Addressing nutrient shortfalls in 1- to 5-year-old Irish children using diet modeling: development of a protocol for use in country-specific population health.

BACKGROUND: Dietary habits formed in early childhood can track into later life with important impacts on health. Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) may have a role in improving population health but are lacking for young children. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to establish a protocol for addressing nutrient shortfalls in 1- to 5-y-old children (12-60 mo) using diet modeling in a population-based sample. METHODS: Secondary analysis of 2010-2011 Irish National Pre-School Nutrition Survey data (n = 500) was conducted to identify typical food consumption patterns in 1- to 5-y-olds. Nutrient intakes were assessed against dietary reference values [European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Institute of Medicine (IOM)]. To address nutrient shortfalls using diet modeling, 4-d food patterns were developed to assess different milk-feeding scenarios (human milk, whole or low-fat cow milk, and fortified milks) within energy requirement ranges aligned with the WHO growth standards. FBDGs to address nutrient shortfalls were established based on 120 food patterns. RESULTS: Current mean dietary intakes for the majority of 1- to 5-y-olds failed to meet reference values (EFSA) for vitamin D (≤100%), vitamin E (≤88%), DHA (22:6n-3) + EPA (20:5n-3) (IOM; ≤82%), and fiber (≤63%), whereas free sugars intakes exceeded recommendations of <10% energy (E) for 48% of 1- to 3-y-olds and 75% of 4- to 5-y-olds. "Human milk + Cow milk" was the only milk-feeding scenario modeled that predicted sufficient DHA + EPA among 1- to 3-y-olds. Vitamin D shortfalls were not correctable in any milk-feeding scenario, even with supplementation (5 µg/d), apart from the "Follow-up Formula + Fortified drink" scenario in 1- to 3-y-olds (albeit free sugars intakes were estimated at 12%E compared with ≤5%E as provided by other scenarios). Iron and vitamin E shortfalls were most prevalent in scenarios for 1- to 3-y-olds at ≤25th growth percentile. CONCLUSIONS: Using WHO growth standards and international reference values, this study provides a protocol for addressing nutrient shortfalls among 1- to 5-y-olds, which could be applied in country-specific population health.

The impact of ballast water effluent on the Manila clam, Tapes semidecussatus.

The impact of ballast water discharge from an oil refinery in Whitegate Harbour, Co. Cork, Ireland to the Manila clam, Tapes semidecussatus, was investigated using a whole sediment bioassay. Bioassay organisms were exposed to surface sediments for a period of 21 days, including a reference and control sediment, collected from the vicinity of a ballast water discharge pipe. At the whole organism level, mortality and burrowing behaviour (assessed as time taken for organisms to burrow into the sediment) were used to determine the effects of exposure to test sediments. After 21 days, clam mortality was higher in surface sediments collected directly at the point of the ballast water discharge pipe than from all other test sediments assayed. After 10 days exposure to test sediments collected from the vicinity of the ballast water discharge pipe, the burrowing behaviour of animals was significantly different to the behaviour of animals exposed to uncontaminated sediments.