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1.
Effects of a healthy diet enriched or not with pecan nuts or extra-virgin olive oil on the lipid profile of patients with stable coronary artery disease: a randomised clinical trial.
Campos, VP, Portal, VL, Markoski, MM, Quadros, AS, Bersch-Ferreira, ÂC, Garavaglia, J, Marcadenti, A
Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association. 2020;(3):439-450
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study aimed to assess the effect of a healthy diet, enriched or not with pecan nuts or extra-virgin olive oil, on the lipid profile of patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS This was a randomised clinical trial conducted for 12 weeks with patients aged between 40 and 80 years with stable CAD for more than 60 days. Individuals were randomised into groups [control group (CG) with 67 patients, pecan nut group (PNG) with 68 patients and olive oil group (OOG) with 69 patients]. The CG was prescribed a healthy diet according to the nutritional guidelines; the PNG was prescribed the same healthy diet plus 30 g day-1 of pecan nuts; and the OOG was prescribed a healthy diet plus 30 mL day-1 of extra-virgin olive oil. RESULTS In total, 204 subjects were submitted to an intention-to-treat analysis. After adjustment for baseline values and type of statin used, there was no difference regarding low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (primary outcome), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio and HDL-cholesterol/triglycerides ratio according to groups. However, the PNG exhibited a significant reduction in non-HDL-cholesterol levels [PNG: 114.9 (31) mg dL-1 ; CG: 127 (33.6) mg dL-1 ; OOG: 126.6 (37.4) mg dL-1 ; P = 0.033] and in the total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio [PNG: 3.7 (0.7); CG: 4.0 (0.8); OOG: 4.0 (0.8); P = 0.044] compared to the CG and OOG. CONCLUSIONS Supplementing a healthy diet with 30 g day-1 of pecan nuts for 12 weeks did not improve LDL-cholesterol levels but may improve other lipid profile markers in patients with stable CAD.
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2.
The influence of attractiveness and convenience cues on food appeal in adults with and without ADHD.
Hershko, S, Cortese, S, Ert, E, Aronis, A, Maeir, A, Pollak, Y
Appetite. 2020;:104679
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Previous research on adults with ADHD revealed high rates of overweight and obesity, as well as unhealthy diet habits. Other studies demonstrated that social-affective contexts can influence food choice. This study examines the sensitivity of adults with ADHD to cues of food attractiveness and convenience, for healthy and unhealthy foods. METHOD One hundred and seventy-two university students with (n = 59) and without (n = 113) ADHD, aged 19-40, participated in the study. Participants rated the level of appeal of 32 pictures of healthy and unhealthy foods, which varied in the degree of attractiveness and convenience. RESULTS The findings reveal a higher level of appeal of attractive food items compared to non-attractive ones (p < .001), as well as of convenient compared to non-convenient food items (p = .005). Type of diagnostic group did not have an effect on the level of appeal. CONCLUSION Increasing the attractiveness and convenience of food items increased the level of appeal for both students with and without ADHD. These findings emphasize the importance of environmental health intervention to potentially reduce abnormal eating pattern in the ADHD adult population, which may contribute in preventing the reported higher risk of obesity in this population.
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3.
The Multiple Food Test: Development and validation of a new tool to measure food choice and applied nutrition knowledge.
Schreiber, M, Bucher, T, Collins, CE, Dohle, S
Appetite. 2020;:104647
Abstract
Assessing individual food choices within health and nutrition related research is challenging and there is a strong need for valid and reliable instruments. In this paper, we introduce the Multiple Food Test as a new tool for measuring food choices and applied nutrition knowledge. The Multiple Food Test has the format of an image selection task. Part one of the Multiple Food Test consists of 18 trials in which participants are presented with sets of four food items and asked to choose one item they would prefer to consume (choice scale). In part two, participants saw the same 18 trials and were asked to indicate which of the items presented they perceived as being the healthiest (applied knowledge scale). Results across three studies (total N = 666) indicate that both subscales of the Multiple Food Test have good psychometric properties. Healthier choices were significantly associated with implicit theories of health, healthy eating frequency and importance (Study 1), a stronger health versus taste motive (Study 1 and 2), self-control, and habitual fruit and vegetable intake (Study 2). In Study 3, choices in the Multiple Food Test positively predicted actual food choices. The applied knowledge scale showed agreement with an existing nutrition knowledge scale, and higher scores were associated with higher levels of self-control (Study 2). The Multiple Food Test presents new opportunities to evaluate underlying variables and interventions that influence food choice or eating behavior.
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4.
Is a Healthy Diet Also Suitable for the Prevention of Fragility Fractures?
Warensjö Lemming, E, Byberg, L
Nutrients. 2020;(9)
Abstract
Osteoporosis and sarcopenia contribute to the risk of fracture in the population. These conditions share common features, and it is known that a healthy diet may have beneficial effects on both, theoretically resulting in fewer fractures. The present narrative review gives an overview of recent epidemiological research related to the association between healthy diets/dietary patterns, bone health and fragility fractures. The review also gives a brief overview on general dietary recommendations and advice as the cornerstone of public health nutrition. Although muscle health and sarcopenia contribute to the risk of fractures, these endpoints were not the focus of this review. Healthy diets are nutrient dense and contain bioactive components that are needed for the constant remodeling of the skeleton and to slow the rate of bone loss and muscle wasting, thus contributing to the prevention of fragility fractures. Compliance with healthy dietary patterns were predominantly found to be inversely associated with bone outcomes, although this was not entirely consistent across all studies. Different a priori diet scores, such as the Mediterranean diet score and the Dietary Inflammatory Index, as well as a posteriori data driven dietary patterns, such as the prudent or healthy dietary pattern, were inversely associated with fragility fractures in different populations. In conclusion, different healthy dietary patterns may contribute to bone health and less fractures. Following current dietary guidelines is thus advisable for the prevention of fragility fractures.
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Effects of 20-year infancy-onset dietary counselling on cardiometabolic risk factors in the Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project (STRIP): 6-year post-intervention follow-up.
Pahkala, K, Laitinen, TT, Niinikoski, H, Kartiosuo, N, Rovio, SP, Lagström, H, Loo, BM, Salo, P, Jokinen, E, Magnussen, CG, et al
The Lancet. Child & adolescent health. 2020;(5):359-369
Abstract
BACKGROUND Primordial and primary prevention is the cornerstone for cardiometabolic health. In the randomised, controlled Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project (STRIP; n=1116), a 20-year dietary counselling intervention was given to children biannually from infancy, and cardiometabolic health benefits had been observed among the participants in the intervention group. Here, we report on the key results of the first follow-up done 6 years after the end of the intervention, at age 26 years. METHODS The randomised controlled STRIP study recruited children at age 5 months from well-baby clinics in Turku, Finland, and randomly assigned them to either an intervention or control group; group allocation was unmasked. The intervention introduced participants to a heart-healthy diet, characterised by low proportional intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, by dietary counselling and nutrition education sessions to parents and children from the age of 7 months to 20 years. Children in the control group received only the basic health education given at Finnish well-baby clinics and school health care. We assessed diet, lifestyle, and cardiometabolic risk factor data, including blood pressure, anthropometry, serum biochemistry (lipids, apolipoproteins, glucose, and insulin), and homoeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in the participants at age 26 years. FINDINGS 1116 children were included in the original STRIP study, of whom 551 provided data at the age 26 years follow-up, and data for 507 participants were analysed (243 in the intervention group and 264 in the control group). At follow-up, those who had been in the intervention group had slightly lower mean intake of saturated fat as a proportion of total energy intake than the control group (13·0% [SD 3·3] vs 13·7% [3·6], p=0·049). A higher proportion of participants in the intervention group achieved the targeted monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat ratio of more than 2:1 than the control group (78 [39%] of 200 vs 70 [30%] of 235; risk ratio [RR] 1·16 [95% CI 1·01-1·33]; p=0·035). A higher proportion of intervention group participants met the ideal total cholesterol concentration of less than 5·17 mmol/L (194 [81%] of 240 vs 187 [72%] of 261; RR 1·45 [1·05-2·01], p=0·024) and optimal LDL cholesterol concentration of less than 3·0 mmol/L (166 [69%] of 240 vs 158 [61%] of 251; RR 1·30 [1·03-1·66], p=0·031). Those who received the intervention had lower glucose (5·00 mmol/L [SD 0·43] vs 5·07 mmol/L [0·46], p=0·040) and HOMA-IR (median 1·44 [IQR 1·09-1·91] vs 1·62 [1·22-2·09], p=0·037) than the participants in the control group. INTERPRETATION Previously observed intervention effects during the 20-year counselling were largely maintained into adulthood 6 years after the withdrawal of the intervention. Dietary counselling introduced in infancy thus provided a sustained benefit to diet quality and cardiometabolic risk factor levels. FUNDING Academy of Finland, Juho Vainio Foundation, Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Special Governmental grants for Health Sciences Research (Turku University Hospital), Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, Finnish Medical Foundation, and Turku University Foundation.
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6.
Nutrition and swallowing therapy strategies for patients with head and neck cancer.
Kristensen, MB, Isenring, E, Brown, B
Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.). 2020;:110548
Abstract
Patients with head and neck cancer experience many problems with eating which make them at high risk of malnutrition. Pre-habilitation swallowing exercises as overseen by a speech pathologist can improve swallowing function. A multidisciplinary approach to care, including effective nutritional screening, assessment and intervention has demonstrated improved outcomes in terms of meet nutritional requirements, improved nutritional status and quality of life. Nutritional recommendations are 1.2-1.5 g protein per kilogram per day and 125kJ/kg body weight per day but as these are guides close monitoring of intake and weight is important. Multidisciplinary teams and telehealth have shown better outcomes for nutrition and swallowing status for head and neck cancer patients and ongoing support is required for best patient care.
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7.
The Role of Food Systems in Shaping Diets and Addressing Malnutrition: Delivering on the Sustainable Development Agenda.
Hemrich, G
World review of nutrition and dietetics. 2020;:116-126
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the role of food systems in improving diets and addressing all forms of malnutrition, drawing on the experience of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its partners. Firstly, it highlights the growing momentum for food systems' contribution to nutrition outcomes, against a recent resurgence in the number of people suffering from hunger, slow progress in stunting among children, and the emergence of an obesity crisis and related health implications. Secondly, it reviews the Global Panel and CFS-HLPE conceptual frameworks linking food systems to diet and nutrition, as these have significant implications for identifying nutrition-oriented food systems policies and actions. Thirdly, the paper illustrates recent initiatives that support global food systems governance and policy coherence. This includes the CFS multi-stakeholder process for the development of Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems for Nutrition and five FAO regional symposia on "Sustainable Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Improved Nutrition." Fourthly, the paper provides examples of how the development of food systems policy options is being supported at country level, and in particular how various policy options are being framed (IFPRI, Nuffield Council, World Bank). Lastly, the need to build the evidence base at global and country levels to inform food systems policy options is put into sharp focus, using examples from IFPRI's development of a research agenda for healthier diets in Ethiopia, the annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, and the FAO/WHO Global Individual Food Consumption Data Tool platform.
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8.
The Psychology of Desire and Implications for Healthy Hydration.
Papies, EK
Annals of nutrition & metabolism. 2020;:31-36
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Abstract
This article discusses the cognitive mechanisms underlying the motivation to consume sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and outlines implications for developing healthy hydration habits. While the detrimental health consequences of consuming SSBs are well understood, the psychological processes underlying the motivation to consume them are understudied. To address this gap, the current article applies a grounded cognition theory of desire and motivated behaviour, which can be used as a framework to understand and potentially change the motivation for SSBs and healthier alternatives, such as water. The grounded cognition theory of desire argues that people represent foods and drinks through potentially rewarding simulations, or re-experiences, of consuming them. These simulations, in turn, can increase desire and motivated behaviour. In line with this theory, research on eating behaviour shows that people think about attractive food in terms of what it feels like to eat it and in terms of relevant eating situations and that these simulations predict the desire to eat. Similarly, emerging research on SSBs shows that people represent these beverages in terms of the sensory and rewarding experiences of drinking them, more so than water, and especially if they consume them often. These simulations, in turn, predict the desire for sugary drinks and actual consumption. This has implications for attempts to increase healthy hydration: in order to facilitate healthy choices, the immediate pleasure to be gained from consuming a healthy beverage should be emphasized, rather than its long-term benefits. Repeatedly facilitating healthy drink choices in similar situations can ultimately contribute to the development of healthy hydration habits.
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Influence of Self-Efficacy and Motivation to Follow a Healthy Diet on Life Satisfaction of Patients with Cardiovascular Disease: A Longitudinal Study.
Castillo-Mayén, R, Cano-Espejo, C, Luque, B, Cuadrado, E, Gutiérrez-Domingo, T, Arenas, A, Rubio, SJ, Delgado-Lista, J, Pérez-Martínez, P, Tabernero, C
Nutrients. 2020;(7)
Abstract
Today, cardiovascular disease has a great impact on the global population due to its high prevalence. One challenge that cardiovascular patients face to achieve a better prognosis is to follow a healthy diet. This study focused on psychological factors linked to adaptation to a healthy diet in these patients. The main objective was to analyze the interrelationship between motivation to follow a healthy diet and self-efficacy to adhere to the Mediterranean diet with life satisfaction over time. The sample consisted of cardiovascular patients who were assessed at three measurement moments (NT1 = 755; NT2 = 593; NT3 = 323, average interval time: nine months). Correlation analyses showed that self-efficacy, motivation, and life satisfaction followed a pattern of positive relations across the three measurements. A time effect over the study variables was also observed. The results of path analyses showed that self-efficacy positively predicted autonomous motivation, which in turn was associated with patients' life satisfaction. This interrelation was stable over a period of 18 months. Moreover, life satisfaction predicted self-efficacy nine months later. Psychological interventions might be a positive resource for cardiovascular patients, since psychological variables influence their life satisfaction and their subsequent quality of life in their new health condition.
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Locally implemented prevention programs may reverse weight trajectories in half of children with overweight/obesity amid low child-staff ratios: results from a quasi-experimental study in France.
Constant, A, Boulic, G, Lommez, A, Chaillou, R, Guy-Grand, B, Raffin, S
BMC public health. 2020;(1):941
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aims of the present study were to assess changes in weight status between the first and last year of primary education among children with overweight/obesity in response to locally implemented school-based prevention programs, and to assess the influence of process indicators, expressed as child-staff ratios (CSRs), on these changes. METHODS To meet the study objectives, a quasi-experimental design was used. Four municipalities that systematically monitored the weight status of schoolchildren and participated in the "Vivons en Forme" program agreed to provide the data available in their school medical service records. The local implementers involved in training sessions were mainly municipal staff in charge of serving midday school meals, which is compulsory in France, and those in charge of designing and facilitating creative, interactive activities at school between and after classes. CSRs were determined by occupation (school catering service/facilitator of extracurricular activities) and training session (healthy eating/physical activity) in each municipality program, and classified as low (1-5 children per adult) or moderate. RESULTS During the 4 years of primary education, weight status improved in half of the children with overweight/obesity, and worsened in 6.6% of children with overweight/normal weight. In children who remained overweight, the BMI z-score diminished over time. Estimates of the positive 4-year weight changes were related to low CSRs in locally implemented variations of the program. Estimates increased with age and were significantly higher in low-to-moderate CSR multicomponent interventions than moderate CSR single-component intervention (reference). The moderate CSR multicomponent intervention had a similar effect as the reference. The estimated negative weight change decreased with age. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that training ancillary school staff in experiential-focused interventions for healthy eating and physical activity in locally implemented school-based programs contributed positively to reducing childhood obesity during the four years of primary education without interfering with educational activities. The results also provide preliminary evidence that low CSRs could be pivotal for optimal outcomes, especially in deprived areas.