The impact of an innovative web-based school nutrition intervention to increase fruits and vegetables and milk and alternatives in adolescents: a clustered randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: The increase in overweight and obesity in adolescents and its health-related consequences highlight the need to develop strategies, which could help them adopt healthy eating habits. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an innovative web-based school nutrition intervention (Team Nutriathlon) aimed at promoting the consumption of vegetables and fruit (V/F) and milk and alternatives (M/A) in high school students and to identify facilitators and/or barriers influencing its success. METHODS: Ten classes of first and second year secondary students (grades 7 and 8) from the Québec City region were randomized into two groups (control n = 89 and intervention n = 193). Participants in the intervention (Team Nutriathlon) were to increase their consumption of V/F and M/A using an innovative web-based platform, developed for this study, over 6 weeks. The control group followed the regular school curriculum. The number of servings of V/F and M/A consumed by students per day was compared between the two groups before, during, immediately after and 10 weeks after the intervention using a web-based platform. Main outcome measures included V/F and M/A servings and facilitators and/or barriers of program success. Repeated measures linear fixed effects models were used to assess the impact of Team Nutriathlon on V/F and M/A consumption. A P-value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Students in the intervention reported a significant increase of 3 servings and 1.8 servings per day of V/F and M/A, respectively, compared to the control group (P < 0.05); however, this was only observed in the short-term. Some factors contributing to the success of Team Nutriathlon included the team aspect of the program, use of the technology and recording results outside of classroom hours. CONCLUSION: Team Nutriathlon represents an innovative web-based nutrition program which positively impacts V/F and M/A consumption among high school students. Using web-based or technological platforms may help youth adopt healthy eating habits that will have implications later in adulthood; however, further studies are needed to determine their long-term effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03117374 (retrospectively registered).

Evaluation of a Theory-Based Intervention Aimed at Reducing Intention to Use Restrictive Dietary Behaviors Among Adolescent Female Athletes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a theory-based intervention to reduce the intention to use restrictive dietary behaviors for losing weight among adolescent female athletes involved in aesthetic sports. DESIGN: Cluster-randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Aesthetic sport teams of adolescent female athletes aged 12-17 years. PARTICIPANTS: Two teams (n = 37 athletes) in the intervention group and 3 teams (n = 33) in the comparison group. INTERVENTIONS: The 2 groups received nutrition education during 3 weekly 60-minute sessions. The intervention group was further exposed to a theory-based intervention targeting the specific determinant of intention to use restrictive dietary behaviors for losing weight, namely attitude. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Difference over time between groups in intention to use restrictive dietary behaviors for losing weight and in nutrition knowledge. ANALYSIS: Mixed models for repeated measures. RESULTS: The theory-based intervention contributed to maintaining a low intention of using restrictive dietary behaviors for losing weight over time in the intervention group compared with the comparison group (P < .03). Nutrition knowledge score increased equally in both groups. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Complementing nutrition education with theory-based behavior change intervention may help maintain a low intention of using restrictive dietary behaviors for losing weight among female high school athletes involved in aesthetic sports.

Evaluation of Sports Nutrition Knowledge and Recommendations Among High School Coaches.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate high school coaches' knowledge in sports nutrition and the nutritional practices they recommend to their athletes. Forty-seven high school coaches in "leanness" and "non-leanness" sports from the greater region of Quebec (women = 44.7%) completed a questionnaire on nutritional knowledge and practices. "Leanness sports" were defined as sports where leanness or/and low bodyweight were considered important (e.g., cheerleading, swimming and gymnastics), and "non-leanness sports" were defined as sports where these factors are less important (e.g., football). Participants obtained a total mean score of 68.4% for the nutrition knowledge part of the questionnaire. More specifically, less than 30% of the coaches could answer correctly some general nutrition questions regarding carbohydrates and lipids. No significant difference in nutrition knowledge was observed between coaches from "leanness" and "non-leanness" sports or between men and women. Respondents with a university education scored higher than the others (73.3% vs. 63.3%, p < .05). Coaches who participated in coaching certification also obtained better results than those without a coaching certification. The most popular source of information about nutrition used by coaches was the Internet at 55%. The two most popular nutrition practices that coaches recommended to improve athlete performance were hydration and consumption of protein-rich foods. Recommendation for nutritional supplements use was extremely rare and was suggested only by football coaches, a nonleanness sport. Findings from this study indicate that coaches need sports nutrition education and specific training.

Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 supplementation on weight loss and maintenance in obese men and women.

The present study investigated the impact of a Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 (LPR) supplementation on weight loss and maintenance in obese men and women over 24 weeks. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised trial, each subject consumed two capsules per d of either a placebo or a LPR formulation (1.6 × 10(8) colony-forming units of LPR/capsule with oligofructose and inulin). Each group was submitted to moderate energy restriction for the first 12 weeks followed by 12 weeks of weight maintenance. Body weight and composition were measured at baseline, at week 12 and at week 24. The intention-to-treat analysis showed that after the first 12 weeks and after 24 weeks, mean weight loss was not significantly different between the LPR and placebo groups when all the subjects were considered. However, a significant treatment × sex interaction was observed. The mean weight loss in women in the LPR group was significantly higher than that in women in the placebo group (P = 0.02) after the first 12 weeks, whereas it was similar in men in the two groups (P= 0.53). Women in the LPR group continued to lose body weight and fat mass during the weight-maintenance period, whereas opposite changes were observed in the placebo group. Changes in body weight and fat mass during the weight-maintenance period were similar in men in both the groups. LPR-induced weight loss in women was associated not only with significant reductions in fat mass and circulating leptin concentrations but also with the relative abundance of bacteria of the Lachnospiraceae family in faeces. The present study shows that the Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 formulation helps obese women to achieve sustainable weight loss.

GAD2 gene sequence variations are associated with eating behaviors and weight gain in women from the Quebec family study.

The glutamate decarboxylase 2 (GAD2) gene encodes for the glutamic acid decarboxylase enzyme (GAD65), which is implicated in the formation of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter involved in the regulation of food intake. The objective of the present study was to test for association between GAD2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and eating behaviors, dietary intake and obesity in subjects (n=873) from the Quebec Family Study (QFS). Energy and macronutrient intakes were measured using a 3-day dietary record and eating behaviors were assessed using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ). Six SNPs capturing about 90% of GAD2 gene variability were genotyped and tested for association with age- and BMI- adjusted phenotypes. No evidence of association was found in men. In women, a SNP (rs992990; c.61450 C>A) was associated with disinhibition (p=0.028), emotional susceptibility to disinhibition (p=0.0005) and susceptibility to hunger (p=0.028). Another SNP (rs7908975; c.8473A>C) was associated with carbohydrate (p=0.021) and lipid (p=0.021) intakes, disinhibition (p=0.011) and two of its subscales (emotional and situational susceptibility) as well as with avoidance of fattening foods (p=0.036). Six-year weight gain was two times higher in women carrying the variants associated with eating behaviors: 4.2kg (vs 2.1kg in non-carriers) in A-allele carriers of c.61450 C>A (p=0.038) and 4.9kg (vs 2.5kg in non-carriers) in C-allele carriers of c. 8473 A>C (p=0.013). The results suggest a role for the GAD2 gene in determining food intake, eating behaviors and weight gain over time in women.