Machine learning is increasingly being utilised across various domains of nutrition research due to its ability to analyse complex data, especially as large datasets become more readily available. However, at times, this enthusiasm has led to the adoption of machine learning techniques prior to a proper understanding of how they should be applied, leading to non-robust study designs and results of questionable validity. To ensure that research standards do not suffer, key machine learning concepts must be understood by the research community. The aim of this review is to facilitate a better understanding of machine learning in research by outlining good practices and common pitfalls in each of the steps in the machine learning process. Key themes include the importance of generating high-quality data, employing robust validation techniques, quantifying the stability of results, accurately interpreting machine learning outputs, adequately describing methodologies, and ensuring transparency when reporting findings. Achieving this aim will facilitate the implementation of robust machine learning methodologies, which will reduce false findings and make research more reliable, as well as enable researchers to critically evaluate and better interpret the findings of others using machine learning in their work.

Animal source foods (ASFs) are diverse and heterogeneous, including unprocessed red meat, processed meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, milk, cheese, and yoghurt. It is essential for preventing malnutrition and its consequences among vulnerable populations, including infants, young children, adolescents, women of reproductive age, and pregnant and lactating women. Understanding the intakes of ASF among adolescents and associated factors is critical for establishing priorities to promote its consumption and enhance growth and development during this period. Consequently, the purpose of the current study is to examine the current levels of not consuming ASF among school-aged adolescent girls and the relationship between anaemia and not consuming ASF. A facility-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 516 school adolescent girls in Silti District, Central Ethiopia, spanning from October 2 to 20, 2023. Data were entered into Epi-data 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 25 for further analysis. Adjusted odds ratios, along with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals, were calculated to examine the association between not consuming ASF and anaemia status after adjusting for age, residence, menstrual status, and morbidity. Statistical significance was defined as a p-value less than 0.05 in the final model. In this study, the prevalence of not consuming any form of ASF was 51.1% (95 CI: 44.6%–53.2%) and the prevalence of anaemia was 29% (95% CI: 25.2, 33.3). Moreover, unlikely consumption of ASF was significantly associated with anaemia (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI:2, 5.1) after adjusting for age, place of residence, experience of morbidity symptoms and menstrual status. The current study found a significant prevalence of adolescent girls in the area not consuming ASF while attending school. Moreover, the prevalence of anaemia was moderate. Unlikely consumption of ASF was significantly associated with anaemia. Hence, enhancing ASF consumption is one of the key actions to fight against anaemia.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent autoimmune disease, and there is growing evidence suggesting a potential correlation between dietary factors and the pathogenesis of this condition. In order to investigate the causal relationship between diet and RA, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis to examine the causal associations between twenty-two dietary factors and RA. Summary data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of RA were obtained from large GWAS meta-analyses. GWAS summary data for twenty-two dietary factors were obtained from UK Biobank. Random-effects inverse variance weighted was used as the primary method for assessing causality, and analyses of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy were performed to ensure the accuracy of the results. Research indicates a negative genetic causal relationship between cereal intake (OR = 0·64, 95 % CI: 0·41, 0·99, P = 0·048) and oily fish intake (OR = 0·70, 95 % CI: 0·52, 0·95, P = 0·020) with the risk of RA. Other dietary factors were not causally related to RA. Sensitivity analysis shows that our results are reliable. This study provides genetic evidence suggesting that cereal intake and oily fish intake are protective factors for RA, indicating that RA patients and individuals at high risk should make appropriate dietary adjustments.

We investigated associations between ‘healthy dietary pattern’ scores, at ages 36, 43, 53 and 60–64 years, and body composition at age 60–64 years among participants from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD). Principal component analyses of dietary data (food diaries) at age 60–64 years were used to calculate diet scores (healthy dietary pattern scores) at each age. Higher scores indicated healthier diets (higher consumption of fruit, vegetables and wholegrain bread). Linear regression was used to investigate associations between diet scores at each age and height-adjusted dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-measured fat and lean mass measures at age 60–64 years. Analyses, adjusting for sex and other potential confounders (age, smoking history, physical activity and occupational class), were implemented among 692 men and women. At age 43, 53 and 60–64 years, higher diet scores were associated with lower fat mass index (FMI) and android:gynoid fat mass ratio; for example, in fully adjusted analyses, a standard deviation (sd) increase in diet score at age 60–64 years was associated with an SD difference in mean FMI of −0·18 (95 % CI: −0·25, −0·10). In conditional analyses, higher diet scores at ages 43, 53 and 60–64 years (than expected from diet scores at younger ages) were associated with lower FMI and android:gynoid fat mass ratio in fully adjusted analyses. Diet scores at age 36 years had weaker associations with the outcomes considered. No associations regarding appendicular lean mass index were robust after full adjustment. This suggests that improvements in diet through adulthood are linked to beneficial effects on adiposity in older age.

Numerous public initiatives aim to influence individual food choices by informing about what is considered ‘healthy’, ‘climate-friendly’, and generally ‘sustainable’ food. However, research suggests that rather than public authorities, social influence is more likely to affect people’s behaviour. Using a randomised controlled trial, this study investigated if and how the two kinds of influences (factual versus social) could affect the real-life, self-reported intake of plant- and animal-based foods. In a four-month randomised controlled trial, a self-selected sample of adults living in Sweden (N = 237) tracked their daily food consumption several times per week using a tailored mobile phone app. Participants were randomised into one of three groups: two treatment groups receiving factual or social information about plant- and animal-based food consumption, or a control group receiving no information. Pre- and post-questionnaires provided additional background information about the participants. Participants’ food habits varied from week to week, and an explorative analysis pointed to a slight decrease in the consumption of animal-based food in the group that received social information. However, the longer-term patterns remained relatively constant in all groups, showing no substantial shift regardless of the kind of cues that the participants received. By investigating the roles of two common types of information about food and dietary change, the results contribute to discussions about how and by whom effective and efficient measures can be implemented to transform food habits. The results suggest there is limited potential for sustained and substantial behavioural changes through both social and factual information campaigns.

While there is evidence that long-chain n-3 PUFA supplementation benefits mood, the extent to which a single high dose of n-3 PUFA can induce acute mood effects has not been examined. The present study investigated whether a single dose of a DHA-rich powder affects self-reported mood in middle-aged males during elevated cognitive demand. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a balanced crossover design, twenty-nine healthy males (age M = 52.8 years, sd = 5.3) were administered a powder (in a meal) containing 4·74 g n-3 PUFA (DHA 4020 mg; EPA 720 mg) or placebo in random order on two different testing days separated by a washout period of 7 ± 3 d. Participants completed mood assessments before and after completing two cognitive test batteries at baseline and again 3·5–4·0 h following the consumption of the active treatment or placebo. While completion of the cognitive test batteries increased negative mood, differential effects for alertness (P = 0·008) and stress (P = 0·04) followed consumption of the DHA-rich powder compared with placebo. Although alertness declined when completing the cognitive batteries, it was higher following consumption of the DHA-rich powder compared with placebo (P = 0·006). Conversely, stress was lower following consumption of the DHA-rich powder relative to placebo, though this difference only approached significance (P = 0·05). Overall, results from this pilot study demonstrate that a single high dose of n-3 PUFA may deliver acute mood benefits following elevated cognitive demand in healthy middle-aged males.

Feeding is an interactive process between parents and children and is related to children’s healthy nutrition, growth, and feelings about the child or parent. The effectiveness of the interaction between feeding and behaviour is strongly influenced by how well this reciprocal procedure is stimulated and supported.

The current study aimed to cross-culturally adapt and validate the About Your Child’s Eating (AYCE) questionnaire in its Greek language version for Greek-Cypriot parents and caregivers of children aged six months to 16 years with or without feeding and swallowing problems.

One hundred Greek-Cypriot parents/caregivers of children with feeding and swallowing difficulties and 100 Greek-Cypriot parents/caregivers of children without feeding and swallowing difficulties participated in this study. This study was conducted at mainstream schools and private speech-language therapy clinics in Cyprus. According to WHO, the AYCE questionnaire was translated and culturally tailored for Greek speakers.

The analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between the AYCE total mean scores of parents in the Typical Development of Feeding Behaviors group (c-TDFB) (M = 44.03, SD = 11.18) and parents in the Atypical Development of Feeding Behaviors group (c-ADFB) (M = 63.56, SD: 16.22) (P < 0.001), with c-ADFB scoring significantly higher. The overall evaluation of the scale yielded a Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.916.

The validity of the AYCE questionnaire in Cyprus was also assessed. The findings demonstrate that the AYCE can be a beneficial tool for determining critical facets of the feeding parent–child interaction for preschool- and school-aged Greek-Cypriot children in Cyprus.

Dietitians working at evacuation shelters conduct weighed food records (WFR) for multiple days for dietary assessment. Because the menus in evacuation shelters do not change much from day to day, this study examined whether 1- and 2-d WFR are sufficient for dietary assessment at shelters and identified dietary components that can influence the number of assessment days. Overall, twenty-six WFR were collected from ten shelters in Kumamoto Prefecture, and the amounts of energy; protein; vitamins B1, B2 and C and salt were calculated. Correlation analysis and paired sample tests were conducted to examine significant differences between ‘one- and two-consecutive- or non-consecutive-day WFR’ and ‘three-consecutive-day WFR’, which were set as the standard in this study. Additionally, the (CV for the categories by meal and dish were calculated to examine the variables that affected the large variations. As a result, 1-d WFR had significant positive correlations with the standard; thus, it could be used for the triage of shelters requiring nutrition assistance as a substitute for 3-d WFR. Two-consecutive-day and non-consecutive-day WFR showed a stronger correlation with the standard compared with the 1-d WFR. For energy and nutrients and dish categories, ready-to-eat foods had larger CV than boxed meals or foods from hot meal services. Whenever the meals included ready-to-eat foods, a two-non-consecutive-day WFR is recommended considering large between-day variations. Salty soup or beverages affected the variation of some nutrients. Our result would help municipalities to consider the number of WFR during emergency.

The present study investigated whether dietary n-3 very-long-chain PUFA (n-3 VLC-PUFA) could increase skin and bone mineralisation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in vivo and examined their potential effects on human osteoblast proliferation and differentiation in vitro. Atlantic salmon were fed different dietary levels of n-3 VLC-PUFA, and changes in tissue n-3 VLC-PUFA composition, skeletal morphology, skin and bone mineral content, bone mineral density (BMD) and gene expression patterns were examined. Additionally, in vitro experiments using human foetal osteoblast cells were conducted to investigate the potential influence of n-3 VLC-PUFA supplementation on cell proliferation, osteogenic differentiation and cytokine expression. The results demonstrated that increasing the dietary levels of n-3 VLC-PUFA increased the mineral content of vertebrae and BMD in salmon, with subtle yet significant impacts on the expression of genes involved in bone-related processes. Furthermore, in vitro experiments showed a potential contextual influence of n-3 VLC-PUFA supplementation on gene expression of osteogenic markers and cytokine expression. Our findings indicate for the first time that n-3 VLC-PUFA may influence processes related to bone mineralisation.

Propolis, as a by-product of honey production, has shown several beneficial effects on cardiovascular risks in past randomised controlled trials, although the findings are not conclusive. In this review, we intend to evaluate the effects of propolis consumption on cardiovascular risk factors by conducting a meta-analysis. The Web of Science, Medline and Scopus databases were comprehensively searched until September 2023. Eligible studies were identified by screening, and their data were extracted. Weighted mean differences with a 95 % CI for each outcome were estimated using the random-effects model. This meta-analysis revealed that propolis consumption led to a significant decrease in the levels of TAG (weighted mean differences (WMD): –10·44 mg/dl 95 % CI: –16·58, –4·31; P = 0·001), LDL-cholesterol (WMD: –9·31 mg/dl; 95 % CI: –13·50, –5·12 mg; P < 0·001), fasting blood glucose (WMD: –7·30 mg/dl; 95 % CI: –11·58, –3·02; P = 0·001), HbA1c (WMD: –0·32 %; 95 % CI: –0·60, –0·05; P = 0·01), insulin (WMD: –1·36 μU/ml; 95 % CI: –2·36, –0·36; P = 0·007), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (WMD: –0·39; 95 % CI: –0·74, –0·03; P = 0·020) and systolic blood pressure (WMD: –2·24 mmHg 95 % CI: –4·08, –0·39; P = 0·010), compared with the control groups. Furthermore, propolis consumption had a significant increasing effect on HDL-cholesterol levels (WMD: 2·03 mg/dl; 95 % CI: 0·24, 3·83; P = 0·020). In contrast, the consumption of propolis had no significant effect on total cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure levels. This systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis suggested that propolis intake may be effective in cardiometabolic improvement in adults. Further, well-designed studies are required to confirm and elucidate all aspects of these findings.

The objective of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators to utilising a range of food assistance resources as reported by parents living with or at risk for food insecurity (FI), as well as parents’ recommendations for improving utilisation of these resources. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews about parents’ perspectives on interventions to address FI were analysed using a hybrid deductive/inductive thematic approach. Parents were drawn from the larger Family Matters longitudinal cohort study (N = 1,307), which was recruited from primary care clinics in Minnesota. Forty racially and ethnically diverse parents (Mage = 38.5 years; 97.5% mothers; 85% parents of colour) were recruited by food security level, with ten parents representing each level (i.e. high, marginal, low, very low). Six overarching qualitative themes were identified, which indicated the importance of (1) comfort level seeking assistance; (2) routine screening to assess need; (3) advertising, referrals, and outreach; (4) adequacy of policies and programmes to address need; (5) resource proximity and delivery; and (6) acceptability of foods/benefits provided. With some exceptions, these themes were generally represented from more than one angle (i.e. as barriers, facilitators, recommendations) and raised as relevant across different types of assistance (e.g. federal food assistance programmes, food pantries) and different settings (e.g. schools, healthcare). This study identified key factors influencing food assistance utilisation across multiple dimensions of access. These factors—which range from psychosocial to logistical in nature—should be considered in efforts to expand the reach of food assistance programmes and, in turn, improve food security among families.