OBJECTIVE: Dietary patterns are rapidly becoming a major focus of medical nutrition therapy in CKD and the analysis of dietary patterns has emerged as a practical approach to evaluate qualitative as well as quantitative aspects of overall diet. In an a-posteriori data-driven approach, dietary patterns are based on the actual food intake of the population evaluated. Investigation of dietary patterns in CKD are not well described, and, to our knowledge, have not been conducted in a UK-based cohort.
METHODS: Adult participants with a diagnosed kidney condition (CKD 1-5 not requiring dialysis) were recruited into a multi-centre observational cross-sectional study. Dietary intake was assessed using the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer in Norfolk Food Frequency Questionnaire. Logistic Principal Components Analysis was used to identify food group clusters. Differences between groups were assessed using univariate general linear modelling.
RESULTS: In total, 696 patients were included. The mean age was 64.7 (±14.0) years, 61% of the cohort were male. Most participants were White British (89%). The mean eGFR was 36.6 (±20.9) ml/min/1.732. We found differences in food group intake across stages (e.g., greater intake of nuts and seeds intake in CKD 1-2 versus CKD 4) and across sex (e.g., females had a higher intake of fruit and vegetables versus males). Comparison with the reference cohort revealed that, overall, the CKD cohort had reduced intakes of food stuffs such as cereals and cereal products, but higher intakes of groups such as meat and meat products. There were limited differences in micronutrients, although Vitamin B2 and calcium were higher in earlier stages.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings from a novel a-posteriori approach underline the complex diversity of food patterns in CKD. The findings from our study may inform dieticians and other healthcare providers about the need to consider treatment modalities and stages when giving dietary recommendations.

BACKGROUND: Nutrition is important to the management and relief of the symptoms in menstrual disorders. This study aims to investigate the relationship between menstrual disorders and specific foods and nutrient intake in women.
METHODS: Five-hundred-nine menstruating women participated in the study. The questionnaire form was created by the researchers via Google Forms and distributed in online applications (WhatsApp, Instagram etc.). The questionnaire consists of 5 sections, including demographic data, declared anthropometric measurements (height (m or cm), weight (g or kg)), questions about eating habits, menstruation status, and 24-hour food consumption. Statistical analysis was made with SPSS 23; nutrient analysis of food consumption was made using BeBiS 9.0.
RESULTS: It was found that the body mass index (BMI) of healthy participants was higher than women with menstrual disorders. Women with menstrual disorders have lower intake of protein, vitamin K, vitamin B3, vitamin B5 and sodium compared with healthy women. All participants have a higher intake of vitamin B3, sodium, phosphorus, and manganese, and have a lower intake of other nutrients compared with the national adequate intake.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that women with menstrual disorders consume more high-sugar food/beverages and have inadequate nutrients intake.

UNASSIGNED: Identification of dietary patterns and their association with socio-demographic factors.
UNASSIGNED: Community-based cross-sectional study design.
UNASSIGNED: Urban and rural communities in Abia State, Nigeria.
UNASSIGNED: Eight hundred and sixty-eight (868) male and female adults aged 20 to 59 years.
UNASSIGNED: Identification of Dietary patterns (DP) by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based on the consumption of 10 food groups, assessed using a 7-day qualitative food frequency questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses evaluated the association between identified patterns and socio-economic factors.
UNASSIGNED: Two dietary patterns \'traditional and convenience DPs were identified, explaining 52% of the total variance. The traditional DP was loaded with starchy staples, vegetable soups/sauces, and animal proteins. The convenience DP was characterised by high factor loading of processed cereals, carbonated drinks and alcoholic beverages. Larger households (>3) had lower odds of adhering to high traditional DP [AOR =0.633; 95% CI (0.429-0.934); p = 0.021]. Females [AOR =1.586; 95% CI (1.104-2.279); p = 0.013] and middle-aged adults (AOR = 1.750; 95% CI (1.075-2.848);p = 0.024] were more likely to adhere to the convenience DP, whereas, the odds of adhering to the convenience pattern was lower among adults residing in rural areas [AOR =0.3161.586; 95% CI (0.219-0.456); p = 0.001].
UNASSIGNED: Socio-economic variables (age, gender, household size and place of residence) were associated with dietary patterns among community dwellers in Nigeria.
UNASSIGNED: None declared.

The Mediterranean region registers an increasing prevalence of obesity. The region lacks a diet screener to assess obesogenic nutrients. This study aimed to evaluate the reproducibility and validity of the Modified Mediterranean Prime Screen (MMPS) in estimating obesogenic nutrients\' intake among women of reproductive age, as compared to a culturally validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), in Lebanon. We developed the MMPS consisting of 32 food/beverage items specific to the Lebanese Mediterranean culture. The MMPS and FFQ were administered in two visits (2 weeks-6 months apart), face to face, and via telephone during the COVID pandemic. Reproducibility and validity of the MMPS were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Pearson\'s correlations, respectively. The study included 143 women, age: 31.5 ± 4.6 years, body mass index 24.2 ± 4.0 Kg/ m2, 87% with university education, 91% food secure. The reproducibility of the MMPS was moderate for energy and all assessed nutrients except for saturated fatty acid (ICC=0.428). The agreement of the MMPS with the reference FFQ was adequate for energy and obesogenic nutrients. Yet, the Pearson correlations for energy-adjusted nutrient intake were low for trans-fatty acids (0.294) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (0.377). The MMPS can be a time efficient tool for dietary assessment of energy and many obesogenic nutrients. Future studies should validate the MMPS across the lifespan and revaluate it after updating the fatty acids profiles in the culturally specific food composition tables.

Fruits are essential for health, yet their consumption in children is inadequate, with unclear influencing factors.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among students in grades 3-12 in Beijing, China, from September 2020 to June 2021. Fruit consumption in children was surveyed using a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Additionally, children\'s food and nutrition literacy and family food environments were assessed using the \"Food and Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire for Chinese School-age Children\" and the \"Family Food Environment Questionnaire for Chinese School-age Children,\" respectively.
Out of 10,000 participating children, 62.5% consumed fruit daily, with a lower frequency among boys (59.3%) compared to girls (65.8%), and among senior students (48.6%) compared to junior (63.6%) and primary students (71.2%). Fruit consumption was positively associated with other healthy foods (vegetables, whole grains, etc.) and negatively with unhealthy foods (sugared soft drinks). Children with higher food and nutrition literacy consumed fruits daily more frequently (82.4% vs. 59.9%, ORs = 2.438, 95%CI: 2.072-2.868). A significant positive correlation was found between children\'s fruit consumption and a healthy family food environment (66.4% vs. 50.2%, OR = 1.507, 95%CI: 1.363-1.667).
The results indicate that individual food and nutrition literacy and family food environment are key positive predictors of children\'s fruit consumption. Future interventions should focus on educating children and encouraging parents to foster supportive family environments.

BACKGROUND: Frequent fruit and vegetable consumption is considered a promising dietary behaviour that protects health. However, most existing studies about the factors associated with this phenomenon among Africans are based on single-country reports, apart from one meta-regression combining smaller studies. This study harmonized large datasets and assessed factors associated with the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption in this population.
METHODS: Individual-level data on sociodemographics, lifestyle and diet from 20 443 participants across five African countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria), from the Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network (SIREN) and Africa Wits-INDEPTH partnership for Genomic Research (AWI-Gen) studies, were harmonized. Total frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption (in portions/week) was classified as \'low\' (≤6), \'moderate\' (7-14) and \'high\' (≥15). Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of factors associated with the total frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption (using \'low\' consumption as the reference) were estimated using multinomial regression models.
RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 54.3 ± 11.8 years, 10 641 (52.1%) were female, and the median (interquartile range) frequency of total fruit and vegetable consumption was 10.0 (4.0, 21.0) portions/week. Participants with a family history of cardiovascular disease [moderate (aOR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85, 1.00) and high (aOR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.78, 0.92)], current smokers [moderate (aOR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74, 0.94) and high (aOR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.69, 0.88)], current alcohol users [moderate (aOR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85, 1.00) and high (aOR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.76, 0.89)] and physically inactive participants [moderate (aOR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75, 0.96) and high (aOR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70, 0.90)] were less likely to consume fruits and vegetables frequently.
CONCLUSIONS: Africans with lifestyle risk factors for cardiovascular disease were less likely to consume fruit and vegetables frequently.

BACKGROUND: Anaemia during pregnancy causes adverse outcomes to the woman and the foetus, including anaemic heart failure, prematurity, and intrauterine growth restriction. Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the leading cause of anaemia and oral iron supplementation during pregnancy is widely recommended. However, little focus is directed to dietary intake. This study estimates the contribution of IDA among pregnant women and examines its risk factors (including dietary) in those with moderate or severe IDA in Lagos and Kano states, Nigeria.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 11,582 women were screened for anaemia at 20-32 weeks gestation. The 872 who had moderate or severe anaemia (haemoglobin concentration < 10 g/dL) were included in this study. Iron deficiency was defined as serum ferritin level < 30 ng/mL. We described the sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics of the sample and their self-report of consumption of common food items. We conducted bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors associated with IDA.
RESULTS: Iron deficiency was observed among 41% (95%CI: 38 - 45) of women with moderate or severe anaemia and the prevalence increased with gestational age. The odds for IDA reduces from aOR: 0.36 (95%CI: 0.13 - 0.98) among pregnant women who consume green leafy vegetables every 2-3 weeks, to 0.26 (95%CI: 0.09 - 0.73) among daily consumers, compared to those who do not eat it. Daily consumption of edible kaolin clay was associated with increased odds of having IDA compared to non-consumption, aOR 9.13 (95%CI: 3.27 - 25.48). Consumption of soybeans three to four times a week was associated with higher odds of IDA compared to non-consumption, aOR: 1.78 (95%CI: 1.12 - 2.82).
CONCLUSIONS: About 4 in 10 women with moderate or severe anaemia during pregnancy had IDA. Our study provides evidence for the protective effect of green leafy vegetables against IDA while self-reported consumption of edible kaolin clay and soybeans appeared to increase the odds of having IDA during pregnancy. Health education on diet during pregnancy needs to be strengthened since this could potentially increase awareness and change behaviours that could reduce IDA among pregnant women with moderate or severe anaemia in Nigeria and other countries.

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) globally have undergone rapid urbanisation, and changes in demography and health behaviours. In Sri Lanka, cardio-vascular disease and diabetes are now leading causes of mortality. High prevalence of their risk factors, including hypertension, dysglycaemia and obesity have also been observed. Diet is a key modifiable risk factor for both cardio-vascular disease and diabetes as well as their risk factors. Although typically thought of as an environmental risk factor, dietary choice has been shown to be genetically influenced, and genes associated with this behaviour correlate with metabolic risk indicators. We used Structural Equation Model fitting to investigate the aetiology of dietary choices and cardio-metabolic phenotypes in COTASS, a population-based twin and singleton sample in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Participants completed a Food Frequency Questionnaire (N = 3934) which assessed frequency of intake of 14 food groups including meat, vegetables and dessert or sweet snacks. Anthropometric (N = 3675) and cardio-metabolic (N = 3477) phenotypes were also collected including weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose and triglycerides. Frequency of consumption of most food items was found to be largely environmental in origin with both the shared and non-shared environmental influences indicated. Modest genetic influences were observed for some food groups (e.g. fruits and leafy greens). Cardio-metabolic phenotypes showed moderate genetic influences with some shared environmental influence for Body Mass Index, blood pressure and triglycerides. Overall, it seemed that shared environmental effects were more important for both dietary choices and cardio-metabolic phenotypes compared to populations in the Global North.

Sugar intake is a major nutritional factor in the development of dental caries. To further clarify its contribution to oral health-related diseases, population-based investigations are recommended. To facilitate economic and reliable assessment of sugar intake, a short form of the approved Marburg Sugar Index (MSI) was developed.
According to the principles of item reduction based on original data, a six-item-short form was constructed. A total of 468 participants (aged 15-81) answered the short form together with the long form in a counterbalanced cross-over design, and with two questionnaires concerning self-efficacy and decisional balance in oral health to verify construct validity.
Comparable item characteristics to the original MSI and a high correlation with the long form prove the usefulness of the short form, which was processed by the participants in less than one minute. Low correlations to the other two constructs show discriminant validity.
The new short form of the MSI (MSI-S) can replace the long form, especially in population-based studies with no restrictions on assessment quality but with sufficient time saved to add other variables necessary to explore oral health-related issues.

Dietary behavior is a main contributing yet modifiable factor to the body weight status of children and may be involved in the pathophysiology of childhood obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study aimed to investigate the dietary profile of pediatric OSA patients, effects of educational counseling after adenotonsillectomy, and predictor for disease resolution.
This observational study included 50 pediatric OSA patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy with routine educational counseling (Group 1), 50 pediatric OSA patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy without formal educational counseling (Group 2), and 303 healthy children without OSA (Control). The three groups were matched by age. The consumption frequency of 25 food items/groups was assessed by the Short Food Frequency Questionnaire. Quality of life was evaluated by the OSA-18 questionnaire. Sleep architecture and OSA severity were measured by standard polysomnography. Between- and within-group comparisons were analyzed by non-parametric approaches and generalized estimating equations. Prediction of disease recovery was performed by multivariable logistic regression models.
Group 1 children consumed fruit drinks with sugar, vegetables, sweets, chocolate, rice, and noodles more frequently than Control Group children. At baseline, the distributions of sex, weight status, OSA-18 scores, and polysomnographic variables were comparable between Group 1 and Group 2. After a 12-month follow-up, Group 1 had better improvements in physical suffering, caregiver concerns, sleep architecture, and mean peripheral oxygen saturation compared to Group 2. Furthermore, Group 1 no longer had excessive consumption of fruit drinks with sugar, chocolate, and noodles; however, food consumption frequencies did not change significantly. Notably, younger age and reduced intake of butter/margarine on bread and noodles were independent predictors of cured OSA in Group 1.
The present study preliminarily characterized an unhealthy dietary profile among pediatric OSA patients and suggested that routine educational counseling in addition to adenotonsillectomy yielded some clinical benefits. Certain items/groups of food frequencies may be associated with disease recovery and further investigations are warranted.