To analyse the association between sleep duration and quality with food intake, chrononutrition patterns, and weight gain during pregnancy. A prospective cohort study was conducted with 100 pregnant women. Data collection occurred once during each gestational trimester. The assessment of sleep quality and duration was performed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Food intake was assessed using three 24-h recalls in each trimester. Body weight was measured during the three trimesters, and height was measured only once to calculate the BMI. Linear regression analyses were performed to associate sleep duration and quality with food consumption and weight gain variables. Longer sleep duration was associated with a later dinner in the first trimester (β = 0·228, P = 0·025) and earlier in the third trimester (β = –0·223, P = 0·026), in addition to a later morning snack in the second trimester (β = 0·315, P = 0·026). Worse sleep quality was associated with higher total energy intake (β = 0·243, P = 0·044), total fat (β = 0·291, P = 0·015) and the chrononutrition variables such as a higher number of meals (β = 0·252, P = 0·037), higher energetic midpoint (β = 0·243, P = 0·044) and shorter fasting time (β = –0·255, P = 0·034) in the third trimester. Sleep quality was also associated with a higher BMI in the first trimester of pregnancy (β = 0·420, P = < 0·001). Most of the associations found in the present study show that poor sleep is associated with higher energy and fat intake and higher BMI. Longer sleep duration was associated with a later dinner in early pregnancy and an earlier dinner in late pregnancy, as well as with a later morning snack in the second trimester of pregnancy.

This study examined the relationship between childhood diet quality and arterial stiffness and thickness during adolescence/early adulthood. Participants were from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) with dietary data at ages 7, 10 and 13 years and pulse wave velocity (PWV) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) at ages 17 and/or 24 years. Diet quality (DQ) was assessed using five scores: a children’s Mediterranean-style diet (C-rMED) Z-score, a children’s Dietary Inflammatory Z-score (C-DIS), a DASH diet Z-score, a children’s Eatwell Guide (C-EWG) Z-score reflecting UK dietary guidelines and a data-driven obesogenic Z-score. Adjusted regression models examined the associations between DQ scores at 7–13 years and PWV and cIMT at 17 and 24 years. In adjusted models, a high v. low Obesogenic Z-score at 7 and 10 years was associated with higher PWV at 17: β 0.07 (95 % CI 0.01, 0.13) and β 0.10 (95 % CI 0.04, 0.16), respectively. A high v. low C-rMED Z-score at 7 years was associated with lower PWV at 17 (β −0.07; 95 % CI −0.14, −0.01). A high (more anti-inflammatory) vs low C-DIS Z-score at 10 years was associated with a lower PWV at 17 years: β −0.06 (95 % CI −0.12, −0.01). No other associations were observed. In conclusion, an Obesogenic dietary pattern in childhood (7–10 years) was related to increased arterial stiffness, while Mediterranean-style and anti-inflammatory diets were related to decreased arterial stiffness in adolescence. This highlights the importance of establishing healthy dietary habits early in life to protect against vascular damage.

The study evaluated the association between ultra-processed foods (UPF) and nutrient intake and identified the socio-demographic characteristics associated with UPF consumption among a nationally representative sample of middle-older adults. Dietary assessment was collected in 2013 using a validated FFQ. The Nova system was used to classify food and drinks into UPF. The percentage of dietary energy from UPF was calculated and used throughout the analyses, and average nutrient intake across quintiles of UPF was evaluated. The determinants associated with the dietary caloric contribution of UPF intake were investigated using linear regression models. A cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative study of Americans over the age of 50, the Health and Retirement Study, was conducted. The analysis included 6220 participants. The mean age was 65 (se 0·28) years, with 55 % being female. UPF intake accounted for 51 % (se 0·25) of total intake. An increase in the percentage of (%UPF) consumption was correlated with an increase in calories, carbohydrates, saturated fat and sugar, and a decrease in fibre, vitamins and minerals. %UPF intake was inversely associated with being Hispanic, higher income, physical activity, vegetarian diet and Mediterranean diet but positively associated with very low food insecurity. UPF represented half of the calories consumed. A higher %UPF intake was associated with a lower nutrient profile, suggesting decreasing %UPF intake as a strategy to improve the nutritional quality of middle-older adults. A few socio-demographic factors were associated with %UPF, which would help in planning strategies to reduce UPF consumption.