The association between added sugars or sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and the risk of depression, as well as the role of carbohydrate quality in depression risk, remains unclear. Among 15 546 Spanish university graduates from the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) prospective cohort study, diet was assessed with a validated 136-item semi-quantitative FFQ at baseline and at 10-year follow-up. Cumulative average consumption of added sugars, sweetened drinks and an overall carbohydrate quality index (CQI) were calculated. A better CQI was associated with higher whole-grain consumption and fibre intake and lower glycaemic index and consumption of solid (instead of liquid) carbohydrates. Clinical diagnoses of depression during follow-up were classified as incident cases. Multivariable time-dependent Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of depression according to consumption of added sugars, sweetened drinks and CQI. We observed 769 incident cases of depression. Participants in the highest quartile of added sugars consumption showed a significant increment in the risk of depression (HR=1·35; 95 % CI 1·09, 1·67, P=0·034), whereas those in the highest quartile of CQI (upper quartile of the CQI) showed a relative risk reduction of 30 % compared with those in the lowest quartile of the CQI (HR=0·70; 95 % CI 0·56, 0·88). No significant association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and depression risk was found. Higher added sugars and lower quality of carbohydrate consumption were associated with depression risk in the SUN Cohort. Further studies are necessary to confirm the reported results.

There is increasing commercial interest in the production of functional foodstuffs which have health-promoting properties. Over the last five to ten years, significant progress has been made in the identification and characterisation of bovine milk components that can affect the function of the immune system. This review outlines the major components of bovine milk that have been shown to modulate immune function, and discusses experimental approaches to the identification of various facets of the immune response that are known to be affected by milk-derived proteins.

Increasing the precision of measurements of total energy expenditure in population-based epidemiological studies is important for accurately quantifying the relationship between this exposure and disease. Current questionnaire-based methods cannot accurately quantify total energy expenditure, although they may provide an estimate of the frequency of vigorous activities. Heart rate monitoring with individual calibration has been advocated as a method for assessing energy expenditure in field studies and has been compared with the ‘gold standard’ techniques of doubly-labelled water and indirect calorimetry. However the method has previously only been used on small and selected populations. This study was, therefore, established to test the feasibility of using heart rate monitoring in a population-based study of adults. A total of 167 individuals aged 30–40 years were randomly selected and underwent 4 d heart-rate monitoring. Only three individuals could not complete the protocol. The mean physical activity level (PAL) measured over 4 d was 1.89 (sd 0.40) in men and 1.76 (sd 0.31) in women. There was no difference between mean PAL on weekend days compared with weekdays (mean paired difference 0.0008, 95% CI −0.06 to + 0.06). The estimate of mean PAL was not correlated with BMI, percentage body fat or the waist:hip ratio. It was, however, correlated with cardio-respiratory fitness as measured by VO2max per kg (Spearman rank correlation coefficient 0.50 in men and 0.42 in women). The pattern of energy expenditure was assessed by calculating the percentage of daytime hours in which PAL was greater than five times basal energy expenditure. This measure was strongly correlated with the mean PAL in both men (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.77) and women (0.71). We conclude that heart-rate monitoring is a feasible method for assessing the pattern and total level of energy expenditure in medium-sized epidemiological studies. It may also prove useful as the reference technique for calibrating questionnaires to estimate energy expenditure in larger scale studies.

Twelve goats of the Granadina breed in mid- and late lactation were used in two consecutive years to determine their protein and energy requirements for lactation. The animals were individually fed on diets based on pelleted lucerne (Medicago sativa) hay and barley. A total of six balance experiments were carried out. Gas exchange was measured using open-circuit respiration chambers. Milk yield ranged widely from 0.649 to 1.742 kg/d in the first year and from 0.222 to 1.989 kg/d in the second year, a steady decline in milk output being observed as lactation progressed. Milk composition remained rather constant during the midstage of lactation, with an average content (/kg milk) for total solids, total nitrogen, fat and gross energy of 149.7 g, 5.39 g, 58.8 g and 3.59 MJ respectively. Total endogenous N, endogenous urinary N and maintenance requirement for N in lactating goats were estimated to be 244, 218 mg N/kg body-weight (W)0.75 per d and 478 mg total N/kg W0.75 per d respectively from regression equations. A constant efficiency of use of dietary N for milk N plus retained N of 51.0 % was found. By regressing milk energy plus apparent body energy retention or loss on metabolizable energy (ME) intake, the maintenance energy requirement was estimated to be 401 kJ ME/kg W0.79 per d. When estimating the corrected milk yield as milk energy +(0.84 x negative energy retention) +(1.05 x positive energy retention), regression analysis indicated that the overall efficiency of use of ME for lactation was 66.7%. Also, from a plot of apparent body energy retention v milk energy yield, both expressed as a percentage of ME intake above maintenance, the efficiency with which ME was used to promote energy retention in the body during lactation was calculated to be 0.907 times that for milk secretion.

1. The effects of defaunation of the rumen of cattle on low-protein diets was studied using animals given free access to a basal diet of liquid molasses and 1500 g oaten straw/head per d. These diets induced moderate numbers of protozoa in the rumen.

2. Nonyl phenol ethoxylate (trade name teric GN9) was used for defaunation; 100 g teric GN9 was found to be sufficient to eliminate protozoa from the rumen.

3. In cattle given the basal diet without bypass protein supplementation, defaunation had no effect on growth rates. Addition of 240 g of a feed pellet containing bypass protein increased growth rate significantly. Growth rates were significantly increased by 43 % in cattle on the higher protein intake and where protozoa were removed. Intake of molasses was apparently stimulated by a protein supplementation but not by defaunation and this finding is discussed.

4. The results demonstrate that in cattle given a molasses-based diet, low in bypass protein, growth rates can be stimulated by defaunation without an effect on feed intake, the main effect apparently arising through an increased efficiency of utilization of feed.

Red meat consumption is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer. We have previously shown that haemin, Hb and red meat promote carcinogen-induced preneoplastic lesions: aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and mucin-depleted foci (MDF) in rats. We have also shown that dietary Ca, antioxidant mix and olive oil inhibit haemin-induced ACF promotion, and normalize faecal lipoperoxides and cytotoxicity. Here we tested if these strategies are effective also against red meat promotion in dimethylhydrazine-induced rats. Three diets with 60 % beef meat were supplemented with calcium phosphate (31 g/kg), antioxidant agents (rutin and butylated hydroxyanisole, 0·05 % each) and olive oil (5 %). ACF, MDF, faecal water cytotoxicity, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and urinary 1,4-dihydroxynonane mercapturic acid (DHN-MA) were measured. Beef meat diet increased the number of ACF (+30 %) and MDF (+100 %) (P < 0·001), which confirms our previous findings. Promotion was associated with increased faecal water TBARs ( × 4) and cytotoxicity ( × 2), and urinary DHN-MA excretion ( × 15). Ca fully inhibited beef meat-induced ACF and MDF promotion, and normalized faecal TBARS and cytotoxicity, but did not reduce urinary DHN-MA. Unexpectedly, high-calcium control diet-fed rats had more MDF and ACF in the colon than low-Ca control diet-fed rats. Antioxidant mix and olive oil did not normalize beef meat promotion nor biochemical factors. The results confirm that haem causes promotion of colon carcinogenesis by red meat. They suggest that Ca can reduce colorectal cancer risk in meat-eaters. The results support the concept that toxicity associated with the excess of a useful nutrient may be prevented by another nutrient.

We have developed a thirty-nine-item semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess the dietary consumption of 11 746 men and women in a prospective cohort study that evaluates the health effects of As from drinking water in Bangladesh. In order to validate the FFQ, two 7 d food diaries (FD) were completed for 189 randomly selected cohort participants in two different seasons of the year. Nutrient values were converted based on both the United States Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database and a food composition table for the Indian subcontinent. Pearson product-moment and Spearman non-parametric rank correlation coefficients comparing food and nutrient consumptions estimated from FFQ and 7 d FD were calculated based on log-transformed consumption values with or without adjustment for total energy and correction for within-individual variation. Correlations of macronutrients and common micronutrients including total fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, Na, K, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, riboflavin, Mn, thiamin and Fe were moderately good, ranging from 0·30 to 0·76. However, correlations of other micronutrients were weak (<0·30). Large seasonal variations in intakes of retinol equivalents and vitamin C were observed. This analysis documents the degree of validity of the FFQ in measuring specific nutrient intakes in the study population. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to document the validity of a FFQ with the use of 7 d FD in a Bangladeshi population.

1. Rats were chronically depleted of protein by being kept on a 6% casein diet for 5–8 weeks. Control rats were fed on a normal diet. Both groups were injected intraperitoneally with L-[U-14C]lysine. Some rats from each group were then put on a protein-free diet to produce acute depletion. The animals were killed 3 days after the injection. 2. The organs and tissues were analysed for total nitrogen and radioactivity. Free lysine, total amino N and specific activity of free lysine were measured in muscle, liver and serum. The total muscle mass of the animals was determined. Samples of muscle and skin were fractionated and the sp. ac. of the fractions was measured. 3. The main loss of N in acute depletion was found in the viscera and carcass residue; the percentage of total body N contributed by muscle was increased in protein-depleted rats. 4. The depleted rats retained relatively more radioactivity in the internal organs and less in the carcass than normal rats. 5. The ratio of the sp. ac. in protein-bound lysine to the sp. ac. of free lysine showed that protein synthesis was reduced in the muscle of the protein-depleted rats, although there was no decrease in the amount or sp. ac. of free lysine even in severe depletion. 6. Sarcoplasmic and fibrillar proteins of muscle were equally affected by protein depletion, but there was some indication of a preferential decrease in protein synthesis in one of the skin fractions. 7. The results for muscle protein are compared with those given in the literature for liver proteins. It is suggested that the rat adapts to a low-protein intake by an alteration in the pattern of protein synthesis.

The digestive function of low birth weight (LBW) pigs post-weaning has been poorly studied. Therefore, newborns from eleven hyperprolific sows were weighed, weaned at 27·2 d and fed a starter diet until sampling. Sampling was done between 18 and 28 d post-weaning. An LBW piglet (n 19) was defined as a piglet having a birth weight less than 1 kg and less than the lower quartile of litter birth weights. Normal birth weight (NBW) piglets (n 13) were having a birth weight close to the mean litter birth weight. For each piglet, eighty-eight variables were determined. Data were analysed with linear models with type of piglet and litter as predictors. A principal component analysis was performed to determine the most important discriminating variables. In the LBW pig, the development of the digestive tract post-weaning was delayed: lower small-intestinal weight:length ratio due to a thinner tela submucosa and tunica muscularis and a higher secretory capacity, both in the distal jejunum. These observations might be a consequence of lower circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations (126 (se 10·0) v. 158 (se 12·0) ng/ml for LBW and NBW, respectively) and a lower density of IGF-1 receptors in the proximal small intestine. Additionally, the plasma antioxidant capacity was lower for the LBW pig. Taken together, in the LBW piglet, the normal gut maturation post-weaning was retarded and this did not seem to be related to the weaning transition as such.

The aim of the present study was to survey attitudes to and use of functional foods and to investigate which demographic variables and attitudes to diet and health predict consumption of functional foods among Swedish consumers. A questionnaire was developed and sent to 2000 randomly selected Swedish citizens aged between 17 and 75 years. A total of 972 (48 %) responded, 53 % were female and 44 % male. Mean age was 45 years. The results revealed that 84 % of respondents were familiar with the concept of functional foods; 83 % had consumed/purchased at least one of the seven functional food products presented in the questionnaire. Of those who had consumed a functional food, 25 % had perceived effect of it. Positive correlations were seen between consumers perceiving a personal reward from eating functional foods, having an interest in natural products and an interest in general health. Consumption/purchase of functional foods was related to beliefs in the effects of the products, having consumed nutraceuticals or dietary supplements, having a diet-related problem personally or in the family, and a high level of education. The characteristic Swedish functional food consumer has a high level of education, is health-conscious and interested in healthy foods and believes in the health effect of functional foods. Thus, factors other than demographics better explain consumption of FF. However, the study population may represent a more health-conscious segment of the Swedish population in general. Additional studies are therefore required to elucidate the attitudes and use of FF in different consumer groups.

Forty 3-week-old male rats, Wistar strain, average weight 59 g, were randomized by weight into five groups of eight rats each. Three groups were fed ad libitum on a semi-purified diet containing (per kg) 400 (adequate), 200 (moderately Mg-restricted) or 20 (severely Mg-restricted) mg Mg for 3 weeks while two groups were pair-fed with the Mg-adequate diet in the same quantities as those consumed by the two Mg-restricted groups respectively. While weight gains and food conversion efficiency values for the Mg-restricted groups were similar to those of the corresponding pair-fed control groups, serum and kidney Mg, and femoral dry weight were reduced by 70, 7 and 9 % respectively in the severely Mg-restricted group and were unaffected in the moderately Mg-restricted group. Significant reductions were observed in urinary pyridinoline (Pyr) (by 44 and 34 %) and deoxypyridinoline (Dpyr) levels (by 40 and 33 %) (markers of bone resorption), serum osteocalcin levels (by 46 and 28 %) (marker of bone formation), femoral Mg levels (by 52 and 14 %) and osteocalcin mRNA levels (by 46 and 22 %) compared with the corresponding pair-fed controls, in the severely and moderately Mg-restricted groups respectively, and these reductions, except for those in urinary Pyr and Dpyr, were more marked in the severely Mg-restricted group. Femoral Ca and P concentrations were unaffected by dietary Mg restriction. These results show that not only severe but also moderate dietary restriction of Mg over 21 d results in qualitative changes in bone (i.e. reduced Mg concentration) as well as in aberrant bone turnover in young growing rats (i.e. severely depressed rates of bone formation and bone resorption), which may impair bone development and bone strength.

1. A new method has been used to measure mean gastric transit time.

2. This method, based on the absorption of 24Na from the proximal small bowel, is simple, non-invasive and can be used at the bedside.

3. The mean transit time was increased by adding guar gum to a test meal.

4. There was a significant correlation between mean gastric emptying time and a subjective measure of satiety.

The objectives of the present study were to compare body composition assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), air displacement plethysmography (ADP) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in severely obese Caucasian children and adolescents and to develop and validate new equations for predicting body composition from BIA using DXA as the reference method. Body composition was assessed in fifty-eight obese children and adolescents (BMI 34·4 (sd 4·9) kg/m2) aged 10–17 years by DXA, ADP and BIA. ADP body fat content was estimated from body density using equations devised by Siri (ADPSiri) and Lohman (ADPLohman). In the whole sample, the Bland–Altman test showed that ADPSiri and ADPLohman underestimated percentage fat mass (%FM) by 2·1 (sd 3·4) and by 3·8 (sd 3·3) percent units (P < 0·001), respectively, compared to DXA. In addition, compared to DXA, BIA underestimated %FM by 5·8 (sd 4·6) percent units in the whole group (P < 0·001). A new prediction equation (FFM (kg) = 0·87 × (stature2/body impedance)+3·1) was developed on the pooled sample and cross-validated on an external group of sixty-one obese children and adolescents. The difference between predicted and measured FFM in the external group was − 1·6 (sd 2·9) kg (P < 0·001) and FFM was predicted accurately (error < 5 %) in 75 % of subjects. In conclusion, DXA, ADP and the BIA are not interchangeable for the assessment of %FM in severely obese children and adolescents. The new prediction equation offers an alternative approach to DXA for the estimation of body composition in severely obese children and adolescents.

1. Samples of mixed bacteria were separated from rumen digesta taken from calves, kept out of contact with adult animals, and from sheep and cows.

2. For calves receiving a diet made up of equal amounts of roughage and cereals with 13–16 g nitrogen/kg dry matter, samples of mixed bacteria taken 4–6 h after feeding contained, on average, 140 g glucose in α-linked polymers (α-dextran), 25 g galactose and a total of 25 g other non-glucose, non-galactose sugars (mainly rhamnose, ribose and mannose) in combined forms per kg dry matter.

3. The α-dextran content of similar bacteria samples from sheep or cows receiving diets of similar composition was 70 g/kg dry matter. Samples from animals receiving all-roughage diets contained only 25 g α-dextran/kg dry matter, but those from cows given more than 70% of their ration as concentrates (mainly cereal) contained 150 g α-dextran/kg dry matter.

4. Addition of supplementary protein or urea to cereal–roughage diets given to calves greatly depressed the amount of α-dextran in the rumen bacterial samples to an average value of 60 g/kg dry matter.

5. Samples taken before a morning feed (i.e. after 16 h fasting) contained less α-dextran than samples taken 4–6 h after feeding for both calves and cows.

6. Under different conditions, variations in the amounts of galactose in rumen bacteria sometimes paralleled variations in α-dextran. Amounts of other non-glucose sugars did not vary greatly.

7. It was estimated, from a comparison of the compositions of rumen bacteria and duodenal contents, that, in the latter, the rhamnose, ribose and mannose came mainly from the bacteria, the arabinose, xylose and cellulose-glucose mainly from the diet and the galactose and α-dextran-glucose from both sources.

The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) is recommended for grading nutritional status in the elderly. A new index for predicting the risk of nutrition-related complications, the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), was recently proposed but little is known about its possible use in the assessment of nutritional status. Thus, we aimed to investigate its ability to assess the nutritional status and predict the outcome when compared with the MNA. Anthropometry and biochemical parameters were determined in 241 institutionalised elderly (ninety-four males and 147 females; aged 80·1 (sd 8·3) years). Nutritional risk and nutritional state were graded by the GNRI and MNA, respectively. At 6 months outcomes were: death; infections; bedsores. According to the GNRI and MNA, the prevalence of high risk (GNRI <  92)/malnutrition (MNA <  17), moderate risk (GNRI 92–98)/malnutrition at-risk (MNA 17–23·5) and no risk (GNRI > 98)/good status (MNA > 24) were 20·7/12·8 %, 36·1/39 % and 43·2/48·2 %, respectively, with poor agreement in scoring the patient (Cohen's kappa test: κ = 0·29; 95 % CI 0·19, 0·39). GNRI categories showed a stronger association (OR) with overall outcomes than MNA classes, although no difference (P>0·05) was found between malnutrition (v. ‘good status’, OR 6·4; 95 % CI 2·1, 71·9) and high nutritional risk (v. ‘no risk’, OR 9·7; 95 % CI 3·0, 130). Multivariate logistic regression revealed the GNRI as an independent predictor of complications. In overall-outcome prediction, a good sensitivity was found only for GNRI <  98 (0·86 (95 % CI 0·67, 0·96)). The combination of a GNRI > 98 with an MNA > 24 seemed to exclude adverse outcomes. The GNRI showed poor agreement with the MNA in nutritional assessment, but appeared to better predict outcome. In home-care resident elderly, outcome prediction should be performed by combining the suggestions from both these tools.

We apply nutritional geometry, a framework for modelling the interactive effects of nutrients on animals, to help understand the role of modern environments in the obesity pandemic. Evidence suggests that humans regulate the intake of protein energy (PE) more strongly than non-protein energy (nPE), and consequently will over- and under-ingest nPE on diets with low or high PE, respectively. This pattern of macronutrient regulation has led to the protein leverage hypothesis, which proposes that the rise in obesity has been caused partly by a shift towards diets with reduced PE:nPE ratios relative to the set point for protein regulation. We discuss potential causes of this mismatch, including environmentally induced reductions in the protein density of the human diet and factors that might increase the regulatory set point for protein and hence exacerbate protein leverage. Economics – the high price of protein compared with fats and carbohydrates – is one factor that might contribute to the reduction of dietary protein concentrations. The possibility that rising atmospheric CO2 levels could also play a role through reducing the PE:nPE ratios in plants and animals in the human food chain is discussed. Factors that reduce protein efficiency, for example by increasing the use of ingested amino acids in energy metabolism (hepatic gluconeogenesis), are highlighted as potential drivers of increased set points for protein regulation. We recommend that a similar approach is taken to understand the rise of obesity in other species, and identify some key gaps in the understanding of nutrient regulation in companion animals.

The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of olive oil and its main polyphenol (oleuropein) in ovariectomised rats with or without inflammation. Rats (6 months old) were ovariectomised or sham-operated as control. Ovariectomised rats were separated into three groups receiving different diets for 3 months: a control diet with 25 g peanut oil and 25 g rapeseed oil/kg (OVX), the control diet with 50 g olive oil/kg or the control diet with 0·15 g oleuropein/kg. The sham-operated group was given the same control diet as OVX. Inflammation was induced 3 weeks before the end of the experiment by subcutaneous injections of talc (magnesium silicate) in one-half of each group. The sucess of ovariectomy was verified at necropsy by the atrophy of uterine horns. Inflammation, oleuropein or olive oil intakes did not have any uterotrophic activity, as they had had no effect on uterus weight. The plasma concentration of α-1-acid glycoprotein (an indicator of inflammation) was increased in OVX rats with inflammation. With regard to bone variables, osteopenia in OVX was exacerbated by inflammation, as shown by a decrease in metaphyseal and total femoral mineral density. Both oleuropein and olive oil prevented this bone loss in OVX rats with inflammation. At necropsy, oleuropein and olive oil consumption had had no effect on plasma osteocalcin concentrations (marker of bone formation) or on urinary deoxypyridinoline excretion (marker of bone resorption). In conclusion, oleuropein and olive-oil feeding can prevent inflammation-induced osteopenia in OVX rats.

Intake and sources of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) were examined according to socio-demographic and lifestyle factors in free-living British people aged 65 years and over, from the 1994–5 National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Complete 4-d weighed dietary records were obtained from 1152 participants living in private households. Using newly-available, mainly UK-specific food content data, the weighted geometric mean intake of phylloquinone was estimated at 65 (95 % CI 62, 67) μg/d for all participants, with higher intakes in men than in women (70 v. 61 μg/d respectively, P<0·01). The mean nutrient densities of phylloquinone intake were 9·3 and 10·5 μg/MJ for men and women respectively (P<0·01), after adjusting for age group, region and smoking status. Of all the participants, 59 % had phylloquinone intakes below the current guideline for adequacy of 1 μg/kg body weight per d. Participants aged 85 years and over, formerly in manual occupations, or living in Scotland or in northern England reported lower phylloquinone intakes than their comparative groups. Overall, vegetables contributed 60 % of total phylloquinone intake, with cooked green vegetables providing around 28 % of the total. Dietary supplements contributed less than 0·5 % of phylloquinone intake. Participants living in northern England or in Scotland, in particular, derived less phylloquinone from vegetables than those living in southern England.

The nutritional cues which induce different phenotypes from a single genotype in developing offspring are poorly understood. How well prenatal nutrient availability before birth predicts that after birth may also determine the offspring's response to later metabolic challenge. We investigated the effect of feeding pregnant rats diets containing protein at 180 g/kg (Control) or 90 g/kg (protein-restricted, PR) and either 1 or 5 mg folic acid/kg on growth and metabolic response to fasting in their offspring, and also the effect of diets with different fat contents (40 g/kg (Fat4) or 100 g/kg (Fat10)) after weaning. Offspring of dams fed the PR diet with 5 mg/kg folic acid were significantly lighter than other offspring. The PR offspring fed the Fat4 diet had lower plasma TAG than the Control offspring, but this relationship was reversed when offspring were fed Fat10. Increasing the folic acid content of the Control or PR maternal diets induced opposing effects on plasma TAG, NEFA, β-hydroxybutyrate and glucose concentrations in offspring fed Fat4. The effect was accentuated in offspring fed the Fat10 diet such that these metabolites were increased in the Control offspring, but reduced in the PR offspring. These data show for the first time that maternal dietary folic acid intake alters offspring phenotype depending upon dietary protein intake, and that this effect is modified by fat intake after weaning. Prevention by increased folic acid intake of an altered metabolic phenotype by maternal protein-restriction may be at the expense of somatic growth.