pack) has been implemented worldwide to prevent lifestyle-related diseases. This study aimed to investigate whether the use of the UK's Traffic Light Food (TLF) label, known as the FOP label, influences the dietary choices of Japanese youth and promotes healthy dietary choices. METHODS: Diet selection was performed for one week each during the baseline and intervention periods. During the intervention period, TLF labels were displayed on meal images of the intervention group. Participants chose what they would like to have for dinner of the day from 15 images. Each meal was scored based on the color of the nutrition label, and a comparison between groups was made to determine whether TLF labeling influenced meal selection for dinner. The psychological stress caused by the presence or absence of nutrition labels and nutritional components when choosing meals was also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 69 participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Dietary choice scores indicated that the TLF-labeled group made significantly healthier dietary choices than the unlabeled group. Additionally, the TLF-labeled group showed a significant increase in the percentage of people conscious of nutritional components when choosing meals. Furthermore, a significant increase in the number of people conscious of protein, a nutritional ingredient not indicated on the TLF label, was observed. During the test period, no difference in psychological stress caused by the presence and absence of the TLF labels was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The use of TLF labels also encouraged healthy dietary choices among Japanese university students. The use of FOP nutrition labels should be considered in Japan to prevent lifestyle-related diseases through healthy dietary choices. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry Number: UMIN000047268. Registered March 23, 2022.

CPT-11-Induced Delayed Diarrhea Develops via Reduced Aquaporin-3 Expression in the Colon.

While irinotecan (CPT-11) has a potent anti-cancer effect, it also causes serious diarrhea as an adverse reaction. In this study, we analyzed the pathogenic mechanism of CPT-11-induced delayed diarrhea by focusing on water channel aquaporin-3 (AQP3) in the colon. When rats received CPT-11, the expression level of AQP3 was reduced during severe diarrhea. It was found that the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and the loss of crypt cells were increased in the colon when CPT-11 was administered. When celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory drug, was concomitantly administered, both the diarrhea and the reduced expression of AQP3 induced by CPT-11 were suppressed. The inflammation in the rat colon during diarrhea was caused via activated macrophage by CPT-11. These results showed that when CPT-11 is administered, the expression level of AQP3 in the colon is reduced, resulting in delayed diarrhea by preventing water transport from the intestinal tract. It was also suggested that the reduced expression of AQP3 might be due to the inflammation that occurs following the loss of colonic crypt cells and to the damage caused by the direct activation of macrophages by CPT-11. Therefore, it was considered that anti-inflammatory drugs that suppress the reduction of AQP3 expression could prevent CPT-11-induced delayed diarrhea.