Cuestionamiento sobre las recomendaciones dietéticas de eliminación del consumo de grasas saturadas / Doubts about the validity of dietary recommendations discouraging the intake of saturated fats

Introducción: Desde sus inicios, las guías alimentarias han recomendado que el consumo de grasa saturada en la dieta no sobrepase el 10 por ciento, con la finalidad de disminuir las enfermedades cardiovasculares. En aquel entonces, la evidencia sobre la cual se tomó dicha recomendación fue sobreestimada. Aún hoy en día se sigue recomendando dicha reducción a pesar de la gran cantidad de estudios que recomiendan que se reconsidere este límite. Objetivo: Demostrar que el consumo de grasas saturadas en la dieta no representa problemas para la salud humana y que las recomendaciones alimentarias respecto a su limitación deben ser reconsideradas. Métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda de artículos en Pubmed y Google Académico, con las palabras clave: grasas saturadas, recomendaciones dietéticas, enfermedades cardiovasculares, colesterol, evolución humana. Conclusiones: Los metaanálisis y revisiones sistemáticas presentados en este trabajo evidencian que las grasas saturadas no tienen relación con la enfermedad cardiovascular. Su reducción o sustitución con grasas poliinsaturadas omega 6 no previenen los riesgos de desarrollar enfermedades cardiovasculares(AU)

Introduction: Ever since they first appeared, food guides have recommended that saturated fat intake should not exceed 10 percent, with the purpose of reducing the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. At that time the evidence upon which the recommendation was based was overestimated. Even today such reduction continues to be recommended despite the large number of studies advising reconsideration of that limit. Objective: Demonstrate that saturated fat consumption does not affect human health and dietary recommendations about its limitation should be reconsidered. Methods: A search was conducted for papers about the topic published in the databases PubMed and Google Scholar. The search words used were saturated fats, dietary recommendations, cardiovascular diseases, cholesterol and human evolution. Conclusions: The meta-analyses and systematic reviews presented in the paper make evident that saturated fat intake bears no relationship to cardiovascular disease. Its reduction or replacement with omega-6 polyunsaturated fats does not prevent the risk of developing cardiovascular disease(AU)

A review of trends in food and nutrition policy framework and Dietary Reference Intakes formulated by international organizations since the 1990s / 国際保健医療

<b>Objectives </b><BR>  Recently, there has been an increasing focus on nutrition in international health cooperation. However, little attention has been paid on global nutrition issues and their methodologies in Japan. One of the possible reasons is that the whole picture cannot be clearly grasped, because nutrition issues and actions have been considered separately at international organizations such as WHO, FAO, and UNICEF. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the trends in food and nutrition policy framework, dietary recommendations and nutritional requirements formulated by international organizations through a review of published nutrition policy guidelines and standards since the 1990s.<BR><b>Method</b><BR>  Policy guidelines, technical reports, annual reports, and other relevant materials published between 1990 and 2015, available on the WHO, FAO and UNICEF websites, were reviewed. Then, we extracted the study focused on nutrition problems and their solutions. The purpose and contents of each document and guidelines were identified and categorized in a summary table, so as to investigate their feasures and time trend.<BR><b>Results</b><BR>  This study identified 22 statements on food and nutrition policy frameworks, 14 dietary recommendations and nutritional requirements, and 5 information systems. It was revealed that, in the 1990s, the focus was to develop and standardize the methods for nutritional assessment of children. The goal during this period was to achieve food-based security through improvement in energy and nutrient intakes such as proteins and vitamin A, so as to reduce severe child malnutrition and maternal mortality. Later, various recommendations were formulated on double burden of malnutrition, the importance of breastfeeding and the context of the food system and nutrition in the 2000s, and on noncommunicable disease prevention and control policies and practical methodologies to reduce nutrition disparities after 2010. Several information systems were established, which have been utilized as the evidence database to develop policy frameworks.

Trends in adherence to dietary recommendations among Korean type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The current study examined trends in adherence to dietary recommendations and compared the levels of adherence between diagnosed and undiagnosed subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Korea over the past 14 years. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data were collected from the 1998-2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES). Diagnosed diabetes was defined as giving a positive response to questions about awareness of the disease, a physician's diagnosis of diabetes, or medical treatment for diabetes, whereas undiagnosed diabetes was defined as having a fasting glucose level > or = 126 mg/dl. Assessment of adherence level was based on 6 components of dietary guidelines, considering meal patterns and intake levels of calories, carbohydrates, vegetable/seaweed, sodium, and alcohol. The participants received 1 point if they met the criteria for each of the 6 components, and the total possible score ranged from 0 to 6 points. Multivariate generalized linear regression was performed, taking into account the complex survey design. RESULTS: Among all diabetic patients aged 30 years or older, the proportion of diagnosed diabetes increased dramatically, from 40.9% in 1998 to 75.9% in 2012 (P for trend < 0.001). The overall adherence levels to dietary recommendations were low and did not significantly differ between diagnosed and undiagnosed subjects with T2DM for all survey years. Several improvements were observed, including increased adherence to maintaining sufficient vegetable/seaweed consumption (increased from 0.12 to 0.16 points) and limiting sodium intake (increased from 0.12-0.13 points to 0.19-0.24 points; P for trend < 0.001), while adherence to maintaining moderate alcohol consumption decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of data collected by the KNHANES indicates that Korean T2DM patients have poor adherence to dietary recommendations and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle, regardless of disease awareness. This finding suggests that development of practical, evidence-based guidelines is necessary and that provision and expansion of educational programs for T2DM patients is critical after diagnosis.

Valores de referencia de calcio, vitamina D, fósforo, magnesio y flúor para la población venezolana / Reference values of calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, magnesium and fluoride for the Venezuelan population.

Se consideraron en conjunto los siguientes micronutrientes por su función en la salud ósea: calcio, vitamina D, fósforo, magnesio y flúor. Calcio: no se tiene suficiente información para cambiar las recomendaciones actuales. En adolescentes y adultos, los escasos datos indican que el consumo a nivel de lo recomendado se relaciona con una masa ósea normal. En adultos mayores, los escasos datos reportan un bajo consumo y un alto índice de fracturas, pero no se tiene información si los valores actuales son adecuados. Vitamina D: los escasos datos reportan alta deficiencia en adultos mayores, la cual está relacionada con osteoporosis. Tomando en cuenta el aumento reciente en las recomendaciones de vitamina D en Norteamérica por su contribución a la salud ósea, se propone aumentar la recomendación poblacional a 400-600 UI/d en Venezuela. Fósforo, Magnesio y Flúor: la falta de datos locales no permite cambiar las últimas recomendaciones. Tal situación evidencia la falta de estudios locales para evaluar las recomendaciones actuales. Se necesitan estudios poblaciones del consumo de estos micronutrientes y evaluar su interacción y su relación con la salud ósea y en general. Se necesita conocer si el nivel de estos nutrientes en leche humana es adecuado para la población infantil. Es preciso implementar un sistema de vigilancia nutricional efectiva e implementar intervenciones que maximicen la salud ósea, incluyendo el diseño e implementación de una política lechera que conlleven al aumento en su producción y consumo por la población.

The following micronutrients were considered together for their role in bone health: calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, magnesium and fluoride. Calcium: not enough is known to change current recommendations. In adolescents and adults, limited data suggest that consuming the recommended level is associated with normal bone mass. In older adults, the limited data reported low consumption and a high rate of fractures but there is no information on whether the current values are adequate. Vitamin D: the limited data reported high deficiency in older adults, which was related to osteoporosis. Given the recent increase in North American recommendation for their contribution to bone health, we proposed to increase the recommendation to 400-600 IU/d for Venezuela. Phosphorus, magnesium and fluoride: the lack of local data does not support changing the latest recommendations. Therefore, it highlights the lack of local studies to assess current recommendations. Studies are needed to estimate the intake of these micronutrients in the population and evaluate their interaction and their relation to bone and overall health. Information of the adequacy of these nutrients in human milk for infants is needed. Alto, it is necessary to implement an effective nutrition surveillance system and implement interventions that maximize bone health from an early stage, including the design and implementation of a dairy policy that leads to an increase in production and consumption by the population.

An Exploratory study of compliance with dietary recommendations among college students majoring in health-related disciplines: application of the transtheoretical model

Compliance with food group and nutrient recommendations, and self-efficacy, stage of change, perceived barriers and benefits for healthy eating were assessed among a convenience sample of college students majoring in health-related disciplines. Dietary and psychosocial data were collected using three-day food records and scales, respectively. Means (SD), frequencies, and percents were calculated on all data, and logistic regressions were used to determine whether any of the psychosocial correlates predicted the stage of change for healthy eating. Noncompliance with food group recommendations ranged from 53% for the meat/meat alternates group to 93% for the vegetables/juice group, whereas noncompliance with nutrient recommendations ranged from 26% for cholesterol to 99% for potassium. A majority of students (57%) self-classified in the preaction and 40% in the action stages of change for eating healthy. The students' self-efficacy to eat healthy was highest in positive/social situations and lowest when experiencing emotional upset. The most important perceived barrier to healthy eating was that friends/roommates do not like to eat healthy foods, and the most important perceived benefit was that eating healthy foods provides the body with adequate nutrients. The difficult/inconvenient self-efficacy subscale predicted the stage of change for healthy eating. These students would benefit from interactive learning opportunities that teach how to purchase and prepare more whole grain foods, fruits, and vegetables, enhance their self-efficacy for making healthy food choices when experiencing negative emotions, and overcome perceived barriers to healthy eating.

Macro and micro minerals: are frozen fruits a good source?

Fruits are rich in minerals, which are essential for a wide variety of metabolic and physiologic processes in the human body. The use of frozen fruits has greatly spread in the last years not only in the preparation of juices, but also as raw material for yogurts, candies, cookies, cakes, ice creams, and children's food. However, up to now there is no data about the mineral profile of frozen fruits. This is the first database to quantify the levels of minerals in 23 samples of frozen fruits, including the most used around the world and some native fruits from the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Considering the Dietary Reference Intakes, 100g of frozen fruits can provide 0.2 to 2.8 percent of macro and 2.5 to 100 percent of microminerals for adults (31-50 years old). Although geographical differences should be considered, these data can help to plan diets and to develop population interventions aiming to prevent chronic diseases.

As frutas são ricas em minerais, sendo estes essenciais para uma grande variedade de processos metabólicos e fisiológicos no corpo humano. A utilização de frutas congeladas tem se ampliado nos últimos anos, não só na preparação de sucos, mas também como matéria-prima para iogurtes, doces, biscoitos, bolos, sorvetes e alimentos infantis. No entanto, até o momento não há dados sobre o perfil mineral de frutas congeladas. Este trabalho é o primeiro banco de dados para quantificar os níveis de minerais em 23 amostras de frutas congeladas, bastante consumidas em todo o mundo e de algumas frutas nativas da floresta amazônica, Brasil. Considerando-se as Referências de Ingestão Diárias, 100g de frutas congeladas podem fornecer 0,2-2,8 por cento de macro e de 2,5 a 100 por cento dos mi-crominerais para adultos (31-50 anos). Embora as diferenças geográficas devam ser consideradas, estes dados ajudam para o plano de dietas e desenvolvimento de intervenções junto à população co o objetivo de prevenir doenças crônicas.