Dietary Sources of Plasma trans Fatty Acids among Adults in the United States: NHANES 2009-2010.

BACKGROUND: Intake of trans fatty acids (TFAs) increases LDL cholesterol, decreases HDL cholesterol, and increases the risk of heart disease morbidity and mortality. Many food products potentially contain industrially produced or ruminant TFAs. However, little is known about the dietary sources of plasma TFA concentrations. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine associations between foods consumed and plasma TFA concentrations using 24-h dietary recall data and plasma TFA measures among adults aged ≥20 y who participated in the NHANES 2009-2010 in the United States. METHODS: Over 4400 food products in the dietary interview data were categorized into 32 food and beverage groups/subgroups. Four major plasma TFAs (palmitelaidic acid, elaidic acid, vaccenic acid, linolelaidic acid) and the sum of the 4 TFAs (sumTFAs) were analyzed using GC-MS. Multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to identify associations of plasma TFAs with all 32 food and beverage groups/subgroups, controlling for the potential confounding effects of 11 demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, lifestyle, and health-related variables. RESULTS: Consumption of the following food groups/subgroups was significantly associated with elevated plasma TFA concentrations: cream substitutes (P < 0.001 for palmitelaidic acid, elaidic acid, vaccenic acid, and sumTFAs); cakes, cookies, pastries, and pies (P < 0.001 for elaidic acid, vaccenic acid, and sumTFAs; P < 0.05 for linolelaidic acid); milk and milk desserts (P < 0.01 for palmitelaidic acid and vaccenic acid; P < 0.05 for linolelaidic acid and sumTFAs); beef/veal, lamb/goat, and venison/deer (P < 0.01 for vaccenic acid; P < 0.05 for sumTFAs); and butters (P < 0.001 for palmitelaidic acid and vaccenic acid; P < 0.05 for sumTFAs). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the above 5 food groups/subgroups could be the main dietary sources of plasma TFAs among adults in the United States in 2009-2010.

Let's move salad bars to schools: a public-private partnership to increase student fruit and vegetable consumption.

Few school-age youth consume the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, and increasing fruit and vegetable intake in children and adolescents is an important public health goal to maintain long-term good health and to decrease risk of chronic disease and obesity. School salad bars are an important tool to promote fruit and vegetable consumption among schoolchildren. Studies show that introduction of school salad bars increases the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables consumed by children in schools. However, many schools cannot afford the capital investment in the salad bar equipment. In 2010, the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance (NFVA), United Fresh Produce Association Foundation, the Food Family Farming Foundation, and Whole Foods Market launched Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools (LMSB2S) in support of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative. The goal of LMSB2S is to place 6000 salad bars in schools over 3 years. As of June, 2012, over 1400 new salad bar units have been delivered to schools across the United States, increasing access to fruits and vegetables for over 700,000 students. Any K through 12 school district participating in the National School Lunch Program is eligible to submit an application at www.saladbars2schools. org/. Requests for salad bar units ($2625 each unit) are fulfilled through grassroots fund raising in the school community and through funds raised by the LMSB2S partners from corporate and foundation sources. LMSB2S is a model for coalition-building across many government, nonprofit, and industry partners to address a major public health challenge.

Development of the behaviorally focused fruits & Veggies--More Matters public health initiative.

Due to changing recommendations for fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake, public health and private organizations recognized the need to revise communications and programs that promote F/V consumption. This article describes formative research conducted in 2005 to develop a new identity for the 5 A Day Program, updated to the Fruits & Veggies--More Matters program. The objective was to re-brand the 5 A Day Program's campaign message to be adaptable, sustainable, and compelling, while leveraging the program's existing message dissemination infrastructure. Formative research included interviews with representatives from government, nonprofit organizations, and industry, and consumer perspectives from interviews, focus groups, and an online survey. Public health and private organizations agreed that a compelling emotional benefit was needed to motivate consumers to eat more F/V and that messaging needed to be used consistently among national, state, and local programs. Interviews and focus groups targeted mothers who believed they and their families were getting enough F/V, knew they could eat more, but needed to be convinced why they should do so. The most effective messages appealed to mothers' emotional needs to be responsible, leveraged functional intrinsic values of F/V, did not try to quantify "enough," and focused on small steps. When the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters slogan and graphic were viewed together, the majority (62%) said it increased their interest in eating more F/V. The Fruits & Veggies-More Matters brand offers numerous opportunities for promoting F/V consumption through this public health initiative.

Metabolism of [(14)C]GSK977779 in rats and its implication with the observed covalent binding.

GSK977779 is a potent HM74a agonist evaluated for the treatment of dyslipidemia. The disposition and metabolism of [(14)C]GSK977779 (67.6 µmol/kg p.o.) was studied in male and female rats. The compound was well absorbed and its primary route of elimination was in the feces. Based on metabolite profiling of plasma extracts and urine and bile samples, it was demonstrated that GSK977779 was extensively metabolized in the rat by N-dealkylation, mono- and dioxygenation, reductive and oxidative cleavage of the 1,2,4-oxadiazole ring, and conjugative pathways. After plasma extraction high amounts of nonextractable radioactivity were observed, which were more pronounced in female rats. Size-exclusion chromatography and SDS gel electrophoresis indicated that the majority of the nonextractable radioactivity was covalently bound to plasma proteins. Solubilization of the plasma protein pellet followed by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry suggested that a carboxylic acid metabolite derived from oxadiazole ring cleavage may be responsible for the observed covalent binding of the radioactivity to rat plasma proteins.

Highly stable tetrathiafulvalene radical dimers in [3]catenanes.

Two [3]catenane 'molecular flasks' have been designed to create stabilized, redox-controlled tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) dimers, enabling their spectrophotometric and structural properties to be probed in detail. The mechanically interlocked framework of the [3]catenanes creates the ideal arrangement and ultrahigh local concentration for the encircled TTF units to form stable dimers associated with their discrete oxidation states. These dimerization events represent an affinity umpolung, wherein the inversion in electronic affinity replaces the traditional TTF-bipyridinium interaction, which is over-ridden by stabilizing mixed-valence (TTF)2•+ and radical-cation (TTF•+)2 states inside the 'molecular flasks.' The experimental data, collected in the solid state as well as in solution under ambient conditions, together with supporting quantum mechanical calculations, are consistent with the formation of stabilized paramagnetic mixed-valence dimers, and then diamagnetic radical-cation dimers following subsequent one-electron oxidations of the [3]catenanes.

Distributing free fresh fruit and vegetables at school: results of a pilot outcome evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: Consumption of fruit and vegetables among children is generally below recommended levels. This evaluation addressed two questions: (1) To what extent did children's attitudes toward, familiarity with, and preferences for fruit and vegetables change during the school year? and (2) To what extent did children's consumption of fruit and vegetables change during the school year? METHODS: During the 2004-2005 school year, the Mississippi Department of Education, Child Nutrition Programs initiated a pilot program to distribute free fruit and vegetables to students (kindergarten through 12th grade) during the school day. Data were collected in 2004-2005 within a one-group pretest/posttest design using a self-report questionnaire (n=725) and 24-hour dietary recalls (n=207) with a sample of students from five schools in Mississippi. Data were analyzed in 2006-2007. RESULTS: Results showed greater familiarity with fruit and vegetables at all grade levels (p<0.05) and increased preferences for fruit among eighth- and 10th-grade students (p<0.01). Eighth-grade students also reported more positive attitudes toward eating fruit and vegetables (p<0.01), increased perceived self-efficacy to eat more fruit (p<0.01), and increased willingness to try new fruit. Finally, results showed increased consumption of fruit, but not vegetables, among eighth- and 10th-grade students (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Distributing free fruit and vegetables at school may be a viable component of a more comprehensive approach for improving students' nutrition attitudes and behaviors. More program emphasis is needed on ways to promote vegetable consumption.

Fruit and vegetable intake among adolescents and adults in the United States: percentage meeting individualized recommendations.

CONTEXT: Fruit and vegetable intake is an important part of a healthy diet and is associated with numerous positive health outcomes. MyPyramid provides recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption based on individual calorie requirements as determined by an individual's age, sex, and physical activity level. OBJECTIVES: To determine (1) median fruit and vegetable consumption from all dietary sources among adolescent and adult consumers and the percentage of adolescents and adults meeting individual recommended intake levels based on caloric requirements and (2) consumption levels among various demographic groups, intake levels from subtypes of fruits and vegetables, and primary contributors to fruit and vegetable intake. DESIGN: Analysis of 2-day, 24-hour recall data from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a continuous, nationally representative, cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: This study included dietary contributions of fruits and vegetables from all dietary sources. Fewer than 1 in 10 Americans meet their calorie-specific MyPyramid fruit or vegetable recommendations. Higher intake was not observed in subgroups with higher recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption based on caloric requirements. The primary contributors to total fruit intake were whole fruits among adults and fruit juices among adolescents. The largest single contributor to overall fruit intake was orange juice. Potatoes dominated vegetable consumption, particularly among adolescents, in whom fried potatoes increased the median vegetable intake from 0.72 cup to 1.21 cups per day. Dark green and orange vegetables and legumes accounted for a small portion of vegetable intake, and few people met the recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Few American adolescents or adults reported consuming the recommended amounts of fruits or vegetables. Increasing consumption will probably require multifaceted approaches that augment educational campaigns with policy and environmental strategies aimed at the food system at large, from farm to plate, including schools, worksites, and retail establishments. Increasing America's fruit and vegetable consumption is an important public health strategy for weight management and reduction of risk for chronic disease.

Trends in fruit and vegetable consumption among U.S. men and women, 1994-2005.

INTRODUCTION: Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthful diet can help lower chronic disease risk and aid in weight management. Increasing the percentage of Americans who consume enough fruits and vegetables every day is part of the Healthy People 2010 objectives for the nation. Assessing trends in consumption of these foods is important for tracking public health initiatives to meet this goal and for planning future objectives. METHODS: We assessed total and sex-specific changes in daily consumption of fruits and vegetables among 1,227,969 adults in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 1994 through 2005. To estimate changes in consumption according to dietary recommendations that were in place during the years examined, we used geometric mean and the percentage of people eating fruits or vegetables or both five or more times per day. Estimates were standardized for sex, age, and race/ethnicity and analyzed by multivariate regression. RESULTS: From 1994 through 2005, the geometric mean frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables declined slightly (standardized change: men and women, -0.22 times/day; men, -0.26 times/day; women, -0.17 times/day). The proportion of men and women eating fruits or vegetables or both five or more times per day was virtually unchanged (men, 20.6% vs 20.3%; women, 28.4% vs 29.6%); however, we found small increases for men aged 18 to 24 years and for women who were aged 25 to 34 years, non-Hispanic black, or nonsmokers. Consumption of fruit juice and non-fried potatoes declined for both sexes. CONCLUSION: The frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption changed little from 1994 through 2005. If consumption is to be increased, we must identify and disseminate promising individual and environmental strategies, including policy change.

Electron super-rich radicals in the gas phase. A neutralization-reionization mass spectrometric and ab initio/RRKM study of diaminohydroxymethyl and triaminomethyl radicals.

Diaminohydroxymethyl (1) and triaminomethyl (2) radicals were generated by femtosecond collisional electron transfer to their corresponding cations (1+ and 2+, respectively) and characterized by neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry and ab initio/RRKM calculations at correlated levels of theory up to CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ. Ion 1+ was generated by gas-phase protonation of urea which was predicted to occur preferentially at the carbonyl oxygen with the 298 K proton affinity that was calculated as PA = 875 kJ mol-1. Upon formation, radical 1 gains vibrational excitation through Franck-Condon effects and rapidly dissociates by loss of a hydrogen atom, so that no survivor ions are observed after reionization. Two conformers of 1, syn-1 and anti-1, were found computationally as local energy minima that interconverted rapidly by inversion at one of the amine groups with a <7 kJ mol-1 barrier. The lowest energy dissociation of radical 1 was loss of the hydroxyl hydrogen atom from anti-1 with ETS = 65 kJ mol-1. The other dissociation pathways of 1 were a hydroxyl hydrogen migration to an amine group followed by dissociation to H2N-C=O* and NH3. Ion 2+ was generated by protonation of gas-phase guanidine with a PA = 985 kJ mol-1. Electron transfer to 2+ was accompanied by large Franck-Condon effects that caused complete dissociation of radical 2 by loss of an H atom on the experimental time scale of 4 mus. Radicals 1 and 2 were calculated to have extremely low ionization energies, 4.75 and 4.29 eV, respectively, which belong to the lowest among organic molecules and bracket the ionization energy of atomic potassium (4.34 eV). The stabilities of amino group containing methyl radicals, *CH2NH2, *CH(NH2)2, and 2, were calculated from isodesmic hydrogen atom exchange with methane. The pi-donating NH2 groups were found to increase the stability of the substituted methyl radicals, but the stabilities did not correlate with the radical ionization energies.

How major restaurant chains plan their menus: the role of profit, demand, and health.

BACKGROUND: Increased away-from-home eating is associated with lower diet quality, and may contribute to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. Healthier food choices in restaurants may help mitigate the rise in obesity and improve diet quality. This study sought to understand the views of executives at major U.S. restaurant chains regarding the process, motivation for, and challenges of offering healthier options on their menus. METHODS: The Healthy Menu Study used in-depth structured telephone interviews with 41 senior menu development and marketing executives at leading casual dining and fast-food restaurant chains. The interview guide covered menu trends, influences on introduction and continuation of new menu items, and barriers to adding healthy foods. Data analysis included tabulation of responses, identification of themes, and examination of subgroup differences. RESULTS: Growing sales and increasing profits are the most important considerations, mentioned by 61% of respondents; health and nutrition were noted as important by 21%. Restaurants may try to avoid losing groups with a "health seeker" by offering healthier foods (low in fat and calories, more fruits and vegetables) (27% of chains), but operators believe demand for healthier foods is not widespread. Additional obstacles to including healthier menu items are short shelf life of produce (46%), increased preparation time, low sales, and high labor costs. CONCLUSIONS: Not surprisingly, profit margins are the primary determinants of why restaurants do or do not add and continue to serve healthier food options. Without an increase in consumer demand, it is unlikely the restaurant industry will increase their offering of healthy food choices. Insight into the restaurant industry perspective is important for developing promising strategies to encourage healthier eating patterns.

The role of mobile protons in negative ion CID of oligosaccharides.

Carbohydrates of all classes consist of glycoform mixtures built on common core units. Determination of compositions and structures of such mixtures relies heavily on tandem mass spectrometric data. Analysis of native glycans is often necessary for samples available in very low quantities and for sulfated glycan classes. Negative tandem mass spectrometry (MS) provides useful product ion profiles for neutral oligosaccharides and is preferred for acidic classes. In previous work from this laboratory, site-specific influences of sialylation on product ion profiles in the negative mode were elucidated. The present results show how the interplay of two other acidic groups, uronic acids and sulfates, determines product ion patterns for chondroitin sulfate oligosaccharides. Unsulfated chondroitin oligosaccharides dissociate to form C-type ions almost exclusively. Chondroitin sulfate oligosaccharides produce abundant B- and Y-type ions from glycosidic bond cleavage with C- and Z-types in low abundances. These observations are explained in terms of competing proton transfer reactions that occur during the collisional heating process. Mechanisms for product ion formation are proposed based on tandem mass spectra and the abundances of product ions as a function of collision energy.

Low-energy-density diets are associated with high diet quality in adults in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated food choices made by individuals consuming diets differing in energy density and explores relationships between energy density and diet quality. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, nationally representative survey. SUBJECTS: 7,500 adults (older than 19 years) in the 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Energy density values were calculated from reported food intake. Subjects were classified as consuming a low-energy-density diet, medium-energy-density diet, or high-energy-density diet using tertile cutoffs. For each group, the percentage consuming various foods/beverages and the mean amount of foods/beverages they consumed was determined along with mean nutrient intakes. RESULTS: Compared with participants consuming a high-energy-density diet, those with a low-energy-density diet had a lower energy intake but consumed more food, by weight, from most food groups. A low-energy-density diet included a relatively high proportion of foods high in micronutrients and water and low in fat, such as fruits and vegetables. Subjects with a low-energy-density diet consumed fewer (nonwater) beverages such as caloric carbonated beverages. They also consumed less fat and had higher intakes of several important micronutrients, including vitamins A, C, and B-6, folate, iron, calcium, and potassium. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses further demonstrate the beneficial effects of a low-energy-density diet, which was associated with lower energy intakes, higher food intakes, and higher diet quality than a high-energy-density diet. To achieve a low-energy-density diet, individuals should be encouraged to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as low-fat/reduced-fat, nutrient-dense, and/or water-rich grains, dairy products, and meats/meat alternatives.

Dietary energy density is associated with energy intake and weight status in US adults.

BACKGROUND: Laboratory-based investigations indicate that the consumption of foods with a low energy density (kcal/g) decreases energy intake. Although low-energy-dense diets are recommended for weight management, relations between energy density, energy intake, and weight status have not been clearly shown in free-living persons. OBJECTIVES: A representative US sample was used to determine whether dietary energy density is associated with energy intake, the weight of food consumed, and body weight and to explore the influence of food choices (fruit, vegetable, and fat consumption) on energy density and body weight. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of adults (n = 7356) from the 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and two 24-h dietary recalls were used. RESULTS: Men and women with a low-energy-dense diet had lower energy intakes (approximately 425 and 275 kcal/d less, respectively) than did those with a high-energy-dense diet, even though they consumed more food (approximately 400 and 300 g/d more, respectively). Normal-weight persons had diets with a lower energy density than did obese persons. Persons with a high fruit and vegetable intake had the lowest energy density values and the lowest obesity prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: Adults consuming a low-energy-dense diet are likely to consume more food (by weight) but to have a lower energy intake than do those consuming a higher-energy-dense diet. The energy density of a variety of dietary patterns, including higher-fat diets, can be lowered by adding fruit and vegetables. Our findings support the hypothesis that a relation exists between the consumption of an energy-dense diet and obesity and provide evidence of the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption for weight management.

The influence of sialylation on glycan negative ion dissociation and energetics.

For the analysis of native glycans using tandem mass spectrometry (MS), it is desirable to choose conditions whereby abundances of cross-ring cleavages indicative of branch positions are maximized. Recently, negative ion tandem mass spectrometry has been shown to produce significantly higher abundances of such ions in glycans compared to the positive ion mode. Much of this prior work has concerned fragmentation patterns in asialo glycans. The present work compares the abundances of critical cross-ring cleavage ions using negative mode tandem mass spectrometry for milk oligosaccharides and N-linked glycans. For comparison, product ion formation was studied for deprotonated and nitrated ions formed from asialo glycans and deprotonated ions from sialylated glycans. Breakdown profiles demonstrate clearly that more energy was required to fragment sialylated compounds to the same extent as either their asialo or nitrate adducted counterparts. The extraction of a proton from a ring hydroxyl group during the ionization process may be viewed, qualitatively, as imparting significantly more energy to the ion than would that from a molecule bearing an acidic group, so that acidic glycans are more stable in the gas phase, as the negative charge resides on the carboxyl group. These results have strong practical implications because a major portion of glycans released from mammalian proteins will be sialylated.

Copper-mediated intra-ligand oxygen transfer in gas-phase complexes with 3-nitrotyrosine.

Gas-phase ternary complexes with Cu(II) and 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) of tyrosine, 3-aminotyrosine, 3-nitrotyrosine and 3-nitrotyrosine methyl ether are formed readily upon electrospraying aqueous methanol solutions containing the components. In contrast to Cu(bpy) complexes of tyrosine, 3-aminotyrosine and other aromatic amino acids, the complexes of 3-nitrotyrosine and its methyl ether undergo unusual collisionally activated dissociations (CADs) that involve Cu-mediated transfer of an oxygen atom from the nitro group. With 3-nitrotyrosine this results in an expulsion of carbonic acid, H(2)CO(3), whereas with 3-nitrotyrosine methyl ether an OH migration forms Cu(OH)bpy(+) as the predominant product. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of an intra-ligand redox reaction in a gas-phase organometallic complex. The reaction mechanism of this unusual dissociation was elucidated by a combination of isotope labeling, accurate mass measurements, energy-resolved CAD mass spectra and density functional theory calculations of ion structures and relative energies.

Dietary energy density determined by eight calculation methods in a nationally representative United States population.

Dietary energy density [kcal/g (kJ/g)] influences energy intake under controlled laboratory conditions. Little is known about the energy density of the diets of free-living persons. Because energy density investigations are a relatively new endeavor, there are neither standard calculation methods nor published nationally representative values. This paper examines the calculation of energy density based on systematic exclusion of beverage categories, presents data on variability, and compares values by sex, age, and race/ethnicity in a representative sample of U.S. adults. Mean daily dietary energy density values for adults (aged >19 y) were calculated using two 24-h recalls from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals 1994-1996 based on food, food and liquid meal replacements, food and alcohol, food and juice, food and milk, food and juice and milk, food and energy-containing beverages, and food and all beverages. Energy density varied by calculation method, ranging from 0.94 to 1.85 kcal/g (3.93-7.74 kJ/g). Intraindividual-to-interindividual CV ratios were highest for the food and energy-containing beverages calculation. Men reported diets with a higher energy density than women for all calculation methods (P < 0.0001). There were differences by race/ethnicity and an inverse linear trend for age. These data indicate that beverage inclusion schemes should be clearly defined when reporting energy density values. In epidemiologic studies, calculations based on food and all beverages and food and energy-containing beverages may diminish associations with outcome variables. These nationally representative data, which provide an important frame of reference for other studies, indicate that dietary energy density differs by sex, age, and race/ethnicity.

What epidemiologic studies tell us about the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and body weight.

Clinical evidence shows that combining advice to increase fruit and vegetable consumption with caloric restriction is an effective strategy for weight management. The purpose of this review is to evaluate epidemiologic evidence to determine whether it supports an association between fruit and/or vegetable consumption and body weight. Few studies have been designed to specifically address this issue, and those that are available vary in methodology and offer inconsistent results. We make recommendations on how to strengthen future studies so that the influence of fruit and vegetable consumption on body weight in free-living individuals is better understood.

Chiral recognition in solution and the gas phase. Experimental and theoretical studies of aromatic D- and L-amino acid-Cu(II)-chiragen complexes.

This study was focused on distinguishing L- and D-enantiomers of amino acids using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of ternary complexes with Cu(II) and chiral derivatives of bipyridine. A pinene-annulated derivative of 2,2'-bipyridine, (5R,7S,8S)-(--)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-6,6,8-trimethyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)-5,7-methanoquinoline, called a chiragen, was used as the auxiliary ligand bound to Cu(II) to study the complexation of D- and L-phenylalanine and D- and L-tryptophan and their detection by MS. NMR studies showed that the D- and L-amino acid complexes can be distinguished in solution by the difference in the amount of band broadening of the alpha-carbon proton, with the D-complex showing greater broadening from a more intense interaction with the paramagnetic copper center. In ESI-MS studies, the ion abundances for the analyte complexes were compared with those of internal standards to investigate competition in binding to Cu(II)chiragen between the internal standard and D- and L-amino acids. The D-Phe complex showed stronger binding than the L-Phe complex, although differences in response related to solvent effects were also apparent. In studies involving two separate internal standards, the Trp enantiomers were practically indistinguishable in all but one solvent environment. In 100% methanol, the L-Phe and D-Phe complexes were readily distinguished and the L-Phe complex out-competed the L-Phe complex by a factor of two. Density functional theory calculations were performed on D- and L-complexes of Phe and Trp to determine the optimized geometries and the most energetically favorable structures. Calculations agreed with experiments, where the D-Phe complex was the most stable structure, while the L-Trp and D-Trp complexes were comparably stable in the gas phase.

Fruit and vegetable environment, policy, and pricing workshop: introduction to the conference proceedings.

Americans' consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased slightly over the last 10 years, but most people still do not meet the Dietary Guidelines recommendation to consume 5 to 9 servings per day. New and innovative strategies are needed if we are to significantly increase the mean population intake of fruits and vegetables. To help formulate such strategies as well as to evaluate evidence and identify research gaps, the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened the Fruit and Vegetable Environment, Policy, and Pricing Workshop, which brought together experts in how environmental change, policy, and pricing affect fruit and vegetable consumption. The papers in this supplement consist of a review of environmental interventions to improve nutrition and papers covering pricing and consumer value and how fruit and vegetable consumption can be promoted at worksites, restaurants, grocery stores and other community settings, and schools. Conclusions from the workshop were that existing intervention strategies need to be evaluated, promising example programs need to be disseminated, and new innovative interventions and programs need to be created and evaluated.