Internal endpoint temperature (level of cooking doneness) effects on the fatty acid and mineral profiles of grilled lamb m. longissimus lumborum.

This study compared the fatty acid and mineral concentrations of lamb meat that was prepared to different levels of cooking doneness. Ten m. longissimus lumborum were each sectioned into 4 slices that were randomly assigned to be uncooked or grilled to an internal end-point temperature of 60 °C (rare), 71 °C (medium), or 77 °C (well done). It was found that cooking loss increased as the level of cooking doneness increased. The proportion of most major fatty acids were not altered by cooking. However, when adjusted for cooking loss (i.e., mg/135 g serve of lamb as-is equivalent prepared to each level of cooking doneness), the concentration of most major fatty acids, including C16:0, C18:0, C18:1n-9, and many conjugated linoleic acids, were lowered after grilling to any level of cooking doneness and compared to the uncooked samples. The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio was lowest for the uncooked samples and highest for those prepared to a well done level of cooking doneness. Conversely, the concentration of health claimable omega-3 fatty acids in the uncooked meat was retained upon cooking and across all the different internal endpoint temperatures. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and sodium were reduced with preparation of lamb meat to any level of cooking doneness, compared with uncooked meat. Zinc, iron, and selenium were retained within the cooked samples. These findings show that consumer preference for a level of cooking doneness will have only minor effects on the concentration of minerals and fatty acids in lamb meat.

Incorporation of betel leaf extract provides oxidative stability and improves phytochemical, textural, sensory and antimicrobial activities of buffalo meat sausages.

The antioxidant effect of betel leaf extract (BLE) on lipid and protein oxidation, microbial count and physicochemical attributes was investigated in meat sausages during refrigerated storage at 4 ± 1 °C. Buffalo meat sausages were developed after incorporating 0, 250, 500 and 750 mg kg-1 of BLE (BLE0, BLE1, BLE2 and BLE3) respectively. The sausages showed no changes in proximate composition due to BLE inclusion, but there was an improvement in microbial quality, color score, textural properties and lipid and protein oxidative stability. Further, higher sensory scores were observed for the BLE-incorporated samples. The images from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a reduction in surface roughness and unevenness showing microstructure modification in BLE treated sausages compared to the control sausages. Hence, to improve the storage stability and impede the rate of lipid oxidation in sausages, BLE incorporation proved to be an effective strategy.

The role of preoperative vitamin D and calcium in preventing post-thyroidectomy hypocalcaemia: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The thyroid gland plays an important endocrine function regulating metabolism, growth and development. A variety of benign and malignant conditions necessitate surgical removal of the thyroid gland, either in its entirety, or partially. Thyroidectomy is the most commonly undertaken endocrine surgery. Hypocalcaemia, occurring at a rate of approximately 25%, is the most common complication following total thyroidectomy. Hypocalcaemia can increase healthcare costs requiring further investigations, treatment and delaying discharge. Severe hypocalcaemia can be potentially life threatening. It has been demonstrated that routine post-operative supplementation with Vitamin D and calcium, can reduce post-operative hypocalcaemia, at present it is unclear whether preoperative supplementation has a similar effect. METHODS: This systematic review includes randomised controlled trials on human adult subjects, who received preoperative Vitamin D and/or calcium, and which studied the effect on post-operative hypocalcaemia following total or near total thyroidectomy. There were no restrictions in respect of post-operative supplementation regimen. Studies were limited to those published in English. RESULT: Seven of the eleven trials demonstrated a reduction in either laboratory or clinical hypocalcaemia with preoperative supplementation. This benefit was most likely to be seen when postoperative supplementation was performed on an as needed basis. IV calcium was required to treat resistant or severe hypocalcaemia, in five of the eleven trials, in each of these five trials, rates of IV replacement were lower in the preoperative supplementation group. CONCLUSION: The use of preoperative Vitamin D, with or without calcium, may provide a modest reduction in the incidence of laboratory and clinic hypocalcaemia following total or near total thyroidectomy. There is a trend toward a reduced requirement for IV calcium with preoperative supplementation. Larger robust randomised trials are needed to provide a definitive answer. Preoperative supplementation can be considered in patients undergoing total or near total thyroidectomy.

Assessing chemometric models developed using Raman spectroscopy and fatty acid data for Northern and Southern Australian beef production systems.

A total of 960 beef carcases from northern and southern Australian production regions were assessed by examining the subcutaneous fat. Carcases from four different production systems within each region were assessed, by Raman spectroscopy and the fatty acid composition determined to develop models that best classified the various production systems. As a result, 12 Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis models were developed. A two-class model based on fatty acid composition was able to correctly classify 99% of grass and grain fed animals. The best Raman spectroscopic model correctly classified 94% of grass vs grain carcases produced in the northern region. For the southern production region, the models had the following classification accuracies; southern long-term grain fed (98%), southern short-term grain fed (95%), southern grass (96%), southern grass supplemented (97%), and the southern model classified grass vs grain (97%). Raman spectroscopy is considered a useful rapid method for classification of beef carcases based upon production system.

Safety and efficacy of hydrothermal duodenal mucosal resurfacing in patients with type 2 diabetes: the randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled, multicentre REVITA-2 feasibility trial.

OBJECTIVE: Hydrothermal duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR) is a safe, outpatient endoscopic procedure. REVITA-2, a double-blind, superiority randomised controlled trial, investigates safety and efficacy of DMR using the single catheter Revita system (Revita DMR (catheter and system)), on glycaemic control and liver fat content in type 2 diabetes (T2D). DESIGN: Eligible patients (haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) 59-86 mmol/mol, body mass index≥24 and ≤40 kg/m2, fasting insulin >48.6 pmol/L, ≥1 oral antidiabetic medication) enrolled in Europe and Brazil. Primary endpoints were safety, change from baseline in HbA1c at 24 weeks, and liver MRI proton-density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) at 12 weeks. RESULTS: Overall mITT (DMR n=56; sham n=52), 24 weeks post DMR, median (IQR) HbA1c change was -10.4 (18.6) mmol/mol in DMR group versus -7.1 (16.4) mmol/mol in sham group (p=0.147). In patients with baseline liver MRI-PDFF >5% (DMR n=48; sham n=43), 12-week post-DMR liver-fat change was -5.4 (5.6)% in DMR group versus -2.9 (6.2)% in sham group (p=0.096). Results from prespecified interaction testing and clinical parameter assessment showed heterogeneity between European (DMR n=39; sham n=37) and Brazilian (DMR n=17; sham n=16) populations (p=0.063); therefore, results were stratified by region. In European mITT, 24 weeks post DMR, median (IQR) HbA1c change was -6.6 mmol/mol (17.5 mmol/mol) versus -3.3 mmol/mol (10.9 mmol/mol) post-sham (p=0.033); 12-week post-DMR liver-fat change was -5.4% (6.1%) versus -2.2% (4.3%) post-sham (p=0.035). Brazilian mITT results trended towards DMR benefit in HbA1c, but not liver fat, in context of a large sham effect. In overall PP, patients with high baseline fasting plasma glucose ((FPG)≥10 mmol/L) had significantly greater reductions in HbA1c post-DMR versus sham (p=0.002). Most adverse events were mild and transient. CONCLUSIONS: DMR is safe and exerts beneficial disease-modifying metabolic effects in T2D with or without non-alcoholic liver disease, particularly in patients with high FPG. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02879383.

Meat of South American camelids - Sensory quality and nutritional composition.

Meat contains a range of nutrients in a highly bioavailable form and when meat is excluded from the diet, without being replaced with suitable alternatives, nutrient deficiencies may occur. For this reason, it is very important to extend our knowledge of nutrients in alternative red meats, such as that provided from the South American camelids- llama and alpaca. This review summarises the current information on the nutritional and sensory parameters of llama and alpaca meat and factors affecting quality. South American camelids produce lean carcases, with an uneven fat distribution across the carcase. Llama and alpaca meat quality traits are mostly influenced by animal nutrition, animal age and processing methods. A feeding strategy based on pasture and hay supplement of barley and alfalfa, and processing younger animals (18 months) has improved the fatty acid composition respectively in llama and alpaca meat, whereas meat colour and tenderness are influenced by processing treatments including electrical stimulation, tenderstretching and enzymatic infusion.

The Impact of Antioxidant Supplementation and Heat Stress on Carcass Characteristics, Muscle Nutritional Profile and Functionality of Lamb Meat.

The impact of antioxidant supplementation and short-term heat stress on lamb body weight gain, meat nutritional profile and functionality (storage stability of lipids and colour) of lamb meat was investigated. A total of 48 crossbred ((Merino × Border Leicester) × Dorset) lambs (42 ± 2 kg body weight, 7 mo age) were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments (n = 16) by liveweight (LW) that differed in dosage of vitamin E and selenium (Se) in the diet. Vitamin E and Se levels in the control (CON), moderate (MOD) and supranutritional (SUP) dietary treatments were 28, 130 and 228 mg/kg DM as α-tocopherol acetate and 0.16, 0.66 and 1.16 mg Se as SelPlex™/kg DM, respectively. After four weeks of feeding in individual pens, including one week of adaptation, lambs were exposed to two heat treatments. Animals were moved to metabolism cages for one week and subjected to heat treatments: thermoneutral (TN; 18-21 °C and 40-50% relative humidity) and heat stress (HS; 28-40 °C and 30-40% relative humidity) conditions, respectively. Final LW and hot carcass weight were influenced by dietary treatments with higher final live weight (FLW) (p = 0.05; 46.8 vs. 44.4 and 43.8 kg, respectively) and hot carcass weight (HCW) (p = 0.01; 22.5 vs. 21.3 and 21.0 kg, respectively) recorded in lambs fed the SUP as opposed to the CON and MOD diets. Vitamin E concentration in the longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle tended to be higher in lambs fed MOD or SUP diets than the CON group. Lipid oxidation of aged meat at 72 h of simulated retail display was reduced by antioxidant supplementation. Short-term (one week) heat stress treatment significantly increased muscle linoleic acid and total omega-6 concentrations compared with the CON group. The results demonstrate that four-week antioxidant supplementation at the SUP level improved animal productivity by increasing LW and carcass weight and the functionality of meat exhibited by reduced lipid oxidation. An increase in muscle omega-6 fatty acid concentration from short-term heat stress may induce oxidative stress via proinflammatory action.

Effect of cooking on the nutritive quality, sensory properties and safety of lamb meat: Current challenges and future prospects.

Lamb meat is cooked using different methods which help to impart good taste, flavour and aroma and they also improve the nutritional quality and ensure food safety. However traditional methods also induce some potential health hazards i.e. formation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic aromatic amines and acrylamides. These harmful compounds are produced through protein aggregation (protein increased with loss of water), lipid degradation (lipid breakdown due to cooking), oxidation (radicals formation due to heat and oxygen combination), and the Maillard reaction (reaction between sugars and amino acids). This review focuses on: 1) the use of modern cooking technologies to reduce the generation of hazardous compounds by a) applying low temperature cooking with minimum contact with the meat; b) faster cooking, with the added benefits of minimum nutritional losses and less energy consumption 2) the adoption of natural plant sources as extracts to: a) inhibit lipid oxidation; b) improve the stability of meat products to limit the generation of hazardous compounds.

Dietary lycopene powder improves meat oxidative stability in Hu lambs.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary lycopene powder on meat quality and the oxidative stability of lipid and protein of longissimus thoracis (LT) in lamb. A total of 30 male lambs were randomly sampled from three feeding groups (control without lycopene supplement, 200 and 400 mg kg-1 lycopene powder respectively) after 3 months of feeding. The muscle samples were taken after slaughter and stored at 4 °C for 7 days. RESULTS: Compared with the control, the results showed that supplementation with lycopene powder gave a higher a* value (redness), and increased the levels of vitamin A and vitamin E. Increasing dietary lycopene powder resulted in a lower degree of lipid and protein oxidation, as evidenced by lower contents of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance and carbonyl compounds, and higher levels of sulfhydryl groups. CONCLUSION: Dietary lycopene powder is an effective antioxidant that blocks the oxidation of meat proteins and lipids, and has a positive effect on increasing lamb meat quality during storage. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Genetic correlations between meat quality traits and growth and carcass traits in Merino sheep1.

Genetic correlations between 16 meat quality and nutritional value traits and live weight at various ages, live ultrasound fat and muscle depth, carcass measures, and carcass dissection traits were estimated for Merino sheep in the Information Nucleus (IN). Genetic correlations between live weight at various ages and the carcass traits are also reported. The IN comprised 8 genetically linked flocks managed across a range of Australian sheep environments. Meat quality traits included between 1,200 and 1,300 records for progeny from over 170 sires for intramuscular fat (IMF), lean meat yield (LMY), shear force (SF5), pH, meat color, and meat nutritional value traits including iron and zinc levels and long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels. The genetic correlations indicated that selection of Merino sheep to either reduce fat or increase muscle using ultrasound assessments will result in little change in IMF and SF5. Myoglobin levels would tend to be reduced following selection for reduced ultrasound fat depth (0.35 ± 0.21, 0.43 ± 0.14), whereas increases in myoglobin levels would occur due to selection for increased ultrasound muscle depth (0.25 ± 0.24, 0.38 ± 0.15). Selection for increased live weight will result in favorable correlated responses in hot carcass weight (0.76 to 0.97), dressing percentage (0.13 to 0.47), and carcass muscle (0.37 to 0.95), but unfavorable responses of increases in carcass fatness (0.13 to 0.65) and possible small reductions in muscle oxidative activity (-0.13 ± 0.14 to -0.73 ± 0.33) and iron content (-0.14 ± 0.15 to -0.38 ± 0.16), and a possible deterioration of shear force from selection at later ages (0.15 ± 0.26, 0.27 ± 0.24). Negligible changes are generally expected for LMY and meat color traits following selection for increased live weight (most genetic correlations less than 0.20 in size). Selection for increased LMY would tend to result in unfavorable changes in several aspects of meat quality, including reduced IMF (-0.27 ± 0.18), meat tenderness (0.53 ± 0.26), and meat redness (-0.69 ± 0.40), as well as reduced iron levels (-0.25 ± 0.22). These genetic correlations are a first step in assisting the development of breeding values for new traits to be incorporated into genetic evaluation programs to improve meat production from Merino sheep and other dual-purpose sheep breeds.

Randomised control trial of the effectiveness of an integrated psychosocial health promotion intervention aimed at improving health and reducing substance use in established psychosis (IMPaCT).

BACKGROUND: People with psychosis have a reduced life expectancy of 10-20 years, largely due to cardiovascular disease. This trial aimed to determine the effectiveness of a modular health promotion intervention (IMPaCT Therapy) in improving health and reducing cardiovascular risk in psychosis. METHODS: A multicentre, two arm, parallel cluster RCT was conducted across five UK mental health NHS trusts. Community care coordinators (CC) were randomly assigned to training and supervision in delivering IMPaCT Therapy or treatment as usual (TAU) to current patients with psychosis (cluster). The primary outcome was the physical and mental health subscales of the Short form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire. RESULTS: Of 104 care coordinators recruited, 52 (with 213 patients) were randomised to deliver IMPaCT therapy and 52 (with 193 patients) randomised to TAU. Of 406 patients, 318 (78%) and 301 (74%) attended 12- and 15-month follow-up respectively. IMPaCT therapy showed no significant effect on the physical or mental health component SF-36 scores versus TAU at 12 or 15 months. No effect was observed for cardiovascular risk indicators, except for HDL cholesterol, which improved more with IMPACT therapy than TAU (Treatment effect (95% CI); 0.085 (0.007 to 0.16); p = 0.034). The 22% of patients who received >180 min of IMPACT Therapy in addition to usual care achieved a greater reduction in waist circumference than did controls, which was clinically significant. CONCLUSION: Training and supervising community care coordinators to use IMPaCT therapy in patients with psychosis is insufficient to significantly improve physical or mental health quality of life. The search for effective, pragmatic interventions deliverable in health care services continues. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was retrospectively registered with ISRCTN registry on 23/4/2010 at ISRCTN58667926 ; recruitment started on 01/03/2010 with first randomization on 09.08.2010 ISRCTN58667926 .

Randomised controlled trial to improve health and reduce substance use in established psychosis (IMPaCT): cost-effectiveness of integrated psychosocial health promotion.

BACKGROUND: There is mounting evidence that people with severe mental illness have unhealthy lifestyles, high rates of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and greater risk of early mortality. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of a health promotion intervention seeking to improve physical health and reduce substance use in people with psychosis. METHODS: Participants with a psychotic disorder, aged 18-65 years old and registered on an enhanced care approach programme or equivalent were recruited from community mental health teams in six mental health trusts in England. Participants were randomisation to either standard community mental health team care (treatment as usual) or treatment as usual with an integrated health promotion intervention (IMPaCT). Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses from health and social care and societal perspectives were conducted alongside a cluster randomised controlled trial. Total health and social care costs and total societal costs at 12 and 15 months were calculated as well as cost-effectiveness (incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves) at 15 months based on quality of life (SF-36 mental and physical health components, primary outcome measures) and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) using two measures, EQ-5D-3 L and SF-36. Data were analysed using bootstrapped regressions with covariates for relevant baseline variables. RESULTS: At 12-15 months 301 participants had full data needed to be included in the economic evaluation. There were no differences in adjusted health and social care costs (£95, 95% CI -£1410 to £1599) or societal costs (£675, 95% CI -£1039 to £2388) between the intervention and control arms. Similarly, there were no differences between the groups in the SF-36 mental component (-0.80, 95% CI -3.66 to 2.06), SF-36 physical component (-0.68, 95% CI -3.01 to 1.65), QALYs estimated from the SF-36 (-0.00, -0.01 to 0.00) or QALYs estimated from the EQ-5D-3 L (0.00, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.02). Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves for all four outcomes and from both cost perspectives indicate that the probability of the health promotion intervention being cost-effective does not exceed 0.4 for willingness to pay thresholds ranging from £0-£50,000. CONCLUSIONS: Alongside no evidence of additional quality of life/clinical benefit, there is also no evidence of cost-effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN58667926 . Date retrospectively registered: 23/04/2010. Recruitment start date: 01/03/2010.

The Effect of Extensive Feeding Systems on Growth Rate, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality of Finishing Lambs.

This review aims to summarize the relevant published information about the effects of extensive feeding systems on the carcass and meat quality characteristics of lambs. Lambs finished in a feedlot or with supplementation under extensive systems exhibit faster growth rates, achieve target weights quicker, and produce heavier carcass weights when compared to grazing lambs. However, the literature also shows that finishing lambs on high-quality pasture can produce satisfactory growth rates without compromising carcass and meat quality traits. Lately, the consumer demand for products perceived as "healthy" and that are produced where animal welfare is optimal under systems which do not impact negatively on the environment, has heightened the interest in lamb production under extensive systems. Lambs raised on pasture can meet many of these specifications. Also, lambs fed higher quality green pasture can produce meat with greater amounts of health-claimable omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid plus docosahexaenoic acid than feeding systems based on feedlot pellets, grain, or dry pasture/straw. It is apparent that in some previous published research, the number of animals allocated for each treatment, and the lack of replicates, makes it difficult to formulate a correct understanding of the effect of forages on lamb carcass and meat quality. Future research should concentrate on the effect of legume, improved pasture, and specialized forage finishing systems on growth rate, carcass traits, and nutritional value of meat using well-designed experiments with an adequate number of lambs and appropriate paddock replicates per treatment.

Muscle antioxidant (vitamin E) and major fatty acid groups, lipid oxidation and retail colour of meat from lambs fed a roughage based diet with flaxseed or algae.

The effect of feeding flaxseed or algae supplements to lambs on muscle antioxidant potential (vitamin E), major fatty acid groups, lipid oxidation and retail colour was investigated. Lambs (n=120) were randomly allocated to one of 4 dietary treatments according to liveweight and fed the following diets for eight weeks: Annual ryegrass hay [60%]+subterranean clover hay [40%] pellets=Basal diet; Basal diet with flaxseed (10.7%)=Flax; Basal diet with algae (1.8%)=Algae; Basal diet with flaxseed (10.7%) and algae (1.8%)=FlaxAlgae. Flaxseed or algae supplementation significantly affected major fatty acid groups in muscle. The addition of algae (average of Algae and FlaxAlgae) resulted in lower vitamin E concentration in muscle (P<0.003; 1.0 vs 1.3mg/kg of muscle) compared with lambs fed a diet without algae (average of Basal and Flax). Increasing muscle EPA+DHA by algae supplementation significantly increased lipid oxidation, but retail display colour of fresh meat was not affected.

Differential response to an algae supplement high in DHA mediated by maternal periconceptional diet: intergenerational effects of n-6 fatty acids.

Algae high in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may provide a source of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFA) for inclusion in the diet of lambs to improve the LCn-3PUFA status of meat. The effect of background LCn-3PUFA status on the metabolism of high DHA algae is, however, unknown. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the response to a high in DHA algae supplement fed to lambs for six weeks prior to slaughter was mediated by a maternal periconceptional diet. Forty Poll Dorset × Border Leicester × Merino weaner lambs were allocated to receive either a ration based on oat grain, lupin grain, and chopped lucerne (control) or the control ration with DHA-Gold™ algae included at 1.92 % DM (Algae) based on whether the dams of lambs had previously been fed a diet high in n-3 or n-6 around conception. LCn-3PUFA concentration was determined in plasma and red blood cells (RBC) prior to and following feeding. The concentrations of EPA and DHA in the plasma and RBC of lambs receiving the control ration were significantly (p < 0.001) lower when lambs received the ration for 14 days compared with pre-feeding concentrations. The concentrations of EPA and DHA were also significantly (p < 0.001) higher when lambs consumed the Algae ration compared with the control ration for 42 days. The increase in EPA and DHA was, however, significantly (p < 0.05) lower if lamb dams had previously been fed a diet high in n-6 at conception. Assessing the previous nutrition and n-3 status of lambs may allow producers to more accurately predict the likely response to supplements high in LCn-3PUFA, particularly, DHA.

Exogenous proteases for meat tenderization.

The use of exogenous proteases to improve meat tenderness has attracted much interest recently, with a view to consistent production of tender meat and added value to lower grade meat cuts. This review discusses the sources, characteristics, and use of exogenous proteases in meat tenderization to highlight the specificity of the proteases toward meat proteins and their impact on meat quality. Plant enzymes (such as papain, bromelain, and ficin) have been extensively investigated as meat tenderizers. New plant proteases (actinidin and zingibain) and microbial enzyme preparations have been of recent interest due to controlled meat tenderization and other advantages. Successful use of these enzymes in fresh meat requires their enzymatic kinetics and characteristics to be determined, together with an understanding of the impact of the surrounding environmental conditions of the meat (pH, temperature) on enzyme function. This enables the optimal conditions for tenderizing fresh meat to be established, and the elimination or reduction of any negative impacts on other quality attributes.

Sources of variation of health claimable long chain omega-3 fatty acids in meat from Australian lamb slaughtered at similar weights.

The sources of variation of health claimable omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA+docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) in 2000 Australian lambs were investigated using 98 sires (Merino, maternal or terminal breeds) that were mated to about 5000 Merino or crossbred (Border Leicester×Merino) ewes. Pasture was supplemented with feedlot pellets, grains or hay as necessary, when the availability of quality green pasture was limited. Lambs were grown at 8 sites across Australia and when slaughtered the longissimus lumborum muscle was collected. Site and kills within sites were the major sources of variation for health claimable fatty acids. These environmental effects are likely to be driven by dietary background. The sire variance differed from about one twentieth to a half of the residual lamb within dam variation, depending on site and kill. This is the first comprehensive study to investigate on-farm sources of variation of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content of lamb meat.

Sources of vitamin A in the diets of pre-school children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).

Vitamin A is essential for growth and development. We investigated whether high consumption of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods in the diets of pre-school children is detrimental to diet quality with respect to vitamin A. Data were collected from 755 children at 18-months and 3½-years, from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, using 3-day unweighed dietary records completed by parents in 1994 and 1996, respectively. Energy, carotene and retinol intakes were calculated. The quality of the diet declined from 18-months to 3½-years with respect to vitamin A. Preformed retinol intakes decreased by -54 µg/day on average (p = 0.003). Carotene intakes were similar at each age although there was a 23% increase in energy intake by 3½-years. Longitudinally those in the highest quartile of intake at 18-months were twice as likely to remain in the highest quartile at 3½-years for retinol (OR 2.21 (95% CI 1.48-3.28)) and carotene (OR 1.66 (95% CI 1.11-2.50)) than to change quartiles. Nutrient-rich core foods provided decreasing amounts of carotene and preformed retinol over time (both p < 0.001). Vegetables and milk contributed the highest proportion of carotene at both ages, but milk's contribution decreased over time. Milk and liver were the largest sources of retinol. Nutrient-poor foods provided an increased proportion of energy (p < 0.001) with low proportions of both nutrients; however fat spreads made an important contribution. It is recommended that pre-school children should take vitamin supplements; only 19% at 18-months did this, falling to 11% at 3½-years. Care should be taken to choose nutrient-rich foods and avoid energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods when feeding pre-school children.

Stand-alone mass media campaigns to increase physical activity: a Community Guide updated review.

CONTEXT: The goal of the systematic review described in this summary was to determine the effectiveness of stand-alone mass media campaigns to increase physical activity at the population level. This systematic review is an update of a Community Guide systematic review and Community Preventive Services Task Force recommendation completed in 2001. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Updated searches for literature published from 1980 to 2008 were conducted in 11 databases. Of 267 articles resulting from the literature search, 16 were selected for full abstraction, including the three studies from the original 2001 review. Standard Community Guide methods were used to conduct the systematic evidence review. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Physical activity outcomes were assessed using a variety of self-report measures with duration intervals ranging from 6 weeks to 4 years. Ten studies using comparable outcome measures documented a median absolute increase of 3.4 percentage points (interquartile interval: 2.4 to 4.2 percentage points), and a median relative increase of 6.7% (interquartile interval: 3.0% to 14.1%), in self-reported physical activity levels. The remaining six studies used alternative outcome measures: three evaluated changes in self-reported time spent in physical activity (median relative change, 4.4%; range of values, 3.1%-18.2%); two studies used a single outcome measure and found that participants reported being more active after the campaign than before it; and one study found that a mass media weight-loss program led to a self-reported increase in physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this updated systematic review show that intervention effects, based wholly on self-reported measures, were modest and inconsistent. These findings did not lead the Task Force to change its earlier conclusion of insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of stand-alone mass media campaigns to increase physical activity. This paper also discusses areas needing future research to strengthen the evidence base. Finally, studies published between 2009 and 2011, after the Task Force finding was reached, and briefly summarized here, are shown to support that finding.

Infant feeding in the second 6 months of life related to iron status: an observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between iron status in infancy and type of milk and weaning solids consumed. DESIGN: An observational cohort study. SETTING: 928 term infants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children in 1993-94. METHODS: Haemoglobin and ferritin concentrations at 8 and 12 months were assessed in relation to type and quantity of milk intake at 8 months. RESULTS: By WHO criteria, 22.7% of the infants were anaemic at 8 months and 18.1% at 12 months. More breast--than formula-fed infants were anaemic at 8 and 12 months. Cows' milk as the main drink was associated with increased anaemia at 12 months and low ferritin at 8 and 12 months. No association was found between any nutrients and haemoglobin concentrations. Protein and non-haem iron intakes were positively associated with ferritin concentrations and calcium intake negatively. This effect was more marked in infants being fed cows' milk. More than 25% of infants in the breast milk and cows' milk groups and 41% of infants having >6 breast feeds per day had iron intakes below the lower reference nutrient intake. Feeding cows' milk or formula above 600 ml or >6 breast feeds per day was associated with lower intakes of solids. CONCLUSIONS: Both breast and cows' milk feeding were associated with higher levels of anaemia. Satisfactory iron intake from solids in later infancy is more likely if formula intake is <600 ml per day and breast feeds are limited to <6 feeds per day. Cows' milk should be strongly discouraged as a main drink before 12 months.