Position statement of the Polish Academy of Sciences Committee Human Nutrition Science on the principles for the nutrition of children aged 1-3 years.

The Position Statement on the principles of nutrition for children aged 1-3 years emphasizes that proper nutrition of children at this age determines their optimal psychometric development and has beneficial effects on the process nutritional programming, which reduces the risk of diet-related diseases in adulthood. Continued breastfeeding in the post-infancy period, together with the proper introduction of complementary foods, supplies all the nutritional needs of the child. A varied selection of food products is important to balance out the diet of a child in the context of energy and nutrient needs. Attention should be paid to products not recommended for frequent consumption, due to the possibility of the early development of improper eating habits that can lead to undesirable health consequences. Due to the potential risk of deficiency, adequate intake of iron, iodine, calcium and vitamin D, as well as of n-3 PUFAs (which is often insufficient) should be provided. Adequate dietary energy and protein intake protects children against protein-energy undernutrition and is crucial for their proper growth and development. An important element in the assessment of the development of children involves monitoring their nutritional status and physical development by systematically measuring their body weight and length/height and analyzing their weight gain. It is necessary to diagnose the causes of being underweight/overweight in children. Physical activity (such as outdoor walks, plays, and games) and healthy sleep hygiene are recommended. Physical activity, an adequate number of hours of sleep, and the quality of sleep in early childhood may improve immunity, reduce the risk of excessive weight gain, and consequently reduce the risk of obesity later in life. Other issues discussed include the functioning of the digestive system as one of the determinants of the nutrition of young children, basics of proper nutrition, risk of nutrient deficiencies and development of proper eating habits in early childhood.

Effect of Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) Oil Cake on the Properties of Polyurethane/Polyisocyanurate Bio-Composites.

Rigid polyurethane/polyisocyanurate (RPU/PIR) foam formulations were modified by evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) oil cake as a bio-filler in the amount of 5 to 50 wt.%. The obtained foams were tested in terms of processing parameters, cellular structure (SEM analysis), physico-mechanical properties (apparent density, compressive strength, brittleness, accelerated aging tests), thermal insulation properties (thermal conductivity coefficient, closed cells content, absorbability and water absorption), flammability, smoke emission, and thermal properties. The obtained results showed that the amount of bio-filler had a significant influence on the morphology of the modified foams. Thorough mixing of the polyurethane premix allowed better homogenization of the bio-filler in the polyurethane matrix, resulting in a regular cellular structure. This resulted in an improvement in the physico-mechanical and thermal insulation properties as well as a reduction in the flammability of the obtained materials. This research provided important information on the management of the waste product from the edible oil industry and the production process of fire-safe RPU/PIR foams with improved performance properties. Due to these beneficial effects, it was found that the use of evening primrose oil cake as a bio-filler for RPU/PIR foams opens a new way of waste management to obtain new "green" materials.

Estimation of dietary supplements intake in a selected group of women over 50 and the risk assessment of interactions between the ingredients of dietary supplements and drugs

Background: Concurrent use of dietary supplements and drugs may result in complications of pharmacotherapy due to possible interactions between their ingredients. Objectives: The aim of the survey was to estimate the intake of dietary supplements in a group of women over 50 and to analyse the risk of interactions between the ingredients of dietary supplements and drugs taken by the women. Material and Methods: The study was carried out among 146 women over 50 years of age. Questionnaire included detailed questions on the type of prescription drugs, OTC (over-the-counter) drugs, and dietary supplements taken. The risk of interactions was determined on the basis of chemical composition of the drugs and supplements specified by the manufacturer, by comparing the obtained data with literature reports on known interactions. Results: The analysis has shown that 88.4% of respondents constantly took prescription drugs, 44.5% of them took OTC drugs, and 66.4% of respondents took dietary supplements throughout the survey period. It has been found that 71.3% of surveyed women taking prescription drugs, took dietary supplements as well. Among women taking supplements and drugs, 36.9% of respondents were taking them concurrently, 60.9% kept such an interval, but only 21.8% of them waited for at least two hours. It has been found that the drug-supplement interactions might occur in 35.8% women under the survey. Conclusions: The analysis of the obtained results has revealed that taking dietary supplements by the group under survey was frequent, and the risk of interactions between dietary supplements and drugs was significant. It is recommended that doctors ask their patients about taken supplements during regular check-ups, and inform them about possible interactions between dietary supplements and drugs. Moreover, appropriate would be to change the labelling of dietary supplements, so that the packaging provides information on possible interactions between their ingredients and drugs.

Evaluation of the effect of diet composition and B-group vitamins supplementation on selected calcium metabolism parameters in female rats.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to observe the effects of a modified diet, in which whole grains of cereals had been isocalorically substituted with wheat flour (type "500") and saccharose, and supplementation with B-group vitamins, on selected calcium metabolism parameters in female rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The experiment was carried out on 36 female rats aged 6 months. Animals were fed two different diets. Groups I and II received clean tap water to drink, while group III had water solution of group-B vitamins. RESULTS: An analysis of the outcomes of the diet modifications allowed concluding that the females fed on the modified feed, either supplemented or non-supplemented, excreted more calcium with urine and exhibited its lower concentrations in blood plasma, as compared with the females fed on the standard feed. No significant differences, however, were observed in plasma ionized calcium concentrations in the studied animals, which implies that the regulation mechanism of its bio-active form concentrations is preserved. It has been found that the applied supplementation of the modified diet promoted bone calcium release inducing plasma alkaline phosphatase activity in this group of animals. Supplementation was also accompanied by a shift in calcium distribution manifested by its increased concentrations in erythrocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Change in diet composition and supplementation were found to significantly affect calcium metabolism of the rats examined. Observed intracellular calcium accumulation may have been an underlying cause of an increased adipose tissue accumulation in B-group vitamin supplemented animals, which had been observed in previous studies.

[Evaluation of the effect of diet composition and its supplementation with selected B vitamins on distribution of calcium and magnesium in the body]. / Ocena wplywu skladu diety i jej suplementacji wybranymi witaminami z grupy B na rozmieszczenie wapnia i magnezu w organizmie.

The aim of the study was to estimate, on an animal model, the influence of diet composition and its supplementation with selected B vitamins on distribution of calcium and magnesium in the body. The change in diet composition was found to significantly reduce the calcium contents in the liver and blood of males as well as in the liver and kidney of females. The change enhanced calcium and magnesium accumulation in the skeletal muscles of the animals examined. In females, the effect was augmented by supplementation. The vitamin supplementation applied was conducive to incorporation into the bones calcium in males and magnesium in females, respectively. Analysis of the results allows to conclude that both the change in the diet composition and the supplementation of the diet modified by selected B vitamins significantly affected distribution of calcium and magnesium between different organs and tissues of the animals examined and probably modified the functional status of the organs and tissues in question. The magnitude and direction of the changes in most parameters analysed were sex-dependent.