Distribution of energy intake throughout the day and weight gain: a population-based cohort study in Spain.

Experimental research suggests that food timing is associated with weight regulation. However, the association between the distribution of energy intake (EI) throughout the day and weight gain in the population is uncertain. A cohort of 4243 individuals (49·9 % men, 50·1 % women) aged ≥18 years was selected in 2008-2010 and followed-up through 2012. At baseline, food consumption for a typical week in the previous year was collected with a validated dietary history, and EI was assessed at six eating occasions: breakfast, mid-morning meal, lunch, mid-afternoon meal, dinner and snacking (at any other moment). Individuals were classified into sex-specific quartiles of %EI for each eating occasion. The cut-off points for increasing quartiles of %EI at lunch were 34·4, 40·8 and 47·7 % in men and 33·2, 39·4 and 46·1 % in women. Weight was self-reported at baseline and at the end of follow-up. During a 3·5-year follow-up, 16·3 % of study participants gained >3 kg. Compared with those in the lowest quartile of %EI at lunch, the multivariate OR of gaining >3 kg was 0·79 (95 % CI 0·63, 0·99) in the second quartile, 0·82 (95 % CI 0·64, 1·04) in the third quartile and 0·62 (95 % CI 0·47, 0·80) in the highest quartile (P trend: 0·001). The association was stronger among women and those with overweight or obesity. No association was found between the %EI at the rest of the eating occasions and weight gain. In conclusion, a higher %EI at lunch was associated with a lower risk of weight gain; this may help weight control through the appropriate distribution of daily EI.

Efficacy and tolerability of artesunate plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine alone for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Peru.

To assist the Peruvian Ministry of Health in modifying the malaria treatment policy for their north Pacific coastal region, we conducted an in vivo efficacy trial of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and SP plus artesunate (SP-AS) for the treatment for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum infections. A total of 197 patients were randomized to therapy with either SP (25 mg/kg of the sulfadoxine component in a single dose on day 0) or a combination of SP plus AS (4 mg/kg on days 0, 1, and 2) and were followed for 28 days for symptoms and recurrence of parasitemia. No statistically significant differences between the two groups were observed on enrollment with respect to age, sex, history of malaria, or geometric mean parasite density. A total of 185 subjects completed the 28-day follow-up. Of the 91 subjects treated with SP alone, two had recurrences of parasitemia on day 7 and one on day 21. Of the 94 subjects treated with SP-AS, one had a recurrence of parasitemia on day 21. Fever and asexual parasite density decreased significantly more rapidly and the proportion of patients with gametocytemia on days 3-28 was significantly lower in subjects treated with combination therapy than in those who received SP alone. No severe adverse drug reactions were observed; however, self-limited rash and pruritus were significantly more common and an exacerbation of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain were observed significantly more frequently among patients who had received SP-AS. These results have contributed to a National Malaria Control Program decision to change to SP-AS combination therapy as the first-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in northern coastal Peru in November 2001, making Peru the first country in the Americas to recommend this combination therapy.