International collaborative project to compare and monitor the nutritional composition of processed foods

Background: Chronic diseases are the leading cause of premature death and disability in the world with overnutrition a primary cause of diet-related ill health. Excess energy intake, saturated fat, sugar, and salt derived from processed foods are a major cause of disease burden. Our objective is to compare the nutritional composition of processed foods between countries, between food companies, and over time.

Design: Surveys of processed foods will be done in each participating country using a standardized methodology. Information on the nutrient composition for each product will be sought either through direct chemical analysis, from the product label, or from the manufacturer. Foods will be categorized into 14 groups and 45 categories for the primary analyses which will compare mean levels of nutrients at baseline and over time. Initial commitments to collaboration have been obtained from 21 countries.

Conclusions: This collaborative approach to the collation and sharing of data will enable objective and transparent tracking of processed food composition around the world. The information collected will support government and food industry efforts to improve the nutrient composition of processed foods around the world.

Nutritional vulnerability seen within asylum seekers in Australia

To examine the extent of nutritional vulnerability seen in a cohort of asylum seekers in Australia. Twenty-one asylum seekers (15 males, 6 females) that used a food bank were interviewed over a 6 week period at the Melbourne based Asylum Seeker Resource Centre about foods consumed in the previous 24-h and any non food bank foods obtained. A basket audit was conducted after participants accessed the food bank on the day of interview, Participants obtained significantly less than the minimum requirements for the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating in the vegetables and legumes (P < .001, 95% CI −3.5, −1.7) fruits (P < .001, 95% CI −1.7, −.1.2), dairy (P < .001, 95% CI −1.8, −1.5) and meat and meat alternatives core food groups (P = .001, 95% CI −0.8, −0.3) using foods accessed from the food bank, their primary or sole food source. A high level of nutritional vulnerability was seen in this cohort due to their inability to meet minimum nutritional requirements from their primary food access point. Health professionals working with asylum seeker populations need to be aware of this issue and the resulting potential for longer term ill health as a consequence.

Trophic responses to nutrient enrichment in a temperate seagrass food chain

Simple ecological models that predict trophic responses to bottom-up forcing are valuable tools for ecosystem managers. Traditionally, theoretical ecologists have used resource-dependent functional responses to explain the modification of food chains exposed to bottom-up perturbations. These models predict alternating positive, negative and zero responses at each trophic level. More recently, ratio-dependent functional response models that predict proportional increases at each level have challenged this paradigm. The present study tested the predictions of the 2 hypotheses empirically by comparing the relative biomasses of 4 trophic levels of an estuarine seagrass food chain in relatively undisturbed, low-nutrient catchments and ‘developed’ catchments subjected to a prolonged period of nutrient enrichment. We found that nutrient-enriched sites had significantly greater biomass of both epiphytic algae and grazing invertebrates; however, the bottom-up forcing of nutrients was attenuated at higher trophic levels (occupied by juvenile and piscivorous fish), with no significant effect of catchment development. This disconnect in the upward cascade of energy may be due to a number of possible reasons including high levels of diversity and omnivory, trophic subsidy within the system or the strength or nature of perturbations. Although the predictions of both hypotheses failed to hold across all trophic groups, ratio dependence was prevalent at the lower levels of the food chain, which has implications for catchment management.

International collaborative project to compare and track the nutritional composition of fast foods

Background
Chronic diseases are the leading cause of premature death and disability in the world with over-nutrition a primary cause of diet-related ill health. Excess quantities of energy, saturated fat, sugar and salt derived from fast foods contribute importantly to this disease burden. Our objective is to collate and compare nutrient composition data for fast foods as a means of supporting improvements in product formulation.
Methods/design
Surveys of fast foods will be done in each participating country each year. Information on the nutrient composition for each product will be sought either through direct chemical analysis, from fast food companies, in-store materials or from company websites. Foods will be categorized into major groups for the primary analyses which will compare mean levels of saturated fat, sugar, sodium, energy and serving size at baseline and over time. Countries currently involved include Australia, New Zealand, France, UK, USA, India, Spain, China and Canada, with more anticipated to follow.
Discussion
This collaborative approach to the collation and sharing of data will enable low-cost tracking of fast food composition around the world. This project represents a significant step forward in the objective and transparent monitoring of industry and government commitments to improve the quality of fast foods.

Emerging nutritional and lifestyle risk factors for bone health in young women: a mixed longitudinal twin study

Late adolescence and early adulthood are times of major behavioral transition in young women as they become more independent and make choices about lifestyle that will affect their long-term health. We prospectively evaluated nutritional and lifestyle factors in 566 15 30-year-old female twins participating in a mixed longitudinal study of diet and lifestyle.Twins completed 790 visits including questionnaires and measures of anthropometry. Nonparametric tests (chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis; SPSS) were used to examine age-related differences in selected variables. Dietary calcium intake by short food frequency questionnaire was relatively low [511 (321,747)] mg/day (median, IQR; 60 % of estimated daily total) and did not vary significantly with age. The number of young women who reported ever consuming alcohol (12+ standard drinks ever) increased from 50 % under 18 years to 93 99 % for the 18+ age groups. Of those who consumed alcohol in the preceding year, monthly intake doubled from under 18 years (5.7, 3.9, 19.0 standard drinks; median, IQR) to 18+ years (12.0, 4.7, 26.0; P < 0.001) with the highest consumers being 21 23 and 27 29 years. At age 15 17 years, 14 % reported ever smoking and by age 27–29, 51 % had smoked (P = 0.002). Under the age of 20 years, average cigarette consumption in smokers was six cigarettes per day, increasing to ten above age 20 (P < 0.001). Participation in sporting activity decreased with age (P < 0.001): 47.5 % of 15–17-year-olds undertook 4 or more hour/week of sport, compared with 23.5 % at age 27–29 years. Conversely, sedentary behavior increased with age: 25.0 % of 15–17-year-olds reported 1 or less hour/week of exercise compared with 50.0 % at age 27–29 years. BMI increased with age (P = 0.011), from 21.3 (19.5, 23.6; median, IQR) in the youngest to 23.1 (21.5, 25.9) in the oldest. These highly significant changes in behavior in young women as they transitioned into independent adult living are predicted to impact adversely on bone and other health outcomes in later life. It is crucial to improve understanding of the determinants of these changes and to develop effective interventions to improve long-term health outcomes in young women.