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- Coyle, Daisy, et al.
(author)
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Estimating the potential impact of Australia's reformulation programme on households' sodium purchases.
- 2021
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In: BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2516-5542. ; 4:1, s. 49-58
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: On average, Australian adults consume 3500 mg sodium per day, almost twice the recommended maximum level of intake. The Australian government through the Healthy Food Partnership initiative has developed a voluntary reformulation programme with sodium targets for 27 food categories. We estimated the potential impact of this programme on household sodium purchases (mg/day per capita) and examined potential differences by income level. We also modelled and compared the effects of applying the existing UK reformulation programme targets in Australia.Methods: This study used 1 year of grocery purchase data (2018) from a nationally representative consumer panel of Australian households (Nielsen Homescan) that was linked with a packaged food and beverage database (FoodSwitch) that contains product-specific sodium information. Potential reductions in per capita sodium purchases were calculated and differences across income level were assessed by analysis of variance. All analyses were modelled to the Australian population in 2018.Results: A total of 7188 households were included in the analyses. The Healthy Food Partnership targets covered 4307/26 728 (16.1%) unique products, which represented 22.3% of all packaged foods purchased by Australian households in 2018. Under the scenario that food manufacturers complied completely with the targets, sodium purchases will be reduced by 50 mg/day per capita, equivalent to 3.5% of sodium currently purchased from packaged foods. Reductions will be greater in low-income households compared with high-income households (mean difference -7 mg/day, 95% CI -4 to -11 mg/day, p<0.001). If Australia had adopted the UK sodium targets, this would have covered 9927 unique products, resulting in a reduction in per capita sodium purchases by 110 mg/day.Conclusion: The Healthy Food Partnership reformulation programme is estimated to result in a very small reduction to sodium purchases. There are opportunities to improve the programme considerably through greater coverage and more stringent targets.
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| 2. |
- Gennings, C., et al.
(author)
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Contrasting prenatal nutrition and environmental exposures in association with birth weight and cognitive function in children at 7 years
- 2020
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In: BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2516-5542. ; 3:2, s. 162-171
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Good nutrition is essential for individual health, a notion that is particularly true during pregnancy. We have used a nutrition index that measures the adequacy of one's diet relative to the unique nutritional needs of individuals due to, for example, their activity level, dietary restrictions, lifestyle and body size. The use of this personalised metric of dietary nutritiousness in the analysis of prenatal environmental exposures and developmental outcomes permits testing for potential mitigating effects of good nutrition. We also provide an analysis strategy for investigating the balance in beneficial food sources which are also the source of environmental toxicants. Methods A holistic measure of nutrition, My Nutrition Index (MNI), measures the nutrient quality (ie, 'nutritiousness') of a specified daily diet. MNI is calculated based on quantification of dozens of macronutrients and micronutrients that are specific to an individual's nutritional needs by incorporating dietary restrictions, subject characteristics, activity level and health behaviours. The Swedish Environmental, Longitudinal, Mother and child, Asthma and allergy Study is a Swedish pregnancy cohort, with prenatal endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) exposure and dietary data available. This makes it possible to test for the potential mitigating effects of good nutrition on health and development effects in offspring from EDCs. Results Using prenatal Food Frequency Questionnaire data to construct an individual's MNI, the index was significantly and positively associated with important metabolic outcome (as measured by birth weight) and cognitive function at age 7 years (as measured by WISC IQ) in children when adjusted for covariates and prenatal concentrations of an EDC. In a stratified analysis of 'low' and 'high' fish consumption, a potential source of perfluoro-octanesulfonic acid (PFOS), the association between PFOS and birth weight was diminished in the high consumption group compared with the low consumption group. Conclusions Thus, MNI is evidently a metric of the general nutritiousness of daily diets and is useful in environmental health studies in representing the impact of good nutrition, even during pregnancy.
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| 3. |
- Louca, Panayiotis, et al.
(author)
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Modest effects of dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic : Insights from 445 850 users of the COVID-19 Symptom Study app
- 2021
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In: BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health. - : BMJ. - 2516-5542. ; 4:1, s. 149-157
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives Dietary supplements may ameliorate SARS-CoV-2 infection, although scientific evidence to support such a role is lacking. We investigated whether users of the COVID-19 Symptom Study app who regularly took dietary supplements were less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Design App-based community survey. Setting 445 850 subscribers of an app that was launched to enable self-reported information related to SARS-CoV-2 infection for use in the general population in the UK (n=372 720), the USA (n=45 757) and Sweden (n=27 373). Main exposure Self-reported regular dietary supplement usage (constant use during previous 3 months) in the first waves of the pandemic up to 31 July 2020. Main outcome measures SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by viral RNA reverse transcriptase PCR test or serology test before 31 July 2020. Results In 372 720 UK participants (175 652 supplement users and 197 068 non-users), those taking probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins or vitamin D had a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection by 14% (95% CI (8% to 19%)), 12% (95% CI (8% to 16%)), 13% (95% CI (10% to 16%)) and 9% (95% CI (6% to 12%)), respectively, after adjusting for potential confounders. No effect was observed for those taking vitamin C, zinc or garlic supplements. On stratification by sex, age and body mass index (BMI), the protective associations in individuals taking probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins and vitamin D were observed in females across all ages and BMI groups, but were not seen in men. The same overall pattern of association was observed in both the US and Swedish cohorts. Conclusion In women, we observed a modest but significant association between use of probiotics, omega-3 fatty acid, multivitamin or vitamin D supplements and lower risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. We found no clear benefits for men nor any effect of vitamin C, garlic or zinc. Randomised controlled trials are required to confirm these observational findings before any therapeutic recommendations can be made.
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| 4. |
- West, Christina E.
(author)
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Impact of the environment on gut microbiome and allergy
- 2023
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In: BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2516-5542. ; 6:Suppl 3, s. S30-S37
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rapid urbanisation and global biodiversity loss are changing human microbial ecology, which is accelerated by the progressive loss of protective factors for example, contact with natural environments and animals, and less consumption of traditional foods. Early life represents a critical window both for optimal colonisation and immune system development. The frequency of caesarean section (CS) delivery is high and increasing in many parts of the world, and there is strong evidence that CS delivery has a marked influence on early colonisation, with depletion of strains of commensal bacteria. Colonisation of human ecological niches, particularly the gastrointestinal tract, parallels normal local and systemic immune development. CS delivery has been associated with increased risk of allergic diseases and there is emerging evidence that this is mediated by alterations of the microbiome. Small proof-of-concept studies have demonstrated that transfer of maternal vaginal microbes directly after elective CS delivery partially restores the offspring microbiome but transfer of maternal faecal microbes is needed for restoration of the offspring gut microbiome. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) using microbiome seeding after CS delivery are underway and are anticipated to unravel if this procedure will impact microbial, immunological and metabolic programming, and decrease allergy risk. RCTs using prebiotics and probiotics for primary prevention of allergic diseases (primarily eczema) have been conducted, but large heterogeneity between studies have hampered meta-analysis and the development of specific practice guidelines. In the first RCT to test the biodiversity hypothesis, exposure to playground sand with added microbially diverse soil, led to shifts in the skin and gut bacterial communities and increases in immunoregulatory biomarkers compared with exposure to microbially poor sand (placebo). Collectively, appropriate health-supporting microbial exposures by optimised nutrition and a microbially diverse environment in early life may curb the epidemic rise in allergic diseases, however, considerably more research is needed before this can be translated into specific practice guidelines.
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