The Human Gut and Dietary Salt: The Bacteroides/Prevotella Ratio as a Potential Marker of Sodium Intake and Beyond.

The gut microbiota is a dynamic ecosystem that plays a pivotal role in maintaining host health. The perturbation of these microbes has been linked to several health conditions. Hence, they have emerged as promising targets for understanding and promoting good health. Despite the growing body of research on the role of sodium in health, its effects on the human gut microbiome remain under-explored. Here, using nutrition and metagenomics methods, we investigate the influence of dietary sodium intake and alterations of the human gut microbiota. We found that a high-sodium diet (HSD) altered the gut microbiota composition with a significant reduction in Bacteroides and inverse increase in Prevotella compared to a low-sodium diet (LSD). However, there is no clear distinction in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio between the two diet types. Metabolic pathway reconstruction revealed the presence of sodium reabsorption genes in the HSD, but not LSD. Since it is currently difficult in microbiome studies to confidently associate the F/B ratio with what is considered healthy (e.g., low sodium) or unhealthy (e.g., high sodium), we suggest that the use of a genus-based ratio such as the Bacteroides/Prevotella (B/P) ratio may be more beneficial for the application of microbiome studies in health.

Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives Contribute to a Healthy and Sustainable Diet.

Plant-based foods are increasing in popularity as more and more people are concerned about personal and planetary health. The consumption of plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs) has assumed a more significant dietary role in populations shifting to more sustainable eating habits. Plant-based drinks (PBDs) made from soya and other legumes have ample protein levels. PBDs that are appropriately fortified have adequate levels of important vitamins and minerals comparable to dairy milk. For the PBDs examined, the greenhouse gas emissions were diminished by 59-71% per 250 mL, and the land use and eutrophication impact was markedly less than the levels displayed by dairy milk. The water usage for the oat and soya drinks, but not rice drinks, was substantially lower compared to dairy milk. When one substitutes the 250 mL serving of dairy milk allowed within the EAT Lancet Planetary Health Diet for a fortified plant-based drink, we found that the nutritional status is not compromised but the environmental footprint is reduced. Combining a nutrient density score with an environmental index can easily lead to a misclassification of food when the full nutrition profile is not utilized or only a selection of environmental factors is used. Many PBDAs have been categorized as ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Such a classification, with the implied adverse nutritional and health associations, is inconsistent with current findings regarding the nutritional quality of such products and may discourage people from transitioning to a plant-based diet with its health and environmental advantages.

A cross-sectional survey of the readiness of consumers to adopt an environmentally sustainable diet.

BACKGROUND: The current food system is responsible for significant environmental damage therefore, encouraging consumers to adopt an environmentally sustainable diet is a key public health challenge. Dietary guidelines have been developed that outline recommendations for purchasing and consuming food in an environmentally sustainable manner, but they have not yet been incorporated in UK national dietary guidelines. METHODS: Via an online survey of UK adults, we evaluated consumers' perceptions of the environmental benefit of various sustainable diet recommendations, their readiness to adopt these behaviours using the stage of change construct of the Transtheoretical Model, the factors that influenced their food choices, and their current consumption of plant- and animal-based sources of protein. Additionally, we investigated how demographic characteristics and food choice motives were associated with perceived environmental benefit of and readiness to adopt these sustainable diet recommendations. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 442 participants (66% female, 80% aged 25-54 years, 85% with higher education). The majority of participants considered the recommendations to 'reduce consumption of air-freighted foods' (79%), 'reduce food waste' (75%), and 'buy locally grown produce' (78%) to have a high environmental benefit, whereas a smaller proportion of participants perceived 'prioritise plant-based proteins' (42%) and 'choose organic produce' (27%) to have a high environmental benefit. Differences in perceptions and readiness to adopt sustainable dietary behaviours were observed between demographic groups, with women significantly more likely than men to be in action/maintenance (A/M) stages of change for prioritising plant proteins (OR 0.54), and younger participants more likely to be in pre-contemplation/contemplation (PC/C) stages of change for 'choose organic produce' (OR 2.03) and 'choose sustainable fish' (OR 2.45). Health, cost, environmental sustainability and taste were the most commonly reported food choice motives. Reporting environmental sustainability as a food choice motive was associated with readiness to adopt sustainable diet recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: We found that consumers in the UK are engaged with some aspects of sustainable diets but remain resistant to others. The results of this study indicate that acceptable dietary guidelines could be developed to address environmental sustainability. Several behaviours were identified that consumers were willing to adopt, but there were barriers preventing them, highlighting that policy action is required to enable behaviour change to occur. Differences between demographic groups highlight potential targets for future campaigns promoting sustainable diets.

Social physique anxiety and physical activity behaviour of male and female exercisers.

Despite females consistently reporting greater social physique anxiety (SPA), previous literature has yet to demonstrate whether SPA gender differences are linked to the way males and females perform physical activity. This study investigated an association between SPA and physical activity frequency, history of exercise, and physical activity intensity. Participants were represented by currently active users (N = 33 males; N = 31 females) of an on-campus university-run gym and completed a background physical activity questionnaire and the nine-item Social Physique Anxiety Scale. Participants also performed an exercise session at a self-selected level of exertion, with the intensity of each session measured via heart rate monitor. SPA was not associated with physical activity frequency, history of exercise (length of gym membership), or intensity for male and female exercisers. With respect to male participants, females reported higher SPA and a preference for performing higher intensity physical activity. Females and males also indicated a preference for performing aerobic and anaerobic physical activity respectively. Our findings suggest the experience of SPA does not deter body-conscious individuals from the performance of regular physical activity. Findings also suggest the discrepancy in male and female SPA is not linked to differences in the way physical activity is performed.

Sources of total, non-milk extrinsic, and intrinsic and milk sugars in the diets of older adults living in sheltered accommodation.

The WHO recommends limiting non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES) consumption to < or = 10 % energy to reduce the risk of unhealthy weight gain and dental caries, and to restrict frequency of intake to < or = 4 times/d to reduce risk of dental caries. Older adults, especially those from low-income backgrounds, are at increased risk of dental caries, yet there is little information on sugars intake (frequency of intake and food sources) in this age group. The aim of this report is to present baseline data from a community-based dietary intervention study of older adults from socially deprived areas of North East England, on the quantity and sources of total sugars, NMES, and intrinsic and milk sugars, and on frequency of NMES intake. Dietary intake was assessed using two 3-d estimated food diaries, completed by 201 participants (170 female, thirty-one male) aged 65-85 years (mean 76.7 (sd 5.5) years) recruited from sheltered housing schemes. Total sugars represented 19.6 %, NMES 9.3 %, and intrinsic and milk sugars 10.3 % of daily energy intake. Eighty-one (40.3 %) exceeded the NMES intake recommendation. Mean frequency of NMES intake was 3.4 times/d. The fifty-three participants (26.4 %) who exceeded the frequency recommendation ( < or = 4 times/d) obtained a significantly greater percentage of energy from NMES compared with those participants who met the recommendation. The food groups 'biscuits and cakes' (18.9 %), 'soft drinks' (13.1 %) and 'table sugar' (11.1 %) made the greatest contributions to intakes of NMES. Interventions to reduce NMES intake should focus on limiting quantity and frequency of intake of these food groups.