Diet-health Relationships Research Articles

Impact of Alcalase Hydrolysis and Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion on the Release of Bioactive Peptides from Erythrina edulis (Chachafruto) Proteins.

Amidst increasing awareness of diet-health relationships, plant-derived bioactive peptides are recognized for their dual nutritional and health benefits. This study investigates bioactive peptides released after Alcalase hydrolysis of protein from chachafruto (Erythrina edulis), a nutrient-rich South American leguminous plant, focusing on their behavior during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Evaluating their ability to scavenge radicals, mitigate oxidative stress, and influence immune response biomarkers, this study underscores the importance of understanding peptide interactions in digestion. The greatest contribution to the antioxidant activity was exerted by the low molecular weight peptides with ORAC values for the <3 kDa fraction of HES, GD-HES, and GID-HES of 0.74 ± 0.03, 0.72 ± 0.004, and 0.56 ± 0.01 (μmol TE/mg protein, respectively). GD-HES and GID-HES exhibited immunomodulatory effects, promoting the release of NO up to 18.52 and 8.58 µM, respectively. The findings of this study highlighted the potential of chachafruto bioactive peptides in functional foods and nutraceuticals, supporting human health through dietary interventions.

Nutrition knowledge among pregnant women in Lebanon: A cross-sectional study.

Women's knowledge of the nutritional guidelines during pregnancy can affect the health and nutritional status of both mother and child. Having good nutritional information related to maternal dietary intake and healthy lifestyles is therefore of great importance. However, there is limited published research that demonstrates pregnant women's knowledge of the nutritional guidelines during pregnancy in Lebanon. To assess the knowledge on food sources and energy recommendations as well as food safety practices and diet-health relationship among women during pregnancy in Lebanon. A cross-sectional study. The study was conducted at prenatal care clinics in Lebanon, and all pregnant women present, regardless of nationality, were invited to complete the self-administered nutrition knowledge questionnaire. The study assessed five different nutrition knowledge domains (food sources of nutrients, dietary behaviors, food safety knowledge, micronutrients for fetal development, and energy requirements and weight gain) and the demographic characteristics of pregnant women who completed a multidimensional online survey based on validated and existing measures. Four-hundred and ten responses were obtained. Approximately half of respondents (47%) held a university degree, for 42% of women this was their first pregnancy, and 71% had a planned pregnancy. Among the different nutrition knowledge domains, the highest levels of knowledge were for the behaviors that can minimize the effect of nausea/vomiting, heartburn, and constipation during pregnancy (63.9%) and the lowest levels of knowledge was for the importance of iodine and omega-3 fatty acids in pregnancy (28.4%). Most of females knew about food safety practices during pregnancy (72.9%) but less than half were knowledgeable about listeriosis contamination (45.9%), and the types of fish that are the safest to select during pregnancy (47.8%). Despite the fact that pregnant women had an adequate level of knowledge in different nutrition-related areas, there was inadequate level of awareness related to critical nutrients and behaviors that can have adverse effects on mother and/or baby. Therefore, there is a need to focus on specific maternal nutrition aspects such as iron-rich foods, listeriosis food contamination, and nutrients that aid in fetal brain and retina development.

Untargeted metabolomic analysis investigating links between unprocessed red meat intake and markers of inflammation

BackgroundWhether red meat consumption is associated with higher inflammation or confounded by increased adiposity remains unclear. Plasma metabolites capture the effects of diet after food is processed, digested, and absorbed, and correlate with markers of inflammation, so they can help clarify diet-health relationships. ObjectiveTo identify whether any metabolites associated with red meat intake are also associated with inflammation. MethodsA cross-sectional analysis of observational data from older adults (52.84% women, mean age 63 ± 0.3 y) participating in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Dietary intake was assessed by food-frequency questionnaire, alongside C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-2, interleukin-6, fibrinogen, homocysteine, and tumor necrosis factor alpha, and untargeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) metabolomic features. Associations between these variables were examined using linear regression models, adjusted for demographic factors, lifestyle behaviors, and body mass index (BMI). ResultsIn analyses that adjust for BMI, neither processed nor unprocessed forms of red meat were associated with any markers of inflammation (all P > 0.01). However, when adjusting for BMI, unprocessed red meat was inversely associated with spectral features representing the metabolite glutamine (sentinel hit: β = −0.09 ± 0.02, P = 2.0 × 10−5), an amino acid which was also inversely associated with CRP level (β = −0.11 ± 0.01, P = 3.3 × 10−10). ConclusionsOur analyses were unable to support a relationship between either processed or unprocessed red meat and inflammation, over and above any confounding by BMI. Glutamine, a plasma correlate of lower unprocessed red meat intake, was associated with lower CRP levels. The differences in diet-inflammation associations, compared with diet metabolite-inflammation associations, warrant further investigation to understand the extent that these arise from the following: 1) a reduction in measurement error with metabolite measures; 2) the extent that which factors other than unprocessed red meat intake contribute to glutamine levels; and 3) the ability of plasma metabolites to capture individual differences in how food intake is metabolized.

Associations between Metabolomic Biomarkers of Avocado Intake and Glycemia in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

BackgroundAvocado consumption is linked to better glucose homeostasis, but small associations suggest potential population heterogeneity. Metabolomic data capture the effects of food intake after digestion and metabolism, thus accounting for individual differences in these processes. ObjectivesTo identify metabolomic biomarkers of avocado intake and to examine their associations with glycemia. MethodsBaseline data from 6224 multi-ethnic older adults (62% female) included self-reported avocado intake, fasting glucose and insulin, and untargeted plasma proton nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomic features (metabolomic data were available for a randomly selected subset; N = 3438). Subsequently, incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) was assessed over an ∼18 y follow-up period. A metabolome-wide association study of avocado consumption status (consumer compared with nonconsumer) was conducted, and the relationship of these features with glycemia via cross-sectional associations with fasting insulin and glucose and longitudinal associations with incident T2D was examined. ResultsThree highly-correlated spectral features were associated with avocado intake at metabolome-wide significance levels (P < 5.3 ∗ 10–7) and combined into a single biomarker. We did not find evidence that these features were additionally associated with overall dietary quality, nor with any of 47 other food groups (all P > 0.001), supporting their suitability as a biomarker of avocado intake. Avocado intake showed a modest association only with lower fasting insulin (β = –0.07 +/- 0.03, P = 0.03), an association that was attenuated to nonsignificance when additionally controlling for body mass index (kg/m2). However, our biomarker of avocado intake was strongly associated with lower fasting glucose (β = –0.22 +/- 0.02, P < 2.0 ∗ 10–16), lower fasting insulin (β = –0.17 +/- 0.02, P < 2.0 ∗ 10–16), and a lower incidence of T2D (hazard ratio: 0.68; 0.63–074, P < 2.0 ∗ 10–16), even when adjusting for BMI. ConclusionsHighly significant associations between glycemia and avocado-related metabolomic features, which serve as biomarkers of the physiological impact of dietary intake after digestion and absorption, compared to modest relationships between glycemia and avocado consumption, highlights the importance of considering individual differences in metabolism when considering diet-health relationships.

205-LB: Using Metabolomic Biomarkers to Understand Relationships between Avocado Intake and Dysglycemia

This study used metabolomic data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) to better understand the relationship between avocado intake and dysglycemia. At baseline, 6,224 older adults had data on self-reported avocado intake, as well as fasting glucose and insulin, while a randomly selected subsample (N=3,438) also had plasma untargeted 1H NMR metabolomic features. Subsequently, incident T2D, defined by ADA 2003 criteria, was assessed over an ~18 year period. First, a metabolome-wide association analysis was used to identify metabolomic features associated with avocado consumption. Next, the relationships of these biomarkers, and of avocado consumption, to contemporaneous dysglycemia, and incident T2D, were examined in models that initially adjusted for demographic factors and health behaviors, and subsequently also for BMI. Three highly correlated spectral features (all r≥0.77), tentatively annotated as CH2-lysl, were associated with avocado consumption (P=5.3*10-7). A mean value for CH2 was used as our biomarker, which, when adjusted for BMI, was strongly associated with avocado intake (β= 0.16 ± 0.04, P=4.7*10-5), but not additionally with any of 47 other food groups (P≥.01). Avocado intake showed a modest inverse association with fasting insulin (β= -0.07 ± 0.03, P=.03). When controlling for BMI, this was attenuated (β= -0.02 ± 0.03, P=.37), while strong inverse associations remained between the potential avocado biomarker and fasting glucose (β= -0.22 ± 0.02, P&amp;lt;2.0*10-20), fasting insulin (β= -0.17 ± 0.02, P&amp;lt;2.0*10-20), and T2D incidence (HR: 0.68 [0.63-074], P&amp;lt;2.0*10-20). The highly significant associations between glycemia and avocado-related metabolomic features, which serve as biomarkers of food intake after digestion and absorption, compared to modest relationships between glycemia and avocado consumption, highlights the importance of considering individual differences in metabolism when considering diet-health relationships. Disclosure A. Wood: None. M. O. Goodarzi: Advisory Panel; Nestlé Health Science, Other Relationship; Nestlé Health Science. M. D. Gadgil: None. M. Allison: None. G. Graça: None. M. Y. Mi: None. P. Greenland: Stock/Shareholder; Eli Lilly and Company, Novartis AG. D. M. Herrington: None. J. I. Rotter: None. Funding National Cattleman?s Beef Association; U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service (58-3092-5-001); National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (75N92020D00001, HHSN268201500003I, N01-HC-95159, 75N92020D00005, N01-HC-95160, 75N92020D00002, N01-HC-95161, 75N92020D00003, N01-HC-95162, 75N92020D00006, N01-HC-95163, 75N92020D00004, N01-HC-95164, 75N92020D00007, N01-HC-95165, N01-HC-95166, N01-HC-95167, N01-HC-95168, N01-HC-95169, UL1TR000040, UL1TR001079, UL1TR001420, UL1TR001881, DK063491, R01HL133932, R01HL105756); European Union COMBI-BIO Project (FP7, 305422); National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK063491); National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1TR001881)

Freeze-Dried Banana Slices Carrying Probiotic Bacteria.

Findings on diet-health relationships have induced many people to adopt healthier diets, including the substitution of energy-dense snacks with healthier items, e.g., those containing probiotic microorganisms. The aim of this research was to compare two methods to produce probiotic freeze-dried banana slices-one of them consisting of impregnating slices with a suspension of probiotic Bacillus coagulans, the other based on coating the slices with a starch dispersion containing the bacteria. Both processes resulted in viable cell counts above 7 log ufc.g-1, although the presence of the starch coating prevented a significant loss in viability during freeze-drying. The coated slices were less crispy than the impregnated ones, according to the shear force test results. However, the sensory panel (with more than 100 panelists) did not perceive significant texture differences. Both methods presented good results in terms of probiotic cell viability and sensory acceptability (the coated slices being significantly more accepted than the non-probiotic control slices).

Examining the role of systemic chronic inflammation in diet and sleep relationship.

Background:It is well known that systemic chronic inflammation (SCI), which can be modulated by diet, is associated with poor sleep outcomes. However, the role of SCI in diet health and sleep quality relationship has not been well established.Methods:Here, by using the UK Biobank data set, we assessed the association between markers of SCI (leukocyte, platelet, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and basophil counts; C-reactive protein levels and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR)), habitual intake of food groups, diet health and sleep quality in 449,084 participants. We also formally tested the possibility that SCI might mediate the relationship between diet health and sleep quality.Results:Our results revealed (i) negative associations between SCI and food groups that are abundant in healthy diets (fruit, vegetable and oily and non-oily fish) and (ii) positive associations between SCI and food groups that are abundant in unhealthy diets (processed meat). Sleep quality was also negatively associated with platelet counts, CRP levels and NLR. Crucially, however, while platelet and neutrophil counts, CRP levels and NLR fully mediated the association between diet health and sleep quality, leukocyte, lymphocyte and basophil counts partially mediated the associations between diet health and sleep quality.Conclusion:Reducing SCI via dietary interventions could be an effective primary and/or complementary strategy to increase sleep quality. Further interventional trials are warranted to (i) establish the strength of associations, preferably by using validated diet and sleep measures and (ii) examine longer term effects of anti-inflammatory diets on sleep-, diet- and inflammation-related health outcomes.

Compositional, structural and functional characteristics of millets as modified by bioprocessing techniques: A review

Despite the excellent nutritive potential, millets remained underused due to different factors including the presence of anti-nutritional factors, lack of optimized processing technologies, and compromised techno-functionality of the raw flours. Bioprocessing techniques such as soaking, germination, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation are the natural methods for enhancing the compositional and functional characteristics of the millets. They lead to synthesis and release of components from the wall of polysaccharides and unfolding of proteins due to the action of degrading enzymes that are produced during the bioprocessing of millets. The objective of the present article is to comprehensively review the recent investigations focusing on modulations in the compositional parameters, bio- and techno-functional attributes of millets due to different biological processing treatments. Available literature suggested these treatments caused significant changes in the protein starch matrix, phytochemical constituents, rheological properties, hydration profile, anti-nutritional factors, in vitro starch and protein digestibility, structural and molecular modification. Practical applications Present day food market is driven by functional foods owing to the diet-health relationship. Millets are preferred ingredients over conventional grains for value-added products attributing to their excellent agrarian and nutritional profile; however, native millet flours lack bio-techno-functionality due to structural features and presence of anti-nutritional compounds. Bioprocessed millets possess improved functionality and bioactivities, which make them ideal ingredients to develop cereal based functional foods. Utilization of germinated and fermented millets in convenience food products could not only enhance the bio-functionality of the food but also add to the variety of functional foods especially to targeted populations such as for those with celiac disease and other similar chronic complications. Cereal based industries are looking such ingredients to replace conventional wheat based products in bakery, extrusion, and indigenous preparations.

Banana leathers as influenced by polysaccharide matrix and probiotic bacteria

Concerns abouth diet-health relationships have led many people to include healthier snacks in their diets, including those with functional (including probiotic) properties. This study was focused on development of probiotic-loaded banana leathers. Two probiotic bacteria (the spore-forming Bacillus coagulans and the conventional non-spore-forming Lactobacillus acidophilus) and two polymeric matrices (digestible cassava starch and non-digestible bacterial cellulose - BC) have been used. The presence of probiotic bacteria (mainly L. acidophilus) reduced the tensile strength, elastic modulus and shear force of the leathers, while the BC-based leathers were stronger, stiffer and more resistant to shear stress than the starch-based ones. While a high probiotic viability was kept on fruit leathers loaded with B. coagulans during drying and room-temperature storage, those loaded with L. acidophilus suffered high viability losses upon drying, which was ascribed to osmotic stress. The nature of the biopolymeric matrix has not significantly influence the bacterial viability losses along processing and storage, or the final viable cell count released into the intestine (as assessed using an INFOGEST static in vitro simulated digestion model). The banana leathers loaded with B. coagulans were well accepted, irrespectively of being produced from BC or starch, although some negative comments on the texture and flavor of the BC-based ones have been more frequent than with the starch-based ones.

Cardiovascular risk factor insights into the Tesco 1.0 Dataset

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Tesco published an open-source dataset containing area-aggregated product purchase information from 420m transactions across 16m individual Clubcard users in the Great London area, at a borough level. This dataset is presented as a ‘typical product’ purchase for each borough, divided into 220 individual datapoints. Purpose We wanted to explore dietary correlates with cardiovascular outcomes including age-standardised mortality rates for myocardial infarct, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia and COVID-19. Methods The Tesco 1.0 dataset was accessed on 1/11/21 and a sample of traditional dietary clinical risk and protective factor datapoints for each London borough were selected. Data for age-standardised mortality rates (ASMR) in each London borough were downloaded from the Office of National Statistics for 2019 for myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia and 2020 COVID-19 deaths (March-July 2020). To explore for relevant associated factors, the average deprivation index (IMD) for each borough was accessed from Public Health England, and demographic data accessed from the Greater London Authority database. Statistics using Spearman’s Rho calculator were derived in Excel and calculated using a web-based statistics calculator. Results Myocardial infarction (MI) ASMR closely correlated with increased levels of salt (g), fat and oils (% of total product), and weight of purchase (g). Increased fibre (g) was correlated with lower MI mortality. An important associated risk factor was the deprivation index, a important co-variable to consider when assessing diet-health relationships. Stroke ASMR was more closely correlated with typical product constituents, significant risk factors were weight (g) of fat, carbohydrate, sugar and ready meals (%) and sweets (%), while % of fish and both % and total weight (g) of fruit and veg were protective factors. Importantly salt content was NOT a statistically significant factor. Cardiac arrhythmia ASMR did not correlate with any dietary constituents reviewed. COVID ASMR was closely correlated with myocardial infarction ASMR risk factors (salt, % of fat and oils and total weight of purchase) and total fibre (g) was again a protective factor. Interestingly, the % of ready meals was a protective factor for COVID ASMR, possibly associated with cultural and ethnicity-related behaviours, with higher BAME communities less likely to purchase ready meals. Conclusions This unique dataset offers a Big Data insight into the relationship between diet and health but is limited by a lack of individual granularity and heterogenous intra-borough populations. This research offers a starting point to further exploring in-depth food purchasing habits with healthcare outcomes, and further partnership in the future may unlock this.

Survey on fatty acid profiles of retail pasteurised cow’s milk and cow’s yogurt in Bulgaria

Assessing the consumer’s awareness of the diet-health relationship, this study presents the fatty acid composition of cow’s milk available on Bulgarian market. Over a 5-year period, 100 samples of pasteurised cow’s milk and 135 samples cow’s yogurt were analysed by gas chromatography (ISO 15885:2002). The saturated fatty acids predominated - average amount 70.1% for milk and 71.1% for yogurt. The unsaturated fatty acids proportions were 29.9% and 28.9% respectively. Seasonal variations in the fatty acid composition of milk were detected, due to feeding practices. Non-milk fat was identified in 5 yogurt samples, while all pasteurised milk samples were not adulterated. This study provides the first scientific information for fatty acid composition of cow’s milk on Bulgarian market with respect to dietary intake estimation.

The plant-based diet, microbiome, and kidney health relationship

The plant-based diet, microbiome, and kidney health relationship

Integration of various dimensions in food-based dietary guidelines via mathematical approaches: report of a DGE/FENS Workshop in Bonn, Germany, 23-24 September 2019.

In the past, food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) were derived nearly exclusively by using systematic reviews on diet-health relationships and translating dietary reference values for nutrient intake into foods. This approach neglects many other implications that dietary recommendations have on society, the economy and environment. In view of pressing challenges, such as climate change and the rising burden of diet-related diseases, the simultaneous integration of evidence-based findings from different dimensions into FBDGs is required. Consequently, mathematical methods and data processing are evolving as powerful tools in nutritional sciences. The possibilities and reasons for the derivation of FBDGs via mathematical approaches were the subject of a joint workshop hosted by the German Nutrition Society (DGE) and the Federation of European Nutrition Societies (FENS) in September 2019 in Bonn, Germany. European scientists were invited to discuss and exchange on the topics of mathematical optimisation for the development of FBDGs and different approaches to integrate various dimensions into FBDGs. We concluded that mathematical optimisation is a suitable tool to formulate FBDGs finding trade-offs between conflicting goals and taking several dimensions into account. We identified a lack of evidence for the extent to which constraints and weights for different dimensions are set and the challenge to compile diverse data that suit the demands of optimisation models. We also found that individualisation via mathematical optimisation is one perspective of FBDGs to increase consumer acceptance, but the application of mathematical optimisation for population-based and individual FBDGs requires more experience and evaluation for further improvements.

A Phenotyping Platform to Characterize Healthy Individuals Across Four Stages of Life - The Enable Study.

Introduction: Nutritional habits and requirements are changing over the lifespan, but the dynamics of nutritional issues and the diet-health relationship in the major stages of the human life cycle are not sufficiently understood. A human phenotyping research platform for nutrition studies was established to recruit and phenotype selected population groups across different stages of life. The project is the backbone of the highly interdisciplinary enable competence cluster of nutrition research aiming to identify dietary determinants of a healthy life throughout the lifespan and to develop healthier and tasty convenience foods with high consumer acceptance.Methods: The phenotyping program included anthropometry, body composition analysis, assessment of energy metabolism, health and functional status, multisensory perception, metabolic phenotyping, lifestyle, sociodemography, chronobiology, and assessment of dietary intake including food preferences and aversions.Results: In total, 503 healthy volunteers at four defined phases of life including 3–5-year old children (n = 44), young adults aged 18–25 years (n = 94), adults aged 40–65 years (“middle agers,” n = 205), and older adults aged 75–85 years (n = 160) were recruited and comprehensively phenotyped. Plasma, serum, buffy coat, urine, feces and saliva samples were collected and stored at −80°C. Significant differences in anthropometric and metabolic parameters between the four groups were found. A major finding was the decrease in fat-free mass and the concomitant increase in % body fat in both sexes across the adult lifespan.Conclusions: The dataset will provide novel information on differences in diet-related parameters over the lifespan and is available for targeted analyses. We expect that this novel platform approach will have implications for the development of innovative food products tailored to promote healthy eating throughout life.Trial registration: DRKS, DRKS00009797. Registered on 20 January 2016, https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&_ID=DRKS00009797.

Characterization of Enriched Meat-Based Pâté Manufactured with Oleogels as Fat Substitutes.

Nowadays, one of the strongest factors affecting consumers’ choice at the moment of purchasing food products is their nutritional features. The population is increasingly aware of the diet–health relationship and they are opting for a healthy lifestyle. Concerns with the increasing number of heart-related diseases, which are associated to the consumption of fats, are placing the functional food market in a relevant growth position. Considering that, our goal was to develop, under semi-industrial processing conditions, a healthy meat-based spreadable product (pâté) with reduced fat content through replacement of pork fat by healthier structured oil. Beeswax was used to develop an edible oleogel based on linseed oil with a high content of linolenic acid. A decrease of the hardness and adhesivity was verified for pâtés with oleogel incorporation. Linseed oil inclusion was the main factor leading to an increase of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content in pâté samples. A decrease up to 90% in the n-6/n-3 (omega-6/omega-3) ratio can signify a better nutritional value of the obtained pâté samples, which can result in a possible upsurge in omega-3 bioavailability through digestion of these pâtés. This could be an interesting option for the consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, targeting, for example, the reduction of cardiovascular diseases.

An Approach for Examining the Impact of Food Group-Based Sources of Nutrients on Outcomes with Application to PUFAs and LDL in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes.

Traditionally, nutritional epidemiologists have utilized single nutrient or dietary pattern approaches to examine diet-health relationships. However, the former ignores that nutrients are consumed from foods within dietary patterns, and, conversely, dietary patterns may provide little information on mechanisms of action. Substitution provides a framework for estimating diet-health relationships while holding some nutrient intakes constant. We examined substitution effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the SEARCH Nutrition Ancillary Study in the context of food group source. PUFAs were calculated from fatty acids 18:3, 20:5, and 22:6 (n-3), and 18:2 and 20:4 (n-6) from a food frequency questionnaire, quantified by food group. Models were adjusted for other fat intake, carbohydrates, protein, age, race, gender, and diabetes duration. Participants (n = 1441) were 14 years old on average, 51% female, with type 1 diabetes for 3.6 years. Mean intake of PUFAs was 14.9 g/day, and the highest PUFA sources were nonsolid fats, nuts, grains, red/processed meats, sweets/desserts, and high-fat chicken. PUFAs from nuts were inversely associated with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) (p = 0.03) and PUFAs from high-fat chicken were positively associated with LDL (p < 0.01). Substituting nuts for chicken was associated with −7.4 mg/dL in LDL. These findings illustrate the importance of considering food group-based sources of nutrients when examining diet-health relationships.

Molecular annotation of food – Towards personalized diet and precision health

BackgroundPersonalized diet requires matching human genotypic and phenotypic features to foods that increase the chance of achieving a desired physiological health outcome. New insights and technologies will help to decipher the intricacies of diet-health relationships and create opportunities for breakthroughs in dietary interventions for personal health management. Scope and approachThis article describes the scientific progress towards personalized diet and points out the need for integrating high-quality data on food. A framework for molecular annotation of food is presented, focusing on what aspects should be measured and how these measures relate to health. Strategies of applying trending technologies to improve personalized diet and health are discussed, highlighting challenges and opportunities for transforming data into insights and actions. Key findings and conclusionsThe goal of personalized diet is to enable individuals and caregivers to make informed dietary decisions for targeted health management. Achieving this goal requires a better understanding of how molecular properties of food influence individual eating behavior and health outcomes. Annotating food at a molecular level encompasses characterizing its chemical composition and modifications, physicochemical structure, and biological properties. Features of molecular properties in the food annotation framework are applicable to varied conditions and processes from raw materials to meals. Applications of trending technologies, such as omics techniques, wearable biosensors, and artificial intelligence, will support data collection, data analytics, and personalized dietary actions for targeted health management.

Nutritional composition of processed baby foods targeted at infants from 0–12 months

In the last decade, there has been an increasing demand for ready-to-eat infant meals in Spain. However, the used food composition databases do not include processed products intended for infants under 12 months of age. Thus, we aimed at the creation of a food composition table including these products. Nutritional composition data were collected from the label of 568 products including infant formula, cereal products and complementary foods (mixed puree or snacks and desserts); additionally, breast-milk (11 preterm and term samples) nutritional composition were estimated from scientific publications available to date. Information was compiled into a table available in “open access” at the website http://ucc.uniovi.es/formacioncientifica/recursosinv including information about 53 dietary components of infant formula, 28 for breast milk, 30 for cereal products and 14 for complementary foods. The infant formula´s composition from 0 to 6 months were found similar to the values reported for mature breast milk (10–12 weeks) but different from breast milk from 1 to 4 weeks. One serving of cereals has been found to satisfy more than the 50% of the DRI for protein and carbohydrates. This information constitutes an essential step in order to understand the diet-health relationships in the early stages of life in the Spanish population.

Metabolomics and Microbiomes as Potential Tools to Evaluate the Effects of the Mediterranean Diet.

The approach to studying diet–health relationships has progressively shifted from individual dietary components to overall dietary patterns that affect the interaction and balance of low-molecular-weight metabolites (metabolome) and host-enteric microbial ecology (microbiome). Even though the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has been recognized as a powerful strategy to improve health, the accurate assessment of exposure to the MedDiet has been a major challenge in epidemiological and clinical studies. Interestingly, while the effects of individual dietary components on the metabolome have been described, studies investigating metabolomic profiles in response to overall dietary patterns (including the MedDiet), although limited, have been gaining attention. Similarly, the beneficial effects of the MedDiet on cardiometabolic outcomes may be mediated through gut microbial changes. Accumulating evidence linking food ingestion and enteric microbiome alterations merits the evaluation of the microbiome-mediated effects of the MedDiet on metabolic pathways implicated in disease. In this narrative review, we aimed to summarize the current evidence from observational and clinical trials involving the MedDiet by (1) assessing changes in the metabolome and microbiome for the measurement of diet pattern adherence and (2) assessing health outcomes related to the MedDiet through alterations to human metabolomics and/or the microbiome.

Government Dietary Guidelines: Uncertain Science Leads to Questionable Public Health Policy

The US Department of Agriculture has issued dietary recommendations for more than a century, and during that period the health, longevity, and nutritional status of Americans improved markedly. Before the release of the first Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) in 1980, the recommendations were based on rigorous science and simply offered general information on choosing foods and beverages to prevent deficiencies and maintain health. Yet with each subsequent version, the DGA became increasingly complex, prescriptive, and nutrient-focused (as opposed to food-based) despite an ever-increasing uncertainty and lack of credibility in the supporting evidence. This review examines the historical record of the development of the DGA and demonstrates that current recommendations were based on biased, implausible anecdotal evidence and that rigorous contrary research and the diversity of expert opinions on diet–health relationships were ignored. It concludes with an examination of the unintended negative public health consequences of founding policy on uncertain science.