Western Diet and the Immune System: An Inflammatory Connection.

The consumption of Western-type calorically rich diets combined with chronic overnutrition and a sedentary lifestyle in Western societies evokes a state of chronic metabolic inflammation, termed metaflammation. Metaflammation contributes to the development of many prevalent non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and these lifestyle-associated pathologies represent a rising public health problem with global epidemic dimensions. A better understanding of how modern lifestyle and Western diet (WD) activate immune cells is essential for the development of efficient preventive and therapeutic strategies for common NCDs. Here, we review the current mechanistic understanding of how the Western lifestyle can induce metaflammation, and we discuss how this knowledge can be translated to protect the public from the health burden associated with their selected lifestyle.

Toward healthy and sustainable diets for the 21st century: Importance of sociocultural and economic considerations.

Four years after the EAT-Lancet landmark report, worldwide movements call for action to reorient food systems to healthy diets that respect planetary boundaries. Since dietary habits are inherently local and personal, any shift toward healthy and sustainable diets going against this identity will have an uphill road. Therefore, research should address the tension between the local and global nature of the biophysical (health, environment) and social dimensions (culture, economy). Advancing the food system transformation to healthy, sustainable diets transcends the personal control of engaging consumers. The challenge for science is to scale-up, to become more interdisciplinary, and to engage with policymakers and food system actors. This will provide the evidential basis to shift from the current narrative of price, convenience, and taste to one of health, sustainability, and equity. The breaches of planetary boundaries and the environmental and health costs of the food system can no longer be considered externalities. However, conflicting interests and traditions frustrate effective changes in the human-made food system. Public and private stakeholders must embrace social inclusiveness and include the role and accountability of all food system actors from the microlevel to the macrolevel. To achieve this food transformation, a new "social contract," led by governments, is needed to redefine the economic and regulatory power balance between consumers and (inter)national food system actors.

The global incident gastrointestinal cancers attributable to suboptimal diets from 1990 to 2018.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The contribution of suboptimal diets to gastrointestinal (GI) cancer incidence globally remains unquantified, and we aimed to evaluate it. METHODS: Comprehensive meta-analyses and rigorous evidence grading assessment identified the associations between suboptimal diets and six GI cancers and their subtypes. A comparative risk assessment model was employed to estimate the proportional attributable burden and attributable rate of GI cancers to suboptimal diets by using the corroborative association estimates. Additionally, correlation assessments with the Sociodemographic Index (SDI) were carried out. RESULTS: In 2018, 21.5% (95% Uncertainty Interval (UI): 19.1%, 24.5%) of incident GI cancer cases globally were attributable to suboptimal diets, maintaining a relatively stable proportion since 1990 (22.4% (19.7%, 25.6%)), while the absolute diet-attributable cases doubled from 581 thousands (511 thousands, 664 thousands) in 1990 to 1,040 thousands (923 thousands, 1,187 thousands) in 2018. Excessive processed meat consumption (5.9% (4.2%, 7.9%)), insufficient fruit intake (4.8% (3.8%, 5.9%)), and insufficient whole grain intake (3.6% (2.8%, 5.1%)) were the most significant dietary risk factors in 2018, a shift from 1990 when the third major concern was insufficient non-starchy vegetable intake. Additionally, Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia experienced the highest attributable burden across regions in both 1990 (31.6% (27.0%, 37.4%)) and 2018 (31.6% (27.3%, 36.5%)), and a positive correlation (P < .01) between the SDI and the attributable GI cancer incidence was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Although the proportional attributable GI incidence remains relatively stable, the doubling of absolute cases from 1990 to 2018, along with the discrepancies among urbanicity and countries/regions, informs dietary priorities and more targeted preventive measures.

Popular Dietary Patterns: Alignment With American Heart Association 2021 Dietary Guidance: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

The evolution of dietary guidelines from isolated nutrients to broader dietary pattern recommendations results from growing knowledge of the synergy between nutrients and their food sources as they influence health. Macronutrient and micronutrient needs can be met by consuming various dietary patterns, but guidance is often required to facilitate population-wide adherence to wise food choices to achieve a healthy dietary pattern. This is particularly true in this era with the proliferation of nutrition misinformation and misplaced emphasis. In 2021, the American Heart Association issued a scientific statement outlining key principles of a heart-healthy dietary pattern that could be operationalized in various ways. The objective of this scientific statement is to assess alignment of commonly practiced US dietary patterns with the recently published American Heart Association criteria, to determine clinical and cultural factors that affect long-term adherence, and to propose approaches for adoption of healthy dietary patterns. This scientific statement is intended to serve as a tool for clinicians and consumers to evaluate whether these popular dietary pattern(s) promote cardiometabolic health and suggests factors to consider when adopting any pattern to improve alignment with the 2021 American Heart Association Dietary Guidance. Numerous patterns strongly aligned with 2021 American Heart Association Dietary Guidance (ie, Mediterranean, DASH [Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension], pescetarian, vegetarian) can be adapted to reflect personal and cultural preferences and budgetary constraints. Thus, optimal cardiovascular health would be best supported by developing a food environment that supports adherence to these patterns wherever food is prepared or consumed.

Enterocyte-specific FATP4 deficiency elevates blood lipids via a shift from polar to neutral lipids in distal intestine.

FATP4 was thought to mediate intestinal lipid absorption which was disputed by a study using keratinocyte-Fatp4-rescued Fatp4-/- mice. These knockouts when fed with a western diet showed elevated intestinal triglyceride (TG) and fatty-acid levels. To investigate a possible role of FATP4 on intestinal lipid processing, ent-Fatp4 (KO) mice were generated by Villin-Cre-specific inactivation of the Fatp4 gene. We aimed to measure circulating and intestinal lipids in control and KO mice after acute or chronic fat intake or during ageing. Remarkably, ent-Fatp4 mice displayed a ~30% decrease in ileal behenic, lignoceric, and nervonic acids, ceramides containing these FA, as well as, ileal sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylinositol levels. Such decreases were concomitant with an increase in jejunal cholesterol ester. After 2-week recovery from high lipid overload by tyloxapol and oral-lipid treatment, ent-Fatp4 mice showed an increase in plasma TG and chylomicrons. Upon overnight fasting followed by an oral fat meal, ent-Fatp4 mice showed an increase in plasma TG-rich lipoproteins and particle number of chylomicrons and very low-density lipoproteins. During ageing or after feeding with a high-fat high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet, ent-Fatp4 mice showed an increase in plasma TG, fatty acids, glycerol, and lipoproteins as well as intestinal lipids. HFHC-fed KO mice displayed an increase in body weights, the numbers of lipid droplets with larger sizes in the ileum concomitant with a decrease in ileal ceramides and phosphatidylcholine. Thus, enterocyte FATP4 deficiency led to a metabolic shift from polar to neutral lipids in distal intestine rendering an increase in plasma lipids and lipoproteins.

The Future of Plant-Based Diets: Aligning Healthy Marketplace Choices with Equitable, Resilient, and Sustainable Food Systems.

The future of plant-based diets is a complex public health issue inextricably linked to planetary health. Shifting the world's population to consume nutrient-rich, plant-based diets is among the most impactful strategies to transition to sustainable food systems to feed 10 billion people by 2050. This review summarizes how international expert bodies define sustainable diets and food systems and describes types of sustainable dietary patterns. It also explores how the type and proportion of plant- versus animal-source foods and alternative proteins relate to sustainable diets to reduce diet-related morbidity and mortality. Thereafter, we synthesize evidence for current challenges and actions needed to achieve plant-based sustainable dietary patterns using a conceptual framework with principles to promote human health, ecological health, social equity, and economic prosperity. We recommend strategies for governments, businesses, and civil society to encourage marketplace choices that lead to plant-rich sustainable diets within healthy, equitable, and resilient agroecological food systems.

Evaluation of Protein Adequacy From Plant-Based Dietary Scenarios in Simulation Studies: A Narrative Review.

Although a diet high in plant foods can provide beneficial nutritional outcomes, unbalanced and restrictive plant-based diets may cause nutrient deficiencies. Protein intake from these diets is widely discussed, but the comparison of animal and plant proteins often disregards amino acid composition and digestibility as measurements of protein quality. Poor provision of high-quality protein may result in adverse outcomes, especially for individuals with increased nutrient requirements. Several dietary modeling studies have examined protein adequacy when animal-sourced proteins are replaced with traditional and novel plant proteins, but no review consolidating these findings are available. This narrative review aimed to summarize the approaches of modeling studies for protein intake and protein quality when animal-sourced proteins are replaced with plant foods in diet simulations and examine how these factors vary across age groups. A total of 23 studies using dietary models to predict protein contribution from plant proteins were consolidated and categorized into the following themes-protein intake, protein quality, novel plant-based alternatives, and plant-based diets in special populations. Protein intake from plant-based diet simulations was lower than from diets with animal-sourced foods but met country-specific nutrient requirements. However, protein adequacy from some plant-sourced foods were not met for simulated diets of children and older adults. Reduced amino acid adequacy was observed with increasing intake of plant foods in some scenarios. Protein adequacy was generally dependent on the choice of substitution with legumes, nuts, and seeds providing greater protein intake and quality than cereals. Complete replacement of animal to plant-sourced foods reduced protein adequacy when compared with baseline diets and partial replacements.

Modeling the Impact of Substituting Meat and Dairy Products with Plant-Based Alternatives on Nutrient Adequacy and Diet Quality.

BACKGROUND: Novel plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are designed to mimic and replace animal-sourced products, yet their nutritional composition differs from traditional alternatives such as legumes and beans. The nutritional impacts of switching from animal-sourced to traditional or novel plant-based alternatives remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to model the impact of partial and complete substitution of animal-sourced meat and dairy products with traditional or novel plant-based alternatives on diet quality and nutrient adequacy in a nationally representative sample of Australian adults. METHODS: Dietary data (1 24-h recall) from the Australian Health Survey 2011-2013 (n = 9115; ≥19 y) were analyzed. Four models simulated partial or complete substitution of animal-sourced meat and dairy with traditional or novel plant-based alternatives. Diet quality was assessed using the Dietary Guideline Index (DGI), and nutrient adequacy was determined using age- and sex-specific nutrient reference values. Modeled diets were compared to a baseline diet using survey-weighted paired t tests. RESULTS: DGI scores improved by 0.3% to 6.0% for all models across all sex and age groups compared to baseline. Improvements in diet quality were greatest for the complete substitution to traditional alternatives (5.1% average increase in DGI). Overall, inclusion of plant-based alternatives (complete or partial) decreased saturated fat and increased dietary fiber. Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased to below adequate intakes for all complete substitution models. Substitution with traditional alternatives decreased sodium and increased calcium, whereas substitution with novel alternatives increased sodium and decreased calcium. CONCLUSIONS: All models using traditional alternatives, and the partial substitution using novel alternatives, showed small but statistically significant improvements in diet quality. Nutrient adequacy varied between models, with nutrients including saturated fat, sodium, calcium, and long-chain fatty acids implicated. Findings highlight the importance of informed choices when switching to traditional or novel plant-based alternatives to prevent suboptimal dietary intake.

Postprandial Plasma and Whole Blood Amino Acids Are Largely Indicative of Dietary Amino Acids in Adult Dogs Consuming Diets with Increasing Whole Pulse Ingredient Inclusion.

BACKGROUND: Pulse ingredients often replace grains in grain-free dog diets owing to their high-protein content. However, research to ascertain the benefit of this modification is limited. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to correlate food compounds in 1 corn-inclusive control diet and 3 grain-free diets with increasing inclusions of whole pulses (≤45%; Pulse15, Pulse30, and Pulse45), formulated to meet similar macronutrient and micronutrient targets with postprandial amino acids (AAs) in healthy dogs >20 wk. METHODS: Diets were analyzed for biochemical compounds using tandem mass spectrometry. Twenty-eight outdoor-housed, healthy, adult Siberian Huskies were allocated to diet, and meal responses were analyzed at baseline and weeks 2, 4, 8, 16, and 20 with samples collected at fasted and 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 min after meal presentation. Blood AAs were analyzed by ultra performance liquid chromatography and differences across week, treatment, and time postmeal were analyzed in SAS Studio. Partial least squares regression was performed in SAS Studio using biochemical compounds in the diet as predictor variables and blood AAs as response variables. RESULTS: In plasma, Pulse45 had ∼32% greater postprandial Asn than Pulse15, and the control diet had ∼34% greater postprandial Leu and ∼35% greater Pro than Pulse15 (P < 0.05). In whole blood, Pulse30 had ∼23% greater postprandial Lys than the control diet, and the control diet had ∼21% greater postprandial Met and ∼18% greater Pro than Pulse45 and Pulse30, respectively (P < 0.05). Several phospholipids were correlated with postprandial AAs. Compounds in the urea cycle and glycine and serine metabolism were more enriched (P < 0.05) in plasma and whole blood, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In macronutrient-balanced and micronutrient-balanced canine diets that differ in their inclusion of corn-derived compared with pulse-derived ingredients, postprandial changes in circulating AAs are largely indicative of the dietary AAs. This helps further our understanding of AA metabolism in healthy dogs fed grain-free diets.

Defining "low-carb" in the scientific literature: A scoping review of clinical studies.

There remains a lack of scientific consensus on what level of carbohydrate intake constitutes low-carbohydrate diets. We conducted a scoping review to understand how low-carbohydrate diets were defined in the peer-reviewed literature. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement scoping review extension. Three electronic databases were searched for clinical studies in English. We identified 508 articles (317 randomized controlled, 99 cross-over, 33 before-and-after, 12 non-randomized, and 47 other clinical trials). Most examined effects of low-carbohydrate diets in healthy adults (62.4%), 40 to 59 years old (55.5%), with obesity or overweight (66.1%). The majority reported effects on weight or body composition (29.9%), diabetes (18.7%), or cardiovascular risk factors (12.9%) as primary outcomes. Most articles (56.9%) reported percent of energy from carbohydrates, and of those, 60.3% defined low-carbohydrate diets as being ≤30% of energy from carbohydrates. Some articles (22.9%) reported grams of carbohydrates per day, and of those, most defined low-carbohydrate diets as being under ∼100 grams of carbohydrates per day. Systematic reviews and dose-response meta-regressions utilizing patient-level data on carbohydrate intake, status markers (e.g., RQ/ketones), and health outcomes would be useful in informing consensus around a standardized definition.

Diet to Stop Hypertension: Should Fats be Included?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: International guidelines emphasize advice to incorporate dietary measures for the prevention and in the management of hypertension. Current data show that modest reductions in weight can have an impact on blood pressure. Reducing salt and marine oils have also shown consistent benefit in reducing blood pressure. Whether other dietary constituents, in particular the amount and type of fat that play important roles in cardiovascular prevention, influence blood pressure sufficiently to be included in the management of hypertension is less certain. In this review, we provide a summary of the most recent findings, with a focus on dietary patterns, fats and other nutrients and their impact on blood pressure and hypertension. RECENT FINDINGS: Since reducing salt consumption is an established recommendation only corollary dietary advice is subject to the current review. Population studies that have included reliable evaluation of fat intake have indicated almost consistently blood pressure lowering with consumption of marine oils and fats. Results with vegetable oils are inconclusive. However dietary patterns that included total fat reduction and changes in the nature of vegetable fats/oils have suggested beneficial effects on blood pressure. Plant-based foods, dairy foods and yoghurt particularly, may also lower blood pressure irrespective of fat content. Total fat consumption is not directly associated with blood pressure except when it is part of a weight loss diet. Consumption of marine oils has mostly shown moderate blood pressure lowering and possibly greatest effect with docosahexaenoic acid-rich oil.

Effects of partial replacement of red and processed meat with non-soya legumes on bone and mineral metabolism and amino acid intakes in BeanMan randomised clinical trial.

The transition towards more plant-based diets may pose risks for bone health such as low vitamin D and Ca intakes. Findings for the contribution of animal and plant proteins and their amino acids (AA) to bone health are contradictory. This 6-week clinical trial aimed to investigate whether partial replacement of red and processed meat (RPM) with non-soya legumes affects AA intakes and bone turnover and mineral metabolism in 102 healthy 20-65-year-old men. Participants were randomly assigned to diet groups controlled for RPM and legume intake (designed total protein intake (TPI) 18 E%): the meat group consumed 760 g RPM per week (25 % TPI) and the legume group consumed non-soya legume-based products (20 % TPI) and 200 g RPM per week, the upper limit of the Planetary Health Diet (5 % TPI). No differences in bone (bone-specific alkaline phosphatase; tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b) or mineral metabolism (25-hydroxyvitamin D; parathyroid hormone; fibroblast growth factor 23; phosphate and Ca) markers or Ca and vitamin D intakes were observed between the groups (P > 0·05). Methionine and histidine intakes were higher in the meat group (P ≤ 0·042), whereas the legume group had higher intakes of arginine, asparagine and phenylalanine (P ≤ 0·013). Mean essential AA intakes in both groups met the requirements. Increasing the proportion of non-soya legumes by reducing the amount of RPM in the diet for 6 weeks did not compromise bone turnover and provided on average adequate amounts of AA in healthy men, indicating that this ecologically sustainable dietary change is safe and relatively easy to implement.

In vivo and ex vivo studies support the immunostimulant and immunoprotective effect of Damiana (Turnera diffusa Willd) in Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana).

Damiana (Turnera diffusa Willd) was evaluated in vitro for antioxidant and antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes (as a preliminary screening assessment) by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC)-Direct bioautography. A study was performed in vivo to evaluate the effects of Damiana enriched diets at 0.5 % on immune parameters in mucus and serum and gene expression in Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana) intestine after two and four weeks; an infection with Aeromonas hydrophila at 1x107 colony forming units (CFU) followed and an ex vivo study was carried out using head-kidney leukocytes. Ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assays showed high antioxidant activities in Damiana leaves; even in the ABTS assay, Damiana at 300 µg/mL showed similar activity to ascorbic acid - the standard control. Damiana exhibited strong in vitro antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and S. pyogenes. In vivo studies showed a strong enhancement of myeloperoxidase, nitric oxide, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities in mucus and serum of S. rivoliana supplemented with Damiana; their immunological response enhanced after infection with A. hydrophila. IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IL-10 gene expressions upregulated in the fish intestine challenged with the bacterium. Piscidin and macrophage (MARCO) receptor gene expression up-regulated at week 4 and down-regulated after infection. Intestinal histology results confirm that Damiana not cause inflammation or damage. Finally, the ex vivo study confirmed the immunostimulant and protective effects of Damiana through increased phagocytic, respiratory burst, myeloperoxidase activities and nitric oxide generation before and upon the bacterial encounter. These results support the idea that Damiana has the potential as an immunostimulant additive for diets in aquaculture by enhancing immune parameters and protecting Almaco Jack against A. hydrophila infections upon four weeks of supplementation.

Disinfection Byproducts of Haloacetaldehydes Disrupt Hepatic Lipid Metabolism and Induce Lipotoxicity in High-Fat Culture Conditions.

Unhealthy lifestyles, obesity, and environmental pollutants are strongly correlated with the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Haloacetaldehyde-associated disinfection byproducts (HAL-DBPs) at various multiples of concentrations found in finished drinking water together with high-fat (HF) were examined to gauge their mixed effects on hepatic lipid metabolism. Using new alternative methods (NAMs), studying effects in human cells in vitro for risk assessment, we investigated the combined effects of HF and HAL-DBPs on hepatic lipid metabolism and lipotoxicity in immortalized LO-2 human hepatocytes. Coexposure of HAL-DBPs at various multiples of environmental exposure levels with HF increased the levels of triglycerides, interfered with de novo lipogenesis, enhanced fatty acid oxidation, and inhibited the secretion of very low-density lipoproteins. Lipid accumulation caused by the coexposure of HAL-DBPs and HF also resulted in more severe lipotoxicity in these cells. Our results using an in vitro NAM-based method provide novel insights into metabolic reprogramming in hepatocytes due to coexposure of HF and HAL-DBPs and strongly suggest that the risk of NAFLD in sensitive populations due to HAL-DBPs and poor lifestyle deserves further investigation both with laboratory and epidemiological tools. We also discuss how results from our studies could be used in health risk assessments for HAL-DBPs.

Developing and testing personalised nutrition feedback for more sustainable healthy diets: the MyPlanetDiet randomised controlled trial protocol.

PURPOSE: Agriculture and food production contribute to climate change. There is mounting pressure to transition to diets with less environmental impact while maintaining nutritional adequacy. MyPlanetDiet aimed to reduce diet-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) in a safe, nutritionally adequate, and acceptable manner. This paper describes the trial protocol, development, and testing of personalised nutrition feedback in the MyPlanetDiet randomised controlled trial (RCT). METHODS: MyPlanetDiet was a 12-week RCT that provided standardised personalised nutrition feedback to participants based on new sustainable healthy eating guidelines (intervention) or existing healthy eating guidelines (control) using decision trees and corresponding feedback messages. To test the personalised nutrition feedback, we modelled a sample of 20 of the MyPlanetDiet participants baseline diets. Diets were modelled to adhere to control and intervention decision trees and feedback messages. Modelled nutrient intakes and environmental metrics were compared using repeated measure one-way analysis of covariance. RESULTS: Intervention diets had significantly lower (p < 0.001) diet-related GHGE per 2500 kilocalories (kcal) (4.7 kg CO2-eq) relative to control (6.6 kg CO2-eq) and baseline (7.1 kg CO2-eq). Modelled control and intervention diets had higher mean daily intakes of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fibre, and protein) and micronutrients (calcium, iron, zinc, and iodine). Modelled control and intervention diets had lower percent energy from fat and saturated fat relative to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to the MyPlanetDiet personalised nutrition feedback would be expected to lead to better nutrient intakes and reduced diet-related GHGE. The MyPlanetDiet RCT will test the effectiveness and safety of personalised feedback for a more sustainable diet. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER AND DATE OF REGISTRATION: Clinical trials registration number: NCT05253547, 23 February 2022.

Macronutrient composition of plant-based diets and breast cancer risk: the E3N prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Recent evidence suggests that plant-based diets may reduce the risk of breast cancer (BC). However, the macronutrient composition of plant-based diets and its potential impact on BC risk has not been well explored. This analysis investigated the association of macronutrient composition with BC risk across a spectrum of plant-based diet indexes using a multidimensional approach. DESIGN: This study followed 64,655 participants from the Etude Epidémiologique auprès de femmes de la Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale (E3N) cohort from 1993 to 2014. Diets were evaluated using validated 208-item diet history questionnaires at baseline (1993) and follow-up (2005), to calculate adherence to the overall plant-based diet (PDI), healthful plant-based diet (hPDI), and unhealthful plant-based diet (uPDI). The association of macronutrient composition with BC risk was assessed via generalized additive time-dependent Cox models across different levels of these indexes. Response surfaces were generated to visualize compositional associations at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of each index (low, moderate, and high). RESULTS: A total of 3,932 incident BC cases were identified during the 21-year follow-up. There was a significant association between macronutrient composition and BC risk for hPDI, uPDI, and PDI (all P < 0.001). Akaike information criterion favored the hPDI model for characterizing the association between macronutrients and BC. BC risk was highest for individuals with a lower hPDI score who also consumed a diet containing lower protein (10%), lower carbohydrate (35%), and higher fat (55%). The lowest risk of BC was observed in those with higher hPDI scores with the lowest intake of protein (10%). At higher PDI and uPDI, diets containing higher protein (30%) and fat (45%) had the highest BC risk. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate a complex relationship between macronutrient composition, plant-based diet quality, and BC risk. Further research is needed to examine specific foods that may be driving these associations. REGISTRY: The protocol is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03285230.

Effect of amino acid enriched diets on hemolymph amino acid composition in honey bees.

Amino acids (AAs) are an abundant class of nectar solutes, and they are involved in the nectar attractiveness to flower visitors. Among the various AAs, proline is the most abundant proteogenic AA, and γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) and ß-alanine are the two most abundant non-proteogenic AAs. These three AAs are known to affect insect physiology, being involved in flight metabolism and neurotransmission. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of artificial diets enriched with either ß-alanine, GABA, or proline on consumption, survival, and hemolymph composition in honey bees belonging to two different ages and with different metabolism (i.e., newly emerged and foragers). Differences in feed intake among diets were not observed, while a diet enriched with ß-alanine improved the survival rate of newly emerged honey bees compared to the control group. Variations in the hemolymph AA concentrations occurred only in newly emerged honey bees, according to the diet and the time of hemolymph sampling. A greater susceptibility of young honey bees to enriched diets than older honey bees was observed. The variations in the concentrations of hemolymph AAs reflect either the accumulation of dietary AAs or the existence of metabolic pathways that may lead to the conversion of dietary AAs into different ones. This investigation could be an initial contribution to studying the complex dynamics that regulate hemolymph AA composition and its effect on honey bee physiology.

Development of a sustainable diet index in US adults.

BACKGROUND: A transformation towards healthy diets through a sustainable food system is essential to enhance both human and planet health. Development of a valid, multidimensional, quantitative index of a sustainable diet would allow monitoring progress in the US population. We evaluated the content and construct validity of a sustainable diet index for US adults (SDI-US) based on data collected at the individual level. METHODS: The SDI-US, adapted from the SDI validated in the French population, was developed using data on US adults aged 20 years and older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2018 (n = 25,543). The index consisted of 4 sub-indices, made up of 12 indicators, corresponding to 4 dimensions of sustainable diets (nutritional quality, environmental impacts, affordability (economic), and ready-made product use behaviors (sociocultural)). A higher SDI-US score indicates greater alignment with sustainable diets (range: 4-20). Validation analyses were performed, including the assessment of the relevance of each indicator, correlations between individual indicators, sub-indices, and total SDI-US, differences in scores between sociodemographic subgroups, and associations with selected food groups in dietary guidelines, the alternative Mediterranean diet (aMed) score, and the EAT-Lancet diet score. RESULTS: Total SDI-US mean was 13.1 (standard error 0.04). The correlation between SDI-US and sub-indices ranged from 0.39 for the environmental sub-index to 0.61 for the economic sub-index (Pearson Correlation coefficient). The correlation between a modified SDI-US after removing each sub-index and the SDI-US ranged from 0.83 to 0.93. aMed scores and EAT-Lancet diet scores were significantly higher among adults in the highest SDI-US quintile compared to the lowest quintile (aMed: 4.6 vs. 3.2; EAT-Lancet diet score: 9.9 vs. 8.7 p < .0001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, content and construct validity of the SDI-US were acceptable. The SDI-US reflected the key features of sustainable diets by integrating four sub-indices, comparable to the SDI-France. The SDI-US can be used to assess alignment with sustainable diets in the US. Continued monitoring of US adults' diets using the SDI-US could help improve dietary sustainability.

Tracking progress toward a climate-friendly public food service strategy: assessing nutritional quality and carbon footprint changes in childcare centers.

BACKGROUND: Public food procurement and catering are recognized as important leverage points in promoting sustainable and healthy dietary habits. This study aimed to analyze changes in nutritional quality and carbon footprint (CF) of food service in childcare centers in the City of Copenhagen from 2018 to 2022, following a new climate-friendly food strategy in 2019. The strategy has a target of decreasing the CF of municipal food service by 25% before 2025 compared to a 2018 baseline. METHODS: Key initiatives in the municipality's strategy included creating guidelines for food-service providers to reduce their CF while ensuring meal nutritional quality and providing food professionals an advisory process to develop necessary competencies. In this quasi-experimental study, food procurement data from Copenhagen's childcare centers (n = 356 [2022]) from 2018 and 2022 were combined with CF and nutrient composition data. Dietary CF and food and nutrient content were calculated per 10 MJ of energy and compared to guideline targets. Furthermore, data for 2022 were analyzed separately for institutions that had received an advisory process (n = 87) and those that had not yet (n = 269). RESULTS: On average, the CF of the food procurement decreased by 15%, mainly driven by a decrease in ruminant meat purchases (-37%). While the procurement of plant-based protein sources (pulses, nuts, seeds) increased by 25%, it was still considerably below targets. Nutrient content did not substantially change, and recommendations for calcium, iron, vitamin D, sodium, and total and saturated fat were not met in either measurement year. Institutions that had received an advisory process had a 14% lower CF in 2022 than institutions that had not. CONCLUSIONS: With the observed 15% CF reduction, Copenhagen's childcare centers are on track to reach the 25% reduction goal outlined in the municipality's food strategy by 2025. Nutritional quality was largely unchanged, but further efforts to increase especially the consumption of plant-based protein sources, while simultaneously reducing meat and animal-based fat, and maintaining sufficient dairy consumption, are needed to improve nutritional quality and reach the target CF reduction in the coming years. Providing training for food professionals could play an important role in seeing the changes through.

Effects of a cafeteria-based sustainable diet intervention on the adherence to the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet and greenhouse gas emissions of consumers: a quasi-experimental study at a large German hospital.

BACKGROUND: Sustainable diets contribute to improving human health and reducing food-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). Here, we established the effects of a facility-based sustainable diet intervention on the adherence to the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet and GHGE of consumers. METHODS: In this quasi-experiment, vegan menus and educational material on sustainable diets were provided in the largest cafeteria of a German hospital for 3 months. Regular customers (> 1/week) in this cafeteria (intervention group) and in all other hospital cafeterias (control group) completed a questionnaire about their sociodemographic and dietary characteristics before and after the intervention period. We calculated difference-in-differences (DID), their 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and p-values for the adherence to the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI; 0-42 score points) and food-related GHGE. The protocol was registered at the German Clinical Trial Register (reference: DRKS00032620). FINDINGS: In this study population (N = 190; age range: 18-79 years; women: 67%; highest level of formal education: 63%), the mean baseline PHDI (25·1 ± 4·8 vs. 24·7 ± 5·8 points) and the mean baseline GHGE (3·3 ± 0·8 vs. 3·3 ± 0·7 kg CO2-eq./d) were similar between the intervention (n = 92) and the control group (n = 98). The PHDI increase was 0·6 points (95% CI: -0·4, + 1·6) higher in the intervention group than in the control group. This trend was stronger among frequent consumers of the vegan menu than among rare and never consumers. No between-group difference was seen for GHGE changes (DID: 0·0; 95% CI: -0·2, + 0·1 kg CO2-eq./d). INTERPRETATION: Pending verification in a longer-term project and a larger sample, this quasi-experiment in a big hospital in Germany suggests that offering vegan menus and information material in the cafeteria enhances the adherence to healthy and environmentally friendly diets among regular customers. These findings argue for making sustainable food choices the default option and for improving nutrition literacy. FUNDING: Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), Else-Kröner-Fresenius Foundation (EKFS), Robert-Bosch Foundation (RBS).