Assessing the Quality of Simulated Food Patterns with Reduced Animal Protein Using Meal Data from NHANES 2017-2018.

The nutritional consequences of progressively replacing meat products with plant-based foods need to be systematically evaluated. Modeling analyses provide insights into the predicted food consumption and nutritional adequacy of plant-based diets. We developed a novel methodology to simulate food patterns and evaluate diet quality. Meal data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018 was used to create 100 7-day meal plans subject to various nutrient and food group optimization criteria. Omnivore (reference diet), flexitarian, pescatarian, and vegetarian food patterns were modeled using mixed integer linear programming. The modeled food patterns used the 25th and 75th percentiles of the US Usual Dietary Intakes to set the optimization constraints. The diet quality was determined using the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015). The modeled vegetarian, pescatarian, and flexitarian food patterns outperformed the omnivore diet on the HEI-2015, with the vegetarian pattern achieving the highest score (82 for females, 78 for males). Modeled flexitarian patterns, with a 25 to 75% reduction in animal protein, offer viable options for those seeking to reduce but not eliminate their animal protein intake while supporting the transition from omnivore to fully plant-based diets. This methodology could be applied to evaluate the nutrient and diet quality of different dietary patterns with various constraints.

A meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness of alternate day fasting, the 5:2 diet, and time-restricted eating for weight loss.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the effectiveness of different intermittent fasting (IF) regimens on weight loss, in the general population, and compare these to traditional caloric energy restriction (CER). METHODS: Three databases were searched from 2011 to June 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed weight loss and IF, including alternate day fasting (ADF), the 5:2 diet, and time-restricted eating (TRE). A random effect network analysis was used to compare the effectiveness between the three regimens. Meta-regression analysis was presented as weighted mean differences of body weight loss. RESULTS: The exploratory random effects network analysis of 24 RCTs (n = 1768) ranked ADF as the most effective, followed by CER and TRE. The meta-analysis showed that IF regimens resulted in similar weight loss to CER (mean difference 0.26 kg, 95% CI: -0.31 to 0.84; p = 0.37). Compliance was generally high (>80%) in trials shorter than 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis concludes that IF is comparable to CER and a promising alternative for weight loss. Among the three regimens, ADF showed the highest effectiveness for weight loss, followed by CER and TRE. Further well-powered RCTs with longer durations of intervention are required to draw solid conclusions.

Nutritional and environmental factors in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been related to nutrient deficiencies and 'unhealthy' diets, and to date there is only one study that examined the relationship between the Mediterranean diet and ADHD. The aim was to determine the association between those environmental, nutritional, and body composition factors that may affect the pathogenesis and symptomatology of patients with ADHD in Spain. METHODS: A total of 89 children and adolescents (41 with diagnosed ADHD and 48 controls) were studied in an observation case-control study. Anthropometry, nutritional status, adherence to a Mediterranean diet, sedentary behaviour, and sleep were measured. RESULTS: Lower adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with ADHD diagnosis. Individuals with ADHD more often missed having a second serving of vegetables daily and showed reduced intakes of fish, pulses, and pasta or rice almost every day when compared with controls. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) were found for fish, cereal, no breakfast and commercially baked goods consumption. There were also statistically significant differences between ADHD individuals and controls when analysing sedentary behaviours and BMI (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Low adherence to a Mediterranean diet might play a role in ADHD development. Not only specific nutrients but also the whole diet should be considered in ADHD. No clear association was found for anthropometry and sedentary behaviours.