Fermented foods: Harnessing their potential to modulate the microbiota-gut-brain axis for mental health.

Over the past two decades, whole food supplementation strategies have been leveraged to target mental health. In addition, there has been increasing attention on the ability of gut microbes, so called psychobiotics, to positively impact behaviour though the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Fermented foods offer themselves as a combined whole food microbiota modulating intervention. Indeed, they contain potentially beneficial microbes, microbial metabolites and other bioactives, which are being harnessed to target the microbiota-gut-brain axis for positive benefits. This review highlights the diverse nature of fermented foods in terms of the raw materials used and type of fermentation employed, and summarises their potential to shape composition of the gut microbiota, the gut to brain communication pathways including the immune system and, ultimately, modulate the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Throughout, we identify knowledge gaps and challenges faced in designing human studies for investigating the mental health-promoting potential of individual fermented foods or components thereof. Importantly, we also suggest solutions that can advance understanding of the therapeutic merit of fermented foods to modulate the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Dietary intervention in gestational diabetes: a qualitative study of the acceptability and feasibility of a novel whole-diet intervention in healthcare professionals.

Gestational diabetes is treated with medical nutrition therapy, delivered by healthcare professionals; however, the optimal diet for affected women is unknown. Randomised controlled trials, such as the DiGest (Dietary Intervention in Gestational Diabetes) trial, will address this knowledge gap, but the acceptability of whole-diet interventions in pregnancy is unclear. Whole-diet approaches reduce bias but require high levels of participant commitment and long intervention periods to generate meaningful clinical outcomes. We aimed to assess healthcare professionals' views on the acceptability of the DiGest dietbox intervention for women with gestational diabetes and to identify any barriers to adherence which could be addressed to support good recruitment and retention to the DiGest trial. Female healthcare professionals (n 16) were randomly allocated to receive a DiGest dietbox containing 1200 or 2000 kcal/d including at least one weeks' food. A semi-structured interview was conducted to explore participants' experience of the intervention. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using NVivo software. Based on the findings of qualitative interviews, modifications were made to the dietboxes. Participants found the dietboxes convenient and enjoyed the variety and taste of the meals. Factors which facilitated adherence included participants having a good understanding of study aims and sufficient organisational skills to facilitate weekly meal planning in advance. Barriers to adherence included peer pressure during social occasions and feelings of deprivation or hunger (affecting both standard and reduced calorie groups). Healthcare professionals considered random allocation to a whole-diet replacement intervention to be acceptable and feasible in a clinical environment and offered benefits to participants including convenience.

Effectiveness of Food-Based Intervention to Improve the Linear Growth of Children under Five: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Food-based interventions to improve linear growth are most often applied in low- and middle-income countries. However, not all food interventions have been proven to be effective in promoting linear growth. This study aimed to assess the impact and effectiveness of food interventions for improving linear growth in children under five years old. This study was conducted by following the PRISMA guidelines and the data were extracted and presented following the PRISMA recommendations. Studies were identified through a literature search of the SCOPUS, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest databases from 2000 to 2022. Only randomized control studies were included in this review based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Out of 1125 studies identified, a total of 15 studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The review result indicated that food-based intervention can help to improve linear growth (MD: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.35, p = 0.01) among children under five. However, there was no significant difference in changes in underweight status (MD: 0.25; CI: -0.15 to 0.64; p = 0.22) and wasting status (MD: 0.09; CI: -0.02 to 0.20; p = 0.12) between the intervention and control groups. Overall, food-based interventions were found to be helpful for improving children's linear growth.

Effect of Consuming Beef with Varying Fatty Acid Compositions as a Major Source of Protein in Volunteers under a Personalized Nutritional Program.

Beef is an excellent source of nutrients; unfortunately, most nutritional recommendations suggest limiting or even avoiding it. Studies have shown that the fatty acid composition of meat influences weight loss. This randomized controlled clinical trial evaluated the anthropometric and serum lipid changes after a food intervention that included frequent beef consumption (120 g consumed four days/week for four weeks). Volunteers were randomly assigned to the commercial or Wagyu-Cross beef groups, with the latter beef possessing higher fat and MUFA contents. Both groups exhibited reductions in body measurements and lipid profiles; however, the Wagyu-Cross group exhibited greater changes in weight (-3.75 vs. -2.90 kg) and BMI (-1.49 vs. -1.03) than the commercial group, without a significant difference between them. No significant group differences in lipid profiles were observed; however, the Wagyu-Cross group exhibited a more favorable change in decreasing the TC concentration (-7.00 mg/dL) and LDL-C concentration (-12.5 mg/dL). We suggest that high MUFA beef could be included in weight-loss programs since it does not affect weight loss and hasn't a negative influence on lipid metabolism.

Prevalence of malnutrition and associated factors among children aged 6-24 months under poverty alleviation policy in Shanxi province, China: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Child malnutrition continues to be a major public health issue, accounting for 54% of all child mortality globally. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of childhood malnutrition and its associated risk factors as well as to explore the best developmental strategy among infants and young children (IYC). Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted six months after the distribution of nutritious YingYangBao (YYB). It involved children aged 6-24 months in Shaanxi Province, China. Data were collected via interviews with parents of IYC, followed by measurements of the children's height and weight. Data were analyzed using EpiInfo software and SPSSv.26, which encompassed descriptive statistics, Pearson Chi-square, and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Ethics approval and parents' informed consent were attained prior to the study. Result: A total of 3431 data were analyzed in the study. The prevalence of stunting was highest among IYC between 12 and 18 months (3.9%). Prevalence of underweight (0.5%) and wasting (1.5%) were highest among IYC aged 18-24 months while the prevalence of overweight was highest among IYC aged 6-12months (9.0%). Significant associating risk factors of malnutrition were IYC from Northern Shaanxi (aOR = 2.24; 95%CI:1.68-2.98) and mothers with parity ≥3 (aOR = 1.52; 95%CI:1.10-2.10). IYC with a higher educated father (aOR = 0.79; 95%CI:0.66-0.95), YYB intervention (aOR = 0.77; 95%CI:0.65-0.90), correct supplementary food time (aOR = 0.84; 95%CI:0.71-1.00) and separate supplementary food preparation (aOR = 0.79; 95%CI:0.66-0.95) were significantly associated with lower risk of malnutrition. Conclusion: Even though the prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting were relatively low (<5%), there is still a need to strengthen existing policies on child nutrition.

Evaluation of the impact of the Healthy Start/Départ Santé intervention on improving menu planning practices and improving the congruence between planned menus and actual food served in Saskatchewan childcare centres.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Healthy Start/Départ Santé (HS/DS) intervention program on improving menu planning practices and improving the congruence between planned menus and actual food served in licensed childcare centres in Saskatchewan. Overall, 39 licensed childcare centres in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, were selected through a cluster randomized control trial to evaluate the impact of the HS/DS intervention. The pre and post intervention food menus of these centres were analyzed and compared to the Saskatchewan Childcare Nutrition Guidelines (SCNG). The food and beverages served at lunch were observed and digitally recorded using digital plate-waste measures. The congruence between the planned menus and the actual food served was assessed. Descriptive analyses and non-parametric tests were performed to determine the impact of the intervention. The results of this study indicated that there was no significant difference between the groups regarding the distribution and proportion of centres that adhered to the SCNG. The centres that received the intervention demonstrated significant improvements in adherence to their written menus, with the proportions of match between the items that served and listed (p-value = 0.029), and additional items served (p-value = 0.014). Within each group, intervention and usual practice, there were significant differences in centres that met the foods to limit guideline among the usual practice centres (p-value = 0.035). Findings from this study indicated that the HS/DS intervention had a positive impact on improving the adherence of the participating centres to the centres' planned menus. HS/DS trial registration number: NCT02375490.

Reality-Based Technologies for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Recommendation for Food Intake Intervention.

Food selectivity by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is relatively high as compared to typical children and consequently puts them at risk of nutritional inadequacies. Thus, there is a need to educate children with ASD on food types and their benefits in a simple and interesting manner that will encourage food acceptance and enable a move toward healthy living. The use of technological intervention has proven to be an effective tool for educating children with ASD in maintaining attention and mastering new skills as compared to traditional methods. Some of the popularly used technologies are computer-based intervention and robotics which do not support ecological validity (i.e., mimicking natural scenario). Consideration of natural factors is essential for better learning outcomes and generalized skills which can easily be incorporated into reality-based technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. These technologies provide evidence-based support for ecological validation of intervention and sustaining the attention of children with ASD. The main objective of this study is to review existing reality-based technology intervention for children with ASD and investigate the following: (1) commonly used reality-based technology, (2) types of intervention targeted with reality-based technology, and (3) what subjects' inclusion types are used in the reality-based interventions. These objective statements have guided our recommendation of reality-based technology that can support ecological validity of food intake intervention.

Short-Term Dietary Intervention with Cooked but Not Raw Brassica Leafy Vegetables Increases Telomerase Activity in CD8+ Lymphocytes in a Randomized Human Trial.

Telomerase in T lymphocytes is dynamic and limited evidence from epidemiological studies indicates that the enzyme can be modulated in peripheral lymphocytes by dietary and lifestyle factors. The differential effect of dietary intervention on T cell subsets has not been investigated so far. Brassica vegetables are known for their multiple beneficial effects on human health, and here, the effect of a five-day short-term intervention with raw or cooked leaves of Brassica carinata on telomerase activity in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from 22 healthy volunteers was investigated in a randomized single-blind, controlled crossover study. Blood samples were collected before and after intervention, and CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocytes were isolated. Telomerase activity was quantified using the TRAP-ELISA assay. Intervention with both preparations led to a marginal increase in telomerase activity of CD4+ cells compared to the baseline level. In CD8+ cells, a significant increase in telomerase activity (25%, p < 0.05) was seen after intervention with the cooked material. An increase in telomerase activity in CD8+ cells of healthy volunteers could be regarded as beneficial in terms of helping with the cell-mediated immune response. Whether a Brassica intervention has long-term effects on telomere extension in specific T cell subsets needs to be determined.

Selection of Surrogate Bacteria for Use in Food Safety Challenge Studies: A Review.

Nonpathogenic surrogate bacteria are prevalently used in a variety of food challenge studies in place of foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Clostridium botulinum because of safety and sanitary concerns. Surrogate bacteria should have growth characteristics and/or inactivation kinetics similar to those of target pathogens under given conditions in challenge studies. It is of great importance to carefully select and validate potential surrogate bacteria when verifying microbial inactivation processes. A validated surrogate responds similar to the targeted pathogen when tested for inactivation kinetics, growth parameters, or survivability under given conditions in agreement with appropriate statistical analyses. However, a considerable number of food studies involving putative surrogate bacteria lack convincing validation sources or adequate validation processes. Most of the validation information for surrogates in these studies is anecdotal and has been collected from previous publications but may not be sufficient for given conditions in the study at hand. This review is limited to an overview of select studies and discussion of the general criteria and approaches for selecting potential surrogate bacteria under given conditions. The review also includes a list of documented bacterial pathogen surrogates and their corresponding food products and treatments to provide guidance for future studies.

A qualitative study of a food intervention in a primary school: Pupils as agents of change.

This study explored the impact of a school-based kitchen project at a large inner London school. Timetabled kitchen classroom sessions (90 min every fortnight) were held with all 7-9 year old pupils. Semi-structured focus group discussions (with 76 pupils, 16 parents) and interviews (with headteachers, catering managers and specialist staff) were conducted at the intervention school and a matched control school. Categories and concepts were derived using a grounded theory approach. Data analysis provided three main categories each with their related concepts: Pupil factors (enthusiasm and enjoyment of cooking, trying new foods, food knowledge and awareness, producing something tangible); School factors (learning and curriculum links, resource implications and external pressures) and Home factors (take home effects, confidence in cooking and self-esteem, parents' difficulties cooking at home with children). Children's engagement and the opportunity to cook supported increased food awareness, skills and food confidence. In the grounded theory that emerged, take home effects beyond the school gate dominate, as children act as agents of change and influence cooking and food choice at home. These short term outcomes have the potential to lead to longer term outcomes including changing eating behaviour and diet.