Evaluation of PIQNIQ, a Novel Mobile Application for Capturing Dietary Intake.

BACKGROUND: Accurate measurement of dietary intake is vital for providing nutrition interventions and understanding the complex role of diet in health. Traditional dietary assessment methods are very resource intensive and burdensome to participants. Technology may help mitigate these limitations and improve dietary data capture. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the accuracy of a novel mobile application (PIQNIQ) in capturing dietary intake by self-report. Our secondary objective was to assess whether food capture using PIQNIQ was comparable with an interviewer-assisted 24-h recall (24HR). METHODS: This study was a single-center randomized clinical trial enrolling 132 adults aged 18 to 65 y from the general population. Under a provided-food protocol with 3 menus designed to include a variety of foods, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 food capture methods: simultaneous entry using PIQNIQ, photo-assisted recall using PIQNIQ, and 24HR. Primary outcomes were energy and nutrient content (calories, total fat, carbohydrates, protein, added sugars, calcium, dietary fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, saturated fat, sodium, and vitamins A, C, D, and E) captured by the 3 methods. RESULTS: The majority of nutrients reported were within 30% of consumed intake in all 3 food capture methods (n = 129 completers). Reported intake was highly (>30%) overestimated for added sugars in both PIQNIQ groups and underestimated for calcium in the photo-assisted recall group only (P < 0.001 for all). However, in general, both PIQNIQ methods had similar levels of accuracy and were comparable to the 24HR except in their overestimation (>30%) of added sugars and total fat (P < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that intuitive, technology-based methods of dietary data capture are well suited to modern users and, with proper execution, can provide data that are comparable to data obtained with traditional methods. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03578458.

A New Method to Monitor the Nutritional Quality of Packaged Foods in the Global Food Supply in Order to Provide Feasible Targets for Reformulation.

Nutrient profiling systems, initially designed to promote healthy food choices at the point of sale, can also provide the scientific basis for innovation and product reformulation by the food industry. This work presents a new profiling system to help define feasible nutrient targets for reformulation of packaged foods. The focus is on five key nutrients for which the World Health Organisation (WHO) has set population-level goals: sugar, saturated fat, sodium, fiber, and protein. The methodology uses Mintel's Global New Products Database of packaged foods to (1) identify nutrients relevant to each food category (2) sort products into sub-categories defined by a unique nutritional signature, and (3) develop standards for "best of class" products. For instance, if targeted to be amongst the best 15% of the global food supply, pizza must have less than 4.0 g/100 g saturated fat, less than 520 mg/100 g total sodium and more than 9.8 g/100 g protein. Fiber and sugar are not identified as relevant nutrients for the pizza category and no targets are provided.

Analysis and Authentication of Avocado Oil Using High Resolution NMR Spectroscopy.

Avocado oil is a food product of high commercial and nutritional value. As a result, it can be a subject of adulteration similar to other high-value edible oils, such as olive oil. For olive oil and many other foods products, NMR spectroscopy has been successfully used for authentication and quality assessment. In this study, we apply NMR analysis to avocado oil to differentiate it from other oils including olive, canola, high-oleic (HO) safflower, HO sunflower and soybean oil using commercial and lab-made samples of avocado oils. NMR allowed the rapid analysis of the fatty acid profile and detection of minor compounds, such as sterols, oxidation products, and hydrolysis products, which can be used to assess oil quality and authenticity. The NMR assignment was conducted using traditional 2D NMR and the novel NOAH super-sequences. Combining chemometrics with NMR enabled us to differentiate between avocado oil and other oils. Avocado oil has compositional similarities with other vegetable oils, such as HO sunflower and HO safflower oil, which can be used as potential adulterants. Despite these similarities, NMR-based metabolomics captured differences in the levels of certain compounds including fatty acids, terpenes, sterols, and oxidation products to detect adulteration and for quality control purposes.

Development and validation of a meal quality index with applications to NHANES 2005-2014.

The Meal Balance Index (MBI) assesses the nutritional quality and balance of meals. It is a score between 0 and 100 that takes into account both shortfall and excess nutrients, adjusted for the energy content of the meal. In the present study the score was applied to 147849 meals reported in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2005-2014 in order to evaluate its validity and compare against exemplary meals designed as part of 24h diets that meet US dietary guidelines. Meals from exemplary menu plans developed by nutrition experts scored on average 76±14 (mean ± standard deviation) whereas those of NHANES participants scored 45±14. Scores of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, considered jointly as independent variables, were moderately but positively and significantly associated with the Healthy Eating Index (Pearson correlation 0.6). MBI scores were significantly associated with the density of positive micronutrients (e.g. Vit A, Vit C) and favorable food groups (e.g. fruits, whole grains) not directly included in the MBI algorithm. The MBI is a valid tool to assess the nutritional quality of meals reported in the US population and if applied to culinary recipe websites could potentially help users to understand which meals are nutritionally balanced. Choice of more balanced individual meals can guide healthier cooking and eating.

Increasing Isoprene Epoxydiol-to-Inorganic Sulfate Aerosol Ratio Results in Extensive Conversion of Inorganic Sulfate to Organosulfur Forms: Implications for Aerosol Physicochemical Properties.

Acid-driven multiphase chemistry of isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX), key isoprene oxidation products, with inorganic sulfate aerosol yields substantial amounts of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) through the formation of organosulfur compounds. The extent and implications of inorganic-to-organic sulfate conversion, however, are unknown. In this article, we demonstrate that extensive consumption of inorganic sulfate occurs, which increases with the IEPOX-to-inorganic sulfate concentration ratio (IEPOX/Sulfinorg), as determined by laboratory measurements. Characterization of the total sulfur aerosol observed at Look Rock, Tennessee, from 2007 to 2016 shows that organosulfur mass fractions will likely continue to increase with ongoing declines in anthropogenic Sulfinorg, consistent with our laboratory findings. We further demonstrate that organosulfur compounds greatly modify critical aerosol properties, such as acidity, morphology, viscosity, and phase state. These new mechanistic insights demonstrate that changes in SO2 emissions, especially in isoprene-dominated environments, will significantly alter biogenic SOA physicochemical properties. Consequently, IEPOX/Sulfinorg will play an important role in understanding the historical climate and determining future impacts of biogenic SOA on the global climate and air quality.

Personalized Nutrient Profiling of Food Patterns: Nestlé's Nutrition Algorithm Applied to Dietary Intakes from NHANES.

Nutrient profiling (NP) models have been used to assess the nutritional quality of single foods. NP methodologies can also serve to assess the quality of total food patterns. The objective of this study was to construct a personalized nutrient-based scoring system for diet quality and optimal calories. The new Nestlé Nutrition Algorithm (NNA) is based on age and gender-specific healthy ranges for energy and nutrient intakes over a 24 h period. To promote nutrient balance, energy and nutrient intakes either below or above pre-defined healthy ranges are assigned lower diet quality scores. NNA-generated diet quality scores for female 2007⁻2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants were compared to their Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2010 scores. Comparisons involved correlations, joint contingency tables, and Bland Altman plots. The NNA approach showed good correlations with the HEI 2010 scores. NNA mean scores for 7 days of two exemplary menu plans (MyPlate and DASH) were 0.88 ± 0.05 (SD) and 0.91 ± 0.02 (SD), respectively. By contrast, diets of NHANES participants scored 0.45 ± 0.14 (SD) and 0.48 ± 0.14 on first and second days, respectively. The NNA successfully captured the high quality of MyPlate and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) menu plans and the lower quality of diets actually consumed in the US.

The scientific basis for healthful carbohydrate profile.

Dietary guidelines indicate that complex carbohydrates should provide around half of the calories in a balanced diet, while sugars (i.e., simple carbohydrates) should be limited to no more than 5-10% of total energy intake. To achieve this public health goal a collective effort from different entities including governments, food & beverage industries and consumers is required. Some food companies have committed to continually reduce sugars in their products. Different solutions can be used to replace sugars in food products but it is important to ensure that these solutions are more healthful than the sugars they replace. The objectives of this paper are, (1) to identify carbohydrates and carbohydrates sources to promote and those to limit for dietary intake and food product development, based on current knowledge about the impact of carbohydrates on the development of dental caries, obesity and cardio-metabolic disorders (2) to evaluate the impact of food processing on the quality of carbohydrates and (3) to highlight the challenges of developing healthier products due to the limitations and gaps in food regulations, science & technology and consumer education.

Pelagic tar balls collected in the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea from 1988 to 2016 have natural and anthropogenic origins.

Tar balls are prevalent in oceans and the coastal environment; however, their origins are not well constrained on a global scale. To address this, we used gas chromatography to analyze the molecular composition of a unique set of 100 pelagic tar balls collected in the Western North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea between 1988 and 2016. Hierarchal cluster analysis (HCA) was employed to classify the samples into groups based on the relative proportions of resolved and unresolved hydrocarbon distributions. Additional analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons revealed that 28% of samples originated from heavy fuel oils and therefore had anthropogenic origins consistent with the classifications based on HCA. Other samples examined could originate from anthropogenic or natural origins, such as natural seeps. This study provides a preliminary record of 100 classified pelagic tar ball samples and demonstrates an approach to determine their origin to the environment.

Healthy and sustainable diets for future generations.

Global food systems will face unprecedented challenges in the coming years. They will need to meet the nutritional needs of a growing population and feed an expanding demand for proteins. This is against a backdrop of increasing environmental challenges (water resources, climate change, soil health) and the need to improve farming livelihoods. Collaborative efforts by a variety of stakeholders are needed to ensure that future generations have access to healthy and sustainable diets. Food will play an increasingly important role in the global discourse on health. These topics were explored during Nestlé's second international conference on 'Planting Seeds for the Future of Food: The Agriculture, Nutrition and Sustainability Nexus', which took place in July 2017. This article discusses some of the key issues from the perspective of three major stakeholder groups, namely farming/agriculture, the food industry and consumers. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Planting seeds for the future of food.

The health and wellbeing of future generations will depend on humankind's ability to deliver sufficient nutritious food to a world population in excess of 9 billion. Feeding this many people by 2050 will require science-based solutions that address sustainable agricultural productivity and enable healthful dietary patterns in a more globally equitable way. This topic was the focus of a multi-disciplinary international conference hosted by Nestlé in June 2015, and provides the inspiration for the present article. The conference brought together a diverse range of expertise and organisations from the developing and industrialised world, all with a common interest in safeguarding the future of food. This article provides a snapshot of three of the recurring topics that were discussed during this conference: soil health, plant science and the future of farming practice. Crop plants and their cultivation are the fundamental building blocks for a food secure world. Whether these are grown for food or feed for livestock, they are the foundation of food and nutrient security. Many of the challenges for the future of food will be faced where the crops are grown: on the farm. Farmers need to plant the right crops and create the right conditions to maximise productivity (yield) and quality (e.g. nutritional content), whilst maintaining the environment, and earning a living. New advances in science and technology can provide the tools and know-how that will, together with a more entrepreneurial approach, help farmers to meet the inexorable demand for the sustainable production of nutritious foods for future generations.

Consumer characteristics and perceptions of chiropractic and chiropractic services in Australia: results from a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe patient characteristics and summarize their perceptions of chiropractic in Australia. METHODS: This study is part of a broader study aiming to extend the knowledge of the role of chiropractic within the current health care environment. A 33-item, paper-based, cross-sectional survey of a sample of patients from 100 systematically sampled chiropractic clinics from all the states and territories of Australia was conducted. The survey focused on patient demographics, socioeconomic status, perceived health status, and perceptions of chiropractic and chiropractic services. RESULTS: A total of 486 responses were received (24.3% response rate). Respondents were predominantly female patients (67.1%) of the 45- to 64-year age group. Approximately half of the respondents reported a pretax annual income exceeding $40000. Most patients sought chiropractic services because of musculoskeletal disorders (68.7%) and for general health (21.2%), and personal beliefs motivated most respondents (70.2%) to visit a chiropractor. Most respondents would seek the chiropractic services again (97.5%) and were satisfied with the service received. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that the typical chiropractic patient in Australia is a middle-aged woman with a moderate to high income. Although only a small proportion of the Australian population sees a chiropractor, this group seems to be satisfied with the service.

Glucose and insulin do not decrease in a dose-dependent manner after increasing doses of mixed fibers that are consumed in muffins for breakfast.

Conventional wisdom suggests that fiber consumption leads to lower postprandial glucose and insulin response. We hypothesized that increasing doses of mixed, viscous fiber would lower glucose and insulin levels in a dose-dependent manner. Healthy men (n = 10) and women (n = 10) with a body mass index of 24 ± 2 (mean ± SEM) participated in this double-blind, crossover study. On 4 separate visits, fasting subjects consumed an approximately 2093 kJ (500 calorie) muffin with 0, 4, 8, or 12 g of mixed fibers. Blood was drawn to measure glucose and insulin at regular intervals throughout a 3-hour test period. Area under the curve (AUC) glucose was significantly lower after 0 g of fiber than after 4, 8, or 12 g of fiber (arbitrary AUC units ± SEM: 25.3 ± 5.2 vs 44.6 ± 7.7, 49.7 ± 7.9, 51.5 ± 6.6, respectively; P < .006). Area under the curve glucose increased with increasing fiber doses (P for trend = .0003). Area under the curve insulin was higher after the 4-g dose than after the 0-, 8-, and 12-g doses (arbitrary AUC units ± SEM: 84.4 ± 8.0 vs 60.1 ± 6.5, 69.4 ± 8.7, 69.7 ± 8.5, respectively; P < .05); it did not change in a dose-dependent manner. Area under the curve glucose and AUC insulin did not correlate with each other. Glucose and insulin did not decrease in a dose-dependent manner after 0, 4, 8, and 12 g of mixed fibers were consumed in muffins for breakfast. The lack of differences was largely based on the individual variation in glucose response. Caution should be used when making general claims about the expected impact of fiber on glucose and insulin levels.

Increasing doses of fiber do not influence short-term satiety or food intake and are inconsistently linked to gut hormone levels.

BACKGROUND: People who eat more fiber often have a lower body weight than people who eat less fiber. The mechanism for this relationship has been explained, in part, by increased satiety, which may occur as a result of changes in appetite-suppressing gut hormone levels, and decreases in food intake at subsequent meals. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that increasing doses of mixed fiber, consumed in muffins for breakfast, would proportionally influence satiety, gut hormone levels, and subsequent food intake. DESIGN: This was a randomized, double-blind, crossover study. Healthy men (n=10) and women (n=10) with a BMI of 24+/-2 (mean+/-SEM) participated in this study. Fasting subjects consumed a muffin with 0, 4, 8, or 12 g of mixed fibers and approximately 500 kcal. Visual analog scales rated hunger and satiety for 3 h; blood was drawn to measure ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and peptide YY(3-36) (PYY(3-36)) at various intervals; and food intake was measured at an ad libitum lunch. RESULTS: Responses to satiety-related questions did not differ among treatments. However, despite lack of differences in satiety, gut hormone levels differed among treatments. Ghrelin was higher after the 12 g fiber dose than after the 4 and 8 g fiber doses. GLP-1 was higher after the 0 g fiber dose than after the 12 and 4 g fiber doses, and PYY(3-36) did not differ among fiber doses. Food intake was also indistinguishable among doses. CONCLUSION: Satiety, gut hormone response, and food intake did not change in a dose-dependent manner after subjects consumed 0, 4, 8, and 12 g of mixed fiber in muffins for breakfast.

Validation of a new hand-held electronic appetite rating system against the pen and paper method.

This study describes the validation of a new electronic appetite rating system, and a statistical variance model for visual analogue scale (VAS) research. Thirty volunteers rated hunger, fullness, desire to eat, prospective intake, thirst and liking on 100mm paper VAS and on 70 mm electronic VAS presented on a Dell Pocket PC, after consuming breakfast, in a repeated trial. The electronic method was comparable in relative accuracy and reproducibility to the paper method, with weak differences between tests (within-subject SD < or =14 mm). The data obtained were used to generate a model for VAS data variability.

Jigsaws-a preserved ability in semantic dementia.

Patients with Semantic Dementia (SD), in addition to their central semantic disorder, tend to show obsessive behaviours. Some SD cases take up jigsaw puzzles post-onset, and continue doing these, sometimes for many hours per day, after other abilities and interests are lost. The current study demonstrates that skill at jigsaws amongst SD cases is not confined to (a) conventional puzzles with rectangular outside edges and colour continuity between pieces, nor (b) SD patients with a passion for jigsaws. A cohort of SD cases completed puzzles at speeds comparable to age-matched controls and faster than patients with Non-Fluent Progressive Aphasia (PNFA). A series of 7 experimental puzzles, varying from a simple 10-piece one through a 19-piece scrambled photograph to a 14-piece one-colour puzzle with an irregular shape, showed a significant group by condition interaction: the SD group completed the scrambled photo in fewer moves than the PNFA and control groups, and the most difficult jigsaws in no more moves than controls. Despite SD patients' profoundly diminishing ability to understand the world around them, their visuospatial skills and concentration appear to be maintained or even enhanced in solving jigsaw puzzles.

Global obesity: Nestlé initiatives in nutrition, health, and wellness.

This paper addresses some of the ways that Nestlé is making a long-term commitment to the health and well-being of consumers. In particular, Nestlé, like other food companies, has a role to play in improving people's health and wellness by improving the nutritional profile of foods, by ensuring sound communication on nutrition and consumer education, and by collaborating with other stakeholders in order to improve consumer health.

Both free and esterified plant sterols reduce cholesterol absorption and the bioavailability of beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol in normocholesterolemic humans.

BACKGROUND: Plant sterols reduce cholesterol absorption, which leads to a decrease in plasma and LDL-cholesterol concentrations. Plant sterols also lower plasma concentrations of carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol, but the mechanism of action is not yet understood. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this clinical study were to determine whether plant sterols affect the bioavailability of beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol in normocholesterolemic men and to compare the effects of plant sterol esters and plant free sterols on cholesterol absorption. DESIGN: Twenty-six normocholesterolemic men completed the double-blind, randomized, crossover study. Subjects consumed daily, for 1 wk, each of the following 3 supplements: a low-fat milk-based beverage alone (control) or the same beverage supplemented with 2.2 g plant sterol equivalents provided as either free sterols or sterol esters. During this 1-wk supplementation period, subjects consumed a standardized diet. RESULTS: Both of the milks enriched with plant sterols induced a similar (60%) decrease in cholesterol absorption. Plant free sterols and plant sterol esters reduced the bioavailability of beta-carotene by approximately 50% and that of alpha-tocopherol by approximately 20%. The reduction in beta-carotene bioavailability was significantly less with plant free sterols than with plant sterol esters. At the limit of significance (P = 0.054) in the area under the curve, the reduction in alpha-tocopherol bioavailability was also less with plant free sterols than with plant sterol esters. CONCLUSIONS: Both plant sterols reduced beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol bioavailability and cholesterol absorption in normocholesterolemic men. However, plant sterol esters reduced the bioavailability of beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol more than did plant free sterols.