This review considers current evidence on physical activity and dietary behaviours in the context of prostate cancer prevention and survivorship outcomes. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer amongst men, with over 1⋅4 million newly diagnosed cases globally each year. Due to earlier detection via screening and advances in treatments, survival rates are amongst the highest of all cancer populations. However, hormone treatments (i.e. androgen deprivation therapy) can lead to undesirable body composition changes, increased fatigue and reduced health-related quality of life, which can impair the overall wellbeing of men living with and beyond prostate cancer. Existing research has only provided limited evidence that physical activity and nutrition can impact a man's risk of prostate cancer but cohort studies suggest they can influence survival outcomes after diagnosis. Additionally, data from observational and intervention studies suggest that habitual physical activity (or structured exercise) and healthy diets can help to ameliorate hormone-related treatment side-effects. Current physical activity guidelines state that prostate cancer patients should complete at least three sessions of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, along with two resistance exercise sessions, but dietary guidelines for prostate cancer patients are less well defined. In conclusion, regular physical activity and nutritional interventions may improve survival outcomes and attenuate some adverse side-effects of hormone treatments in men with prostate cancer. However, further research is required to improve our understanding of the health impacts of physical activity (including structured exercise) and nutrition in relation to prostate cancer prevention and survivorship.

It is currently debated whether vitamin D requirements during pregnancy differ from those during non-gravid states. In current analyses, we aimed to determine the best model for the association between PTH and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and the threshold for circulating 25(OH)D at which serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) is suppressed. This multicenter prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 227 Iranian pregnant women aged 15–45 years in their third trimester of pregnancy. The locally weighted smoothing scatter plot (LOWESS) was used to determine the curvilinear shape of the 25(OH)D/PTH relationship. Linear and non-linear methods were employed to determine the best fit and cut-point for serum 25(OH)D concentration. The median serum 25(OH)D and corresponding serum PTH concentration were 17⋅26 (13⋅44–23⋅08) ng/ml and 19⋅46 (15⋅08–25⋅04) pg/ml in our study population, respectively. The LOWESS curve suggested a non-linear and monotonic with a negative slope relation between PTH (pg/ml) and serum 25(OH)D (ng/ml). The optimal model for the association between PTH and serum 25(OH)D was a one-term fractional polynomial (FP1) (AIC = 1640⋅463). The FP1 analysis identified the 25(OH)D threshold of 12⋅48 ng/ml at which serum PTH rapidly rose. The expected degree of PTH stimulation seems to have a linear trend as 25(OH)D falls below 40 ng/ml. 25(OH)D (ng/ml) and PTH (pg/ml) had a non-linear and monotonic relationship with a negative slope. Our data suggest that a 25(OH)D threshold of 12⋅48 ng/ml is sufficient for parathyroid hormone suppression, which could be used to screen for deficient individuals.

Present food systems threaten population and environmental health. Evidence suggests reduced meat and increased plant-based food consumption would align with climate change and health promotion priorities. Accelerating this transition requires greater understanding of determinants of plant-based food choice. A thriving plant-based food industry has emerged to meet consumer demand and support dietary shift towards plant-based eating. ‘Traditional’ plant-based diets are low-energy density, nutrient dense, low in saturated fat and purportedly associated with health benefits. However, fast-paced contemporary lifestyles continue to fuel growing demand for meat-mimicking plant-based convenience foods which are typically ultra-processed. Processing can improve product safety and palatability and enable fortification and enrichment. However, deleterious health consequences have been associated with ultra-processing, though there is a paucity of equivocal evidence regarding the health value of novel plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) and their capacity to replicate the nutritional profile of meat-equivalents. Thus, despite the health halo often associated with plant-based eating, there is a strong rationale to improve consumer literacy of PBMAs. Understanding the impact of extensive processing on health effects may help to justify the use of innovative methods designed to maintain health benefits associated with particular foods and ingredients. Furthering knowledge regarding the nutritional value of novel PBMAs will increase consumer awareness and thus support informed choice. Finally, knowledge of factors influencing engagement of target consumer subgroups with such products may facilitate production of desirable, healthier PBMAs. Such evidence-based food manufacturing practice has the potential to positively influence future individual and planetary health.

The aim of the present study was to develop the ASKFV-SE tool to measure self-efficacy (SE) towards requesting fruits and vegetables (FV) in the home and school environment with school-age children (grades 4–5) from urban, ethnically diverse, low-income households. Cognitive interviews reduced the tool from eleven items to seven. The 7-item questionnaire was tested with 444 children. The items loaded on two factors: home SE (four items) and school SE (two items) with one item was excluded (<0⋅40). The reduced 6-item, 2-factor structure was the best fit for the data (χ2 = 45⋅09; df = 9; CFI = 0⋅835; RMSEA = 0⋅147). Confirmatory factory analysis revealed that the 4-item home SE had high reliability (α = 0⋅73) and marginally acceptable reliability for the 2-item school SE (α = 0⋅53). The pre-COVID intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0⋅584 (P < 0⋅001; fair; n = 57) compared to 0⋅736 during-COVID (P < 0⋅001; good; n 50). The ASKFV-SE tool measures children's SE for asking for FVs with strong psychometric properties and low participant burden.

The marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages (hereafter: food) high in fats, salt and/or sugar (HFSS) has been strongly implicated in the rising levels of childhood obesity worldwide. Multiple ethical concerns arise from the practice of exposing children to such marketing and efforts to monitor and restrict it through regulatory policies. There is considerable evidence that exposure to powerful food marketing messages affects children's food behaviours in ways that are detrimental to good dietary health. Children are particularly vulnerable to being exploited and deceived by food marketing messages based on their cognitive and developmental immaturity. HFSS food marketing also affects numerous child rights enshrined within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (of which the UK is a signatory) including the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health. The debate has become somewhat polarised between the public health community's evidence-based assertion that all marketing is inherently exploitative and the rebuttal from food and marketing industry stakeholders that provided the marketing is ‘accurate and truthful’ and there is no ethical need to regulate. This polarisation is reflected in the complexity of policymaking decisions regarding the rationale for mandatory government-led policies or industry self-regulation. There are also ethical considerations inherent in the monitoring of children's food marketing exposure, particularly in the digital sphere, by researchers for the purposes of informing policy design, scope and implementation. This review paper will explore the latest evidence on these issues and consider the implications for public health research, policy, and practice.

For the omnivorous Cherax quadricarinatus crayfish, plant raw materials can be good alternatives to dietary fish meal (FM). A 56-d feeding trial was conducted in C. quadricarinatus (11·70 (se 0·13) g). Diet with 100 % FM as the protein source was the control. Seven experimental diets were formulated by replacing 75 or 100 % of FM with soyabean meal (SM75, SM100) or cottonseed meal (CM75 and CM100), and a mixture of SM and CM (protein content is 1:1) replacing 50, 75 or 100 % of FM (SC50, SC75 and SC100). Crayfish fed the CM100 and SC100 showed significantly lower weight gain (WG), specific growth rate, trypsin and pepsin activities compared with the control diet. Crayfish in CM100 group showed significantly higher GPx, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase activities and malondialdehyde content than the control. SM100 and CM100 diets can cause slight separation of the peritrophic membrane from the intestinal folds. The pepsin activity of crayfish in SC50 was significantly higher than those in other experimental diets. The highest WG and muscle arginine content were also found in crayfish fed SC50. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Unclassified Enterobacteriaceae and Candidatus Bacilloplasma was significantly higher, but Actinobacteriota was significantly lower in SM100, CM100 and SC100 than in control. Microbiota functional prediction indicated that the relative abundance of ‘cell motility’ pathway in crayfish fed CM100 was significantly decreased compared with the control. In conclusion, only half of the FM can be effectively substituted with a mixture of SM and CM (protein content is 1:1) for C. quadricarinatus.

Few studies examined the association of energy, macronutrients and food consumption at dinner v. breakfast with hypercholesterolaemia. A total of 27 911 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003–2016) were included in the cross-sectional study. Energy, macronutrients and food consumption at breakfast, dinner and the difference at dinner v. breakfast (Δratio) were calculated. Multiple logistic regression models and substitution effects of foods at dinner with breakfast were also performed. After adjustment for potential covariates, compared with the lowest quintile, participants in the highest quintile of Δratio in terms of energy had a higher risk of prevalent hypercholesterolaemia (ORΔratio of energy 1·16, 95 % CI (1·01, 1·33)) mainly due to Δratio of low-quality carbohydrates and plant protein (ORΔratio of low-quality carbohydrates 1·19; 95 % CI (1·05, 1·35)); ORΔratio of plant protein 1·13; 95 % CI (1·01, 1·28)). ΔAdded sugars and Δnuts were associated with hypercholesterolaemia (ORΔadded sugars 1·01; 95 % CI (1·00, 1·02)); ORΔnuts 1·08; 95 % CI (1·01, 1·16)). Furthermore, the substitution of added sugars, nuts and processed meat at dinner with breakfast could reduce the OR of hypercholesterolaemia. This study indicated that among US adults, overconsumption of energy, macronutrients including low-quality carbohydrates and plant protein at dinner than breakfast was significantly associated with a higher risk of prevalent hypercholesterolaemia. The replacing of added sugar, nuts and processed meat at dinner with breakfast reduced the risk of prevalent hypercholesterolaemia. This study emphasised the importance of meal timing in the prevention of hypercholesterolaemia.

The relationship between non-communicable diseases and eating behaviour has long been attributed to a surplus of food and energy. However, the increase in the prevalence of non-communicable disease and their underlying low-grade inflammatory milieu among people of low socio-economic status has highlighted the existence of a confounding factor. In this work, we aim to study the effect of lysine deficiency on some inflammatory markers in the absence or presence of an inflammatory insult (lipopolysaccharide (LPS)). For this purpose, thirty-two 5-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly distributed into four groups: (1) control diet, (2) control diet+LPS, (3) lysine-deficient diet and (4) lysine-deficient diet + LPS. Groups were only allowed their experimental diets for 4 weeks, during which LPS (50 µg/kg) or saline injections were administered intraperitoneally three times per week. The study showed that lysine deficiency blunted growth and body compartments development, decreased albumin production and elevated liver C-reactive protein (CRP) expression, independently of IL-6 and IL-1β, the main precursors of CRP. Also, the insufficient levels of lysine in the diet increased hyperactivity and triggered an anxiety-like behaviour, exacerbated with LPS. This work presents evidence that various physiological changes are associated with the absence of a sufficient amount of lysine in the diet and can potentially increase the risk factor for diseases. Thus, the increment in non-communicable disease among the low socio-economic status populations, who heavily rely on cereals as a main source of protein, can be, at least partially, blamed on low lysine availability in diets.

HIV and severe wasting are associated with post-discharge mortality and hospital readmission among children with complicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM); however, the reasons remain unclear. We assessed body composition at hospital discharge, stratified by HIV and oedema status, in a cohort of children with complicated SAM in three hospitals in Zambia and Zimbabwe. We measured skinfold thicknesses and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to investigate whether fat and lean mass were independent predictors of time to death or readmission. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the association between death/readmission and discharge body composition. Mixed effects models were fitted to compare longitudinal changes in body composition over 1 year. At discharge, 284 and 546 children had complete BIA and skinfold measurements, respectively. Low discharge lean and peripheral fat mass were independently associated with death/hospital readmission. Each unit Z-score increase in impedance index and triceps skinfolds was associated with 48 % (adjusted hazard ratio 0·52, 95 % CI (0·30, 0·90)) and 17 % (adjusted hazard ratio 0·83, 95 % CI (0·71, 0·96)) lower hazard of death/readmission, respectively. HIV-positive v. HIV-negative children had lower gains in sum of skinfolds (mean difference −1·49, 95 % CI (−2·01, −0·97)) and impedance index Z-scores (–0·13, 95 % CI (−0·24, −0·01)) over 52 weeks. Children with non-oedematous v. oedematous SAM had lower mean changes in the sum of skinfolds (–1·47, 95 % CI (−1·97, −0·97)) and impedance index Z-scores (–0·23, 95 % CI (−0·36, −0·09)). Risk stratification to identify children at risk for mortality or readmission, and interventions to increase lean and peripheral fat mass, should be considered in the post-discharge care of these children.

A healthy diet and regular physical activity (PA) are delineated as healthy behaviours. Their implementation is associated with better health outcomes and improved quality of life. There is less evidence of a relationship between dietary patterns (DP) and PA, especially in adults aged ≥ 85. Hence, this cross-sectional study investigates the association between DP and PA in people of this age group, using the data from The Kawasaki Aging and Well-Being Project. Brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire was used to estimate the intake of fifty-eight types of food. After energy adjustment, principal component analysis was performed to identify DP. PA was measured objectively using an accelerometer and subjectively using a questionnaire validated for this age group. Thousand participants (median age: 86·9 years, men: 49·9 %) were included in the analysis. Three major DP (DP1 ‘various foods’, DP2 ‘red meats and coffee’, DP3 ‘bread and processed meats’) were identified. DP1 ‘various foods’ was similar to DP previously named ‘healthy’ or ‘prudent’ and showed a positive association with PA time (PAT) as measured by accelerometer (B, 6·25; 95 % CI 0·13, 12·37) and relatively shorter sedentary behaviour (SB) time. DP2 ‘red meats and coffee’ and DP3 ‘bread and processed meats’ were negatively associated with PAT and positively associated with SB time. This study observed the relationship between diet and PA behaviours in adults aged ≥ 85, with healthier and more food-diverse DP associated with longer PAT and relatively unhealthy DP with shorter PAT.

Air displacement plethysmography (ADP) has been considered as the ‘standard’ method to determine body fat in children due to superior validity and reliability compared with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). However, ADP and BIA are often used interchangeably despite few studies comparing measures of percentage body fat by ADP (%FMADP) with BIA (%FMBIA) in children with and without obesity. The objective of this study was to measure concurrent validity and reliability of %FMADP and %FMBIA in 6-to-12-year-old boys with and without obesity. Seventy-one boys (twenty-five with obesity) underwent body composition assessment. Ten boys participated in intra-day reliability analysis. %FMADP was estimated by Bodpod using sex- and age-specific equations of body density. %FMBIA was estimated by a multi-frequency, hand-to-foot device using child-specific equations based on impedance. Validity was assessed by t tests, correlation coefficients and limits of agreement (LoA); and reliability by technical error of measurement (TEM) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Compared with %FMADP, %FMBIA was significantly underestimated in the cohort (–3·4 ± 5·6 %; effect size = 0·42) and in both boys with obesity (–5·2 ± 5·5 %; ES = 0·90) and without obesity (–2·4 ± 5·5 %; ES = 0·52). A strong, significant positive correlation was found between %FMADP and %FMBIA (r = 0·80). Across the cohort, LoA were 22·3 %, and no proportional bias was detected. For reliability, TEM were 0·65 % and 0·55 %, and ICC were 0·93 and 0·95 for %FMBIA and %FMADP, respectively. Whilst both %FMADP and %FMBIA are highly reliable methods, considerable differences indicated that the devices cannot be used interchangeably in boys age 6-to-12 years.

Approximately one-in-ten reproductive age adults in the USA follow a plant-based diet, yet there is limited information on the influence of vegan and vegetarian diets on the mineral composition of breast milk. This study explored the major and trace mineral composition in breast milk and associations with maternal diet patterns. We used a cross-sectional design to collect a single sample of breast milk from individuals following vegan (n 23), vegetarian (n 19) and omnivore (n 21) diet patterns. Plant-based diet (n 42) was defined as following either vegan or vegetarian diets. Sixteen minerals were assessed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Data were evaluated using traditional statistical techniques and five different machine learning approaches. The distribution of Se (median; quartile 1 and 3) was significantly different between groups (vegetarians 21, 18–26 µg/l; vegans 19, 18–25 µg/l and omnivores 17, 14–20 µg/l; P = 0·007) using a Kruskal–Wallis test. Machine learning techniques also identified Se as a potential biomarker for differentiating breast milk by maternal diet pattern. Individuals following a plant-based diet generally had a lower BMI, higher breast milk Se and lower breast milk I and Fe concentrations compared with those following omnivore diets. This suggests that maternal dietary pattern (plant-based v. omnivore) may be helpful clinical information to consider when caring for the breast-feeding dyad, with the strongest evidence related to differences in Se concentration.