Journal of Nutritional Science最新文献

Saturated fatty acids, particularly palmitic acid (PA), promote inflammation and contribute to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. PA induces interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed macrophages via NLRP3 inflammasome activation; but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study investigates whether PA-induced IL-1β production involves cytosolic potassium (K⁺) depletion. In LPS-primed macrophages, treatment with PA conjugated to bovine serum albumin (PA-BSA) significantly reduced cytosolic K⁺ levels and increased IL-1β production 2.4-fold. Stearic acid-BSA produced similar effects, whereas BSA-bound oleic, linoleic and docosahexaenoic acids had minimal impact. Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel blockers, 4-aminopyridine and tetraethylammonium chloride, attenuated PA-BSA-induced K⁺ efflux and IL-1β production in LPS-primed macrophages, implicating Kv channels as key mediators. These findings reveal a novel inflammatory pathway in which PA-BSA promotes IL-1β production via Kv channel-dependent K⁺ efflux, highlighting a mechanistic link between saturated fatty acid exposure and inflammatory signalling.

Consumers tend to perceive certain foods as more natural and in turn as more nutritious. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the nutritional quality, the degree of naturalness, and their association with animal-based and plant-based food products. A total of 1275 food products were collected by the Food Quality Observatory in Québec (Canada) between 2018 and 2022. These products were divided into five categories: sliced processed meats (n = 477), yogurts and dairy desserts (n = 344), sausages (n = 266), processed cheese products (n = 96) and plant-based alternatives (n = 92) within these four categories. The overall nutritional quality was evaluated using the Nutri-Score and the front-of-package (FOP) nutrition symbol recently implemented in Canada, while the degree of naturalness was measured using the Food Naturalness Index (FNI). Yogurts and dairy desserts as well as plant-based alternatives had lower Nutri-Score and thus, higher nutritional quality compared to other food categories. The FOP symbol for foods high in saturated fat or sodium was more common in sliced processed meats and sausages. FNI scores were higher in processed cheese products than in other categories, indicating a greater degree of naturalness. Correlations between nutritional quality and food naturalness varied depending on the food category and the nutrient profiling model, with Spearman coefficients being positive or negative and ranging from weak to moderate. This study supports the idea that food naturalness and nutritional quality offer complementary information depending on the food category. Further research in other food categories would help to better understand the associations between the two concepts.

This scoping review provides an overview of the impact of fruit and vegetable (FAV) consumption on cognitive function in adolescents and young adults between January 2014 and February 2024. A comprehensive search across six databases, CINAHL, PubMed-MEDLINE, ProQuest, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase, identified 5,181 articles, of which six met the inclusion criteria after deduplication and screening. This scoping review focused on individuals aged 11-35 years in schools, colleges, universities, and communities. Following a descriptive and narrative synthesis of the data, tables and figures were used to present the findings. Across the six included studies, most consistently demonstrated a positive association between higher fruit and vegetable (FAV) intake and improved cognitive performance among adolescents and young adults. This association was evident in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, with stronger effects observed for whole fruits and vegetables high in fibre and polyphenols. Cognitive domains positively impacted included psychomotor speed, memory, attention, and mood. However, findings varied by type of food and cognitive domain; while whole FAVs were generally beneficial, results for fruit juice were mixed-some studies showed acute benefits. Differences in study designs, dietary assessment tools, and cognitive measures contributed to variability. Despite these inconsistencies, the overall trend supports a beneficial role of FAV consumption in promoting cognitive health during adolescence and early adulthood. This review demonstrates that increased fruit and vegetable consumption is consistently linked to improved cognitive function in adolescents and young adults. However, further research is needed to establish its long-term effects on cognitive ageing and disease prevention.

Household food security plays a critical role in determining the nutritional status of children, which in turn impacts their growth and development. This study assessed factors influencing household food security and childhood nutritional status and explored the relationship between these variables in Namutumba District. A total of 299 child-caregiver pairs participated in the study. Data were collected through structured interviews and analyzed, with multi-level mixed effects generalized linear models to examine factors associated with severe household food insecurity and children's nutritional status. Multilinear regressions were used to evaluate the relationship between severe household food insecurity and child nutritional status. The results revealed that most households (60.2%) were severely food insecure. A double burden of malnutrition was observed, with 28.0% of children stunted and 2.8% overweight or obese. Factors positively associated with improved household food security included secondary-level education (p = 0.011), medium to high wealth percentile (p < 0.001), and the presence of at least one income-earning household member (p = 0.045). Conversely, lack of access to agricultural land, food stocks, and access to treated drinking water were significantly linked to severe food insecurity (p < 0.001). Severe food insecurity was positively associated with wasting (β = 0.81, p = 0.007) and negatively associated with stunting (β = -0.37, p = 0.039). In conclusion, multiple factors influence household food security, and the nutritional status of children aged 24-59 months. A comprehensive, food systems-based approach may be key to addressing malnutrition in Namutumba District.

This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire that investigates sugar-related eating behaviour, excessive consumption, and addictive-like eating. This questionnaire was validated using a rigorous process assessing content validity, face validity, reliability testing, feasibility testing, and construct validity. Spearman's correlation coefficients and Cronbach's alpha were used to assess reliability. Feasibility testing was used to further validate and confirm the scoring/categorisation of 'low', 'medium', and 'high' scorers for use in future research. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were used to determine underlying latent factors and assess construct validity. Content validity was assessed by health professionals (n = 16), face validity was assessed by the lay public who had no expertise in nutrition or addiction (n = 20). Reliability (n = 54), repeat reliability (n = 50), and feasibility (n = 113) testing were assessed with a sample from the lay public. Spearman's correlation coefficients were in the range of 0.58-0.91 and were statistically significant (P < 0.001), indicating good temporal stability within the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were in the range of 0.62-0.93, indicating good internal consistency. Feasibility testing confirmed the use of calculating an 'average total score' from the data set and splitting the data set into tertiles: low, medium, and high scorers. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed three latent factors: F1: Compulsive Eating; F2: Comfort Eating; and F3: Withdrawal. Results suggest the questionnaire is highly reliable and was successfully validated. This questionnaire can be used in research to investigate problematic and addictive-like eating behaviour and its effects on ill health.

Accurate assessment of an individual's diet is vital to study the effect of diet on health. Image-based methods, which use images as input, may improve the reliability of dietary assessment. We developed an iOS application that uses computer vision to identify food from images. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of energy intake (EI_app) estimates from the application by comparing them to estimated energy expenditure (EE) and to the EI estimates from a validated dietary assessment tool, the 24-h recall (EI_recall). Participants were recruited from a randomised controlled trial called He Rourou Whai Painga. Participants recorded all intake over 7 d using the application, which provided a mean daily EI; this was compared to the EI estimated by two 24-h recalls. The EI from the application and the recalls were compared to EE, estimated using indirect calorimetry and wrist-worn accelerometry. EI estimates from the application and the 24-h recalls were lower than EE, with a mean bias of -1814 kJ (95% CI -3012 to -615, p = 0.005) and -1715 kJ (95% CI -3237 to -193, p = 0.029), respectively. The mean bias between EI from the application and the 24-h recall was 783 kJ (95% CI -875 to 2441, p = 0.33). This suggests that the EI estimates from the application are comparable to the 24-h recall method, a validated and widely used tool in nutritional research.

Dietary fibre can modify colostrum and milk composition in sows. Bile acids (BA) aid in fat digestion and lipid absorption and are important signalling molecules for the digestive tract. The aim of this study was to determine BA concentration in colostrum from sows fed two different sources of dietary fibre during gestation and lactation and from the intestinal digesta of their 4-6-days-old suckling offspring. Twenty sows were fed diets enriched with either 15% high-fermentable sugar beet pulp (SBP, n = 10) or 15% low-fermentable lignocellulose (LNC, n = 10). Sow colostrum, piglet gallbladder content, ileum and colon digesta were assessed for BA using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry. In colostrum, lithocholic acid and oxolithocholic acid were higher in sows fed SBP vs. LNC (p = 0.005 and p = 0.003, respectively), while 3α,7α,12α-trihydroxycholestanoic acid and glycohyodeoxycholic acid were higher in colostrum from sows fed LNC vs. SBP (p = 0.039, p = 0.002, respectively). In the piglet bile, cholic acid and taurodeoxycholic acid were higher in SBP vs. LNC group (p = 0.02, p = 0.001, respectively), while taurochenodeoxycholic acid was higher in LNC vs. SBP group (p = 0.035). In the piglet ileum digesta, lithocholic acid was higher in SBP vs. LNC (p = 0.015). In the piglet colon digesta, lithocholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid were higher in SBP vs. LNC (p = 0.001 and p = 0.007, respectively). Addition of specific dietary fibres to sow diets differentially influences the BA in colostrum. Dietary fibres in sow diets can impact on the intestinal BA composition in piglets with a possible consequence on the digestive physiology and health in the offspring.

The multilevel dimensions of sustainable diets associating food systems, public health, environmental sustainability, and culture are presented in this paper. It begins by defining sustainable diets as those that are healthful, have low environmental impacts, are affordable, and culturally acceptable. The discussion includes the history of research on sustainable diets, from initial studies focused on environmental impacts to more recent, comprehensive frameworks that integrate affordability, cultural relevance, and nutritional adequacy as key dimensions of diet sustainability. In addition, the paper highlights recent innovations, such as the Planetary Health Diet of EAT-Lancet and the SHARP model, and the conflicts and optimum trade-offs between sustainability and nutrition, particularly within low- and middle-income countries. Case descriptions of Mediterranean Diet with a focus on Traditional Lebanese Diet, and African Indigenous Foods demonstrate culturally confined dietary patterns associated with sustainability objectives. These examples show that sustainable diets are not a single set of prescriptions, but a series of multiple pathways that are shaped by local food environments, ecological belts, and sociocultural heritages. The paper also describes major policy and governance activities necessary to promote sustainable diets. Finally, the paper addresses measurement challenges and advocates for better indicator options to measure sustainable food systems in all their facets and for participatory and context-specific approaches. The discussion concludes that fairer and culturally diverse inclusion strategies, system change, and political determination are imperative in achieving sustainable diets. Diets able to sustain are posited as agents capable of driving the 2030 agenda, enhancing planetary health and social integrity.

This paper examines associations between maternal exposure to a radio programme, Bhanchhin Aama (Mother Knows Best), and the programme's most promoted maternal and child nutrition-related practices, using the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) from 2022. We limited our sample to mothers of children less than 2 years (n = 1,933). The primary exposure variable was whether the mother listened to the Bhanchhin Aama radio programme. The five primary outcomes were: maternal dietary diversity, maternal use of modern family planning methods, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) of children less than 6 months, dietary diversity among children 6 to 24 months, and participation in growth monitoring and promotion among children 0 to 24 months. Descriptive analyses followed by logistic regression models, adjusted for potentially confounding factors and clustering, were conducted. Maternal exposure to Bhanchhin Aama was associated with nearly 70% higher odds of meeting both maternal (OR: 1.67; p: <0.001; CI: 1.26-2.21) and child minimum dietary diversity (OR: 1.70; p: 0.005; CI: 1.18-2.45), as well as 83% higher odds of a child participating in growth monitoring and promotion (OR: 1.83; p: 0.001; CI: 1.28-2.63). No associations were found for use of modern family planning methods and EBF. These findings suggests that radio programmes may be an effective tool to improve some maternal and child nutrition-related practices. Further research is needed to understand why certain behaviours are modifiable from this type of intervention versus others that are not and for which population groups this intervention would be most effective.

Food insecurity is a global issue. The objective is to summarise the literature identifying the main outcomes related to out-of-school hours interventions that provide food for low-income families with school-aged children, how they impact school-aged children and their families, and to identify gaps in knowledge. This review covered the main types and dimensions proposed in the literature. One author independently selected the studies, and an independent reviewer randomly reviewed them. Any paper meeting the inclusion criteria was considered regardless of geographical location. Papers were predominantly from the US, UK and Australia, including school-aged children from low-income families. Ninety-four articles were included relating to holiday clubs (n = 38), breakfast clubs (n = 45) and after-school clubs (n = 11). Key outcomes were healthy eating, academic, social, physical activity, nutritional education and financial outcomes. Clubs were consistent regarding the positive social and financial outcomes. There was variation in the primary aim, either to improve healthy eating or to feed children, regardless of nutritional quality. None of the studies reported children's health outcomes. This review identified the key outcomes of interventions for low-income families outside of school hours in the literature. It highlights the consistent positive social outcomes across the three intervention types and the discrepancy in the nutritional value of the food provided. Few studies examined the attainment impact of holiday clubs, with no evidence on how they could impact term-time attendance. This highlights the need to analyse secondary data to understand further the attainment and attendance impact on children attending these interventions over time.