Determinants of Minimum Acceptable Diet Feeding among Children Aged 6-23 Months in Odisha, India

Objective: To assess the level, pattern and determinants of minimum acceptable diet (MAD) feeding in Odisha, India. Design: Utilizing cross-sectional data, the MAD was estimated through a dietary assessment method wherein the child’s mother was asked to recall all the food intake of the youngest child the previous day and night of the surveyed date. Setting: National Family Health Survey (NFHS–4) 2015–16 Participants: Children age 6-23 months, living with mother and for whom complete information on MAD was available (n=3073). Results: Only 8.4% of the children aged 6-23 months were fed MAD, and the MAD feeding varies considerably by socio-demographic characteristics. Children aged 12-17 months had two times (OR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.48-4.26), and those aged 18-23 months had three times (OR: 3.77, 95% CI: 2.25-6.30) higher odds of having a MAD than their counterparts aged 6-8 months. Children whose mother was exposed to any mass media had a higher chance of MAD feeding (OR: 1.46, 95% CI:1.01-2.11). Conclusions: The children of higher age, second or higher-order births, with mother exposed to mass media are significantly more likely to be fed a MAD. At the same time, children from scheduled caste households have a lower probability of MAD feeding. The lower MAD feeding among the scheduled caste households suggests strengthening the ongoing programmes with a higher emphasis on the inclusion of this disadvantaged and marginalized group. Findings from this study would assist policymakers, and public health managers improve MAD feeding practices in Odisha, India, in a targeted manner.

Relative validity of FFQ to assess food items, energy, macronutrient and micronutrient intake in children and adolescents: a systematic review with meta-analysis

FFQ are one of the most widely used tools of research into nutritional epidemiology, and many studies have been conducted in several countries using this dietary assessment method. The present study aimed to evaluate the relative validity of FFQ, in comparison with other methods, in assessing dietary intake of children and adolescents, through a systematic review. Four electronic databases (Embase, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) found sixty-seven articles, which met the inclusion criteria (healthy children and adolescents from 3 to 18 years of age; journal articles written in English, Spanish and Portuguese between 1988 and March 2019; results showing the comparison between the FFQ with other methods of assessment of dietary intake). The articles were analysed by two independent reviewers. A meta-analysis was conducted using correlation coefficients as estimate effects between the FFQ and the reference standard method. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were performed to identify the probable source of heterogeneity. In fifty-five of the sixty-seven studies, a single dietary assessment method was used to evaluate the FFQ; nine combined the two methods and three used three reference methods. The most widely used reference method was the 24-h recall, followed by the food record. The overall relative validity of the FFQ to estimate energy, macronutrient, certain micronutrient and certain food item intakes in children and adolescents may be considered weak. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO under number CRD42016038706.

Association of Lactase Persistence Genotypes (rs4988235) and Ethnicity with Dairy Intake in a Healthy U.S. Population

Lactase persistence (LP) is a trait in which lactose can be digested throughout adulthood, while lactase non-persistence (LNP) can cause lactose intolerance and influence dairy consumption. One single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP ID: rs4988235) is often used as a predictor for dairy intake, since it is responsible for LP in people in European descent, and can occur in other ethnic groups. The objective of this study was to determine whether rs4988235 genotypes and ethnicity influence reported dairy consumption in the United States (U.S.). A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and multiple Automated Self-Administered 24-h recalls (ASA24®) were used to measure habitual and recent intake, respectively, of total dairy, cheese, cow’s milk, plant-based alternative milk, and yogurt in a multi-ethnic U.S. cohort genotyped for rs4988235. Within Caucasian subjects, LP individuals reported consuming more recent total dairy and habitual total cow’s milk intake. For subjects of all ethnicities, LP individuals consumed more cheese (FFQ p = 0.043, ASA24 p = 0.012) and recent total dairy (ASA24 p = 0.005). For both dietary assessments, Caucasians consumed more cheese than all non-Caucasians (FFQ p = 0.036, ASA24 p = 0.002) independent of genotype, as well as more recent intake of yogurt (ASA24 p = 0.042). LP subjects consumed more total cow’s milk than LNP, but only when accounting for whether subjects were Caucasian or not (FFQ p = 0.015). Fluid milk and alternative plant-based milk consumption were not associated with genotypes or ethnicity. Our results show that both LP genotype and ethnicity influence the intake of some dairy products in a multi-ethnic U.S. cohort, but the ability of rs4988235 genotypes to predict intake may depend on ethnic background, the specific dairy product, and whether intake is reported on a habitual or recent basis. Therefore, ethnicity and the dietary assessment method should also be considered when determining the suitability of rs4988235 as a proxy for dairy intake.

Gluten Content of Brand Name Food Products in a Food and Nutrient Database That Includes Leading U.S. Food Brands (FS10-02-19)

Objectives Describe the gluten content of leading U.S. brands of cookies, crackers, hot cereals, ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals, specially formulated bars (e.g., Clif, Luna bars), granola bars, savory snacks, and candies. Methods To address the needs of researcherers examining the role of gluten in gastrointestinal health, gluten was added to a U.S. food and nutrient database. Few foods have been chemically analyzed for their gluten content. Thus, gluten values were assigned to foods based on the assumptions that: 1) foods that do not include any gluten containing grains or their derivatives- wheat, rye or barley may be presumed to contain 0 grams of gluten; and 2) a specified fraction of vegetable protein found in wheat, rye, barley and their derivatives (0.75) may be presumed to be gluten (factor selected based on studies in which gluten content of some gluten containing grains were determined by chemical analysis). Gluten values were assigned to brand name products in the database, thus presenting a unique opportunity to describe the gluten content of brand name products in the U.S. marketplace. For each food category the % of products containing gluten was calculated, and the mean and range in gluten content among gluten containing products were determined. Results Food categories with the highest proportion of products containing gluten were cookies (97.1%), crackers (82.7%), hot cereals (66.0%), and RTE cereals (64.8%). Categories with the lowest proportions were candies (15.7%) and savory snacks (25.0%). The mean gluten content among gluten containing products was highest for hot cereals (2.62 grams/serving), crackers (1.82 grams/serving), RTE cereals (1.76 grams/serving), and savory snacks (1.51 grams/serving). Granola bars and specially formulated bars had the lowest content (0.27 and 0.31 grams/serving respectively). The range in gluten content per serving for gluten containing products was lowest for granola bars (0.002–1.11 grams/serving) and highest for RTE cereals (0.001–7.03 grams/serving). Conclusions There is considerable variation in the gluten content of brand name products in the categories examined in this study. Studies quantifying dietary gluten intake may need to consider using a dietary assessment method that captures product brand. Funding Sources American Gastroenterological Association. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs

Nutritional status of hemodialysis patients

Hemodialysis patients are vulnerable population group and they, among other, should take special care on food and fluid intake with emphasis on energy, potassium, phosphorus, sodium and protein intake. The nutritional status of patients (n=14) was assessed through measurement of body weight, body height, upper arm circumference, lower leg circumference and handgrip dynamometry; as well as selected biochemical parameters: urate concentration, calcium and phosphate levels, total protein, creatinine, albumin and globulin ratio and C-reactive protein; and dietary assessment method: 3-day food record (3DD). Using range between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2 as cut-off, 35.7 and 57% of patients were classified as adequately nourished and overweight, respectively. According to results of 3DD, most of the subjects are supposed to align their micro- and macro- nutrients intake with the recommendations, with emphasis on the increasing intake of protein and energy as well as on decreasing intake of potassium, phosphorus, sodium and energy.

Dietary assessment toolkits: an overview

ObjectiveA wide variety of methods are available to assess dietary intake, each one with different strengths and weaknesses. Researchers face multiple challenges when diet and nutrition need to be accurately assessed, particularly in the selection of the most appropriate dietary assessment method for their study. The goal of the current collaborative work is to present a collection of available resources for dietary assessment implementation.Design/Setting/ParticipantsAs a follow-up to the 9th International Conference on Diet and Physical Activity Methods held in 2015, developers of dietary assessment toolkits agreed to collaborate in the preparation of the present paper, which provides an overview of each toolkit. The toolkits presented include: the Diet, Anthropometry and Physical Activity Measurement Toolkit (DAPA; UK); the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Dietary Assessment Primer (USA); the Nutritools website (UK); the Australasian Child and Adolescent Obesity Research Network (ACAORN) method selector (Australia); and the Danone Dietary Assessment Toolkit (DanoneDAT; France). An at-a-glance summary of features and comparison of the toolkits is provided.ResultsThe present review contains general background on dietary assessment, along with a summary of each of the included toolkits, a feature comparison table and direct links to each toolkit, all of which are freely available online.ConclusionsThis overview of dietary assessment toolkits provides comprehensive information to aid users in the selection and implementation of the most appropriate dietary assessment method, or combination of methods, with the goal of collecting the highest-quality dietary data possible.