Analysis of dietary pattern impact on weight status for personalised nutrition through on-line advice: the Food4Me Spanish cohort

Obesity prevalence is increasing. The management of this condition requires a detailed analysis of the global risk factors in order to develop personalised advice. This study is aimed to identify current dietary patterns and habits in Spanish population interested in personalised nutrition and investigate associations with weight status. Self-reported dietary and anthropometrical data from the Spanish participants in the Food4Me study, were used in a multidimensional exploratory analysis to define specific dietary profiles. Two opposing factors were obtained according to food groups’ intake: Factor 1 characterised by a more frequent consumption of traditionally considered unhealthy foods; and Factor 2, where the consumption of “Mediterranean diet” foods was prevalent. Factor 1 showed a direct relationship with BMI (β = 0.226; r2 = 0.259; p < 0.001), while the association with Factor 2 was inverse (β = −0.037; r2 = 0.230; p = 0.348). A total of four categories were defined (Prudent, Healthy, Western, and Compensatory) through classification of the sample in higher or lower adherence to each factor and combining the possibilities. Western and Compensatory dietary patterns, which were characterized by high-density foods consumption, showed positive associations with overweight prevalence. Further analysis showed that prevention of overweight must focus on limiting the intake of known deleterious foods rather than exclusively enhance healthy products.

The Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition – 20 years of research 1995–2015

The Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition (HSUHN) at the University of Reading was founded in October 1995 with the appointment of Christine Williams OBE as the first Hugh Sinclair Chair in Human Nutrition. This was made possible by the competitively won funds from the estate and legacy of the late Professor Hugh Macdonald Sinclair (1910–1990). The vision for the newly established HSUHN was to ‘strengthen the evidence base for dietary recommendations for prevention of degenerative chronic diseases’. This has remained the research focus of the HSUHN under the leadership of Professors Christine Williams (1995–2005), Ian Rowland (2006–2013) and Julie Lovegrove (2014-present). Our mission is to improve population health and evaluate mechanisms of action for the effects of dietary components on health, which reflects Hugh Sinclair’s life ambition within nutritional science. Over the past 20 years, the HSUHN has developed an international reputation within the nutrition science community, and in recognition of the 20th anniversary, this paper highlights Hugh Sinclair’s contributions to the field of nutrition and key research achievements by members of the Unit.

Interactions between nutrition and infections with Haemonchus contortus and related gastro-intestinal nematodes in small ruminants

Interactions between host nutrition and feeding behaviour are central to understanding the pathophysiological consequences of infections of the digestive tract with parasitic nematodes. The manipulation of host nutrition provides useful options to control gastrointestinal nematodes as a component of an integrated strategy. Focused mainly on the Hameonchus contortus infection model in small ruminants, this chapter (i) illustrates the relationship between quantitative (macro- and micro-nutrients) and qualitative (plant secondary metabolites) aspects of host nutrition and nematode infection, and (ii) shows how basic studies aimed at addressing some generic questions can help provide solutions, despite the considerable diversity of epidemiological situations and breeding systems.