Nutrition Policy

Few school-age youth consume the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, and increasing fruit and vegetable intake in children and adolescents is an important public health goal to maintain long-term good health and to decrease risk of chronic disease and obesity. School salad bars are an important tool to promote fruit and vegetable consumption among schoolchildren. Studies show that introduction of school salad bars increases the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables consumed by children in schools. However, many schools cannot afford the capital investment in the salad bar equipment. In 2010, the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance (NFVA), United Fresh Produce Association Foundation, the Food Family Farming Foundation, and Whole Foods Market launched Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools (LMSB2S) in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative. The goal of LMSB2S is to place 6000 salad bars in schools over 3 years. As of June, 2012, over 1400 new salad bar...

Undernutrition in early childhood has long-term physical and intellectual consequences. Improving child growth should start before the age of two years and be an integrated effort between all sectors, covering all aspects such as diet and nutrient intake, disease reduction, optimum child care, and improved environmental sanitation. To discuss these issues, the Indonesian Danone Institute Foundation organized an expert meeting on Child Growth and Micronutrient Deficiencies: New Initiatives for Developing Countries to Achieve Millennium Development Goals. The objective of the meeting was to have a retrospective view on child growth: lessons learned from programs to overcome under-nutrition in the developed countries and to relate the situation to the Indonesian context, as well as to discuss implications for future programs. Recommendations derived from the meeting include focus intervention on the window of opportunity group, re-activation of the Integrated Health Post at the village...

Background and Objective: One of the most important attempts in crisis is the nutrition management of affected people during and following the disaster. In March 2019, floods occurred in towns and villages on the outskirts of the Gorganrood River in Golestan province, northern Iran. This study conducted to explain the challenges of nutrition management in the flood crisis of Golestan province.
Methods: In this qualitative study, 31 people affected by floods, urban and provincial managers and experts involved in crisis management were selected by purposive sampling method. Data were collected using an interview guide and semi-structured in-depth interviews. Data were recorded and transcribed and analyzed using the content analysis method and Atlas.ti 8 software.
Results: The managerial challenges included planning, organization, coordination, control, and evaluation. The executive challenges contained food preparation, food distribution, and monitoring. The other challenges included political, economic, cultural, and ecological challenges.
Conclusion: Most of the respondents emphasized the irregularity and confusion in nutrition management during the flood and considered it as a result of managerial challenges, executive challenges, political, economic, cultural and ecological challenges.
Keywords: Floods [MeSH], Disasters [MeSH], Nutrition Policy [MeSH],

Background The global burden of non-communicable diseases partly reflects growing exposure to ultraprocessed food products (UPPs). These heavily marketed UPPs are cheap and convenient for consumers and profitable for manufacturers, but contain high levels of salt, fat and sugars. This study aimed to explore the potential mortality reduction associated with future policies for substantially reducing ultra-processed food intake in the UK. Methods and Findings We obtained data from the UK Living Cost and Food Survey and from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. By the NOVA food typology, all food items were categorized into three groups according to the extent of food processing: Group 1 describes unprocessed/minimally processed foods. Group 2 comprises processed culinary ingredients. Group 3 includes all processed or ultra-processed products. Using UK nutrient conversion tables, we estimated the energy and nutrient profile of each food group. We then used the IMPACT Food Policy model to estimate reductions in cardiovascular mortality from improved nutrient intakes reflecting shifts from processed or ultra-processed to unprocessed/minimally processed foods. We then conducted probabilistic sensitivity analyses using Monte Carlo simulation. Results Approximately 175,000 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths might be expected in 2030 if current mortality patterns persist. However, halving the intake of Group 3 (processed) foods could result in approximately 22,055 fewer CVD related deaths in 2030 (minimum estimate

Objective: To describe supplement use practices among non-pregnant, non-lactating Mexican women (12-49 y) and estimate their impact on the proportion of women with intakes below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) and above the Upper Limit (UL) using data from a national probabilistic nutrition survey in Mexico (1999).

Protein is a macronutrient essential for growth, muscle function, immunity and overall tissue homeostasis. Suboptimal protein intake can significantly impact physical function and overall health in older adults. This article reviews the literature on the recommendations for protein intake in older adults in light of the new evidence linking protein intake with sarcopenia and physical function. Challenges and opportunities for optimal protein nutrition in older persons are discussed. Recent metabolic and epidemiological studies suggest that the current recommendations of protein intake may not be adequate for maintenance of physical function and optimal health in older adults. Methodological limitations and novel concepts in protein nutrition are also discussed. We conclude that new research and novel research methodologies are necessary to establish the protein needs and optimal patterns of protein intake for older persons.

Obesity has been characterized as a disease. Strategies to change the incidence and prevalence of this disease include a focus on changing physical and social environments, over and above individual-level strategies, using a multilevel or systems approach. We focus our attention on evidence published between 2008 and 2013 on the effectiveness of interventions in nutrition environments, i.e., environmental interventions designed to influence the intake of healthful foods and amount of energy consumed. An overarching socioecological framework that has guided much of this research was used to characterize different types of environmental strategies. Intervention examples in each area of the framework are provided with a discussion of key findings and related conceptual and methodological issues. The emphasis in this review is on adults, but clearly this literature is only one part of the picture. Much research has been focused on child-specific interventions, including environmental in...

Sedentary behaviors, like television viewing, are positively associated with overweight among young people. To monitor national health objectives for sedentary behaviors in young adolescents, this project developed and assessed the reliability and validity of a brief questionnaire to measure weekly television viewing, usual television viewing, and computer use by middle school children. Reliability arid validity of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) question on weekday television viewing also were examined. A briej five-item television and computer use questionnaire was completed twice by 245 middle school children with one week apart. To concurrently assess validity, students also completed television and computer use logs for seven days. Among all students, Spearman rorrelations for test-retest reliability for television viewing and computer use ranged from 0.55 to 0.68. Spearman correlations between the first questionnaire and the seven-day log produced the following results: YRBS question for weekday television viewing (0.46). weekend television viewing (0.37), average television viewing over the week (0.47), and computer use (0.39). Methods compurison analysis showed a mean difference (hoursheek) between answers to questionnaire items and the log of-0.04 (1.70 standard deviation [SO]) hours for weekday television,-0.21 (2.54 SO) for weekend television,-0.09 (1.75 SD),for average television over the week, and 0.68 (1.26 SD) for computer use. The YRBS weekday television viewing question, and the newly developed questions to assess weekend television viewing, average television viewing. and computer use, produced adequate reliability and validity for surveillance of middle school students.

B eslenme ve Kardiyovasküler Sağlık: 2015 Amerikan Diyet Kılavuzu Önerileri-Bu yıl yayımlanan Amerikan Diyet Kılavuzu önerileri, başta yağ ve kolesterol tüketimi olmak üzere beslenme ile ilgili tartışmaları alevlendirdi. Ülkemiz medyasında da oldukça ilgi gören bu kılavuz önerileri, titiz bir çalışma ile bilimsel verilere dayandırılarak hazırlanmasına rağmen maalesef "kolesterol aklandı", "yağlar zararsız" gibi söylemlere yol açtı. İnsanların aklında soru işaretleri oluşturan ve yanlış anlamalara yol açan bu çıkarsamalara en doğru yanıtın bilimsel temelde verilmesi gerektiği düşüncesiyle bu kılavuzu gözden geçirerek yorumumuzu paylaşmak istedik.

On October 25-27th 2010, a group of sports nutrition experts met at the International Olympic Committee's headquarters on beautiful Lake Geneva in Lausanne with a special task. Twice in earlier years (1991 and 2003), a similar project to develop a consensus statement on Nutrition for athletes had been undertaken, and the continued evolution of science and practice meant that it was time to produce an update to this official position statement. This activity had two interesting aspects: the outcome (how much has changed in our knowledge of sports nutrition since 2003?), and the process (how do you reach a "consensus" on a range of issues from the large group of scientists and practitioners who are vitally interested in them?).

Background: Valid and reliable measures are required to assess any effect of the food environment on individual dietary behavior, and form the foundation of research that may inform obesity-related policy. Although many methods of measuring the food environment exist, this area of research is still relatively new and there has been no systematic attempt to gather these measures, to compare and contrast them, or to report on their psychometric properties. Evidence acquisition: A structured literature search was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles published between January 1990 and August 2007 that measured the community-level food environment. These articles were categorized into the following environments: food stores, restaurants, schools, and worksites. The measurement strategies in these studies were categorized as instruments (checklists, market baskets, inventories, or interviews/ questionnaires) or methodologies (geographic, sales, menu, or nutrient analyses). Evidence synthesis: A total of 137 articles were identified that included measures of the food environment. Researchers focused on assessing the accessibility, availability, affordability, and quality of the food environment. The most frequently used measure overall was some form of geographic analysis. Eighteen of the 137 articles (13.1%) tested for any psychometric properties, including inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, and/or validity. Conclusions: A greater focus on testing for reliability and validity of measures of the food environment may increase rigor in research in this area. Robust measures of the food environment may strengthen research on the effects of the community-level food environment on individual dietary behavior, assist in the development and evaluation of interventions, and inform policymaking targeted at reducing the prevalence of obesity and improving diet.

The perceived association between dietary cholesterol (DC) and risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) has resulted in recommendations of no more than 300 mg/d for healthy persons in the United States. These dietary recommendations proposed in the 1960s had little scientific evidence other than the known association between saturated fat and cholesterol and animal studies where cholesterol was fed in amounts

The International Network for Food and Obesity/non-communicable diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) proposes to collect performance indicators on food policies, actions and environments related to obesity and non-communicable diseases. This paper reviews existing communications strategies used for performance indicators and proposes the approach to be taken for INFORMAS. Twenty-seven scoring and rating tools were identified in various fields of public health including alcohol, tobacco, physical activity, infant feeding and food environments. These were compared based on the types of indicators used and how they were quantified, scoring methods, presentation and the communication and reporting strategies used. There are several implications of these analyses for INFORMAS: the ratings/benchmarking approach is very commonly used, presumably because it is an effective way to communicate progress and stimulate action, although this has not been formally evaluated; the tools used must be trustworthy, pragmatic and policy-relevant; multiple channels of communication will be needed; communications need to be tailored and targeted to decision-makers; data and methods should be freely accessible. The proposed communications strategy for INFORMAS has been built around these lessons to ensure that INFORMAS's outputs have the greatest chance of being used to improve food environments.

Many studies of micronutrient supplementation in developing countries have used single-nutrient supplements with either vitamins or minerals. However, people in these countries often suffer from multiple, rather than single, micronutrient deficiencies. The objective of this paper is to discuss the factors that go into determining the adequate dosing of vitamins and/or minerals for people of different ages. To elaborate on the adequacy of micronutrient doses in supplements, a model described by the US FNB was used, which calculates the difference between the mean observed intake for an individual and the estimated average requirement for a life stage and gender group. This model allows estimating the degree of confidence that a certain nutrient intake (from supplements and diet) is adequate. The US/Canadian DRI values have been used as the basis for these calculations, from which it can be concluded that a daily supplement of one RDA of each micronutrient is adequate to cover the per...

Zinc fortification is recommended as an appropriate strategy to enhance population zinc status, but guidelines are needed on the appropriate types and levels of zinc fortification of cereal flours for mass fortification programs. To review available information on the scientific rationale, efficacy, and effectiveness of zinc fortification programs, and to develop guidelines on appropriate levels of fortification of cereal flours, based on simulations of the amount of zinc absorbed under different dietary conditions and information on possible adverse effects. Systematic review of scientific literature and application of an existing prediction equation to estimate zinc absorption. Previously completed research demonstrates that zinc intake and absorption are increased when zinc-fortified foods are consumed, but little information is, as yet, available on the biologic impact of large-scale fortification programs. Studies suggest that there are no disadvantages of the recommended range...

During the past few decades numerous studies have reported the atherogenic potential of saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, and cholesterol, and beneficial effects of fiber, phytostanols/phytosterols, n-3 fatty acids, a Mediterranean diet, and other plant-based approaches. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the evidence associated with key dietary factors and risk of cardiovascular disease-an umbrella term encompassing diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels, including coronary heart disease, coronary artery disease, dyslipidemia, and hypertension-in conjunction with the work of the American Dietetic Association Evidence Analysis Library review on diet and lipids, updated with new evidence from the past 2 years. The criteria used and results cited provide scientific rationale for food and nutrition professionals and other health professionals for counseling patients. Details of these searches are available within the American Dietetic Association Evidence Analysis Library online (http://adaevidencelibrary.com). Potential mechanisms and needs for future research are summarized for each relevant nutrient, food, or food component.

Significant ongoing debate exists amongst stakeholders as to the best front-of-pack labelling approach and emerging evidence suggests that the plethora of schemes may cause confusion for the consumer. To gain a better understanding of the relevant psychological phenomena and consumer perspectives surrounding FoP labelling schemes and their optimal development a Multiple Sort Procedure study involving free sorting of a range of nutritional labels presented on cards was performed in four countries (n=60). The underlying structure of the qualitative data generated was explored using Multiple Scalogram Analysis. Elicitation of categorisations from consumers has the potential to provide a very important perspective in this arena and results demonstrated that the amount of information contained within a nutrition label has high salience for consumers, as does the health utility of the label although a dichotomy exists in the affective evaluation of the labels containing varying degrees of...

In 2006, New York City, the largest school district in the country, eliminated whole milk and reduced the availability of sweetened milk in 1,579 schools. Despite pressure from the American Dairy Council, skepticism from school food administrators and elected officials, and the difficulties inherent in changing a system that serves 120,000,000 containers of milk per year, a communityled coalition prevailed. This article describes how parents, educational leaders, advocates, and health professionals collaborated to educate school children and their families to choose low-fat milk, and created change at a system, policy, and environmental level to promote health in the community.

To record and describe the dietary patterns of a large group of New Zealand (NZ) European preschool children and to compare these with NZ Ministry of Health (MOH) food and nutrition guidelines. Mothers were interviewed when children enrolled in the Auckland Birthweight Collaborative (ABC) study were seen at 3.5 years of age. Approximately half of the children in the study were born small for gestational age (SGA =10th percentile) and the remaining were born appropriate for gestational age (AGA >10th percentile). Food frequency information was collected on 549 New Zealand European children. The analysis utilised weighting to allow for the disproportionate sampling of children born SGA. Compared with nutritional guidelines, 27% and 54% of preschool children did not eat the recommended two or more servings of fruit per day or two or more servings of vegetables per day, respectively; 93% of children did not eat breads and cereals the recommended four or more times a day. A notable pr...

Based on current dietary intake recommendations and a recommendation to limit sedentary activity in preschoolers, an overall diet quality index for preschoolers (RC-DQI) incorporating a component for energy balance to measure adequacy of nutrition for growth, development, and disease prevention was developed.The newly developed index was used in nationally representative samples of 2- to 5-year-olds in the US Department of Agriculture Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals 1994-96 and 1998 (n=5,437). Index components included added sugar, total fat, polyunsaturated fatty acids, total and whole grains, fruits, vegetables, excess fruit juice, dairy, iron, and an interaction term of total daily energy intake and sedentary behavior (television time). Points were allocated to reflect deficient or excessive intakes.Means and standard errors were used to describe food intakes and RC-DQI scores. Ability to differentiate diets was ascertained using mean intakes of food groups/nutrients followed by a nonparametric test of trends across ordered groups. Correlation coefficients measured dependence among RC-DQI components, nutrients, and overall energy intakes. Component scores of the highest and lowest quartile of RC-DQI were compared.Mean RC-DQI score was 64 points (range=28 to 93). Increasing RC-DQI scores were associated with improved diet quality. Children in the lowest RC-DQI quartile scored lower in all components.The RC-DQI successfully differentiated diets by level of diet quality. Increasing scores were associated with decreasing consumption of added sugar and juices, and increasing intakes of fiber, essential fatty acids, fruits, and vegetables. The RC-DQI can be used to determine diet quality in groups of preschool-age children.

Accurate estimates of energy and nutrient intake of individuals and populations are contingent on the reliability of information obtained about food intake, food composition, and portion size. This article reviews issues related to the definition, determination, and use of portion sizes in dietary assessment and public education. Food frequency questionnaires USDA FDA Pyramidz2 Food labelzx Willett et al.b.3z Block et al.2.33 Grains and cereals Bread Crackers Rice, cooked Cereal, ready-to-eat Cereal, cooked Whole fruit Juice Fresh, frozen, or canned Raw leafy Carrots, raw Potato French fries Tomato juice Beef Hamburger Poultry Fish Dairy Milk Cheese Fats, sweets Butter Cookies Doughnuts Alcohol Wine Fruit Vegetables Meat 1 slice 3-4 small 4 oz 1 medium elass I a Standard portion sizes vary by weight and size of items. Harvard University Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 1990 questionnaire. Food Guides Historical Background. For nearly a century, the USDA has published food guides to help the public select healthful diets.I5 In its earliest efforts to suggest portion sizes, the agency recommended that families purchase specific quantities of foods to supply nutrients then known to be essential. Quantities were expressed by weight, volume, or 100kcal portions; 80,000 kcal (800 100-kcal portions) was the figure used to meet the weekly needs of an average family of two adults and three children. USDA advised families to obtain these portions through specific food purchases, such as 14 lb potatoes, 2 lb turnips, and 14 qt milk per week.16 Later, USDA specified yearly amounts of foods needed by men and women.17 Although portion sizes could be estimated from such figures, they were not stated explicitly. USDA first defined daily portions during World War 11. It recommended consumption of one or two

In this study, the presence of natamycin and quality parameters of yoghurt samples manufactured by small-and large-scale dairy firms in Turkey were investigated. Physicochemical and microbiological results revealed that, except Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus counts, the majority of the yoghurts manufactured by small-scale dairy firms were found to be out of the limits. Natamycin was detected in 31 and 2 yoghurt samples from small-and large-scale brands, respectively. The levels of natamycin in small-scale brand yoghurts were higher than those in large-scale brand yoghurts. Of the analysed samples, 42.3% did not comply with the Turkish Food Codex.

Proper nutrition offers one of the most effective and least costly ways to decrease the burden of many diseases and their associated risk factors, including obesity. Nutrition research holds the key to increasing our understanding of the causes of obesity and its related comorbidities and thus holds promise to markedly influence global health and economies. After outreach to 75 thought leaders, the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) convened a Working Group to identify the nutrition research needs whose advancement will have the greatest projected impact on the future health and well-being of global populations. ASN's Nutrition Research Needs focus on the following high priority areas: 1) variability in individual responses to diet and foods; 2) healthy growth, development, and reproduction; 3) health maintenance; 4) medical management; 5) nutrition-related behaviors; and 6) food supply/environment. ASN hopes the Nutrition Research Needs will prompt collaboration among scientists across all disciplines to advance this challenging research agenda given the high potential for translation and impact on public health. Furthermore, ASN hopes the findings from the Nutrition Research Needs will stimulate the development and adoption of new and innovative strategies that can be applied toward the prevention and treatment of nutrition-related diseases. The multidisciplinary nature of nutrition research requires stakeholders with differing areas of expertise to collaborate on multifaceted approaches to establish the evidence-based nutrition guidance and policies that will lead to better health for the global population. In addition to the identified research needs, ASN also identified 5 tools that are critical to the advancement of the Nutrition Research Needs: 1) omics, 2) bioinformatics, 3) databases, 4) biomarkers, and 5) cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objective To examine the effect of substituting canola oil for selected vegetable oils and canola oil-based margarine for other spreads on energy, fatty acid, and cholesterol intakes among US adults. Design Twenty-four-hour food recall data from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used to calculate the effect of substituting canola oil for dietary corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean, and vegetable oils described as "not further specified" and of canola oil-based margarine for other spreads at 25%, 50%, and 100% replacement levels. Subjects Adult participants aged Ն20 years (nϭ8,983) of the 1999-2002 NHANES. Statistical analysis Sample-weighted mean daily intake values and the percentage of subjects meeting dietary recommendations were estimated at the various replacement levels. Standard errors of the means and percentages were estimated by the linearization method of SUDAAN. Results Significant (PϽ0.05) changes compared to estimated actual intakes included: saturated fatty acid intake decreased by 4.7% and 9.4% with 50% and 100% substitution, respectively. Complete substitution increased monounsaturated fatty acid and ␣-linolenic acid intakes by 27.6% and 73.0%, respectively, and decreased n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid and linoleic acid intakes by 32.4% and 44.9%, respectively. The ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids decreased from 9.8:1 to 3.1:1 with 100% replacement. Energy, total fat, and cholesterol intakes did not change. Conclusions Substitution of canola oil and canola oil-based margarine for most other vegetable oils and spreads increases compliance with dietary recommendations for saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, and ␣-linolenic acid, but not for linoleic acid, among US adults.

Primary and secondary nutrition interventions are essential in South Africa, a country with mortality rates of 45.2 deaths per 1000 live births and 61 per 1000 for children younger than 5 y and an estimated prevalence of 8.3% for low birth weight. In addition, the National Food Consumption Survey has recently reported that approximately one in five children 1 to 9 y of age in South Africa are stunted (21.6%) and 1 in 10 (10.3%) is underweight for age. The prevalence of stunting was highest in children 1 to 3 y old (25.5%) and lowest in those 7 to 9 y old (13%). In terms of overnutrition, the survey also reported overweight and obesity in 17.1% of the sample at the national level. In this overview, the focus areas of the Integrated Nutrition Program are examined and critically discussed to determine whether targets planned for 2002 were met and how they are envisioned to change by 2007.

The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) is a nonprofit, worldwide foundation established in 1978 to advance the understanding of scientific issues related to nutrition, food safety, toxicology and the environment. By bringing together scientists from academia, government, industry and the public sector, ILSI seeks a balanced approach to solving problems with broad implications for the benefit of the general public. ILSI is affiliated with the World Health Organization as a non-governmental organization and has specialized consultative status with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

In recent years, health promotion has been introduced as a promising strategy for the public health field. The current study is intended to link nutrition into the recent debate on health promotion, analyzing the role of nutritionists in this process. Given the complexity of the Brazilian nutritional situation due to the nutritional transition currently under way in the country, the health promotion proposal points to both new perspectives and challenges for eating and nutrition. New demands in academic training and the nutritional care model tend to foster a search for partnerships, innovation in eating practices, and nutritional education aimed at the achievement of nutritional citizenship.

In the last decade, preventive medicine has undergone a great advance, especially in developed countries. Research has demonstrated that nutrition plays a crucial role in the prevention of chronic diseases, as most of them can be related to diet. Functional food enters the concept of considering food not only necessary for living but also as a source of mental and physical well-being, contributing to the prevention and reduction of risk factors for several diseases or enhancing certain physiological functions. In reference to the immune system, many studies have pointed out that not only pre-and probiotics, but also single micronutrients incorporated into functional foods contribute to an enhancement of immunocompetence. In fact, one of the authorized claims consists of pointing out the immunomodulator properties of functional foods. In this article, the effect of some functional foods and ingredients such as probiotics, selenium and dietary antioxidants (vitamins A, E and C) on the immune function are reviewed. However, the optimum intake level and recommended amounts of functional foods have not yet been established. Thus, in order to remove the controversy surrounding functional food, further research studies are necessary, both in experimental animals and in humans. Finally: efforts should be directed towards the ultimate goal, that is, a 'functional diet'.

We compared Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) intake of college students according to their participation in a campus prepaid meal plan and their sex. Subjects were 503 single undergraduates (73 males, 430 females) who completed a 3-day dietary analysis assignment for an introductory nutrition course. Average intake for virtually all students fell short of FGP recommendations. We examined the difference between students' mean intake of foods from each FGP group and the recommended intakes. When compared with other student categories and food groups, male meal plan participants' vegetable and meat intakes were closer to recommended intakes, and meal plan participants' and females' fruit intakes were closer to recommended intakes. However, nonparticipants were closer than participants to recommended grain intakes. Participation in the prepaid campus meal plan appears to offer modest nutritional benefits to students through increased servings of foods from fruit, vegetable, and meat groups.

Objective To examine eating habits and energy and nutrient intake among adolescents participating in weightrelated and power team sports and nonϪsport-involved adolescents. Design Data were drawn from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), which was conducted with 4,746 adolescents from 31 middle and high schools in the Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area. Setting Urban secondary schools. Subjects Adolescents reporting participation in a weightrelated sport, a power team sport, or no consistent participation in a sport. Main outcome measures Meal and snack frequency, mean energy and nutrient intake, and mean physical activity. Statistical analyses performed Analyses were conducted by sex across the three groups. General linear models were used to compare mean energy and nutrient intake, composite nutrient adequacy, and mean physical activity across the three groups. Percentages of youth meeting nutrient recommendations were compared across the three groups using 2 tests. Results For both males and females, youth involved in weight-related sports ate breakfast more frequently than nonϪsport-involved peers (females: 3.6 and 3.2 times per week, respectively, PϽ0.01; males: 4.7 and 3.7 times per week, respectively, PϽ0.01). Weight-related and power team sport-involved youth also had higher mean protein, calcium, iron, and zinc intakes than nonϪsport-involved peers. However, adolescent females had low calcium intake, regardless of sports involvement (weight-related sports 1,091 mg/day, power team sports 1,070 mg/day, and nonϪsport-involved 1,028 mg/day, PϽ0.05). Conclusions Sport-involved adolescents have better eating habits and nutrient intake than their nonϪsport-involved peers. However, they are still in need of nutrition interventions, particularly around calcium intake.

Objective: This research sought to determine how often nutrition marketing is used on labels of foods that are high in saturated fat, sodium, and/or sugar. Design and Setting: All items packaged with food labels (N ¼ 56,900) in all 6 grocery stores in Grand Forks, ND were surveyed. Main Outcome Measure(s): Marketing strategy, nutrient label information, if the product was fruit/or milk based, and target age. Analysis: Frequency distributions were computed. Results: Forty-nine percent of all products contained nutrition marketing and of those, 48% had both nutrition marketing and were high in saturated fat, sodium and/or sugar (11%, 17%, and 31% respectively). Seventy-one percent of products marketed to children had nutrition marketing. Of those, 59% were high in saturated fat, sodium and/or sugar content, with more than half being high in sugar. The most commonly used nutrition marketing statements were ''good source of calcium'', ''reduced/low/fat free'', and ''food company's health symbol''. Conclusions and Implications: Nutrition marketing is commonly used on products high in saturated fat, sodium and/or sugar and is more often used on products marketed toward children than products marketed toward adults. Current food industry symbols may not be helping consumers select foods low in saturated fat, sodium or sugar.

Objective: The present study is to describe, on the basis of recent Finnish population surveys, (i) the frequencies of school and worksite canteen use, (ii) the determinants of having a hot lunch during school or working hours and (iii) the associations of lunch eating patterns with food habits. Setting: The study summarises mainly basic reports and studies concerning catering services conducted in Finland based on nationally representative population surveys. Design and subjects: Cross-sectional study. The most important surveys cited in this paper are the School Health Promotion Study, the Work and the Working Conditions survey, the National FINDIET 2002 Study, and the Health Behavior and Health among Finnish Adult Population survey. Results: School lunch is eaten by on average 70-90 % of children aged 9-18 years. Of all employees, 30 % eat at a worksite canteen daily, whereas 30 % of men and 45 % of women eat packed lunches. Nationally representative cross-sectional population surveys show that the use of catering services is associated with more healthy food habits; schoolchildren eating school meals and employees eating lunch at a worksite canteen tend to make food choices closer to nutritional recommendations as compared to those not using catering services to the same degree. Conclusions: Some evidence exists that catering services in schools and worksites contribute to healthy eating habits in the population. In order to verify the positive role of catering services more scientific research with prospective and intervention design studies will be needed.

Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) have been primarily designed for the consumer to encourage 22 healthy, habitual food choices, decrease chronic disease risk and improve public health. However, 23 minimal research has been conducted to evaluate whether FBDG are utilised by the public. The 24 present review used a framework of three concepts, awareness, understanding and use, to 25 summarise consumer evidence related to national FBDG and food guides. Searches of nine 26 electronic databases, reference lists and internet grey literature elicited 939 articles. Predetermined 27 exclusion criteria selected twenty eight studies for review. These consisted of qualitative, 28 quantitative and mixed study designs; non clinical participants, related to official FBDG for the 29 general public and involved measures of consumer awareness, understanding or use of FBDG. The 30 three concepts of awareness, understanding and use were often discussed interchangeably. 31

The determination of Al, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, P, Zn and Ca, K, Mg by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), respectively, in digests and infusions of Hibiscus sabdariffa (petals), Rosa canina (receptacles), Ginkgo biloba (leaves), Cymbopogon citratus (leaves), Aloe vera (leaves) and Panax ginseng (roots) was carried out in this study. Particular attention has been given to Al and heavy metals for the identification of possible raw material contaminants, their transformation into the infusion and for predicting their eventual role in the human diet during daily consumption. Additionally, Ion Chromatography (IC) speciation of Al in the leachates was carried out.In dry herbs, hibiscus and ginkgo appeared to contain the greatest contents of Al, Fe, K, Mn, Ni, Zn and B, Mg, P, respectively. A. vera contained the highest amount of Ca and highest values of Cu and P were observed in ginseng. In infusions, the topmost concentrations of Al, B, Cu, Fe, P, K, Mn, Ni, Zn were detected in those prepared from hibiscus petals, Ca from aloe leaves and Mg from leaves of ginkgo. According to a possible daily consumption exceeding 1 L, hibiscus decoction was identified as potentially dietetically significant in the content of certain elements. It seems to be possibly one of the top contributors of B from food (up to 5.5 ± 0.2 mg/L). The Mg contained in the infusion (up to 106 ± 5 mg/L) may be a contributor in the attenuation of blood pressure. A high amount of accessible Mn (up to 17.4 ± 1.1 mg/L) can probably have an adverse effect in humans. The total Al allowance (up to 1.2 ± 0.1 mg/L) suggests that no more than 1 L of the hibiscus infusion should be consumed per day by sensitive individuals including pregnant women and should be completely excluded from the diet of children under 6 months of age and children with chronic renal failure.► Daily consumption of 1 L of infusion of H. sabdariffa may have an adverse effect in humans. ► Children under 6 months of age and children with chronic renal failure should avoid roselle infusion. ► Aluminium content in tea-like infusion may exceed generally recognized safety level. ► Hibiscus petals leachate could be significant source of manganese in human diet. ► Roselle decoction can possibly be one of the top boron contributors for humans.

During an endurance run (1000 km in 20 days) it was investigated whether an ovo-lactovegetarian diet (OLVD) could cover the nutritional requirements of endurance athletes. A regular western diet (RWD) was used as reference. Both diets were offered with an energy content of 4 500 kcal per day and an energy percentage of carbohydrate:fat:protein of 60:30:10. The runners were divided into two dietary groups according to their usual dietary habits. The results of the 55 participants who completed the race show that runners from both groups had the same intake of energy, carbohydrate, fat and protein. Runners of the OLVD group consumed more dietary fiber and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as less cholesterol. With the exception of sodium chloride and cobalamine, the intake of the calculated minerals and vitamins was higher in the OLVD and exceeded the official recommendations. This study shows that an OLVD with a high nutrient density is adequate to cover the nutritional requirements of endurance-athletes. The intake and absorption of iron should be monitored closely in all diet groups.

Objective To determine whether dietary intakes of children enrolled in Head Start programs differ from those of children not attending preschool or children in non-Head Start programs. Design Using data from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, low-income, 3-to 5-year-old children were categorized into one of four preschool groups: Head Start (nϭ184), non-Head Start (nϭ189), past preschool (nϭ193), and no preschool (nϭ384). Total nutrient intakes were calculated using 24-hour parental recalls. Statistical analyses performed Mean macronutrient and micronutrient intakes were compared across groups and the percentage of children not meeting Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) were calculated. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between preschool group and likelihood of not meeting dietary guidelines. Results Many children did not meet the RDA for folate (20.5%), vitamin A (39.7%), vitamin E (79.7%), calcium (40.2%), iron (28.8%), and potassium (90.8%). Compared with the other preschool groups, Head Start children had lower mean protein, saturated fat, riboflavin, calcium, and phosphorous intakes. The greatest differences in intake were observed between Head Start participants and no-preschool children. Multivariate analyses demonstrated an association between Head Start and inadequate intake of protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, and selenium.

HE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION and Dietetics is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession through research, education, and advocacy. Public policy and advocacy are core functions of the Academy and are critical to achieving the mission, vision, goals, and strategies outlined in the Strategic Plan Roadmap. 1 Public policy significantly influences and forms the public image of the Academy and that of the dietetics profession.

With rapidly changing dietary environment, dietary guidelines for Koreans were revised and relevant action guides were developed. First, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee was established with experts and government officials from the fields of nutrition, preventive medicine, health promotion, agriculture, education and environment. The Committee set dietary goals for Koreans aiming for a better nutrition state of all after a thorough review and analysis of recent information related to nutritional status and/or problems of Korean population, changes in food production/supply, disease pattern, health policy and agricultural policy. Then, the revised dietary guidelines were proposed to accomplish these goals in addition to 6 different sets of dietary action guides to accommodate specific nutrition and health problems of respective age groups. Subsequently, these guidelines and guides were subjected to the focus group review, consumer perception surveys, and a public hearing fo...

Background The Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top was developed by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery to promote healthful diets. Objective Adherence to the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top was evaluated in terms of future mortality in a prospective cohort study. Design A prospective cohort study among men and women in a general Japanese population. Subjects/setting The cohort consisted of 13,355 men and 15,724 women residing in Takayama, Japan, in 1992. At baseline, a food frequency questionnaire was administered, and adherence to the food guide was measured based on consuming the recommended number of servings of grains, vegetables, fish and meat, milk, and fruits, as well as total daily energy intake and energy from snacks and alcoholic beverages. Higher scores indicated better adherence to the recommendations on a scale of 0 to 70. Based on data obtained from the Office of the National Vital Statistics, deaths occurring among members of the cohort were prospectively noted from 1992 to 1999. Statistical analyses performed To assess the magnitude of association of adherence scores with subsequent mortality, a Cox proportional hazard model was applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Among women, the adherence score was significantly associated with a lower risk of mortality from all causes (comparing highest and lowest quartiles of the score, HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.94, P for trend 0.01) in a multivariate analysis; noncardiovascular, noncancer causes (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.96, P for trend 0.04) and cardiovascular disease (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.04, P for trend 0.05). No statistically significant association was observed between the adherence score and mortality among men. Conclusions The results suggest that diets based on the food guide have the benefit of reducing future mortality in women.

This report presents the conclusions of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee convened to evaluate the safety of various food additives and contaminants, with a view to recommending acceptable daily intakes for humans, and to prepare specifications for the identity and purity of food additives. The first part of the report contains a general discussion of principles governing the toxicological evaluation of food additives and contaminants, including flavouring agents, and the establishment and revision of specifications, with comments concerning limits for arsenic, lead and heavy metals. A summary follows of the Committee's evaluations of toxicological data on various specific food additives (including tert-butylhydroquinone, mineral oils, waxes and alitame) and on beta-cyclodextrin, nitrate, nitrite, potassium bromate and the contaminants ochratoxin A and patulin. Annexed to the report are a table summarizing the committee's recommendations for acceptable daily intakes of these ...

Objective: To describe the development and application of the School Food Environment Assessment Tools and a novel scoring system to assess the integration of healthy and environmentally sustainable food initiatives in elementary and secondary schools. Design: This cross-sectional study included direct observations of physical food environments and interviews with key school personnel regarding food-related programs and policies. A five-point scoring system was then developed to assess actions across six domains: 1) food gardens 2) composting systems 3) food preparation activities 4) food-related teaching and learning activities, and availability of 5) healthy food and 6) environmentally sustainable food. Setting: Vancouver, Canada Subjects: A purposive sample of public schools (n=33), from all six sectors of the Vancouver Board of Education. Results: Schools scored highest in the areas of food garden and compost system development and use. Regular integration of food-related teaching and learning activities and hands-on food preparation experiences were also commonly reported. Most schools demonstrated rudimentary efforts to make healthy and environmentally sustainable food choices available, but in general, scored lowest on these two domains. Moreover, no schools reported widespread initiatives fully supporting availability or integration of healthy or environmentally sustainable food across campus.