There are few data on the effects on TAG, glucose and uric acid of chronic consumption of a moderate dose of fructose in solid foods. Twenty-eight participants with prediabetes and/or obesity and overweight commenced the study (BMI 32·3 kg/m2, age 44·7 years, fasting glucose 5·3 (sd 0·89) mmol/l and 2-h glucose 6·6 (sd 1·8) mmol/l). Twenty-four men and women who completed the study consumed, in random order, two acute test meals of muffins sweetened with either fructose or sucrose. This was followed by 4-week chronic consumption of 42 g/d of either fructose or sucrose in low-fat muffins after which the two meal tests were repeated. The sugar type in the chronic feeding period was also randomised. Fasting TAG increased after chronic consumption of fructose by 0·31 (sd 0·37) mmol/l compared with sucrose in those participants with impaired fasting glucose (IFG)/impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (P = 0·004). Total cholesterol (0·33 mmol/l), LDL-cholesterol (0·24 mmol/l) and HDL-cholesterol (0·08 mmol/l) increased significantly over the 1- month feeding period with no differences between muffin types. Fasting glucose was not different after 1 month of muffin consumption. Uric acid response was not different between the two sugar types either baseline or 1 month, and there were no differences between baseline and 1 month. The increase in fasting TAG in participants with IFG/IGT suggests the need for caution in people at increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

The Dietary Questionnaire for Epidemiological Studies version 2 (DQES v2) FFQ has not been validated in adults with diabetes. The aim was to determine the agreement between the DQES v2 FFQ and a 3-d weighed food record (WFR) and 24-h urinalysis in adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The DQES v2 FFQ and a 3-d WFR were completed on one occasion for measurement of food and nutrient intake. A 24-h urine sample was provided for measurement of Na and K excretion. Participants were sixty-seven adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes recruited from the community. Nutrient intake reported in the FFQ was within 20 % of the corresponding intake level reported in the WFR for the majority of nutrients. However, the 95 % limits of agreement showed large variation at an individual level between the two methods. There was a weak to moderate correlation between nutrient intake measured using the two methods and a moderate to high correlation for food intake. Quintile analysis showed that for the majority of foods and nutrients >60 % of participants were ranked within 1 quintile of the WFR ranking. The weighted κ values showed slight to moderate agreement between the two methods. Na intake was under-estimated in the FFQ by 25 % and K intake was over-estimated by 5 % compared with the 24-h urinalysis. In adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, it is appropriate to use the DQES v2 FFQ to measure food and nutrient intake at a group level.

Red meat intake has been frequently associated with the development of coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes but vegetable protein has been associated with protection from these diseases. Whether this is related to the protein per se or to the increased polyunsaturated fat or higher fibre levels associated with more vegetarian diets is not clear.

High protein diets are associated with greater satiety and in some studies are associated with greater weight loss compared with high carbohydrate diets especially in an ad libitum design. These diets also lower plasma triglyceride and blood pressure and sometimes spare lean mass. There appear to be no harmful effects of high protein diets on bone density or renal function in weight loss studies.

Around 80% of the world population of Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi is found at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, where populations appear to be declining. However, numbers of birds at Middle Island, a small satellite island of Nightingale Island at Tristan Cunha, have not been counted since 1973 when an estimated 100,000 pairs were recorded. Updated population counts were obtained for all four islands at Tristan da Cunha (Tristan, Inaccessible, Nightingale and Middle islands) in 2009 providing a census of the whole island group and the first repeat count of Middle Island. Estimated breeding numbers at these four islands were Tristan 6,700 pairs, Inaccessible 54,000 pairs, Nightingale 25,000 pairs and 83,000 pairs at Middle Island. These counts confirm that Tristan da Cunha is a vitally important site for this ?Endangered? species holding over 65% of the global population and that breeding number have been relatively stable over the last 30 years.

The role of dietary cholesterol in people with diabetes has been little studied. We investigated the effect of a hypoenergetic high-protein high-cholesterol (HPHchol) diet compared to a similar amount of animal protein (high-protein low-cholesterol, HPLchol) on plasma lipids, glycaemic control and cardiovascular risk markers in individuals with type 2 diabetes. A total of sixty-five participants with type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (age 54·4 (sd 8·2) years; BMI 34·1 (sd 4·8) kg/m2; LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) 2·67 (sd 0·10) mmol/l) were randomised to either HPHchol or HPLchol. Both hypoenergetic dietary interventions (6–7 MJ; 1·4–1·7 Mcal) and total carbohydrate:protein:fat ratio of 40:30:30 % were similar but differed in cholesterol content (HPHchol, 590 mg cholesterol; HPLchol, 213 mg cholesterol). HPHchol participants consumed two eggs per d, whereas HPHchol participants replaced the eggs with 100 g of lean animal protein. After 12 weeks, weight loss was 6·0 (sd 0·4) kg (P < 0·001). LDL-C and homocysteine remained unchanged. All the subjects reduced total cholesterol ( − 0·3 (sd 0·1) mmol/l, P < 0·001), TAG ( − 0·4 (sd 0·1) mmol/l, P < 0·001), non-HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C, − 0·4 (sd 0·1) mmol/l, P < 0·001), apo-B ( − 0·04 (sd 0·02) mmol/l, P < 0·01), HbA1c ( − 0·6 (sd 0·1) %, P < 0·001), fasting blood glucose ( − 0·5 (sd 0·2) mmol/l, P < 0·01), fasting insulin ( − 1·7 (sd 0·7) mIU/l, P < 0·01), systolic blood pressure ( − 7·6 (sd 1·7) mmHg, P < 0·001) and diastolic blood pressure ( − 4·6 (sd 1·0) mmHg; P < 0·001). Significance was not altered by diet, sex, medication or amount of weight loss. HDL-C increased on HPHchol (+0·02 (sd 0·02) mmol/l) and decreased on HPLchol ( − 0·07 (sd 0·03) mmol/l, P < 0·05). Plasma folate and lutein increased more on HPHchol (P < 0·05). These results suggest that a high-protein energy-restricted diet high in cholesterol from eggs improved glycaemic and lipid profiles, blood pressure and apo-B in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Glycomacropeptide (GMP) is the hydrophilic 64-amino acid C-terminal glycopeptide released into cheese whey when κ-casein is cleaved by chymosin. GMP exists as a mixture of different glycoforms due to the carbohydrates sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid, NeuNAc), galactose (Gal), galactosamine and glucosamine attached by O-glycosidic linkages. GMP reportedly stimulates the release of cholecystokinin (CCK), which may promote satiety. The objectives of the present study were to manufacture three glycoforms of GMP, minimally glycosylated GMP (3·5 (sd 0·1) % NeuNAc and 1·5 (sd 0·1) % Gal), glycosylated GMP (12·0 (sd 0·3) % NeuNAc and 4·2 (sd 0·2) % Gal) and a GMP-depleted whey protein concentrate, and to assess the effects of these fractions relative to glucose on CCK, subjective measures of satiety and food intake. In a randomised double-blind acute study, twenty overweight/obese males (56·9 (sd 7·2) years, 97·4 (sd 8·1) kg, 31·5 (sd 3·0) kg/m2) were recruited to consume four 50 g preloads (two GMP preparations, GMP-depleted whey and glucose) containing 895 kJ. Blood samples and subjective measures of satiety were collected before and at 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min after the consumption of preload, and CCK levels were measured. A lunchtime meal of hot food was provided from which subjects ate ad libitum until satisfied. Energy and nutrient intakes from the food consumed were calculated. There was no significant difference in CCK levels, subjective measures of satiety or food intake between treatments at the given preload level. These results suggest that the protein fractions at the dose employed do not influence satiety, CCK levels or energy intake at a subsequent meal.

Fatty acids are the chemical moieties that are thought to stimulate oral nutrient sensors, which detect the fat content of foods. In animals, oral hypersensitivity to fatty acids is associated with decreased fat intake and body weight. The aims of the present study were to investigate oral fatty acid sensitivity, food selection and BMI in human subjects. The study included two parts; study 1 established in thirty-one subjects (29 (sem 1·4) years, 22·8 (sem 0·5) kg/m2) taste thresholds using 3-AFC (3-Alternate Forced Choice Methodology) for oleic, linoleic and lauric acids, and quantified oral lipase activity. During study 2, fifty-four subjects (20 (sem 0·3) years, 21·5 (sem 0·4) kg/m2) were screened for oral fatty acid sensitivity using oleic acid (1·4 mm), and they were defined as hypo- or hypersensitive via triplicate triangle tests. Habitual energy and macronutrient intakes were quantified from 2 d diet records, and BMI was calculated from height and weight. Subjects also completed a fat ranking task using custard containing varying amounts (0, 2, 6 and 10 %) of fat. Study 1 reported median lipase activity as 2 μmol fatty acids/min per l, and detection thresholds for oleic, linoleic and lauric acids were 2·2 (sem 0·1), 1·5 (sem 0·1) and 2·6 (sem 0·3) mm. Study 2 identified twelve hypersensitive subjects, and hypersensitivity was associated with lower energy and fat intakes, lower BMI (P < 0·05) and an increased ability to rank custards based on fat content (P < 0·05). Sensitivity to oleic acid was correlated to performance in the fat ranking task (r 0·4, P < 0·05). These data suggest that oral fatty acid hypersensitivity is associated with lower energy and fat intakes and BMI, and it may serve as a factor that influences fat consumption in human subjects.

Very low-carbohydrate diets are often used to promote weight loss, but their effects on bowel health and function are largely unknown. We compared the effects of a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LC) diet with a high-carbohydrate, high-fibre, low-fat (HC) diet on indices of bowel health and function. In a parallel study design, ninety-one overweight and obese participants (age 50·6 (sd 7·5) years; BMI 33·7 (sd 4·2) kg/m2) were randomly assigned to either an energy-restricted (about 6–7 MJ, 30 % deficit) planned isoenergetic LC or HC diet for 8 weeks. At baseline and week 8, 24 h urine and faecal collections were obtained and a bowel function questionnaire was completed. Compared with the HC group, there were significant reductions in the LC group for faecal output (21 (sd 145) v. − 61 (sd 147) g), defecation frequency, faecal excretion and concentrations of butyrate ( − 0·5 (sd 10·4) v. − 3·9 (sd 9·7) mmol/l) and total SCFA (1·4 (sd 40·5) v. − 15·8 (sd 43·6) mmol/l) and counts of bifidobacteria (P < 0·05 time × diet interaction, for all). Urinary phenols and p-cresol excretion decreased (P ≤ 0·003 for time) with no difference between diets (P ≥ 0·25). Faecal form, pH, ammonia concentration and numbers of coliforms and Escherichia coli did not change with either diet. No differences between the diets were evident for incidences of adverse gastrointestinal symptoms, which suggests that both diets were well tolerated. Under energy-restricted conditions, a short-term LC diet lowered stool weight and had detrimental effects on the concentration and excretion of faecal SCFA compared with an HC diet. This suggests that the long-term consumption of an LC diet may increase the risk of development of gastrointestinal disorders.