3 results
Improving health and carbon footprints of European diets using a benchmarking approach
- Elly Mertens, Anneleen Kuijsten, Argyris Kanellopoulos, Marcela Dofková, Lorenza Mistura, Laura D’Addezio, Aida Turrini, Carine Dubuisson, Sabrina Havard, Ellen Trolle, Marion Eckl, Sander Biesbroek, Jacqueline Bloemhof, Johanna M Geleijnse, Pieter van ’t Veer
-
- Journal:
- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 24 / Issue 3 / February 2021
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 23 September 2020, pp. 565-575
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Open access
- HTML
- Export citation
-
Objective:
This study aimed to identify diets with improved nutrient quality and environmental impact within the boundaries of dietary practices.
Design:We used Data Envelopment Analysis to benchmark diets for improved adherence to food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG). We then optimised these diets for dietary preferences, nutrient quality and environmental impact. Diets were evaluated using the Nutrient Rich Diet score (NRD15.3), diet-related greenhouse gas emission (GHGE) and a diet similarity index that quantified the proportion of food intake that remained similar as compared with the observed diet.
Setting:National dietary surveys of four European countries (Denmark, Czech Republic, Italy and France).
Subjects:Approximately 6500 adults, aged 18–64 years.
Results:When dietary preferences were prioritised, NRD15·3 was ~6 % higher, GHGE was ~4 % lower and ~85 % of food intake remained similar. This diet had higher amounts of fruit, vegetables and whole grains than the observed diet. When nutrient quality was prioritised, NRD15·3 was ~16 % higher, GHGE was ~3 % lower and ~72 % of food intake remained similar. This diet had higher amounts of legumes and fish and lower amounts of sweetened and alcoholic beverages. Finally, when environmental impact was prioritised, NRD15·3 was ~9 % higher, GHGE was ~21 % lower and ~73 % of food intake remained similar. In this diet, red and processed meat partly shifted to either eggs, poultry, fish or dairy.
Conclusions:Benchmark modelling can generate diets with improved adherence to FBDG within the boundaries of dietary practices, but fully maximising health and minimising GHGE cannot be achieved simultaneously.
Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups and metabolic syndrome in European adolescents: The HELENA study
- Isabel Iguacel, Claudia Börnhorst, Nathalie Michels, Christina Breidenassel, Jean Dallongeville, Marcela González-Gross, Frédéric Gottrand, Anthony Kafatos, Eva Karaglani, Mathilde Kersting, Stefaan de Henauw, Christina-Paulina Lambrinou, Lorenza Mistura, Denes Molná, Esther Nova, Marc J. Gunter, Alejandro de la O. Puerta, Azahara I. Rupérez, Kurt Widhalm, Inge Huybrechts, Luis A. Moreno
-
- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 79 / Issue OCE2 / 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 June 2020, E258
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Introduction:
Psychosocial stressors deriving from socioeconomic disadvantages in adolescents can result in higher metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk. We aimed to examine whether socioeconomic disadvantages were associated with MetS independent of lifestyle and whether there was a dose response relationship between the number of cumulated socioeconomic disadvantages and the risk of MetS.
Materials and Methods:The present study included 1,037 European adolescents (aged 12.5–17.5) of the 3,528 total HELENA participants. Sociodemographic variables and lifestyle were assessed through self-reported questionnaires. Disadvantaged groups included adolescents with low educated parents, low family affluence, migrant origin, unemployed parents, and from non-traditional families. MetS score was calculated as the sum of sex- and age-specific z-scores of waist circumference, HOMA-IR index, mean of z-scores of diastolic and systolic blood pressure and mean of z-score of HDL-C multiplied by -1 and z-score of TG. A higher score indicates poor metabolic health. Linear mixed-effects models were used to study the association between social disadvantages and MetS risk score. Models were adjusted for sex, age, pubertal status (Tanner stage) and lifestyle (diet quality, physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking status).
Results:Adolescents with low educated mothers showed a higher MetS score (0.54 [0.09–0.98]; β [99% confidence interval]) compared to high-educated mothers. Adolescents who accumulated more than three disadvantages (0.69 [0.08–1.31]) or with missing information on disadvantages (0.72 [0.04–1.40]) had a higher MetS risk compared to non-socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Stronger associations between socioeconomic disadvantages and MetS were found in male in comparison with female adolescents.
Discussion:Out of the studied socioeconomic disadvantages, maternal education is the most important determinant of adolescent's MetS risk independently of sex, age, Tanner stage, smoking status, alcohol consumption, diet quality and physical activity. Social vulnerabilities (migrant background, unemployment status and belonging to a non-traditional family) were not associated with a higher MetS risk in European adolescents. However, we found a dose-response relationship between the number of factors related to social disadvantage and adolescents’ MetS risk with adolescents accumulating three or more socioeconomic disadvantages showing the highest risk. Stronger associations between socioeconomic disadvantages and MetS were found in male compared to female adolescents. Policy makers should focus on low educated families to tackle health disparities.
Breakfast consumption and CVD risk factors in European adolescents: the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study
- Lena Hallström, Idoia Labayen, Jonatan R Ruiz, Emma Patterson, Carine A Vereecken, Christina Breidenassel, Frédéric Gottrand, Inge Huybrechts, Yannis Manios, Lorenza Mistura, Kurt Widhalm, Katerina Kondaki, Luis A Moreno, Michael Sjöström
-
- Journal:
- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 16 / Issue 7 / July 2013
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 April 2012, pp. 1296-1305
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- HTML
- Export citation
-
Objective
To examine the association between breakfast consumption and CVD risk factors in European adolescents.
DesignCross-sectional. Breakfast consumption was assessed by the statement ‘I often skip breakfast’ and categorized into ‘consumer’, ‘occasional consumer’ and ‘skipper’. Blood pressure, weight, height, waist circumference, skinfold thickness, total cholesterol (TC), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), TAG, insulin and glucose were measured and BMI, TC:HDL-C, LDL-C:HDL-C and homeostasis model assessment–insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) were calculated.
SettingThe European Union-funded HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study.
SubjectsEuropean adolescents, aged 12·50–17·49 years, from ten cities within the HELENA study (n 2929, n 925 with blood sample, 53 % females).
ResultsIn males, significant differences across breakfast consumption category (‘consumer’, ‘occasional consumer’ and ‘skipper’) were seen for age, BMI, skinfold thickness, waist circumference, cardiorespiratory fitness, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, TC:HDL-C, LDL-C:HDL-C, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR and LDL-C; in females, for cardiorespiratory fitness, skinfold thickness, BMI, insulin and HOMA-IR. In overweight/obese males significant differences were also seen for TC and LDL-C, whereas no differences were observed in non-overweight males or in females regardless of weight status.
ConclusionsOur findings among European adolescents confirm previous data indicating that adolescents who regularly consume breakfast have lower body fat content. The results also show that regular breakfast consumption is associated with higher cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents, and with a healthier cardiovascular profile, especially in males. Eating breakfast regularly may also negate somewhat the effect of excess adiposity on TC and LDL-C, especially in male adolescents.