Alcoholic Beverage Preference and Dietary Habits: A Systematic Literature Review.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this review is to systematically and critically evaluate the existing literature into the association between alcoholic beverage preference and dietary habits in adults. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in the databases of Medline (PubMed), ISI Web of Knowledge, and PsycINFO for studies published up to March 2013. From a total of 4,345 unique hits, 16 articles were included in this systematic review. Two independent reviewers extracted relevant data for each study and assessed study quality. RESULTS: 14 cross-sectional and two ecological studies from the United States and several European countries were included. Across different study populations and countries, persons with a beer preference displayed in general less healthy dietary habits. A preference for wine was strongly associated with healthier dietary habits in Western study populations, whereas studies in Mediterranean populations did not observe this. Dietary habits of persons with another preference or who were abstinent were less reported. CONCLUSION: This review has shown that the preference for a specific alcoholic beverage is associated with diet. Thus, it might not be the alcoholic beverage but the underlying dietary patterns that are related to health outcomes.

[Prediction of growth from an early age: curve matching with the TNO Growth Predictor]. / Predictie van groei vanaf jonge leeftijd: 'curve matching' met de TNO Groeivoorspeller.

Curve matching is a new big data technique to predict an outcome given earlier measurements. Here we apply curve matching to predict the future growth of a specific child, the target child. The method searches in large datasets of longitudinal growth data for other children who are similar to the target child in terms of factors that influence growth. The observed growth curves of these matched children provide valuable insights into the future growth of the target child. The TNO Groeivoorspeller (TNO Growth Predictor) plots the expected growth of the target child, as well as the uncertainty of the prediction. Curve matching is a general technique that can also be used for other health measures. The key requirement is the availability of relevant longitudinal data on the outcome and its determinants.