Early Dietary Patterns Research Articles

The Relationship between Plant-Based Diet Indices and Sleep Health in Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety.

The goal of our research was to determine the effects of plant-based dietary patterns on sleep health among older adults and to examine the parallel mediated effects of anxiety and depression. This investigation utilized data obtained from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and contained 6853 participants. Logistic regression and the restricted cubic splines (RCSs) model were employed to examine how plant-based dietary patterns affect sleep health. Additionally, Amos 26.0 was used to construct a structural equation model to examine the parallel mediated effects of anxiety and depression. A higher plant-based diet index (PDI) was connected to higher odds of better sleep quality (OR = 1.209, 95% CI: 1.039-1.407) and sleep duration (OR = 1.241, 95% CI: 1.072-1.437). Conversely, an elevated unhealthy plant-based diet index (uPDI) was correlated with a lower likelihood of sleep quality (OR = 0.678, 95% CI: 0.574-0.800) and sleep duration (OR = 0.762, 95% CI: 0.647-0.896). The RCSs regression further identified a significant dose-response relationship. Mediation analysis confirmed that anxiety and depression partially mediate the relationship between plant-based diets and sleep health. Our study exhibited significant correlations between plant-based diets and sleep health in the elderly. Depression and anxiety were determined as parallel mediators between plant-based diets and sleep health. Controlling early dietary patterns and affective disorder could help improve sleep quality in older adults.

Longevity extension in rats via improved redox homeostasis with high carbohydrate diet intervention from weaning to adulthood: a comprehensive multi-omics study.

Early dietary patterns potentially influence the health status and lifespan throughout adulthood and the entire lifespan. However, dietary behaviors are difficult for everyone to control during adolescence. It is even more important to study the effects of interventions of early dietary patterns on the lifespan under arbitrary feeding conditions. The research involves observing the survival status and lifespan of rats from weaning to adulthood with three different dietary patterns (a high-carbohydrate diet (HC), a high-protein diet (HP), and a high-fat diet (HF)) under ad libitum feeding conditions. The administration of high-carbohydrate diets leads to a significant extension of both median and maximum survival times (P < 0.05) in Wistar rats. Furthermore, it markedly enhanced the spatial memory capacity, mitigated the occurrence of liver and kidney pathological outcomes in elderly rats, and increased the abundance of gut microbiota improving amino acid metabolism. Additionally, feeding rats a high-carbohydrate diet improved glutathione (GSH) synthesis and recycling and activated the expression and upregulation of the lifespan-related proteins Foxo3a/Sirt3 and the key metabolic enzyme GPX-4. The high-carbohydrate diet from weaning to adulthood may potentially extend the lifespan by enhancing rat systemic glutathione synthesis, recycling, and improving the redox state pathway.

The Association between Plant-Based Diet Indices and Metabolic Syndrome in Chinese Adults: Longitudinal Analyses from the China Health and Nutrition Survey.

To investigate the association between a plant-based diet and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Chinese adults. Based on the data from the 2004-2015 China Health and Nutrition Survey and the corresponding edition of China Food Composition, we calculated the healthy plant-based diet indices (hPDI) and unhealthy plant-based diet indices (uPDI). The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for MetS. Mediation analysis was further conducted to explore the mediator role of Body Mass Index (BMI) in the association between hPDI and MetS. We included 10,013 participants, and over a median follow-up of 5 years, 961 patients (9.60%) developed MetS. Compared to those in the lowest quintile of hPDI score, we found that those in the highest quintile of hPDI score had a 28% lower ([HR]: 0.72, 95% CI 0.56-0.93, Ptrend = 0.021) risk of developing MetS and had a 20% lower (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.80, 95% CI 0.70-0.92, Ptrend = 0.004) risk of developing abdominal obesity. No significant associations were observed between uPDI and the MetS, but those in the highest quintile of uPDI score had a 36% higher (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.36, 95% CI 1.20-1.64, Ptrend < 0.001) risk of developing abdominal obesity, compared to those in the lowest quintile of uPDI score. In exploratory analysis, we observed that BMI at baseline mediated 27.8% of the association between hPDI and incident MetS, and BMI at baseline mediated 29.7% of the association between hPDI and abdominal obesity. The current findings reveal a possible causal relationship between a healthy plant-based diet and a reduced risk of MetS, especially abdominal obesity. It is observed that BMI may mediate the relationship between hPDI score and MetS. Controlling early dietary patterns and BMI may help reduce the risk of MetS.

WIC and non-WIC Infants and Children Differ in Usage of Some WIC-Provided Foods

BackgroundUSDA's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides expert-chosen supplemental foods to improve the diets and health of low-income infants and children <5 y of age, but dietary behaviors of WIC participants are not well characterized. ObjectiveThe purpose of this analysis was to examine differences in food consumption patterns between WIC participants and nonparticipants. MethodsFITS 2016 is a nationwide cross-sectional study of children <4 y (n = 3235). Data were weighted to provide US population–representative results. Children were categorized as WIC participants or nonparticipants, with the latter divided into lower- and higher-income nonparticipants. Group differences were assessed via the Wald test (demographics) and Rao-Scott modified chi-square test (breastfeeding prevalence). Differences in percentage consuming WIC-provided and selected other foods between WIC participants and nonparticipants were evaluated with the use of ORs and 95% CIs. ResultsWIC infants were less likely to breastfeed than were higher-income nonparticipants at 0–5.9 mo (45% compared with 74%) and less likely than both nonparticipant groups at 6–11.9 mo (30% compared with 49–60%). WIC 6- to 11.9-mo-olds were more likely to consume infant cereals and vegetables than were lower-income nonparticipants. WIC 12 to 23.9-mo-olds were more likely to drink whole milk (which WIC provides at this age) than were nonparticipants (72% compared with 59–64%), whereas WIC participants 24–47.9 mo were more likely to drink low- and nonfat milks (which WIC provides at this age) than were nonparticipants (45% compared with 13–22%). WIC participants 6–47.9 mo were more likely to drink juice than were nonparticipants. ConclusionsContinued improvements in early dietary patterns are warranted for WIC and non-WIC children. Breastfeeding among WIC participants is a continuing challenge. Findings suggest that baby-food cereals, vegetables, and fruits (all provided by WIC) contribute importantly to WIC infants’ diets, whereas WIC children are more likely to use lower-fat milks after 2 y of age than are non-WIC participants.

Early Dietary Patterns and Microbiota Development: Still a Way to Go from Descriptive Interactions to Health-Relevant Solutions.

Early nutrition and growth in the initial years of life are important determinants of later body weight and metabolic health in humans, and the current epidemic of obesity involving children requires a better understanding of causal and protective mechanisms and components in infant foods. This review focuses on recent evidence implicating feeding modes (e.g., breast milk and formula milk) and dietary transitions toward complementary foods in the progression of microbiota maturation in children. The literature exploring body weight outcomes of microbiota changes induced by diet in early life is limited. Representative studies addressing the use of probiotics in pregnant women and infants are also examined. Methodological and geo-cultural variations make it difficult to avoid (apparently) controversial findings. Most studies indicate differences in the microbiota of formula versus breastfed infants, but some do not. Duration of breastfeeding delays the maturation of the microbiota toward an adult-like profile. However, the effect size of the early feeding pattern on microbial function was found to be very small, and absent after the third year of life. There are several interesting mediators whereby milk composition can affect infants’ microbiota and their optimization is a desirable strategy for prevention. But prevention of what? Although there are few correlative evaluations relating microbiota and body weight in early life, studies demonstrating a cause–effect relationship between diet-induced changes in early microbiota development and subsequent metabolic health outcomes in humans are still missing.

Dietary Patterns Among Children Birth to 23 Months of Age, NHANES 2009-2014

Early dietary patterns can have long-term health consequences. This study describes the dietary patterns among US children < 2 years and consistency with current recommendations including breastfeeding and foods/drinks to encourage or limit. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2014. The proportion of children ≤ 23 months who consumed different food groups and liquids/beverages on any given day by age and race/Hispanic origin were estimated. Among children < 6 months, 42.9% [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 37.0%, 49.1%] consumed breast milk; 70.5% (95% CI: 64.9%, 75.6%) formula; and 21.1% (95% CI: 17.1%, 25.8%) grains on a given day. More than half of children 6 to 11 months (57.4%, 95% CI: 52.0%, 62.6%) consumed a vegetable; whereas, less than half of children in the second year of life did. Compared to children 6 to 11 months, the proportion in the second year of life consuming snacks and sweets more than quadrupled (∼13% vs. ∼60%). Among children ≥ 6 months, non-Hispanic whites were less likely to consume fruits and vegetable and more likely to consume 100% juice and sugar sweetened beverages than non-Hispanic black and Hispanic children. Dietary patterns among children < 2 years differed by age and race/Hispanic origin. Programs and policies could impact the dietary patterns of young children by providing support for mothers to breastfeed as well as ensuring consistent messages from pediatricians and other nutrition support programs on issues like timing of food introduction, important first foods, and food groups to encourage.

INSIGHT Study Parenting Intervention to Prevent Childhood Obesity Improves Patterns of Dietary Exposures in Infants

Composition of the infant diet changes rapidly throughout the first year of life, and caregiver decisions on when to introduce foods and what to feed an infant vary. Early dietary patterns have been associated with differing risk for obesity as well as food preferences and intake later in childhood. The objectives of this analysis were to 1) identify patterns of milk and complementary feeding among 40 week old infants participating in the INSIGHT study, an ongoing randomized, controlled trial designed to prevent childhood obesity, and 2) determine whether infants in the parenting intervention group consumed a wider variety of age‐appropriate, nutrient dense foods than control infants. Primiparous mother‐newborn dyads (n=291) were randomized to parenting intervention or a safety control group 2 weeks after birth. The parenting curriculum, built around a framework of responsive parenting in the domains of feeding, sleep, emotional/social regulation, and active social play, or a child safety control curriculum, was delivered at nurse home visits at 3, 16, 28, and 40 weeks after birth. Feeding guidance included messaging on responsive feeding, delayed introduction of solids, repeated exposure to novel foods, and age‐appropriate foods and portion sizes. Infant dietary intake was assessed by food frequency questionnaire at 40 weeks. Latent class analysis was used to identify patterns of dietary exposure encompassing both milk feeding type (formula vs. breast) and solid foods at 40 weeks. Dietary pattern class membership at 40 weeks was used to predict child weight outcomes measured at 1 year. Similar to previous work, five distinct patterns of dietary exposures were identified: 1) “Breastfed, Fruits and Vegetables (BFV)”, 2) “Breastfed, Low Variety (BLV)”, 3) “Formula, Fruits and Vegetables (FFV)”, 4) “Formula, Low Variety (FLV)”, and 5) “Formula, High Energy Density (FHED)”. Class membership probabilities differed between the control and parenting groups (p=0.002). A greater percentage of infants in the parenting group than control were predicted to be in the BFV and FFV classes (60.5% vs 38.5%, p=0.0004), classes characterized by higher fruit and vegetable intake and low intake of high energy‐dense foods. Among formula fed infants, a greater percentage of infants in the parenting group than control were predicted to be in the FFV class rather than the FLV or FHED classes (47.5% vs 19.0% of formula fed infants, p=0.0001). At 1 year, children in the FLV class had significantly higher average weight‐for‐length percentile than those in the BFV class (p=0.04). These results suggest that the parenting intervention improved patterns of dietary intake in 40 week‐old infants, particularly those being fed formula, by increasing fruit and vegetable intake, which may reduce later risk of obesity.Support or Funding InformationNIDDK R01DK088244 and The Childhood Obesity Training Grant #2011‐67001‐30117 from USDA

Food Sources of Total Energy, Total Sugars and Added Sugars Among Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers Living in Mexico: Findings from the 2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey

Excessive usual energy intakes (total energy intake &gt; 1.5SD above the estimated average energy requirement) have been reported for Mexican infants (14%), toddlers (33%), and preschoolers (14%). The consumption of energy dense, nutrient‐poor foods and beverages already begins in infancy and increases rapidly through age 3 years. To further understand the dietary intakes of young Mexican children, the food sources of total energy and sugars were examined, using data from a nationally representative sample of children ages 0–47.9 months (m) (n=2057) from the 2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT 2012). Dietary intake data from a single, proxy‐reported 24‐hour dietary recall for each child was assessed in infants 0–11 months (m) (n=411), toddlers 12–23m (n=538) and preschoolers 24–47m (n=1108). Per capita percentage contributions to intakes of total energy (TE), total sugars (TS), and added sugars (AS) were calculated for 1) major food groups (milks, grains, fruits, vegetables, meat/proteins, mixed dishes, sweets and sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSB)) and 2) specific foods and beverages. Overall, trends in major food group sources of TE and TS from ages 0–47m showed a decrease in the contribution of milks (from ~96 to 13%) and an increase in the contribution of sweets and SSB (from ~2 to 26%). Sweets and SSB contributed more than half of the AS intake during infancy (~54–66%) and increased to more than two thirds of AS intake among toddlers and preschoolers (~66–70%). Overall, the leading sources of TE and TS among infants were breast milk, infant formula, and also cow's milk in ages 6–11m; the top sources of AS were cookies, yogurt, sugar‐sweetened tea/coffee, fruit flavored drinks, and ice cream. Compared to infants, the diets of toddlers and preschoolers were more diverse. The major sources of TE were cow's milk, tortillas, soups, stews, egg dishes (mixed dishes), and sweetened breads. Cow's milk, fresh fruit, sugar‐sweetened tea/coffee and carbonated sodas were major contributors of TS. Overall, three to four of the top five food sources of AS were sweets and SSB contributing ~38% of total intake of AS for toddlers and ~30% for preschoolers. Yogurt and cow's milk were also among the top sources of AS, but unlike sweets and SBB, these foods provide key nutrients for young children and are major food sources of calcium and vitamin D in Mexican toddlers and preschoolers. These findings provide important insights into the consumption patterns of sweets and SSB and the key dietary sources contributing to intakes of energy and sugars. Understanding the dietary sources of energy and nutrients is critical in influencing the development of early dietary patterns and improving the diets and long term health of young Mexican children.Support or Funding InformationFunded by Nestlé Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Early diet quality in a longitudinal study of Australian children: associations with nutrition and body mass index later in childhood and adolescence.

Obesity has origins extending to antenatal and early postnatal periods; however, the relationship between early postnatal diet and subsequent obesity is not well defined. The aims of this study were to determine whether early childhood dietary quality was associated with (a) infant and adolescent nutrition and (b) body mass index (BMI) in childhood and adolescence. The degree to which early nutrition and growth factors determine BMI throughout childhood and adolescence was also explored. This research was conducted using the Raine Study, a longitudinal survey of Australian children assessed from mid-gestation to 17 years of age. A dietary quality index, the Raine Eating Assessment in Toddler score, was assigned to 2562 participants to assess early nutrition. Linear regression determined that breastfeeding was associated with dietary quality at 1-3 years. Dietary elements at 14 years of age were related to earlier dietary quality. There were no consistent associations between early diet and BMI at 3, 5, 8, 10, 14 or 17 years. In contrast, birth weight and infant weight gain were significantly associated with BMI at these ages. This study suggests that early dietary patterns are associated with aspects of diet in adolescence, likely reflecting the influence of maternal reporting. Birth weight and early growth appear to be more important determinants of adolescent BMI than early diet and nutrition. While optimizing early diet by maternal nutritional education has potential to influence later nutrition, interventions focussing on early weight gain may have a greater impact on the obesity epidemic.

Índice de masa corporal y tensión arterial al año de edad según peso al nacer, ganancia de peso y patrones de alimentación temprana

Abnormal early growth patterns have been associated with overweight and other related diseases along the life course.To analyze the association between changes in growth patterns and nutrition status during the second semester of life and blood pressure (BP), according to weight for gestational age (GE), and early dietary patterns, in a sample of healthy children.Prospective study from a sample of healthy children followed between 6-12 months of age, between 10/07 and 3/08 at Hospital P. Elizalde. Gender, weight and gestational age at birth, weight, height and body mass index (BMI, WHO ref.) at 6, 9 and 12 months, length of breastfeeding, and blood pressure (BP) at 12 months of age were assessed.One hundred twenty infants were follow- up. Variation in standardized BMI between 6-12 months of age is the main predictor of BMI at 12 months of age (R2 0.12; Coef b 0.34; error estándar 0.11; p 0.006). The interaction term between length of breastfeeding and small for gestational age is the main predictor of changes in BMI between 6-12 months of age (R2 0.11; Coef b -0.15; error estándar 0.04, p < 0.001). Each standardized unit increment in BMI implies an increase of 1.76 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure at one year.Length of gestation, birth weight and early feeding patterns are associated with weight gain during the first year of life, which is linked at the same time to BMI and BP. The positive change in BMI was associated with shorter duration of breastfeeding and this in turn to higher blood pressure at one year.

Influences on the quality of young children's diets: the importance of maternal food choices

It is recognised that eating habits established in early childhood may track into adult life. Developing effective interventions to promote healthier patterns of eating throughout the life course requires a greater understanding of the diets of young children and the factors that influence early dietary patterns. In a longitudinal UK cohort study, we assessed the diets of 1640 children at age 3 years using an interviewer-administered FFQ and examined the influence of maternal and family factors on the quality of the children's diets. To describe dietary quality, we used a principal components analysis-defined pattern of foods that is consistent with healthy eating recommendations. This was termed a 'prudent' diet pattern and was characterised by high intakes of fruit, vegetables and wholemeal bread, but by low intakes of white bread, confectionery, chips and roast potatoes. The key influence on the quality of the children's diets was the quality of their mother's diets; alone it accounted for almost a third of the variance in child's dietary quality. Mothers who had better-quality diets, which complied with dietary recommendations, were more likely to have children with comparable diets. This relationship remained strong even after adjustment for all other factors considered, including maternal educational attainment, BMI and smoking, and the child's birth order and the time spent watching television. Our data provide strong evidence of shared family patterns of diet and suggest that interventions to improve the quality of young women's diets could be effective in improving the quality of their children's diets.

The petrous bone—A new sampling site for identifying early dietary patterns in stable isotopic studies

Intraskeletal variation in the composition of carbon (delta(13)C) and nitrogen (delta(15)N) stable isotopes measured in collagen is tested from various human bones and dentine. Samples were taken from the femur, rib, and petrous part of the temporal bone from well-preserved skeletons of both adults (n = 34) and subadults (n = 24). Additional samples of dentine from the root of 1st molars were taken from 16 individuals. The skeletal material is from a medieval cemetery (AD 1200-1573) in Holbaek, Denmark. Our results indicate that the petrous bone has an isotopic signal that differs significantly from that of femur and rib within the single skeleton (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively), with only minor variation seen between femur and rib. On the other hand, there was no significant difference between the petrous bone and the 1st molar. The intraskeletal variation may reflect differences in turnover rate among skeletal elements. The inner periosteal layer of the petrous bone is formed in uterus and does not undergo any further remodelling after the age of 2 years, whereas the rib and femur have a continuous turnover rate of approximately 5 and 10-20 years, respectively. From the results of this study it is believed the petrous bone may be a new useful bone element and a supplement or a proxy for teeth in the analysis of early dietary patterns as it may reflect diet in fetal stages and early years of life.

Early Childhood Diet, Overweight, and Cardiovascular Risk

Early Childhood Diet, Overweight, and Cardiovascular Risk

American food habits in historical perspective

Preface Humans, Nutrition, and Survival The Search for Food Early Dietary Patterns Dietary Patterns from Columbian Times through the American Revolution American Food Habits: The New Republic through the 19th Century American Food Habits: The Twentieth Century Understanding Food Habits Food and Ideology American Food: A Characterization The American Diet: An Assessment and Prognosis Bibliography Index