Nutrition

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Navigating nutrition evidence for individualised care

Diet is key to the maintenance of health and crucial in the prevention and management of many diseases. Modified nutrient intake is sometimes essential to prevent deficiency, optimise development and health, or manage symptoms and disease progression. A new Position Paper (Hickson et al 2024) from the Academy of Nutrition Sciences (ANS) provides a state-of-the-art summary of how evidence-based practice, with a particular emphasis on research evaluation, is used to inform nutrition interventions for individuals.

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Coprococcus in your gut: the secret of happiness?   

Today it is well established that our physical wellbeing partially depends on the trillions of microbes in our gut, the intestinal microbiome. At same time, there is emerging evidence that these unicellular lifeforms can also influence our mental status and cognitive performance.

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Always tired? Read how nutrition can influence fatigue

Fatigue is a symptom resulting from the weakening or depletion of one's physical and/or mental resources, ranging from a general state of lethargy to a specific, work-induced burning sensation within one's muscles. It is a highly prevalent feeling but still remains an often-neglected unmet clinical need.

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From Farm to Mouth: How Food Policy Groups Are Transforming Food Systems in High-Income Countries

Today’s food systems in high-income countries face several challenges, including a lack of resiliency, resulting in an inconsistent food supply and changing food prices, especially during crises. When faced with this type of challenge, high-income countries tend to rely on short term food relief that doesn’t always meet people’s nutritional needs or choices. In addition, limited access to nutrition education and cooking skills programs makes it hard for those most at risk to use what food they do have effectively. To address these challenges, a focus on local or regional food systems is considered one way to boost food system resilience.  

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From Overeating to Brain Aging: How diet and obesity impact the gut-brain interaction

With the ongoing global epidemic of obesity and increasing prevalence of dementia, evaluating the impact of over-eating and different diets on brain structure and function becomes increasingly important. Recent studies suggest that the gut microbiota and metabolic changes can impact with cognitive health. In this paper of the month, we were interested in the impact of obesity and diet on the gut-brain axis.

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The double-edged sword of keeping livestock: balancing nutritional benefits with disease risks in poor nations

In many low- and lower-middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where mixed crop-livestock farming is widely practiced, livestock keeping provides income, food, nutrition and other benefits for the rural poor. The nutritional benefits of livestock keeping are particularly important since malnutrition continues to cause nearly half of annual global child deaths, and can have lasting effects on the physical growth and cognitive development of millions of surviving children.

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‘Everything is connected’

Professor Andrea Azcarate-Peril tells the marathon story of her journey from Argentina, via North Carolina, to becoming Editor-in-Chief of Gut Microbiome, an open access journal co-published by Cambridge University Press and The Nutrition Society

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The health effects of alternative plant-based meats on inflammation

The Paper of the Month for February is 'Assessing the effects of alternative plant-based meats v. animal meats on biomarkers of inflammation: a secondary analysis of the SWAP-MEAT randomized crossover trial' and the blog is written by author Anthony Crimarco, Ph.D. and is published by the Journal of Nutritional Science and is free to access for one month.

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Creating a healthier food environment in Singapore: Analysis

Public Health Nutrition Editorial Highlight: ‘Identifying implementation gaps and priorities for the Singapore government to improve food environment policies:  perspectives from a local expert panel’ In March 2018 we invited a panel of 20 national experts in public health nutrition or chronic disease prevention to evaluate the actions of the Singapore’s governments in creating healthier food environments.…

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Processed supermarket meals gives food for thought

With more people eating at home due to COVID-19, New Curtin research published in Public Health Nutrition has found more than half of Australian supermarket own brand chilled ready-made meals are unhealthy and 94 percent are ‘ultra-processed’ – yet more than 80 percent are labelled with a ‘pass mark’ under the Health Star Rating system.…

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The Eurasian lactase persistence variant LCT-13910 C/T is associated with vitamin D levels in individuals living at high latitude, more so than exposure to sunlight

The Nutrition Society Paper of the Month for March is from the Journal of Nutritional Science and is entitled: The Eurasian lactase persistence variant LCT-13910 C/T is associated with vitamin D levels in individuals living at high latitude, more so than exposure to sunlight by Amir Moghaddam.…

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Strategies to Address Anaemia Among Pregnant and Lactating Women in India

The Nutrition Society Paper of the Month for April is from Public Health Nutrition and is entitled ‘Strategies to address anaemia among pregnant and lactating women in India: a formative research study’ by Pamela A Williams, Jon Poehlman, Katelin Moran, Mariam Siddiqui, Ishu Kataria, Anna Merlyn Rego, Purnima Mehrotra and Neela Saldanha.…

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New journal to explore the “mysterious ecosystem” in our guts

A new open access journal from Cambridge University Press, published in partnership with The Nutrition Society, will explore the vital interaction between people and the complex community of microorganisms that live in our digestive systems The journal, Gut Microbiome, will look at the factors that influence this gut microbiota and how they in turn affect our health and development.…

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The SDI: a new index for assessing the sustainability of dietary patterns

The Nutrition Society Paper of the Month for June is from the British Journal of Nutrition and is entitled ‘Development and validation of an individual sustainable diet index in the NutriNet-Santé study cohort’ by Authors Louise Seconda, Julia Baudry, Philippe Pointereau, Camille Lacour, Brigitte Langevin, Serge Hercberg, Denis Lairon, Benjamin Allès and Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot.

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Do global guidelines for calcium supplementation to prevent preeclampsia put women at risk of excessive intake: evidence from Ethiopia suggests this could be the case

Public Health Nutrition Editorial Highlight ‘Applying international guidelines for calcium supplementation to prevent pre-eclampsia: simulation of recommended dosages suggests risk of excess intake in Ethiopia’ Authors: Biniyam Tesfaye, Kate Sinclair, Sara E Wuehler, Tibebu Moges, Luz Maria De-Regil and Katherine L Dickin discuss their research below.

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Policy could be the key to meeting breastfeeding goals

Public Health Nutrition Editorial Highlight ‘‘Why do we need a policy?’ Administrators’ perceptions on breast-feeding-friendly childcare’ Authors: Stephanie L Marhefka, Vinita Sharma, Ellen J Schafer, DeAnne Turner, Oluyemisi Falope, Adetola Louis-Jacques, Mary M Wachira, Taylor Livingston and Regina Maria Roig-Romero discuss their research below.

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Barriers to exclusive breast-feeding in Indonesian hospitals

The Nutrition Society Paper of the Month for August is from Public Health Nutrition and is entitled ‘Barriers to exclusive breast-feeding in Indonesian hospitals: a qualitative study of early infant feeding practices’ by Authors: Valerie J Flaherman, Shannon Chan, Riya Desai, Fransisca Handy Agung, Hendri Hartati and Fitra Yelda.

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Are All Conflicts Alike?

Public Health Nutrition Editorial Highlight: 'Source of bias in sugar-sweetened beverage research: a systematic review' Authors: Ethan A Litman, Steven L Gortmaker, Cara B Ebbeling and David S Ludwig.

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‘Learning by doing’ helps mothers tackle under-nutrition in Malawi – showing significant improvements in just 3 weeks

Malnourished children under two in rural Malawi whose mothers were trained in diet diversity, hygiene and food safety have shown significant improvements of their nutrition and health in just three weeks. The study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition and lead by ICRISAT scientist, S. Anitha, demonstrates the rapid impact a properly designed nutrition education intervention can have.

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