Average Daily Food Consumption Research Articles

The modulation effect of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) seeds oligosaccharides with different structures on intestinal flora and action mode of growth effects on Bifidobacterium in vivo and in vitro.

Natural lotus seed oligosaccharides monomers (LOSs: LOS3-1, LOS3-2, and LOS4) were prepared by preparative chromatography and were hydroxyl-labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The prebiotic properties of LOSs by the gut microbiota of male Balb/C mice in vivo and in vitro were studied. In vivo experiment results showed that LOS4 could significantly increase the average daily food consumption, weight, liver index and the abundance of Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium for mice (p<0.05). In addition, LOS4 also had significant proliferation effect on Bifidobacterium adolescentis and longum in vitro (p<0.05). Laser confocal microscopy observation showed interaction site between LOS4-FITC and Bifidobacterium adolescentis was located outside and inside of cell, which was completed within 1h. The relationship between structures of LOSs and prebiotics of intestinal flora (especially Bifidobacterium), and expanded the knowledge on the effects of carbohydrate polymerization degree (DP) and glycosidic bond connection with fermentation selectivity of bacteria was studied.

Nestling growth rate and food consumption increases under experimentally prolonged daylength in a New World sparrow

When evaluating avian reproduction, life history theory examines the trade‐offs between parental effort, the number and size of offspring, and the rate of nestling development. The growth rates and body sizes of developing birds vary geographically and can diverge with both latitude and migratory strategy. In terms of offspring size, growth rate can deviate in nestlings of the same or similar species due to the correlated influences of weather events, predation pressure, food availability, number of nestmates and parental provisioning. Furthermore, a longer photoperiod for species nesting at higher latitudes increases the duration over which a nestling can be fed each day, and increased nestling provisioning has been positively correlated with growth rate. Whether the amount of time a bird is fed during development drives this variation in growth rate and morphology is unknown. By removing supplemental environmental stressors (e.g. weather, predation) and standardizing feeding rate and environment, we explored the influence of daily duration of nestling provisioning on dark‐eyed junco Junco hyemalis nestlings. We hand‐reared 65 chicks of a sedentary junco subspecies J. h. carolinensis under both their natural photoperiod and the longer photoperiod of a closely related migratory subspecies J. h. hyemalis and compared growth rate, mass, morphology and the amount of food consumed. Average growth rate, fasted mass, wing length and total daily food consumption were all greater in birds hand‐reared under the longer, more northern photoperiod treatment. These findings suggest that increased daily photoperiod at higher latitudes may allow for greater total food provisioning and thus may play a role in the ability of parents in compressed breeding seasons to produce high quality offspring. This points to a trade‐off between provisioning effort and nestling growth rate in lower latitude (shorter photoperiod) populations and points to an important role of developmental plasticity on growth rate and morphology.

Intake of main food among the children aged 6-17 years in different regions of China in 2019-2021

To analyze the intakes of main food among the children of 6-17 years in different regions of China from 2019 to 2021, and to provide a scientific basis for evaluation and guiding Chinese children to make reasonable diet. Multistage stratified random sampling method was used to collect data in east China, north China, central China, south China, southwest, northwest and northeast seven areas of each random two provinces, randomly selected from each province one urban survey site and one rural survey site, 28 sites of the 13th Five Year National Science and Technology Basic Resources Survey Project-Chinese children aged 0-18 investigation and application of nutrition and health system in 14 provinces of China. The study included 6413 children aged 6 to 17. Three consecutive 24-hour recalls method combined with weighing were used to collect the information of food intake. According to the food classification in the standard version of the food composition list, the food was divided into cereals, tubers, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, meat and poultry, fish and shrimp, eggs, milk, etc. , and the intake of various foods was calculated for boys and girls aged 6-8, 9-11, 12-14 and 15-17 in different regions. Compared with the average daily food intake of children of the same sex and age in the urban and rural, The average daily intake of cereals and tubers for boys aged 9-17, cereals for girls aged 9-17, tubers for girls aged 12-17, and fish and shrimp for boys of edible population aged 15-17 were higher in rural areas than in urban areas. There were differences in the average daily food intake and consumption rate of fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, meat and poultry, eggs and milk of the same sex and age, which were higher in urban than in rural areas(P&lt;0.05). Compared with the average daily food intake of children of the same sex and age in the south and the north, the average daily intake of cereals and eggs for boys aged 9-14, cereals for girls aged 6-8, and fresh fruits for boys and girls of edible population aged 6-17 were higher in the north than in the south. There were differences in average daily intake and consumption rates of tubers, fresh vegetables, meat and poultry, milk and fish and shrimp of the same sex and age, which were higher in the south than in the north(P&lt;0.05). Compared with the average daily food intake of children of the same sex and age in the eastern, central and western regions, the average daily intake of cereals for boys aged 6-14, cereals for girls aged 6-17, fresh fruits for boys and girls of edible population aged 6-17, and fish and shrimp for boys and girls of edible population aged 15-17 were lower in the eastern region than in the central and western regions. The average daily intake of tubers for boys aged 9-11 and 15-17, for girls aged 9-17 were higher in the western regions than the eastern and central regions. The average daily intake of eggs for boys and girls aged 12-17 was lower in western regions than the eastern and central regions. There were differences in average daily intake and consumption rates of fresh vegetables, meat and poultry and milk of the same sex and age, which were higher in the eastern region than in the central and western regions. (P&lt;0.05). The proportion of coarse grains to cereals was low, between 3.7% and 10.1%. The proportion of pork to meat and poultry was high, between 56.1% and 71.4%. In China, there are differences in daily intake of main food for children aged 6 to 17 years old in urban and rural areas, north and south areas, east, central and west areas.

Investigation of Food and Relative Risk Probability of Having Five Different Diseases, Including Diabetes Using Collected Food Data Over A 6.5-Year Period Based on GHMethod: Math-Physical Medicine (No. 492)

The author is a professionally trained mathematician, physicist and engineer. His view of health and medicine is similar to his past experience on designing a physical object, such as a building structure or a working machine, which he calls an “object”. The object’s strength or its expected lifespan is similar to the health conditions and longevity of a human being based on the following three key factors: (1) The original strength of the object’s material which is similar to the genetic factors of a human body. (2) The engineering design and site construction of this object are similar to the fundamental influential causes, including lifestyle details, life-long habits, and environmental factors, on the human health. Among those external causes, if the author has to pick up one category which has the most influence above of all that is the “food”. (3) The object endures different operational problems due to external forces or impacts which are similar to various diseases suffered by humans. After the object experiences external forces or impacts, we use some structural reinforcements to fix the building’s damaged cracks or replace the malfunctioned part of the machine. These engineering actions are similar to the “medical treatments” doctors provide patients. The medical treatments, including medication interventions (oral drugs or biochemical injections), necessary surgeries, or certain organ transplants are similar to the engineering repair of the damaged object. This article emphasizes the relationship between causes and results such as symptoms of diseases. It particularly addresses the inter-relationship of 5 selected diseases: cancers, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), chronic kidney diseases (CKD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and type 2 diabetes (T2D), where the most important cause for most diseases is “food”. This food category in his study contains 25 defined elements include input data of food are collected via the developed iPhone APP. There are 5 elements for “Food Quantity”: breakfast amount, lunch amount, dinner amount, amount of between-meals snacks and fruits, and the average daily food consumption amount. In addition, there are 20 selected elements for “Food Quality” (see Figure 1). The combined Food score is the average value of both food quantity score and food quality score.

Inulin from Jerusalem artichoke tubers alleviates hyperglycaemia in high-fat-diet-induced diabetes mice through the intestinal microflora improvement.

The rate of hyperglycaemia in people around the world is increasing at an alarming rate at present, and innovative methods of alleviating hyperglycaemia are needed. The effects of Jerusalem artichoke inulin on hyperglycaemia, liver-related genes and the intestinal microbiota in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and treated with streptozotocin (STZ) to induce hyperglycaemia were investigated. Inulin-treated hyperglycaemic mice had decreased average daily food consumption, body weight, average daily water consumption and relative liver weight and blood concentrations of TAG, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and fasting blood glucose. Liver-related gene expressions in hyperglycaemic (HFD-fed and STZ-treated) compared with control mice showed eighty-four differentially expressed genes (forty-nine up-regulated and thirty-five down-regulated). In contrast, hyperglycaemic mice treated with inulin had twenty-two differentially expressed genes compared with control ones. Using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology, the rarefaction and the rank abundance curves as well as the α diversity indices showed the treatment-induced differences in bacterial diversity in intestine. The linear discriminant analysis of effect size showed that the inulin treatment improved intestinal microbiota; in particular, it significantly increased the number of Bacteroides in the intestine of mice. In conclusion, inulin is potentially an effective functional food for the prevention and/or treatment of hyperglycaemia.

Growth and Reproductive Activity of a Captive Female Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) from Japanese Water

This report describes growth and annual reproductive cycle of female harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) rescued from Japanese water in 2007. The maximum body length was 179 cm and body weight was 69.8 kg. The average daily food consumption was 7.0 kg (ranging 3.7 - 9.9 kg), 11.8% of the body weight. In this report, the porpoise was kept in 17 °C water annually and the blubber thicknesses showed almost constant throughout the year (average 18 mm, range 13 - 22 mm). Therefore, we added new evidence to this hypothesis by showing that body weight and the blubber thickness do not fluctuate seasonally in fixed water temperature. Serum progesterone level of the female showed five peaks from September to November, and each cycle lasted the average of 20.5 days. Such result indicates that harbour porpoise exhibits seasonal polyestrous activity.

Changes in Food Consumption Pattern of Households in Romania in the Period 2004-2011

According to data from the Household Budget Survey, the average daily food consumption per person was about 2500 kcal in the last decade, with an increasing trend in the share of animal calories from 530 kcal in the early 2000 to over 600 kcal in the late years. The analysis of different caloric food groups highlights the fact that cereals and cereal products provide a significant part of population energy needs. Compared to 2004, the intake of meat and meat products increased, indicating the convergence to the model of developed countries. Average daily food consumption expressed in calories differs depending on household size, number of children and amount of revenue. Increasing household expenditure for food in 2011, accounting for 44.9% of total consumption expenditure, mark the end of a long period with gradual diminution in the share of food in household budget. The economic growth in the period 2004-2008, on the other hand, was reflected in income and consumption, leading to a relative decrease in food consumption expenditures, i.e. a diminution of the share of these expenditures, the evolution model of developed countries.

Effects of heated versus unheated soybean oil in C57BL/6J mice

BackgroundThe metabolic effects of consuming mildly oxidized lipids as compared to highly oxidized lipids are not well documented.ObjectiveOur objective was to investigate if food containing heated soybean oil (SO) alters fat mass and glucose tolerance in C57BL/6J mice at 5 and 10 weeks.MethodsSix week old male C57BL/6J mice were purchased and were randomly divided into four groups (n=8/group) and were fed a low fat diet with either unheated SO or SO heated for 3 (3h‐HO), 6 (6h‐HO), or 9 (9h‐HO) hours for 5 weeks. Food consumption was recorded every 3–4 days, and body weights were recorded every week. Blood glucose levels were measured after a 16 h fast.ResultsThere were no significant differences in weight gain between the groups. Average daily food consumption for mice fed unheated oil, 3h‐HO, 6h‐HO, and 9h‐HO was 18.64g, 19.08g, 19.28g, and 19.68g, respectively. Mean blood glucose levels for mice fed unheated oil, 3h‐HO, 6h‐HO, and 9h‐HO were (mean ± SD) 97.38 ± 21.37 mg/dL, 76.75 ± 9.71 mg/dL, 83.63 ± 12.92 mg/dL, 98 ± 19.38 mg/dL, respectively (overall significance, p = 0.038; 3h‐HO vs. 9h‐HO, p = .094).ConclusionA 5 week exposure to heated oils does not alter weight gain when compared to unheated oil; however, fasting blood glucose levels were higher in the 9h‐HO group compared to 3h‐HO group (p&gt;; 0.05), which might indicate the beginning signs of glucose intolerance.

Lecithin/cholesterol acyltransferase modulates diet-induced hepatic deposition of triglycerides in mice

Lecithin/cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is responsible for the esterification of the free cholesterol of plasma lipoproteins. Here, we investigated the involvement of LCAT in mechanisms associated with diet-induced hepatic triglyceride accumulation in mice. LCAT-deficient (LCAT−/−) and control C57BL/6 mice were placed on a Western-type diet (17.3% protein, 48.5% carbohydrate, 21.2% fat, 0.2% cholesterol, 4.5kcal/g) for 24weeks, then histopathological and biochemical analyses were performed. We report that, in our experimental setup, male LCAT−/− mice are characterized by increased diet-induced hepatic triglyceride deposition and impaired hepatic histology and architecture. Mechanistic analyses indicated that LCAT deficiency was associated with enhanced intestinal absorption of dietary triglycerides (3.6±0.5mg/dl per minute for LCAT−/− vs. 2.0±0.7mg/dl per minute for C57BL/6 mice; P<.05), accelerated clearance of postprandial triglycerides and a reduced rate of hepatic very low density lipoprotein triglyceride secretion (9.8±1.1mg/dl per minute for LCAT−/− vs. 12.5±1.3mg/dl per minute for C57BL/6 mice, P<.05). No statistical difference in the average daily food consumption between mouse strains was observed. Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of LCAT in LCAT−/− mice that were fed a Western-type diet for 12weeks resulted in a significant reduction in hepatic triglyceride content (121.2±5.9mg/g for control infected mice vs. 95.1±5.8mg/g for mice infected with Ad-LCAT, P<.05) and a great improvement of hepatic histology and architecture. Our data extend the current knowledge on the functions of LCAT, indicating that LCAT activity is an important modulator of processes associated with diet-induced hepatic lipid deposition.

Food consumption patterns in rural Turkey and poverty.

The paper investigates food consumption patterns including total food expenditures and food budget shares, sources of food, food expenditures by major food group and expenditures for food consumed outside the households. The survey with households was conducted in 2007. The survey was performed through face to face interviews with 386 households from the provinces. Of the total household expenditures, an average of 42.29% constituted food expenditures. Food expenditures varied among food groups as well. Milk and dairy products, meat, poultry, fish and other meat products as well as floury foods had the largest share in expenditures. As expected, the value of food expenditures increased with household size and income. About 56.44% of total monthly expenditure of rural households represents the value of consumption from own resources. The average daily food consumption of rural households is about 3519 calories for adults. Approximately 55% of the daily calorie intake is composed of cereals and floury foods whereas 4.60% is composed of meat and fish and 1.42% is composed of vegetable group of foods. Key words: Food consumption, food consumption patterns, rural diet.

Kill rates and food consumption of leopards in Bardia National Park, Nepal

This is the first study presenting data on kill rates and food consumption among Asian leopardsPanthera pardus Linnaeus, 1758. In Bardia National Park, Nepal, we found leopard kills by searching within areas with clusters of locations from radio collared leopards (2 males and 1 female with 2 cubs aged 4–9 months). We used two tracking schemes, 24-h intensive radio-tracking and daily monitoring, and we defined food consumption as the product of average prey live weight and proportion consumed. The three leopards consumed 89.2 kg of meat from five chitalAxis axis, one domestic dog and two birds during 19 days of 24-h intensive tracking, rendering an average (± SE) daily food intake of 4.7 ± 0.3 kgper capita. Twenty-five prey items (14 chital, one muntjacMuntiacus muntjak, four primates and six birds) were found during 180 days of daily monitoring of the female. All edible biomass was consumed in all kills, except for three chital, and the rate of kill consumption was positively related to the age of her cubs. The average daily food consumption of the female was 4.0 ± 0.3 kg/day, the kill rate (days/kill) including all prey categories was 5.6 ± 0.4 days, and the kill rate of ungulates was 10.6 ±0.7 days. Our food consumption estimates are higher than reported from arid African environments. We suggest that the high food consumption rate in our study is a consequence of a release from time-energy constraints due to high prey abundance.

Reproductive tables of predatory phytoseiid mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis, Galendromus occidentalis, and Neoseiulus cucumeris)

Feeding of predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis, Galendromus occidentalis, and Neoseiulus cucumeris) on different life stages of Tetranychus atlanticus under optimal conditions was studied. Daily and total consumption of prey by predators and selection of prey of different life stages were studied for 5 days and for the entire feeding period. Average daily food consumption [number of individuals] for the entire life period of mature mite females constituted 0.43 females + 5.0 [nymphs and males] + 3.4 eggs of Tetranychus atlanticus in P. persimilis; 0.12 females + 3.70 [nymphs and males] + 3.10 eggs in G. occidentalis; and 0.19 females + 4.10 [nymphs and males] + 3.50 eggs in N. cucumeris. During the entire period of feeding, P. persimilis preferred large individuals and at the postembryonic stages selected prey to a greater extent than G. occidentalis and N. cucumeris (61.8 and 55.1%, respectively). The use of a 5-day express-method is possible for estimation of some biological characteristics of phytoseiids that previously consumed the same food for a long period. In other cases, analysis of characteristics for the entire life period is necessary.

Differences in self-feeding activity between thermally selected and normal strains of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss at high temperatures

Feeding activity was examined at high temperatures by using a demand feeder for thermally selected and normal rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss strains. When the water temperature was raised in experiment 1 from 17.5 to 25.7°C at 0.3°C/day in 21 days, the average daily food consumption rate in the thermally selected strain rose to 7.1%, which was significantly higher than that of the normal strain (4.1%, P<0.05). The corresponding rate was also significantly higher in the thermally selected (0.8%) than in the normal strain (0.2%, P<0.05) of fish in experiment 2 where water temperature was raised to 24.1°C in 0.5°C/day increments. When water temperature was raised rapidly in experiment 3 from 16.7 to 21.7°C in one day and gradually to 24.4°C in 28 days at 0.1°C/day, the average daily food consumption rates were 1.0 and 0.1% for the thermally selected and normal strains, respectively, with significant difference (P<0.01). These results suggest that the thermally selected strain has acquired thermal tolerance as a result of artificial selection.

Dietary PCB intake in Belgium

A food market-basket, representative for the general Belgian population, containing various meat, fish and dairy food products, was analysed for its polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) content. Additionally, fast food samples were also investigated. Based on the measured PCB levels (sum of 23 congeners), an average daily dietary intake estimate of PCBs was calculated. Of all foods analysed, fish had the highest average sum of PCB levels (7.1 ng/g ww), with a high variation between the investigated species, followed by dairy products and eggs (3.2 ng/g ww), fast food (1.9 ng/g ww) and meat products (0.62 ng/g ww). One fresh salmon filet had the highest total concentration of PCBs (36 ng/g ww or 200 ng/g lw), whereas levels in steak and chicken breast were the lowest of all foods analysed. PCB intake calculations were based on the average daily food consumption in Belgium and were estimated between 404 and 535 ng/day of total PCBs (lower and upper bound). This value is in accordance with what was previously reported for diets from geographical distinct areas. Although it is only a minor constituent of the Belgian diet, fish is the major contributor to the total daily PCB intake (around 50%) due to the high PCB levels in this type of food. Meat products account for around 20% of the total dietary intake of PCBs, while dairy products and eggs contribute to a lesser degree (less than 20%).

Dietary PBDE intake: A market-basket study in Belgium

A food market-basket, representative for the general Belgian population, containing various meat, fish and dairy food products, was assembled and analysed for its polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) content. Additionally, fast food samples were also investigated. Based on the measured PBDE levels, an average daily dietary intake estimate of PBDEs was calculated. Of all foods analysed, fish had the highest average sum of PBDE levels (BDEs 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, and 183; 460 pg/g ww), followed by dairy products and eggs (260 pg/g ww), fast food (86 pg/g ww) and meat products (70 pg/g ww). One fresh salmon filet had the highest total concentration of PBDEs (2360 pg/g ww), whereas levels in steak and chicken breast were the lowest of all foods analysed. BDE 209 was never found above LOQ in any food. PBDE intake calculations were based on the average daily food consumption in Belgium and were estimated between 23 and 48 ng/day of total PBDEs (lower and upper bound). This value is in accordance with what was previously reported for diets from geographical distinct areas, such as Canada, Finland, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Although it is only a minor constituent of the Belgian diet, fish is the major contributor to the total daily PBDE-intake (around 40%) due to the high PBDE levels in this type of food. Although low contaminated, meat products account for around 30% of the total dietary intake of PBDEs. Dairy products and eggs contribute to a lesser degree (less than 30%).

Developmental toxic effects of chronic exposure to high doses of iodine in the mouse

Chronic exposure to high doses of iodine induces thyroid dysfunction, but effects of chronic exposure to high amounts of iodine on pregnancy and fetal outcome are uncertain. In the present study, Balb/C mice were given different doses of iodine at the levels of 0 (sterile water), 1500, 3000, 6000, 12,000 and 24,000 μg/L in drinking water for 4 months, then were mated and the developmental toxicity and teratogenicity were evaluated. An obvious colloid goiter was observed, and serum total thyroxine (TT 4) levels increased and serum total triiodothyronine (TT 3) levels decreased significantly in dams when iodine dose reached 3000 μg/L. Maternal effect was evident by the reduction of average daily food consumption in higher doses of iodine groups. Embryotoxicity and teratogenicity were mainly indicated by the reduced body weight in female fetuses, the decreased number of live fetuses, and the increased incidence of resorptions, and especially skeletal variations. These results suggest that exposure to maternally toxic doses of iodine may have a potential developmental toxic effect.

Practical verification of food supply to game in conditions of large-scale shelterwood system

In the hunting district Hády (897 ha), which is operated by the Křtiny Training Forest Enterprise, 383 samples of biomass utilizable as wildlife forage were collected and analysed; they were also quantified on the basis of surface coverage of grass and woody undergrowth. Grass and herbaceous biomass production in forest stands was 180,740 kg (average 0.02 kg/m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;), on road shoulders and other areas it amounted to 25,213 kg (average 0.150 kg/m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;). The greatest diversity of plant species (72) was detected on the other areas. In total, forest and other areas provide 205,953 kg of utilizable grass and herbaceous biomass available during the vegetation period. Production of woody biomass, i.e. buds and shoots, amounted to 307,243 kg (average 0.035 kg/m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;). The woody component of food in this locality was represented mainly by the species of beech, hornbeam, maple, and ash. Evaluation of sample plots revealed that the area covered by herbs and grasses in the studied forest unit was reduced due to a large-scale shelterwood system. On the other hand, a markedly increased supply of food from woody biomass was found to be available in the form of buds, leaves and shoots. The number of individuals in the advance regeneration of woody species in undergrowth ranged between 270 and 380,000 pcs/ha. Average values used for the calculation of utilizable energy in biomass were obtained from a laboratory measurement of biomass samples and complemented with data from literature. Average values of forest herbs and grasses = 0.60 MJ; buds, leaves and shoots in the growing season = 0.75 MJ. Average daily food consumption was converted to net digestible energy in MJ. In order to estimate food sufficiency with respect to quality energy requirements were calculated on the basis of the metabolic size of roe deer and hare bodies. In the quantitative assessment of available food supply, the standardized game stock would utilize 51% of grass and herbaceous forage and 7.5% of food from woody biomass. In the qualitative assessment of available food supply it was demonstrated that energy requirements of roe deer and hare were fully covered by their daily quantitative consumption of herbaceous, grass and woody biomass.

Dietary intake of hexachlorobenzene in Catalonia, Spain

To assess the dietary intake of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) by the population of Catalonia, Spain, a total-diet study was carried out. Concentrations of HCB were determined in food samples randomly acquired in seven cities of Catalonia between June and August 2000. A total of 11 food groups were included in the study. HCB levels were determined by HRGC/HRMS. Estimates of average daily food consumption were obtained from recent studies. HCB intake was estimated for five population groups: children (aged 4 to 9 years), adolescents (aged 10 to 19 years), male and female adults (aged 20 to 65 years), and seniors (aged >65 years). In general, HCB residues in foods were rather low excepting dairy products with a mean concentration of 0.869 ng/g wet weight. Total dietary intakes of HCB (microgram per kilogram body weight/day) were the following: children (0.0064), adolescents (0.0031), female adults (0.0025), male adults (0.0024) and seniors (0.0019). All these values are considerably lower than the WHO tolerable daily intake (TDI), which is 0.17 μg kg −1 day −1 for non-cancer effects and 0.16 μg kg −1 day −1 for neoplastic effects in humans.

Food consumption, food passage time, and body measurements of captive Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (&lt;I&gt;Tursiops truncatus&lt;/I&gt;)

The food consumption (recorded as kg of individual fish species), body length, and body mass of 19 (four males and 15 females) Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus )k ept at Harderwijk Marine Mammal Park, the Netherlands, between 1965 and 1995 are reported. This broad-scale, longitudinal study is based on data originally archived for short-term husbandry purposes. The chemical composition and caloric value of the diet were not measured. Because caloric content of fish varies seasonally and annually, and depends on the geographical region where it was caught, the food intake variations seen in this study may reflect the caloric content of the diet. However, because the e ects of age, gender, and reproductive state are consistent in various animals, and all animals entered the study at di erent times, the e ects are believed to be independent of variation in caloric content of the diet. After weaning, the average annual food consumption of males and nonpregnant, non-lactating females increased rapidly until the estimated age of 3‐5 years, thereafter it averaged around 1900 kg (estimated at 133 # 10 5 kJ) per year. After the age of 20 years, food consumption of several dolphins decreased slightly. Two females reproduced and nursed their calves successfully. Twelve months before parturition, consumption by both ceased almost entirely for one week, probably indicating estrus. Food intake did not increase during pregnancy. After they gave birth, the food consumption of the two mothers showed ac omparable pattern; the food intake remained at ac onsistent level during the month of birth, but increased rapidly in the following month. Food consumption dropped during the third month of lactation in one case and during the fourth month in the other case. During the lactation period, the mothers consumed 2600 kg (48%) and 3300 kg (72%) more than during similar periods in non-reproductive years. The two calves began to eat fish, in addition to suckling, at the ages of 6a nd 19 months respectively. Average standard body length at birth was 116 ’ 6c mf or males (n=15) and 114 ’ 10 cm for females (n=6). It increased rapidly until around the age of 5y ears, after which growth rate declined. Body length reached an asymptote (between 260 and 280 cm) between the ages of 15 and 20 years. Average body mass at birth was 18.0 ’ 3.8 kg for males (n=15) and 15.6 ’ 4.9 kg for females (n=5). Weight gain was rapid until around the age of 3y ears, after which it decreased. The relationship between body mass and standard body length was: Body mass (kg)=12.904e 0.017(body length (cm) 100) . There was an egative relationship between body mass and average daily food consumption expressed as ap ercentage of body mass. The average initial passage time of food through the digestive tract of five animals (with an average body mass of 185 kg) was 235 min.

Human exposure to dioxins through the diet in Catalonia, Spain: carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk

The main objectives of this study were to estimate the dietary intake of dioxins by the population of Catalonia, Spain, to determine which food groups showed the greatest contribution to this intake, and to assess the health risks potentially associated with the dietary dioxin intake. From June to August 2000, food samples were randomly acquired in seven cities of Catalonia. Dioxin concentrations were determined in 108 samples belonging to the following groups: vegetables, fruits, pulses, cereals, fish and shellfish, meats and meat products, eggs, milk and dairy products, and oils and fats. Estimates of average daily food consumption were obtained from recent studies. Total dietary intake of dioxins for the general population of Catalonia was estimated to be 95.4 pg WHO-TEQ/day (78.4 pg I-TEQ/day), with fish and shellfish (31%), diary products (25%), cereals (14%) and meat (13%) showing the greatest percentages of contribution to dioxin intake. The contribution of all the rest of food groups to the total dietary intake was under 20%. The non-carcinogenic risk index of dioxin intake through the diet was in the range 0.34–1.36, while the carcinogenic risk level was 1360 excess cancer over a lifetime of 70 years. Our results corroborate the decreasing tendency in dietary intake of dioxins found in recent studies (2000–2001) from various countries.