427 research outputs found
Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
No full textIntroductionIdentifying areas of high diabetes prevalence can have an impact on public health prevention and intervention programs. Local health practitioners and public health agencies lack small-area data on obesity and diabetes.MethodsClinical data from the Group Health Cooperative health care system were used to estimate diabetes prevalence among 59,767 adults by census tract. Area-based measures of socioeconomic status and the Modified Retail Food Environment Index were obtained at the census-tract level in King County, Washington. Spatial analyses and regression models were used to assess the relationship between census tract\u2013level diabetes and area-based socioeconomic status and food environment variables. The mediating effect of obesity on the geographic distribution of diabetes was also examined.ResultsIn this population of insured adults, diabetes was concentrated in south and southeast King County, with smoothed diabetes prevalence ranging from 6.9% to 21.2%. In spatial regression models, home value and college education were more strongly associated with diabetes than was household income. For each 50% increase in median home value, diabetes prevalence was 1.2 percentage points lower. The Modified Retail Food Environment Index was not related to diabetes at the census-tract level. The observed associations between area-based socioeconomic status and diabetes were largely mediated by obesity (home value, 58%; education, 47%).ConclusionThe observed geographic disparities in diabetes among insured adults by census tract point to the importance of area socioeconomic status. Small-area studies can help health professionals design community-based programs for diabetes prevention and control
A novel thermostable endoglucanase from the wood-decaying fungus Daldinia eschschokii (Ehrenb.: Fr.) Rehm
No full textA thermostable endoglucanase was purified to homogeneity from culture supematants of the wood-decaying fungus Daldinia eschscholzii (Ehrenb.:Fr.) Rehm grown on 1.0% (w/v) carboxymethyl-cellulose using ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and gel filtration chromatography. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 46.4 kDa as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The isoelecttic point of the enzyme was at pH 4.9. The temperature for maximum activity was 70 degrees C, with 85% of its maximum activity retained after 150 min of incubation at 50 degrees C, but was rapidly inactivated at 70 degrees C. The pH optimum of the enzyme activity was 6.0, and it was stable over a pH range of 4.0-7.0 at 50 degrees C. The enzyme was significantly inhibited by Hg2+, Cu2+, and Fe4+, and stimulated by Ca2+, Co2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, glycerol, DMSO, DTT, and EDTA. The enzyme also hydrolyzed filter paper, and Avicel (R) PH-101 at rates of 25.8%, and 7.3%, respectively when compared with carboxymethyl-cellulose. The enzyme did not hydrolyze soluble starch, oat spelt xylan, birch wood xylan, or locust bean gum. The enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of carboxymethyl-cellulose with a K-m of 1.74 mg/ml and a V-max of 0.63 U/min/mg protein. This enzyme was competitively inhibited by glucose and cellobiose with K-i values of 0.67 and 0.45 M, respectively. TLC showed that the endoglucanase produces cellotetraose, cellotriose, cellobiose, and a small amount of glucose. The deduced internal amino acid sequences of the D. eschscholzii endoglucanase showed similarity to the sequences of the glucosyl hydrolase family 5. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.</p
Energy intakes of US children and adults by food purchase location and by specific food source
No full textInternational audienceBackground: To our knowledge, no studies have examined energy intakes by food purchase location and food source using a representative sample of US children, adolescents and adults. Evaluations of purchase location and food sources of energy may inform public health policy.Methods: Analyses were based on the first day of 24-hour recall for 22,852 persons in the 2003-4, 2005-6, and 2007-8 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). The most common food purchase locations were stores (grocery store, supermarket, convenience store, or specialty store), quick-service restaurants/pizza (QSR), full-service restaurants (FSR), school cafeterias, or food from someone else/gifts. Specific food sources of energy were identified using the National Cancer Institute aggregation scheme. Separate analyses were conducted for children ages 6-11y, adolescents ages 12-19y, and adults aged 20-50y and ≥51y.Results: Stores (grocery, convenience, and specialty) were the food purchase locations for between 63.3% and 70.3% of dietary energy in the US diet. Restaurants provided between 16.9% and 26.3% of total energy. Depending on the respondents’ age, QSR provided between 12.5% and 17.5% of energy, whereas FSR provided between 4.7% and 10.4% of energy. School meals provided 9.8% of energy for children and 5.5% for adolescents. Vending machines provided <1% of energy. Pizza from QSR, the top food away from home (FAFH) item, provided 2.2% of energy in the diets of children and 3.4% in the diets of adolescents. Soda, energy, and sports drinks from QSR provided approximately 1.2% of dietary energy.Conclusions: Refining dietary surveillance approaches by incorporating food purchase location may help inform public health policy. Characterizing the important sources of energy, in terms of both purchase location and source may be useful in anticipating the population-level impacts of proposed policy or educational interventions. These data show that stores provide a majority of energy for the population, followed by quick-service and full-service restaurants. All food purchase locations, including stores, restaurants and schools play an important role in stemming the obesity epidemic
A new method to monitor the contribution of fast food restaurants to the diets of US children.
No full textAmerican adults consume 11.3% of total daily calories from foods and beverages from fast food restaurants. The contribution of different types of fast food restaurants to the diets of US children is unknown.To estimate the consumption of energy, sodium, added sugars, and solid fats among US children ages 4-19 y by fast food restaurant type.Analyses used the first 24-h recall for 12,378 children in the 2003-2010 cycles of the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2003-2010). NHANES data identify foods by location of origin, including stores and fast food restaurants (FFR). A novel custom algorithm divided FFRs into 8 segments and assigned meals and snacks to each. These included burger, pizza, sandwich, Mexican, Asian, fish, and coffee/snack restaurants. The contribution of each restaurant type to intakes of energy and other dietary constituents was then assessed by age group (4-11 y and 12-19 y) and by race/ethnicity.Store-bought foods and beverages provided 64.8% of energy, 61.9% of sodium, 68.9% of added sugars, and 60.1% of solid fats. FFRs provided 14.1% of energy, 15.9% of sodium, 10.4% of added sugars and 17.9% of solid fats. Among FFR segments, burger restaurants provided 6.2% of total energy, 5.8% of sodium, 6.2% of added sugars, and 7.6% of solid fats. Less energy was provided by pizza (3.3%), sandwich (1.4%), Mexican (1.3%), and chicken restaurants (1.2%). Non-Hispanic black children obtained a greater proportion of their total energy (7.4%), sodium (7.1%), and solid fats (9.5%) from burger restaurants as compared to non-Hispanic white children (6.0% of energy, 5.5% of sodium, and 7.3% of solid fat).These novel analyses, based on consumption data by fast food market segment, allow public health stakeholders to better monitor the effectiveness of industry efforts to promote healthier menu options
Vegetable cost metrics show that potatoes and beans provide most nutrients per penny.
No full textVegetables are important sources of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals in the diets of children. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National School Lunch Program has new requirements for weekly servings of vegetable subgroups as well as beans and peas. This study estimated the cost impact of meeting the USDA requirements using 2008 national prices for 98 vegetables, fresh, frozen, and canned. Food costs were calculated per 100 grams, per 100 calories, and per edible cup. Rank 6 score, a nutrient density measure was based on six nutrients: dietary fiber; potassium; magnesium; and vitamins A, C, and K. Individual nutrient costs were measured as the monetary cost of 10% daily value of each nutrient per cup equivalent. ANOVAs with post hoc tests showed that beans and starchy vegetables, including white potatoes, were cheaper per 100 calories than were dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables. Fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables had similar nutrient profiles and provided comparable nutritional value. However, less than half (n = 46) of the 98 vegetables listed by the USDA were were consumed >5 times by children and adolescents in the 2003-4 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. For the more frequently consumed vegetables, potatoes and beans were the lowest-cost sources of potassium and fiber. These new metrics of affordable nutrition can help food service and health professionals identify those vegetable subgroups in the school lunch that provide the best nutritional value per penny
Socioeconomic Disparities in Health: The Role of Diet Cost
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2014Numerous studies have linked diet quality to all-cause mortality. Diet cost has been implicated as an important determinant of diet quality and has been linked to many of the dietary patterns and scores related to adverse health outcomes, such as weight gain, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. However, few prospective studies have evaluated whether diet cost is associated with these adverse health outcomes. Therefore, this body of work sought to elucidate the relationship between diet cost and adverse health outcomes, while also examining the extent to which diet cost explains the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health. To address these aims, we used data on post-menopausal women (ages 49-64 years) included in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). Participants' daily diet cost was estimated by linking a national food price database developed by the United States Department of Agriculture was linked to the participants' food frequency questionnaire. The four outcomes of this study were weight gain, T2DM, CVD and all-cause mortality. Adjusted linear regression models were used to evaluate the association between diet cost and weight change, whereas Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the association between diet cost and T2DM, CVD and all-cause mortality. To evaluate the extent by which diet cost explained the socioeconomic (income/education) gradient in outcomes, we evaluated the percent difference in the diet-cost adjusted income/education coefficients to the coefficients from models without the diet cost term. The association between diet cost and diet cost was evaluated in 10,807 women from the control arm of the Dietary Modification (DM-C) trial. For weight change, a 50% increase in diet costs was associated with excess weight gain of 0.33 kg (95% CI 0.06, 0.59) over up-to seven years of follow-up, though the association was modified by weight change prior to baseline. Among women who previously gained weight or were weight stable there was no significant association between diet cost and weight change. For women who previously lost weight, a 50% increase in diet cost was associated with excess weight gain of 0.87 kg (95% CI 0.34, 1.40). Given the unexpected direction of the association between diet cost and weight change subsequent SES-mediation analyses were not conducted. Over eight years of follow-up 2,174 new cases of T2DM were observed among 47,683 women from the DM-C and Observational Study (OS). A 50% increase in diet costs was associated with a 14% reduced risk of T2DM (hazard ratio [HR] 0.86; 95% CI 0.78, 0.94). In regression calibration models that incorporated estimated diet costs from the 4DFR, a 50% increase in diet cost was associated with a 22% reduced risk of diabetes (HR 0.78; 95% CI 0.67, 0.90). A strong social gradient in diabetes risk was observed for both education and income, with individuals of lower SES having an elevated risk of being diagnosed with T2DM. In mediation analyses, diet costs explained 15-19% (p<0.05 for all mediation analyses) of the association between income/education and T2DM. With eight years of follow-up 1,208 cardiovascular events were observed among 42,632 women from the DM-C and OS. A 50% increase in diet costs was associated with a 19% reduced risk of CVD (HR 0.81; 95% CI 0.72, 0.92). In regression calibration models, a 50% increase in energy-adjusted diet costs was associated with a 28% reduced risk of CVD (HR 0.72; 95% CI 0.58, 0.88). A strong social gradient in CVD risk was observed for both education and income, whereby individuals of lower SES experienced an elevated risk of CVD. In mediation analyses, diet costs explained 12-19% (p<0.008 for all mediation analyses) of social gradient in CVD. Over 12 years of follow-up, 2,055 deaths were observed among 49,336 women from the DM-C and OS. Among the entire population, diet cost was not significantly associated with mortality (HR for 50% increase diet cost: 0.95; 95% CI 0.87, 1.04). When restricting the analysis to healthy never smokers, a 50% increase in diet costs was associated with a non-significant 15% reduced risk of death (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.70, 1.03). Given the lack of a main effect between diet cost and mortality, subsequent SES-mediation analyses were not conducted. This is the first systematic evaluation of the association between diet cost and adverse health outcomes in the United States. Contrary to the original hypothesis, higher diet costs were not associated with decreased weight gain. For T2DM and CVD, a significant inverse association between diet costs and risk of these outcomes was observed, and for mortality, there a suggestion of an association between higher diet costs and reduced mortality risk among healthy never smokers, but this association was not statistically significant. Diet cost accounted for 12-19% of the association between income/education and T2DM and CVD. The positive results observed for T2DM and CVD should be compared to results from other studies. Examining upstream factors associated with adverse health, including diet costs, expands our understanding of socioeconomic disparities in health, while also unpacking the consequences of the contemporary food environment on disease risk
Breakfast in the United States: Food and Nutrient Intakes in Relation to Diet Quality in National Health and Examination Survey 2011-2014. A Study from the International Breakfast Research Initiative
No full textInternational audienceThe contribution of breakfast to diet quality (DQ) can inform future dietary guidelines. This study examined breakfast nutrition in relation to overall DQ, using dietary data from the first reported day of the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014 (n = 14,488). Relative DQ was assessed using the Nutrient Rich Foods Index (NRF9.3) and the USDA Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI 2015). The sample was stratified by NRF9.3 tertiles and by age and socioeconomic groups. Four out of 5 NHANES participants had breakfast on the day of the interview. Breakfast provided 19-22% of dietary energy depending on age. Breakfast intakes of complex carbohydrates and total sugars were proportionately higher and intakes of protein and fats were lower relative to breakfast energy intakes. Breakfast provided more that 20% of daily intakes of B vitamins, vitamins A and D, folate, calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. Eating breakfast was associated with higher NRF9.3 DQ scores. Breakfasts associated with the top tertile of NRF9.3 scores had less added sugars and fats than those associated with the bottom tertile. Such breakfasts had more fruit and juices, more whole grain products, more milk and yogurt and less meat and eggs. Breakfast patterns and food choices that favored fruit, whole grains and dairy were associated with healthiest diets
Sodium Intakes of US Children and Adults from Foods and Beverages by Location of Origin and by Specific Food Source
No full textInternational audienceSodium intakes, from foods and beverages, of 22,852 persons in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES 2003–2008) were examined by specific food source and by food location of origin. Analyses were based on a single 24-h recall. Separate analyses were conducted for children (6–11 years of age), adolescents (12–19), and adults (20–50 and ≥51 years). Grouping of like foods (e.g., food sources) used a scheme proposed by the National Cancer Institute, which divides foods/beverages into 96 food subgroups (e.g., pizza, yeast breads or cold cuts). Food locations of origin were stores (e.g., grocery, convenience and specialty stores), quick-service restaurant/pizza (QSR), full-service restaurant (FSR), school, or other. Food locations of sodium were also evaluated by race/ethnicity amongst adults. Stores provided between 58.1% and 65.2% of dietary sodium, whereas QSR and FSR together provided between 18.9% and 31.8% depending on age. The proportion of sodium from QSR varied from 10.1% to 19.9%, whereas that from FSR varied from 3.4% to 13.3%. School meals provided 10.4% of sodium for 6–11 year olds and 6.0% for 12–19 year olds. Pizza from QSR, the top away from home food item, provided 5.4% of sodium in adolescents. QSR pizza, chicken, burgers and Mexican dishes combined provided 7.8% of total sodium in adult diets. Most sodium came from foods purchased in stores. Food manufacturers, restaurants, and grocery stores all have a role to play in reducing the amount of sodium in the American diet
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