This pilot study evaluated the effect of an online cooking intervention: Up for Cooking. Seventy-three Dutch families participated in four 1.5-hour sessions, before which they received ingredients and intervention materials. Parental questionnaires (pre-post) assessed food literacy skills (planning, selecting and making a healthy meal), knowledge and self-efficacy towards cooking and healthy eating (quantitative). Interviews assessed whether families changed their cooking behaviour at home (qualitative). A Wilcoxon Signed Rank test and inductive thematic coding were used. Thirty-nine parents completed questionnaires and eleven parents participated in interviews. Scores on food literacy items related to selecting and making a healthy meal improved significantly post-intervention. Parents’ knowledge of healthy eating and self-efficacy in cooking with their children also improved significantly. Interviews revealed an increased involvement of children in meal preparation and positive changes in family cooking behaviour. This online cooking intervention is a promising nutrition intervention, but implementation and long-term changes need further exploration.

Unhealthy diets are a leading cause of preventable ill health. Healthy diets tend to be more expensive than less healthy diets and as such are more likely to be consumed by individuals with a higher income. This review paper discusses the development of the Eatwell Guide, evaluates the affordability of a diet consistent with the Eatwell Guide (‘the Eatwell Guide diet’) and explores how food pricing can be leveraged to encourage and support healthier dietary choices. The Eatwell Guide is the UK’s food-based dietary guidelines. It provides healthy eating advice that is intended to facilitate policy cohesion but is also used as a public-facing health promotion tool. The cost of food has increased and recent estimates suggest that the Eatwell Guide diet is now more expensive than the current average diet. There is strong evidence that subsidies would be effective at increasing the uptake of healthy diets. Monitoring the cost of a healthy diet is important for policy development; however, we should exercise caution when considering how to incorporate costs into food-based dietary guidelines and be mindful of the limitations of the data that could support this.

Healthy diets are unaffordable for billions of people worldwide, with food prices rising in high-, middle- and low-income nations in recent times. Despite widespread attention to this issue, recent actions taken to inform policy prioritisation and government responses to high food inflation have not been comprehensively synthesised. Our review summarises (i) innovative efforts to monitor national food and healthy diet price, ii) new policy responses adopted by governments to address food inflation and (iii) future research directions to inform new evidence. Evidence synthesis. Global. None. We describe how timely food and beverage pricing data can provide transparency in the food industry and identify key areas for intervention. However, government policies that improve food affordability are often short-lived and lack sustained commitment. Achieving meaningful impact will require long-term, cross-sectoral actions that are led by governments to support food security, healthy diets and resilient sustainable food systems. This will necessitate a better understanding of how the political economy enables (or hinders) policy implementation, including through coherent problem framing, mitigating conflicts of interest in policymaking, working together as coalitions and developing and utilising evidence on the food security and related impacts of food pricing and affordability policies. Diverse actors must be better equipped with robust data platforms and actionable policy solutions that improve the affordability of healthy and sustainable diets, including by lowering food prices and addressing the broader socio-political determinants of food insecurity.

Eating disorders (ED) are psychiatric conditions with profound impacts on physical health, emotional well-being and quality of life. They are associated with reduced employment participation and increased healthcare costs, representing a significant public health concern. Major ED, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder and other specified feeding and eating disorders, are closely linked to oral health complications, which serve as both diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets in ED management. This narrative review explores twenty-two studies, organised around transdiagnostic behavioural and physiological risk factors, including caloric restriction, purging behaviours, binge episodes and oral hygiene neglect. Evidence indicates that malnutrition, vomiting-induced acid exposure, high intake of cariogenic foods and inconsistent hygiene practices contribute to the deterioration of dental and periodontal health. The review highlights the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of oral assessments in ED management, underscoring the importance of early detection. A dedicated section addresses the role of dental professionals, proposing individualised care pathways and the use of clinical indices such as the Basic Erosive Wear Examination and Schiff air index, alongside emerging tools like tele dentistry. The findings advocate for a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating nutritional support, psychological therapy and targeted dental treatment, which is crucial for developing comprehensive care plans. Such collaboration enhances the effectiveness of interventions, addressing both the physiological and psychological dimensions of ED to improve patient outcomes.

The current study aims to assess associations between trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels and mortality and to investigate modification effects of genetics. A total of 500 participants from a family-based cohort study were enrolled from 2005 to 2017 and followed up until 2020 in Fangshan District, Beijing, China. Serum TMAO levels were measured using the ELISA kit. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality and deaths from CVD and stroke. During a median follow-up time of 7·38 years, thirty-eight deaths were recorded, including twenty deaths due to CVD and nineteen deaths due to stroke. Compared with the lowest TMAO quartile group, the HR for all-cause mortality was 1·35 (95 % CI: 0·44, 4·15), 1·65 (95 % CI: 0·58, 4·64) and 2·45 (95 % CI: 0·91, 6·57), respectively, in higher groups. No association was observed between TMAO and CVD mortality. However, compared with the lowest TMAO concentration group, the HR for stroke mortality was 1·93 (95 % CI: 0·40, 9·39), 1·91 (95 % CI: 0·41, 8·96) and 4·16 (95 % CI: 0·94, 18·52), respectively, in higher groups (Pfor trend = 0·046). Furthermore, polygenic risk score (PRS) for longevity modified the association of TMAO with all-cause mortality (Pfor interaction = 0·008). The risk of mortality (HR = 2·20, 95 % CI: 1·06, 4·57) was higher among participants with lower PRS compared with higher PRS (HR = 1·00, 95 % CI: 0·71, 1·40). The study indicates that elevated serum TMAO levels are potentially associated with long-term mortality risk in rural areas of northern China, especially for stroke deaths. Additionally, it provides novel evidence that genetic variations might modify the association.

High BMI is an important risk factor for female colon and rectal, ovarian and uterine cancers. Current comprehensive studies on its effects on these cancers are limited. This paper aims to explore regional and age differences in the impact of high BMI on these cancers and the commonalities among the three by using the Global Burden of Disease 2021. Deaths, disability-adjusted life years and their age-standardised rates for these cancers were retrieved from 1990 to 2021, and burden trends were assessed using the estimated annual percentage change and percentage changes. The study also analysed the correlation between age-standardised rate and socio-demographic index across twenty-one regions and projected future disease burden trends using the Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort model. Results showed that the global burden of female colon and rectal cancer declined since 1990 but remained at the highest level among the three cancers in 2021. At the same time, these three cancers had high burdens in high-income areas. Since 1990, ovarian and uterine cancer burdens attributable to high BMI increased, and all three burdens grew fastest in low-middle-income regions and among younger people. The burden of all three is projected to continue increasing through 2050. This study confirms that high BMI’s impact on these cancers is regional and age-specific, with long-term effects. Therefore, subsequent public health interventions should adopt more targeted obesity prevention and control strategies based on national and regional situations to effectively mitigate the adverse effects of high BMI on these cancers.

Age is the main risk factor for many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. Despite our limited understanding of cellular mechanisms of ageing-associated neuronal loss, an increasing number of studies demonstrate that oxidative stress and inflammation are key drivers. Epidemiological studies indicate that diet during middle adulthood can influence the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases later in life, so it is important to investigate dietary interventions to combat oxidative stress and inflammation. In this study, we hypothesised that treatment with fucoxanthin, a marine carotenoid with strong antioxidant properties, prevents ageing-associated oxidative stress that is known to be related to natural brain ageing. Treatment with fucoxanthin protected rat primary hippocampal neurons against oxidative stress and ageing in vitro. In our in vivo study, middle-aged male Sprague-Dawley rats were gavaged with fucoxanthin (1 mg/kg, 5 d/week, n 6) or vehicle (n 6) for 4 weeks. After supplementation was completed, brain samples were harvested and subjected to quantitative and bioinformatic analyses. Fucoxanthin was detected and shown to decrease lipid peroxidation in the brains of the animals supplemented with fucoxanthin. Microarray analysis showed that treatment with fucoxanthin changed 5602 genes. Together, our results suggest that treatment with fucoxanthin prevents ageing-associated oxidative stress and is capable of regulating genes that potentially ameliorate age-related changes to the brain.

This review comprehensively examines the current evidence on the dietary management of chronic constipation, and the dietary recommendations presented in clinical guidelines for chronic constipation. Several randomised controlled trials (RCT) have investigated the effect of dietary supplements, foods and drinks in chronic constipation. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of these RCTs have demonstrated that psyllium supplements, specific probiotic supplements, magnesium oxide supplements, kiwifruits, prunes, rye bread and high mineral water content may be effective in the management of constipation. However, despite the plethora of evidence, current clinical guidelines only offer a limited number of dietary recommendations. The most commonly recommended dietary strategy in clinical guidelines is dietary fibre, followed by senna supplements and psyllium supplements. The least commonly recommended dietary strategies are magnesium oxide, Chinese herbal supplements, prunes and high mineral-content water. Several evidence-based dietary strategies are omitted by current clinical guidelines (e.g. kiwifruits), while some strategies that are recommended are not always supported by evidence (e.g. insoluble fibre supplement). Dietary recommendations in clinical guidelines can also be ambiguous, lacking outcome-specific recommendations and information for appropriate implementation. Future RCTs are needed to assess currently under-investigated dietary approaches that are nevertheless commonly recommended, and future clinical guidelines should include dietary recommendations supported by available evidence.

This study examines the influence of fish oil on brain amyloidogenesis in hyperglycaemic Alzheimer’s disease animal models, emphasising the potential of omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil to prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Thirty males of Wistar rats were divided into five groups: 1) control rats (NS); 2) rats supplemented with 3 g/kg of fish oil (NS+FO3); 3) rats injected via intraperitoneal (i.p) with Streptozotocin-Lipopolysaccharide (STZ-LPS); 4) rats injected with STZ-LPS (i.p) and supplemented with 1 g/kg of fish oil (STZ-LPS+FO1), and 5) rats injected with STZ-LPS (i.p) and supplemented with 3 g/kg of fish oil (STZ-LPS+FO3). The cerebral brain was extracted for examination, and the αβ precursor protein (APP) level was measured using an immunoassay kit, while αβ 42 expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry staining. Brain amyloidosis-related genes were quantified using real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The results revealed that fish oil supplementation significantly increased APP levels and reduced αβ 42 accumulations in STZ-LPS rats. Moreover, the Apolipoprotein E, ε4 isoform (ApoE-4) and Beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (Bace-1) genes were downregulated while the Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (Lrp-1) gene was upregulated in STZ-LPS rats treated with fish oil, thereby elucidating the impact of fish oil on diminishing αβ buildup in the brain. Therefore, this study contributes to a growing body of evidence supporting dietary interventions as adjunctive strategies for the prevention or delay of Alzheimer’s disease progression in metabolic dysfunction.

A Palaeolithic diet is an efficacious dietary approach for glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes. Causal mechanisms are body weight loss and glucometabolic effects from differences in included food groups, macronutrient composition, fibre content, and glycaemic load. The aim was to test the hypothesis that characteristic food group differences between a Palaeolithic and a diabetes diet would cause an effect on glycaemic control when weight was kept stable and diets were matched for macronutrient composition, fibre content and glycaemic load. Adult participants with type 2 diabetes and increased waist circumference were instructed to follow two diets, with or without the food groups cereal grain, dairy products, and legumes, during two periods of 4 weeks separated by a 6-week washout period in a random-order crossover design. The Palaeolithic diet included fruit, vegetables, tubers, fish, shellfish, lean meat, nuts, eggs and olive oil, and excluded cereal grains, dairy products and legumes. The diabetes diet included fruit, vegetables, fish, shellfish, lean meat, nuts, eggs, olive oil, and substantial amounts of whole grains, low-fat dairy products and legumes. Dietary energy content was adjusted throughout the study to maintain stable body weight. There were no differences between diets on HbA1c or fructosamine among the 14 participants. Body weight was kept stable, and the two diets were successfully matched for macronutrient composition and glycaemic load but not for fibre content. Characteristic food group differences and the accompanying differences in fibre content between a Palaeolithic and a diabetes diet do not cause an effect on glycaemic control.

This study aimed to assess the relationship between selected parameters of nutritional status and the occurrence of frailty syndrome in older adults by analysing clinical and socio-demographic factors. Methods: The study included 150 community-dwelling participants aged > 60 years who were qualified in the medical centre. The following research tools were used: activity of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, survey of health, aging, and retirement in Europe, geriatric depression scale, mini mental state examination (MMSE), anthropometric measurements, mini nutritional assessment (MNA), body composition measurements, and biochemical blood tests. Results: The study included 150 people over 60 years of age (mean age 76.2/SD 4.9), including 104 women and 46 men. Participants in the frail group were significantly older (KW-H: P < 0.001) and had a higher level of depression (P = 0.008), whereas on the MMSE scale, they achieved a lower result (P < 0.001) than those in the non-frail and pre-frail groups. People in the frail group had significantly lower levels of nutritional status (P < 0.001) according to the MNA scale, assessment of basic activities in everyday life (P = 0.005), complex activities of everyday life (P < 0.001), hand grip strength of the right hand (P = 0.038) and left hand (P = 0.028), and energy drop (P < 0.001). They were also characterised by difficulties walking (P < 0.001), less frequent physical activity (P < 0.001), loss of appetite (P < 0.001), and weight loss more often (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Advanced age, a greater number of diseases, worse functional and mental performance, and differences in nutritional status and body composition were observed in people with frailty syndrome.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world, affecting 11·8 million people worldwide in 2021. Due to the globally expanding and ageing population, as well as growing industrialisation, this number is likely to increase. Given the absence of disease-modifying pharmacological therapies, this review aimed to examine the effect of dietary interventions on PD progression, motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms, specifically those affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and severity. To do so, this review synthesised the current evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on dietary patterns, individual foods and beverages, and nutritional supplements including nutrients, bioactive compounds, and biotics.

Results from the included RCTs failed to demonstrate conclusive evidence for the use of a dietary intervention as a therapy for improving PD progression, symptoms and severity. However, this is likely a reflection of the current scarcity of RCTs in the literature, rather than an outright demonstration of the ineffectiveness of such dietary approaches. In contrast, several trials have demonstrated a beneficial effect of biotic supplementation in managing GI symptoms, particularly constipation syndrome, which may be a promising avenue for improving GI-related issues that affect up to 80 % of PD patients. In conclusion, further RCTs are required to decipher the role that diet may play in mitigating PD progression and severity and improving overall patient care by reducing both motor and non-motor symptoms.

To assess the association between dietary consumption patterns of antioxidant and pro-oxidant nutrients with prostate cancer (PC) and its histological differentiation, we analysed data from 394 histologically confirmed incident cases of PC and 793 age-matched population controls (±5 years), residents of Mexico City. Cases were classified by Gleason score into well-differentiated, moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated categories. Dietary nutrient intake over the 3 years preceding diagnosis for cases and before the interview for controls was estimated using a semi-quantitative FFQ. Using energy-adjusted residuals and a k-means approach, we identified three consumption patterns: (1) pro-oxidant, (2) moderate antioxidants/low pro-oxidants and (3) high antioxidants and pro-oxidants. Associations were evaluated using independent unconditional logistic regression models; stratified models were analysed based on smoking status. Although proportions differed, the main food contributors to the moderate antioxidants/low pro-oxidants and high antioxidants and pro-oxidants patterns included green vegetables, maize tortillas, seeds and fruits. Compared with the pro-oxidant pattern, the moderate antioxidants/low pro-oxidants (OR: 0·71; 95 % CI 0·53, 0·97) and high antioxidants and pro-oxidants (OR: 0·70; 95 % CI 0·50, 0·99) patterns were associated with lower odds of having PC. These associations were mainly observed with well-differentiated PC and among ever-smokers. Diets with a higher antioxidant content were associated with a reduced likelihood of PC. Further validation of these findings through prospective studies is needed.