Diversity of plant DNA in stool is linked to dietary quality, age, and household income.

Eating a varied diet is a central tenet of good nutrition. Here, we develop a molecular tool to quantify human dietary plant diversity by applying DNA metabarcoding with the chloroplast trnL-P6 marker to 1,029 fecal samples from 324 participants across two interventional feeding studies and three observational cohorts. The number of plant taxa per sample (plant metabarcoding richness or pMR) correlated with recorded intakes in interventional diets and with indices calculated from a food frequency questionnaire in typical diets (ρ = 0.40 to 0.63). In adolescents unable to collect validated dietary survey data, trnL metabarcoding detected 111 plant taxa, with 86 consumed by more than one individual and four (wheat, chocolate, corn, and potato family) consumed by >70% of individuals. Adolescent pMR was associated with age and household income, replicating prior epidemiologic findings. Overall, trnL metabarcoding promises an objective and accurate measure of the number and types of plants consumed that is applicable to diverse human populations.

Major Gaps in Understanding Dietary Supplement Use in Health and Disease.

Precise dietary assessment is critical for accurate exposure classification in nutritional research, typically aimed at understanding how diet relates to health. Dietary supplement (DS) use is widespread and represents a considerable source of nutrients. However, few studies have compared the best methods to measure DSs. Our literature review on the relative validity and reproducibility of DS instruments in the United States [e.g., product inventories, questionnaires, and 24-h dietary recalls (24HR)] identified five studies that examined validity (n = 5) and/or reproducibility (n = 4). No gold standard reference method exists for validating DS use; thus, each study's investigators chose the reference instrument used to measure validity. Self-administered questionnaires agreed well with 24HR and inventory methods when comparing the prevalence of commonly used DSs. The inventory method captured nutrient amounts more accurately than the other methods. Reproducibility (over 3 months to 2.4 years) of prevalence of use estimates on the questionnaires was acceptable for common DSs. Given the limited body of research on measurement error in DS assessment, only tentative conclusions on these DS instruments can be drawn at present. Further research is critical to advancing knowledge in DS assessment for research and monitoring purposes.

Serum Metabolomic Markers of Artificially Sweetened Beverage Consumption.

BACKGROUND: The consumption of artificially sweetened beverages is on the rise. Use of artificial sweeteners has been associated with adverse health outcomes. There is a need to identify novel objective biomarkers of artificially sweetened beverages in order to improve dietary assessment and to provide insight into their metabolic impact. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify serum metabolites that are associated with artificially sweetened beverage consumption. METHODS: In the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, consumption of artificially sweetened beverages was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and fasting serum samples were collected during the first study visit (1987-1989). Participants were categorized as nonusers if they reported almost never consumption of artificially sweetened beverages, moderate users for 1 glass/mo to 6 glasses/wk, and heavy users for ≥1 glasses/d. Untargeted metabolomic profiling was conducted in 2 subgroups (subgroup 1: n = 1866, profiled in 2010; subgroup 2 profiled in 2014: n = 2072), and 360 metabolites were analyzed. In this secondary data analysis, multivariable linear regression models were used, adjusting for demographics, health behaviors, health status, and dietary factors. Analyses were conducted in each subgroup and results meta-analyzed. RESULTS: In a meta-analysis of 3938 generally healthy participants (mean age, 54 y; 60% women; 62% Black participants) from ARIC study visit 1, 11 serum metabolites were significantly associated with artificially sweetened beverage consumption. Heavier consumption of artificially sweetened beverages was associated with higher concentrations of 10 metabolites (saccharin, threonate, erythronate, glycerate, gluconate, mannitol, glucose, tryptophan betaine, trehalose, and N6-acetyllysine) and lower concentrations of glycocholenate sulfate. CONCLUSIONS: Eleven serum metabolites are related to artificially sweetened beverage intake, which consist of known sugar substitutes, processed food additives, glucose-related compounds, and gut microbiome-related metabolites. These findings enhance our knowledge of the metabolic activity of artificial sweeteners and suggests new biomarkers for monitoring intake.

Development of a Population-Level Dichotomous Indicator of Minimum Dietary Diversity as a Proxy for Micronutrient Adequacy in Adolescents Aged 10-19 Y in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Diversity is a key component of diet quality and health, but no indicator exists for adolescents under the age of 15 y. OBJECTIVES: To establish a dichotomous indicator for population-level assessment of adolescent dietary diversity as a proxy for micronutrient adequacy. METHODS: We used the probability approach to construct mean probability of adequacy (MPA) of 11 micronutrients from 2 d of 24-h dietary recall data from NHANES, 2007-2018. For each micronutrient, probability of adequacy (PA) was calculated using the best linear unbiased predictor of usual intake. Adolescent dietary diversity score (ADDS) was derived with a maximum score of 10 food groups. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine associations between ADDS and MPA. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to establish a cutoff for minimum dietary diversity for adolescents (MDD-A) using an energy-adjusted logistic model with ADDS predicting MPA > 0.6. RESULTS: PA was >80% for all nutrients except vitamin C (42.1%), folate (65.7%), and calcium (23.8%). Population MPA was 79.4%, and nearly 92% of adolescents had an MPA > 0.6. ADDS was positively associated with MPA, and energy was a significant confounder. The area under the curve was >0.8 on both days with sensitivity and specificity ranging from 0.71 to 0.80. The MDD-A cutoff was calculated as 5.12 and 5.10 food groups on days 1 and 2, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In U.S. adolescents, the best cutoff for a dichotomous indicator of dietary diversity as a proxy for micronutrient adequacy is 6 food groups in a given day. Future research could validate MDD-A and its associated cutoff for use across country contexts.

Fine-Scale Dietary Polyphenol Intake Is Associated with Systemic and Gastrointestinal Inflammation in Healthy Adults.

BACKGROUND: Polyphenols are dietary bioactive compounds, many of which have anti-inflammatory properties. However, information on the intake of dietary polyphenols at the class and compound levels and their associations with gastrointestinal (GI) and systemic inflammation is lacking. OBJECTIVES: Estimate dietary polyphenol intake in healthy adults and examine its relationship with GI and systemic inflammation markers. METHODS: Healthy adults (n = 350) completed the United States Department of Agriculture Nutritional Phenotyping Study, an observational, cross-sectional study balanced for age, sex, and body mass index. Dietary intake, assessed via multiple 24-h recalls, was ingredientized and mapped to FooDB, a comprehensive food composition database. Dietary polyphenol intake (total, class, compound) was estimated and examined for its relationship to GI and systemic inflammation markers using linear models and random forest regressions. RESULTS: Mean total polyphenol intake was ∼914 mg/1000 kcal/d with flavonoids as the greatest class contributor (495 mg/1000 kcal/d). Tea, coffee, and fruits were among the largest food contributors to polyphenol intake. Total polyphenol intake was negatively associated with the GI inflammation marker, fecal calprotectin (ß = -0.004, P = 0.04). At the class level, polyphenols were categorized as prenol lipids (ß = -0.94, P < 0.01) and phenylpropanoic acids (ß = -0.92, P < 0.01) were negatively associated with plasma lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, a proxy for GI permeability. Food sources of these 2 classes included mainly olive products. We further detected a positive association between C-reactive protein and polyphenols in the "cinnamic acids and derivatives" class using hierarchical feature engineering and random forest modeling. CONCLUSIONS: Even in healthy adults, dietary polyphenol intake was negatively associated with GI inflammation and intake of prenol lipids and phenylpropanoic acids was negatively associated with GI permeability. Relationships between polyphenol intake and inflammatory outcomes varied with the resolution-total, class, compound-of polyphenol intake, suggesting a nuanced impact of polyphenols on GI and systemic inflammation. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02367287.

Lipidomic and Fatty Acid Biomarkers in Whole Blood Can Predict the Dietary Intake of Eicosapentaenoic and Docosahexaenoic Acids in a Danish Population.

BACKGROUND: The intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been associated with health benefits. Blood levels of these fatty acids, measured by gas chromatography (GC), are associated with their dietary intake, but the relationships with lipidomic measurements are not well defined. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the lipidomic biomarkers in whole blood that predict intakes of EPA + DHA and examine the relationship between lipidomic and GC-based n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) biomarkers. METHODS: Lipidomic and fatty acid analyses were completed on 120 whole blood samples collected from Danish participants. Dietary intakes were completed using a web-based 7-d food diary. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to identify the fatty acid and lipidomic variables that predict intakes of EPA + DHA and to determine lipidomic species that predict commonly used fatty acid biomarkers. RESULTS: Stepwise regression selected lipidomic variables with an R2 = 0.52 for predicting EPA + DHA intake compared to R2 = 0.40 for the selected fatty acid GC-based variables. More predictive models were generated when the lipidomic variables were selected for females only (R2 = 0.62, n = 68) and males only (R2 = 0.72, n = 52). Phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogen species containing EPA or DHA tended to be the most predictive lipidomic variables. Stepwise regression also indicated that selected lipidomic variables can predict commonly used fatty acid GC-based n-3 PUFA biomarkers as the R2 values ranged from 0.84 to 0.91. CONCLUSIONS: Both fatty acid and lipidomic data can be used to predict EPA + DHA intakes, and fatty acid GC-based biomarkers can be emulated by lipidomic species. Lipidomic-based biomarkers appear to be influenced by sex differences, probably in n-3 PUFA and lipoprotein metabolism. These results improve our ability to understand the relationship between novel lipidomic data and GC fatty acid data and will increase our ability to apply lipidomic methods to fatty acid and lipid nutritional research.

Relative validity of an intelligent ordering system to estimate dietary intake among university students from a medical school in Shanghai, China.

BACKGROUND: Dietary assessment methods have limitations in capturing real-time eating behaviour accurately. Equipped with automated dietary-data-collection capabilities, the "intelligent ordering system" (IOS) has potential applicability in obtaining long-term consecutive, relatively detailed on-campus dietary records among university students with little resource consumption. We investigated (1) the relative validity of IOS-derived nutrient/food intakes compared to those from the 7-day food diary (7DFD); (2) whether including a supplemental food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) improves IOS accuracy; and (3) sex differences in IOS dietary intake estimation. METHODS: Medical students (n = 221; age = 22.2 ± 2.4 years; 38.5% male and 61.5% female) completed the 7DFD and SFFQ. During the consecutive 7-day survey period, students weighed and photographed each meal before and after consumption. Then, students reviewed their 3-month diet and completed the SFFQ, which includes eight underprovided school-canteen food items (e.g., dairy, fruits, nuts). Meanwhile, 9385 IOS dietary data entries were collected. We used Spearman coefficients and linear regression models to estimate the associations among the different dietary intake assessment methods. Individual- and group-level agreement was assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, cross-classification, and Bland‒Altman analysis. RESULTS: IOS mean daily energy, protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake estimations were significantly lower (-15-20%) than those of the 7DFD. The correlation coefficients varied from 0.52 (for added sugar) to 0.88 (for soybeans and nuts), with fruits (0.37) and dairy products (0.29) showing weaker correlations. Sixty-two (milk and dairy products) to 97% (soybeans and nuts) of participants were classified into the same or adjacent dietary intake distribution quartile using both methods. The energy and macronutrient intake differences between the IOS + SFFQ and 7DFD groups decreased substantially. The separate fruit intake measurements from each assessment method did not significantly differ from each other (p > 0.05). IOS and IOS + SFFQ regression models generally yielded higher R2 values for males than for females. CONCLUSION: Despite estimation differences, the IOS can be reliable for medical student dietary habit assessment. The SFFQ is useful for measuring consumption of foods that are typically unavailable in school cafeterias, improving the overall dietary evaluation accuracy. The IOS assessment was more accurate for males than for females.

Towards consistency in dietary pattern scoring: standardising scoring workflows for healthy dietary patterns using 24-h recall and two variations of a food frequency questionnair.

Healthy dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet (MeDi), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) have been evaluated for their potential association with health outcomes. However, the lack of standardisation in scoring methodologies can hinder reproducibility and meaningful cross-study comparisons. Here we provide a reproducible workflow for generating the MeDi, DASH and MIND dietary pattern scores from frequently used dietary assessment tools including the 24-h recall tool and two variations of FFQ. Subjective aspects of the scoring process are highlighted and have led to a recommended reporting checklist. This checklist enables standardised reporting with sufficient detail to enhance the reproducibility and comparability of their outcomes. In addition to these aims, valuable insights in the strengths and limitations of each assessment tool for scoring the MeDi, DASH and MIND diet can be utilised by researchers and clinicians to determine which dietary assessment tool best meets their needs.

Dietary intake and nutritional status in patients with newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease: insights from the IBSEN III study.

BACKGROUND: Dietary recommendations in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are inconclusive, and patients may follow restrictive diets with increased risk of malnutrition. The aim of this study was to compare dietary intakes and nutritional status in men and women with newly diagnosed IBD with a general population sample, and to investigate whether intakes were in line with the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study including adults≥ 40 years with IBD from the Inflammatory Bowel Disease in South-Eastern Norway (IBSEN) III cohort study. A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used in dietary data collection, and a sample from the seventh survey of the Tromsø Study was included as a comparison group. RESULTS: A total of 227 men and women with IBD were included. IBD patients had higher intake of grain products, sweetened beverages, energy, fat and polyunsaturated fat (PUFA), but lower intake of dairy products, alcohol and iodine compared to adults from the comparison sample (p < 0.01). Intakes of saturated fat and carbohydrates in both genders, and vitamin D in women were not within recommended levels. Anemia and hypoalbuminemia were more prevalent in IBD patients than in the comparison sample. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary intakes in newly diagnosed IBD patients were mostly in line with Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. Higher proportion of IBD patients exceeded recommended allowances of fat and added sugar than the comparison sample. Insufficient micronutrient intake, anemia and hypoalbuminemia are present challenges in IBD patients that require monitoring.

Self-prescribed dietary restrictions in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) due to inconclusive dietary guidance may influence their risk of malnutrition. Comprehensive assessment of both dietary intake and nutritional status as early as time of diagnosis may help identify challenges in this patient group and implement appropriate interventions.

Micronutrient intake and status in young vegans, lacto-ovo-vegetarians, pescatarians, flexitarians, and omnivores.

PURPOSE: Whether youth who follow plant-based diets in Nordic countries meet their dietary needs for micronutrients remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate micronutrient intake and status in Norwegian youth following vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian, flexitarian and omnivore diets. METHODS: Cross-sectional design, with healthy 16-to-24-year-olds (n = 165). Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire and four 24-hour dietary recalls. Dried blood spots (DBS) and spot-urine samples were collected for analysis of methyl malonic acid (MMA) (n = 65), haemoglobin (Hb) (n = 164) and urinary iodine concentration (UIC) (n = 163). RESULTS: Vegans reported highest habitual supplement usage of multivitamin (58%), B12 (90%) and macroalgae consumption (32%), while flexitarians reported highest habitual usage of omega-3 supplements (56%). For daily supplement usage, vegans reported highest use of multivitamins (42%), B12 (79%), iodine (37%) and iron (63%). Increased risk of inadequate intake (energy-adjusted) were found for vitamin D (60% within lacto-ovo-vegetarians), selenium (70% within lacto-ovo-vegetarians, 65% within omnivores), and iodine (63% within vegans). Median MMA levels suggest low risk of insufficient B12 status across all groups (MMA 0.04‒0.37µmol/l) and 2% had MMA levels indicating possible B12 deficiency and 8% had elevated levels. Median Hb levels indicated low risk of anemia across all groups (≥ 12.0 females, ≥ 13.0 g/dl males), though 7% had Hb values indicating risk of mild anemia and 4% risk of moderate anemia. The median UIC indicates mild iodine deficiency in all groups (UIC < 100 µg/l), except vegans, who were moderately iodine deficient (UIC < 50 µg/l). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that the participating youth had low risk of inadequate intake of most micronutrients, partly due to high supplement usage. However, for iodine, vitamin D, and selenium higher risk of inadequate intake was found. UIC corroborated the low iodine intake among vegans. Thus, we suggest iodine status of youth in Norway should be monitored, especially among young fertile women who omits dietary iodine sources, until a mandatory iodine fortification program is implemented. Furthermore, we suggest that food education on how to secure sufficient nutrients from food in general should be provided to the Norwegian youth population, especially how to secure adequate intake of vitamin D, selenium and iodine.

An Improved Assessment Method to Estimate (Poly)phenol Intake in Adults with Chronic Pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Insights into (poly)phenol exposure represent a modifiable factor that may modulate inflammation in chronic pancreatitis (CP), yet intake is poorly characterized and methods for assessment are underdeveloped. AIMS: The aims are to develop and test a method for estimating (poly)phenol intake from a 90-day food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) using the Phenol-Explorer database and determine associations with dietary patterns in CP patients versus controls via analysis of previously collected cross-sectional data. METHODS: Fifty-two CP patients and 48 controls were recruited from an ambulatory clinic at a large, academic institution. To assess the feasibility of the proposed methodology for estimating dietary (poly)phenol exposure, a retrospective analysis of FFQ data was completed. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare (poly)phenol intake by group; Spearman correlations and multivariable-adjusted log-linear associations were used to compare (poly)phenol intakes with dietary scores within the sample. RESULTS: Estimation of (poly)phenol intake from FFQs was feasible and produced estimates within a range of intake previously reported. Total (poly)phenol intake was significantly lower in CP vs controls (463 vs. 567mg/1000kcal; p = 0.041). In adjusted analyses, higher total (poly)phenol intake was associated with higher HEI-2015 (r = 0.34, p < 0.001), aMED (r = 0.22, p = 0.007), EDIH (r = 0.29, p < 0.001), and EDIP scores (r = 0.35, p < 0.001), representing higher overall diet quality and lower insulinemic and anti-inflammatory dietary potentials, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using enhanced methods to derive total (poly)phenol intake from an FFQ is feasible. Those with CP have lower total (poly)phenol intake and less favorable dietary pattern indices, thus supporting future tailored dietary intervention studies in this population.

Dietary Intake and Symptom Severity in Women with Fecal Incontinence.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The goal of this study was to determine whether dietary fat/fiber intake was associated with fecal incontinence (FI) severity. METHODS: Planned supplemental analysis of a randomized clinical trial evaluating the impact of 12-week treatment with percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation versus sham in reducing FI severity in women. All subjects completed a food screener questionnaire at baseline. FI severity was measured using the seven-item validated St. Mark's (Vaizey) FI severity scale. Participants also completed a 7-day bowel diary capturing the number of FI-free days, FI events, and bowel movements per week. Spearman's correlations were calculated between dietary, St. Mark's score, and bowel diary measures. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-six women were included in this analysis. Mean calories from fats were 32% (interquartile range [IQR] 30-35%). Mean dietary fiber intake was 13.9 ± 4.3 g. The percentage of calories from fats was at the higher end of recommended values, whereas fiber intake was lower than recommended for adult women (recommended values: calories from fat 20-35% and 22-28 g of fiber/day). There was no correlation between St. Mark's score and fat intake (r = 0.11, p = 0.14) or dietary fiber intake (r = -0.01, p = 0.90). There was a weak negative correlation between the number of FI-free days and total fat intake (r = -0.20, p = 0.008). Other correlations between dietary fat/fiber intake and bowel diary measures were negligible or nonsignificant. CONCLUSION: Overall, in women with moderate to severe FI, there was no association between FI severity and dietary fat/fiber intake. Weak associations between FI frequency and fat intake may suggest a role for dietary assessment in the evaluation of women with FI.

An explanation for the accuracy of sensor-based measures of energy intake: Amount of food consumed matters more than dietary composition.

Understanding and intervening on eating behavior often necessitates measurement of energy intake (EI); however, commonly utilized and widely accepted methods vary in accuracy and place significant burden on users (e.g., food diaries), or are costly to implement (e.g., doubly labeled water). Thus, researchers have sought to leverage inexpensive and low-burden technologies such as wearable sensors for EI estimation. Paradoxically, one such methodology that estimates EI via smartwatch-based bite counting has demonstrated high accuracy in laboratory and free-living studies, despite only measuring the amount, not the composition, of food consumed. This secondary analysis sought to further explore this phenomenon by evaluating the degree to which EI can be explained by a sensor-based estimate of the amount consumed versus the energy density (ED) of the food consumed. Data were collected from 82 adults in free-living conditions (51.2% female, 31.7% racial and/or ethnic minority; Mage = 33.5, SD = 14.7) who wore a bite counter device on their wrist and used smartphone app to implement the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM) to assess EI and ED for two weeks. Bite-based estimates of EI were generated via a previously validated algorithm. At a per-meal level, linear mixed effect models indicated that bite-based EI estimates accounted for 23.4% of the variance in RFPM-measured EI, while ED and presence of a beverage accounted for only 0.2% and 0.1% of the variance, respectively. For full days of intake, bite-based EI estimates and ED accounted for 41.5% and 0.2% of the variance, respectively. These results help to explain the viability of sensor-based EI estimation even in the absence of information about dietary composition.

Development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire to assess habitual iodine intake among women of childbearing age.

BACKGROUND: Adequate iodine status is critical for thyroid hormone synthesis, which is essential for foetal brain development. Suboptimal iodine status has been reported in young women across Europe. Although urinary iodine concentration (UIC) is a good indicator of recent exposure, it does not reflect habitual iodine intake. This study aimed to develop and validate an iodine-specific food frequency questionnaire (I-FFQ) to assess habitual intake in Irish women aged 18-50 years. METHODS: A 47-item interviewer-administered I-FFQ, informed by national food consumption data on Irish women aged 18-35 years, was developed and validated in a study of 100 nonpregnant women using a 4-day weighed food diary (FD) and UIC as the reference methods. Correlation, cross-classification and Bland-Altman analyses were used to assess agreement and bias between the I-FFQ and FD. Validity coefficients were calculated using the method of triads. RESULTS: Median (interquartile range [IQR]) UIC was 82 (49, 139) µg/L. Median (IQR) intakes were 161 (106, 217) and 133 (98, 182) µg/day for the I-FFQ and FD, respectively (p = 0.001). Estimates were moderately correlated (r = 0.434), and the I-FFQ classified 89% of participants into the same or adjacent tertile of intake as the FD. Validity coefficients for the I-FFQ, FD and UIC were 0.542, 0.800 and 0.228, respectively. Though repeatability analyses 10 weeks later (n = 69) showed slight differences in estimates of intake (I-FFQ1: 164 (104, 210) µg/day; I-FFQ2: 132 (67, 237) µg/day), intakes were highly correlated between administrations (r = 0.627, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The I-FFQ provides a reasonable estimate of habitual iodine intake in young women.

Dining Bowl Modeling and Optimization for Single-Image-Based Dietary Assessment.

In dietary assessment using a single-view food image, an object of known size, such as a checkerboard, is often placed manually in the camera's view as a scale reference to estimate food volume. This traditional scale reference is inconvenient to use because of the manual placement requirement. Consequently, utensils, such as plates and bowls, have been suggested as alternative references. Although these references do not need a manual placement procedure, there is a unique challenge when a dining bowl is used as a reference. Unlike a dining plate, whose shallow shape does not usually block the view of the food, a dining bowl does obscure the food view, and its shape may not be fully observable from the single-view food image. As a result, significant errors may occur in food volume estimation due to the unknown shape of the bowl. To address this challenge, we present a novel method to premeasure both the size and shape of the empty bowl before it is used in a dietary assessment study. In our method, an image is taken with a labeled paper ruler adhered to the interior surface of the bowl, a mathematical model is developed to describe its shape and size, and then an optimization method is used to determine the bowl parameters based on the locations of observed ruler makers from the bowl image. Experimental studies were performed using both simulated and actual bowls to assess the reliability and accuracy of our bowl measurement method.

Validity of a digital photo-based dietary assessment tool: Development and initial evaluation.

Background and aim: To evaluate the validity and user satisfaction of a digital photo-based dietary assessment tool as an alternative to the hand-written paper record method that assists researchers during the pandemic. This study compared nutrient intake and users' satisfaction with methods between a digital photo-based dietary assessment tool, known as the Nutrinote Gama app, and food weighing as the gold standard. Methods: Fifty college students majoring in food and nutrition (90% were women; median age, 21 years) took pictures of their foods and beverages before and after consumption and then uploaded them to the Nutrinote Gama application. Trained nutritionists evaluated plate wastes, and nutritional content was revealed on the Nutrinote Gama application. Parallel to the photo-based method, they kept a weight dietary record and sent it to the researcher. A questionnaire was used to assess participants' satisfaction. Results: No statistical differences (p = 0.89) were observed in the measurement of energy intake between Nutrinote Gama (mean ± standard deviation [SD] = 582.8 ± 131) and food weighing (mean ± SD = 566.1 ± 133). No statistical differences (p = 0.59) were also observed in the measurement of protein, fat (p = 0.434), and carbohydrate (p = 230). The energy, protein, fat, and carbohydrate intakes estimated from the two methods were significantly correlated (r = 0.86, 0.870, 0.811, 0.738, respectively). Over 70% of participants were satisfied with the photo-based record. Conclusion: The results indicate that this digital photo-based dietary assessment tool is valid and user-friendly to estimate nutrient intake.

Development and Evaluation of the Dietary Pattern Calculator (DiPaC) for Personalized Assessment and Feedback.

This study aimed to develop and validate a diet assessment screener - the Dietary Pattern Calculator (DiPaC). A scoping review identified currently available short diet quality assessment tools. Twenty-one articles covering 19 unique tools were included. The current tools mainly focused on individual nutrients or food groups or were developed for a specific population, and few ascertained overall dietary patterns. The 24-hour dietary recalls from the nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)-Nutrition 2015 (n = 13,958) were used to derive and validate a personalized dietary pattern informed by the scoping review using weighted partial least squares. The dominant dietary pattern in CCHS-Nutrition 2015 was characterized by high consumption of fast foods, carbonated drinks, and salty snacks and low consumption of whole fruits, orange vegetables, other vegetables and juices, whole grains, dark green vegetables, legumes, and soy. The dietary pattern assessment was used to create and evaluate DiPaC following an agile and user-centred research and development approach. DiPaC, which demonstrated high validity and intermediate reliability (internal consistency = 0.47-0.51), is publicly available at https://www.projectbiglife.ca/. DiPaC can be used by the public, clinicians, and researchers for quick and robust assessment of diet quality, providing immediate feedback with the advantage of being easy to implement.

Development and validation of a short dietary questionnaire for assessing obesity-related dietary behaviours in young children.

There are few short, validated tools to assess young children's obesity-related dietary behaviours, limiting the rapid screening of dietary behaviours in research and practice-based early obesity prevention. This study aimed to develop and assess the reliability and validity of a caregiver-reported short dietary questionnaire to rapidly assess obesity-related dietary behaviours in children aged 6 months to 5 years. The Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood Dietary Questionnaire (EPOCH-DQ) was developed using a rigorous process to determine content and structural validity. Three age-appropriate versions were developed for (1) infants, aged 6-12 months, (2) toddlers, aged 1-2.9 years and (3) pre-schoolers, aged 3-5 years. The questionnaire (7-15 items) measures dietary behaviours, including diet risk from non-core food and beverage intake, diet quality from vegetable frequency, bread type and infant feeding practices. Test-retest reliability was assessed from repeated administrations 1 week apart (n = 126). Internal consistency, concurrent validity (against a comparison questionnaire, the InFANT Food Frequency Questionnaire), construct validity and interpretability were assessed (n = 209). Most scores were highly correlated and significantly associated (p < 0.05) for validity (rs: 0.45-0.89, percentage agreement 68%-100%) and reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.61-0.99) for diet risk, diet quality and feeding practice items. The EPOCH-DQ shows acceptable validity and reliability for screening of obesity-related behaviours of children under 5 years of age. The short length and, thus, low participant burden of the EPOCH-DQ allows for potential applications in various settings. Future testing of the EPOCH-DQ should evaluate culturally and socio-economically diverse populations and establish the predictive validity and sensitivity to detect change.

Enhancing Capacity for Food and Nutrient Intake Assessment in Population Sciences Research.

Nutrition influences health throughout the life course. Good nutrition increases the probability of good pregnancy outcomes, proper childhood development, and healthy aging, and it lowers the probability of developing common diet-related chronic diseases, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Despite the importance of diet and health, studying these exposures is among the most challenging in population sciences research. US and global food supplies are complex; eating patterns have shifted such that half of meals are eaten away from home, and there are thousands of food ingredients with myriad combinations. These complexities make dietary assessment and links to health challenging both for population sciences research and for public health policy and practice. Furthermore, most studies evaluating nutrition and health usually rely on self-report instruments prone to random and systematic measurement error. Scientific advances involve developing nutritional biomarkers and then applying these biomarkers as stand-alone nutritional exposures or for calibrating self-reports using specialized statistics.

National Food Intake Assessment: Technologies to Advance Traditional Methods.

National dietary surveillance produces dietary intake data used for various purposes including development and evaluation of national policies in food and nutrition. Since 2000, What We Eat in America, the dietary component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, has collected dietary data and reported on the dietary intake of the US population. Continual innovations are required to improve methods of data collection, quality, and relevance. This review article evaluates the strengths and limitations of current and newer methods in national dietary data collection, underscoring the use of technology and emerging technology applications. We offer four objectives for national dietary surveillance that serve as guiding principles in the evaluation. Moving forward, national dietary surveillance must take advantage of new technologies for their potential in enhanced efficiency and objectivity in data operations while continuing to collect accurate dietary information that is standardized, validated, and publicly transparent.