Human nutrition. Applied nutrition最新文献

A Food Recording Electronic Device has been developed for quantitative collection of dietary data in the home for a period of up to 3 weeks. The accumulated information on the weights and types of food, and time of consumption, is transferred to a host computer for calculation of the nutrient composition of the diet. Using this method the subject does not have to read the balance or keep a written diary, and the need for coding of records by a dietitian is eliminated.

Twenty nine subjects kept a weighed diet diary for 7 days. This was coded using both detailed food composition tables and food groups. During the 7 days a Food Recording Electronic Device (FRED) with food group keyboard labelling was also used. This group of motivated subjects had no difficulty in using the device, and the use of food groups was not a source of error. Some technical problems were identified which led to a significant systematic underestimation of energy, protein and fat determinations using the FRED, although the correlation coefficients between the two methods were high. The technical problems were of a type which can be eliminated in future models of the FRED.

In connection with the Multicenter Study on Atherosclerosis Precursors in Finnish Children, the dietary intakes of some toxic heavy metals were determined. The population of this study, conducted in five urban and 12 rural areas in Finland, consisted of 1768 children ages 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 years. Food consumption was measured by the 48-h recall method. The intakes of mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic were estimated using analytical data for the heavy metal content of Finnish foods. The total daily intakes of these four heavy metals increased with age. The energy-adjusted intakes of mercury, lead and arsenic were highest in the youngest age groups, whereas no change was observed in the mean cadmium intake expressed per 1000 kcal. Mean daily intakes of these metals per kg of body weight were three times higher in the 3-year-old children compared with the 18-year-olds. Cereals, potatoes and vegetables, and milk products were the main sources of these metals in the diet. Fruits and berries were also a significant source, especially in the youngest age groups. Consumption of fish was positively associated with intakes of mercury and arsenic, despite a contribution of only 1 per cent to the daily energy from this food group. The large standard deviations in the mean daily intakes of these metals indicate that exposure to these metals via diet is unevenly distributed among the Finnish children and adolescents. Further detailed evaluation of food patterns with a risk of high intakes of toxic heavy metals by children is needed.

A sample of 30 volunteers from a population of 100 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) civil servants took part in a series of dietary assessments. Food frequency interview, 24-hour dietary recalls, 7-day weighed food record, duplicate diet analysis and 28-day household food purchase records were all used to estimate intakes of energy and a range of nutrients. When results for energy, fat and iron, using the five different methods, were compared there appeared to be systematic differences between methods. The highest results came from food purchase records for the women and from food frequency interviews for the men. Lowest results came from the duplicate diet analysis for fat and energy but from the 24-hour recall for iron, for men and women alike. The implications of these findings, together with possible explanations for them, are discussed.

A study has been made of the protein, phytate, calcium, magnesium phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron and manganese content of raw and cooked, whole and ground pulses, of chapatis and of three types of chapatis flour as purchased and consumed by Asian immigrants in the UK. The protein, mineral and trace element contents of raw products were similar to those published in a previous study. In general, partial (ground) or total removal of the seed coat of pulses (ground and washed) was without effect on composition. Soaking the pulses followed by cooking under pressure was without effect on the protein, mineral and trace element composition, although it resulted in variable losses of phytic acid. In all instances greater nutrient and phytate losses were observed when the seed coat was completely removed. With nutrient and phytate losses were observed when the seed coat was completely removed. With the exception of lentils, the phytate: Zn molar ratios of cooked pulses and chapatis was greater than 15 and the [Phytate] X [Ca]/[Zn] (mol/kg) ratios of the chapatis and four of the 13 cooked dishes were greater than 0.5. Both of these ratios may provide useful indices of the bioavailability of dietary Zn. The results are discussed in relation to the possible inadequacy of available dietary Zn in some sections of the UK, Asian community.