Increased ultra-processed food (UPF) is associated with adverse health outcomes. However, with limitations in UPF evidence, and partial overlap between UK front-of-package labelling (FOPL) and degree of food processing, the value of food processing within dietary guidance is unclear. This study compared food and drink from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) database based on micronutrient content, Nova classification and FOPL. The aim was to examine the micronutrient contributions of UK food and drink to UK government dietary micronutrient recommendations for adult females and males, aged 19–64 years, based on the degree of food processing and FOPL. NDNS items were coded into minimally processed food (MPF), processed culinary ingredients, processed food (PF) and UPF, and FOPL traffic lights. MPF, PF and UPF provided similar average contributions per 100 g to micronutrient recommendations. Per 100 kcal, MPF provided the greatest average contribution (14·4 % (interquartile range (IQR): 8·2–28·1)), followed by PF (7·7 % (IQR: 4·6–10·9) and then UPF (5·8 % (IQR: 3·1–9·7)). After adjusting for healthy/unhealthy items (presence of 1+ red FOPL), MPF had higher odds of an above-average micronutrient contribution per 100 kcal than UPF (OR: 5·9 (95 % CI 4·9–7·2)) and PF (OR: 3·2 (95 % CI 2·4–4·2)). MPF were more likely to provide greater contributions to micronutrient recommendations than PF or UPF per 100 kcal. These findings suggest that UPF or PF diets are less likely to meet micronutrient recommendations than an energy-matched MPF diet. The results are important for understanding how consumers perceive the healthiness of products based on FOPL.

The potential influence of the timing of eating on body weight regulation in humans has attracted substantial research interest. This review aims to critically evaluate the evidence on timed eating for weight loss, considering energetic and behavioural components of the timing of eating in humans. It has been hypothesised that timed eating interventions may alter energy balance in favour of weight loss by enhancing energy expenditure, specifically the thermic effect of food. This energetic effect has been suggested to explain greater weight loss which has been observed with certain timed eating interventions, despite comparable self-reported energy intakes to control diets. However, timed eating interventions have little impact on total daily energy expenditure, and the apparent effect of time of day on the thermic effect of food largely represents an artefact of measurement methods that fail to account for underlying circadian variation in RMR. Differences in weight loss observed in free-living interventions are more likely explainable by real differences in energy intake, notwithstanding similar self-reported energy intakes. In addition, the energetic focus tends to overlook the role of behavioural factors influencing the timing of eating, such as appetite regulation chronotype-environment interactions, which may influence energy intake under free-living conditions. Overall, there is scant evidence that timed eating interventions are superior to general energy restriction for weight loss in humans. However, the role of behavioural factors in influencing energy intake may be relevant for adherence to energy-restricted diets, and this aspect remains understudied in human intervention trials.

Tea intake has been associated with health benefits, including potential beneficial effects of catechin-containing teas on allergic symptoms. However, large-scale epidemiological studies on the relationship between tea intake and allergic symptoms have been limited. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between the frequency of tea intake and cedar pollen allergy, which is a major cause of seasonal hay fever in Japan, in a large Japanese epidemiological cohort. Data on cedar pollen antibody levels assessed by blood tests and frequency of tea intake (green tea, coarse tea, oolong tea, and black tea) by a self-administered questionnaire from 16,623 residents in the Tohoku region of Japan were used in this study. The association between frequency of tea intake (less than once a week, 1–6 times/week, and more than once a day) and serum levels of cedar pollen-specific IgE (lumicount, LC: negative, 0–1.39; positive, ≥1.40) was analysed using a logistic regression model. Green tea intake (≥vs. <1/day) was inversely associated with cedar pollen-specific IgE (adjusted OR = 0.81, 95% CI, 0.70, 0.94). No statistically significant association between cedar pollen-specific IgE and frequency of tea intake was found for other types of tea. Our results suggest that green tea intake may be associated with lower cedar pollen-specific IgE positivity.

This review aims to highlight the relative importance of cardiovascular disease (CVD) lifestyle-associated risk factors among individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and examine the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions to improve these CVD risk factors. Adults with IBD are at higher risk of CVD due to systemic and gut inflammation. Besides that, tobacco smoking, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, obesity, physical inactivity and poor diet can also increase CVD risk. Typical IBD behavioural modification including food avoidance and reduced physical activity, as well as frequent corticosteroid use, can further increase CVD risk. We reviewed seven studies and found that there is insufficient evidence to conclude the effects of diet and/or physical activity interventions on CVD risk outcomes among populations with IBD. However, the limited findings suggest that people with IBD can adhere to a healthy diet or Mediterranean diet (for which there is most evidence) and safely participate in moderately intense aerobic and resistance training to potentially improve anthropometric risk factors. This review highlights the need for more robust controlled trials with larger sample sizes to assess and confirm the effects of lifestyle interventions to mitigate modifiable CVD risk factors among the IBD population.

This interventional single-centre prospective open-label study aims to evaluate the effects of a vegan diet, compared with a vegetarian and omnivorous diet, on metabolic parameters, insulin sensitivity, and liver and kidney steatosis in healthy adults. The study included fifty-three omnivorous participants aged 18–40 years, BMI 18–30 kg/m2, without any chronic disease, chronic medication use, active smoking or significant alcohol consumption. All participants were omnivorous at baseline and selected to continue an omnivorous diet or transition to a vegetarian or vegan diet, with follow-up over 6 months. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical parameters and liver and kidney steatosis were assessed at baseline and after six months using MRI-proton density fat fraction. Primary outcomes included changes in liver and kidney steatosis, while secondary outcomes were alterations in anthropometric and biochemical markers. Among fifty-three participants, eighteen followed an omnivorous diet, twenty-one adopted a vegetarian diet and fourteen transitioned to a vegan diet. Dietary interventions did not result in statistically significant changes in BMI, fat mass, fat percentage or muscle mass over 6 months. However, statistically significant improvements in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, favouring the vegan diet, were observed. We aimed to control for potentially confounding variables to ensure the reliability of these findings. We have demonstrated a better decline in steatosis at the lower kidney pole, the total hilus and the Liver 6 index in vegans. We demonstrated that a plant-based diet is associated with improvements in several metabolic parameters and may reduce liver and kidney steatosis.

Low vegetable consumption among school-age children and adolescents puts them at risk of micronutrient malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. There is a dearth of synthesised literature on vegetable intake and interventions to promote increased consumption among this age group in West Africa. This study pooled evidence on vegetable consumption and interventions to promote vegetable consumption among school-age children and adolescents (6–19 years) in West Africa. Quantitative and qualitative studies from 2002 to 2023 were electronically searched in PubMed, African Journals Online (AJOL) and Google Scholar databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses system was adhered to in reporting this review (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023444444). The Joanna Briggs Institute critical evaluation tool was used to appraise the quality of studies. Forty (40) studies met the search criteria out of n 5080 non-duplicated records. Meta-analysis was not possible due to high heterogeneity. Low vegetable consumption expressed in frequency or amounts was recorded among school-age children and adolescents in the reviewed studies. Intervention studies were mostly among adolescents; the most common type of intervention was the use of nutrition education. Insufficient evidence and high heterogeneity of studies reflect the need for more high-quality interventions using globally identified standards but applied contextually. School-age children appear to be an under-served population in West Africa with regard to nutrition interventions to promote vegetable consumption. There is a need for multi-component intervention studies that encourage vegetable consumption as a food group. Gardening, parental involvement, gamification and goal setting are promising components that could improve the availability, accessibility and consumption of vegetables.

Food insecurity remains a global issue, particularly in developing countries like Ethiopia. Thus, this study focused on identifying factors contributing to food insecurity and the strategies used to cope with it among agrarian and pastoralist communities of South Ari and Benatsemay Woreda, respectively. A facility-based qualitative study was carried out in Southern Ethiopia. Participants were selected using a purposefully targeting health extension workers, health centre directors, woreda programme experts, district health managers, and pregnant women staying in maternity waiting homes. The selection process included one health facility from each district, focusing on those with the highest number of pregnant women in maternity waiting homes. A total of 17 participants were involved in in-depth interviews, and 2 focus group discussions were conducted with 27 pregnant women, continuing until data saturation was achieved. Field notes were taken, and sessions were voice recorded. Participants in both in-depth interviews and focus group discussions frequently identified several causes of food insecurity in the community, such as food shortages, climate change, rising prices of agricultural products, inadequate agricultural technology, scarcity of farmland, and income constraints. Tailored intervention is highly demanding to implement policies to stabilise food supply chains and mitigate food shortages in both agrarian and pastoralist areas, invest in modern agricultural technologies to boost productivity, encourage the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices to help farmers adapt to changing weather patterns, optimise the productive use of available farmland, promote income-generating activities, and diversify livelihoods to alleviate income constraints and improve food security.

Cross-sectional study investigated the association of fresh or minimally processed foods and ultra-processed food consumption with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in students from a Brazilian public university. Undergraduate students admitted in 2022 answered an online questionnaire during their first semester. Consumption of 12 subgroups of fresh or minimally processed foods and 13 of ultra-processed foods on the previous day were investigated (affirmative answer for ≥ 5 subgroups was classified as high consumption). Depression, anxiety and stress were investigated using the DASS-21 and mild to extremely severe symptoms were grouped to be compared with individuals without symptoms. Adjusted logistic regression models estimated the Odds Ratio (OR) of the association between symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress (outcomes) and food consumption (exposures), with a significance level of 5%. A total of 924 students were evaluated, of whom 57.7% presented symptoms of depression, 51.9% of anxiety and 59.4% of stress. A high consumption of fresh or minimally processed foods was observed in 80.3% of the students, with a higher frequency among those without symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, while 38.9% showed a high consumption of ultra-processed foods, without differences according to symptoms. High consumption of fresh or minimally processed foods was associated with a lower likelihood of symptoms of depression (OR: 0.62; p=0.011), anxiety (OR: 0.58; p=0.003) and stress (OR: 0.69; p=0.043). No association was found between ultra-processed and mental health outcomes. Actions that support and encourage the consumption of healthy food in the university environment can contribute to mental health outcomes.

An assessment of systemic inflammation and nutritional status may form the basis of a framework to examine the prognostic value of cachexia in patients with advanced cancer. The objective of the study was to examine the prognostic value of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition criteria, including BMI, weight loss (WL) and systemic inflammation (as measured by the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS)), in advanced cancer patients. Three criteria were examined in a combined cohort of patients with advanced cancer, and their relationship with survival was examined using Cox regression methods. Data were available on 1303 patients. Considering BMI and the mGPS, the 3-month survival rate varied from 74 % (BMI > 28 kg/m2) to 61 % (BMI < 20 kg/m2) and from 84 % (mGPS 0) to 60 % (mGPS 2). Considering WL and the mGPS, the 3-month survival rate varied from 81 % (WL ± 2·4 %) to 47 % (WL ≥ 15 %) and from 93 % (mGPS 0) to 60 % (mGPS 2). Considering BMI/WL grade and mGPS, the 3-month survival rate varied from 86 % (BMI/WL grade 0) to 59 % (BMI/WL grade 4) and from 93 % (mGPS 0) to 63 % (mGPS 2). When these criteria were combined, they better predicted survival. On multivariate survival analysis, the most highly predictive factors were BMI/WL grade 3 (HR 1·454, P = 0·004), BMI/WL grade 4 (HR 2·285, P < 0·001) and mGPS 1 and 2 (HR 1·889, HR 2·545, all P < 0·001). In summary, a high BMI/WL grade and a high mGPS as outlined in the BMI/WL grade/mGPS framework were consistently associated with poorer survival of patients with advanced cancer. It can be readily incorporated into the routine assessment of patients.