Journal of Nutrition最新文献

{"title":"Endogenous Metabolites in Metabolic Diseases: Pathophysiologic Roles and Therapeutic Implications.","authors":"Mengjie Xiao, Ning Zhou, Zhen Tian, Changhao Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Breakthroughs in metabolomics technology have revealed the direct regulatory role of metabolites in physiology and disease. Recent data have highlighted the bioactive metabolites involved in the etiology and prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases such as obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis. Numerous studies reveal that endogenous metabolites biosynthesized by host organisms or gut microflora regulate metabolic responses and disorders. Lipids, amino acids, and bile acids, as endogenous metabolic modulators, regulate energy metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and immune response through multiple pathways, such as insulin signaling cascade, chemical modifications, and metabolite-macromolecule interactions. Furthermore, the gut microbial metabolites short-chain fatty acids, as signaling regulators have a variety of beneficial impacts in regulating energy metabolic homeostasis. In this review, we will summarize information about the roles of bioactive metabolites in the pathogenesis of many metabolic diseases. Furthermore, we discuss the potential value of metabolites in the promising preventive and therapeutic perspectives of human metabolic diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":16620,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144000242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strawberries Improve Insulin Resistance and Related Cardiometabolic Markers in Adults with Prediabetes: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial.","authors":"Arpita Basu, Andrew Hooyman, Shauna Groven, Pamela DeVillez, Robert H Scofield, Jeffrey L Ebersole, Amber Champion, Kenneth Izuora","doi":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Prediabetes, as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease, is a burgeoning public health concern in the United States and worldwide. Dietary supplementation of polyphenol-rich berries has been demonstrated to be a feasible nutritional intervention in improving multiple cardiometabolic risk factors in adults. However, reported clinical trials are quite heterogeneous in study findings, and focus on prediabetes is lacking.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We examined the effects of a feasible dietary dose of strawberries (32 g freeze-dried strawberries ∼2.5 servings fresh strawberries) on glycemic control (primary) and cardiometabolic markers in adults with prediabetes in a 28-wk randomized controlled (no strawberry) crossover single-blinded study (12 wk/period).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 25 adults were recruited in each period of the study, and anthropometric, clinical, and dietary data and blood samples were collected at baseline, 6 wk, 12 wk, 16 wk (washout), 22 wk, and 28 wk of the crossover study. A mixed-model analysis of variance was used to examine treatment effects accounting for the fixed effects of treatment, time, order of randomization, age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index (in kg/m²), dietary calories, and physical activity over time, as well as the baseline value for each outcome.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Strawberry period significantly improved glycemic control (serum insulin, insulin resistance, fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin) and serum total cholesterol in an adjusted model compared with control; [adjusted mean difference 95% confidence interval (CI): -6.9 μIU/mL (-3.2, -10.7) μIU/mL, -2.3 (-1.3, -3.4), -8.9 mg/dL (-4.7, -13.2) mg/dL, and -0.2% (-0.1, -0.3)%, and -7.0 mg/dL (-2.0, -12.0) mg/dL, respectively, all P < 0.05]. Strawberry period also decreased body weight, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 in the adjusted model (all P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings show that a 2.5-serving dose of strawberries consumed daily for 12 wk can improve prediabetes status and overall cardiometabolic profile in adults.</p>","PeriodicalId":16620,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143998762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Probiotic Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Strain Shirota (LcS) on Aflatoxin Exposure among Healthy Malaysian Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Intervention Study.","authors":"Wei Lin Chang, Takuya Akiyama, Jia-Sheng Wang, Heng Yaw Yong, Faezah Hassan, Hazizi Abu Saad, Rosita Jamaluddin, Mohd Redzwan Sabran","doi":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Limited evidence suggests that probiotic Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota (LcS) may reduce aflatoxin exposure in Malaysians, though individual factors influencing aflatoxin exposure remain unclear.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study evaluated the effect of LcS on aflatoxin biomarker concentrations over a 12-wk intervention among healthy Malaysian adults. A secondary objective was to explore the individual factors associated with aflatoxin exposure using baseline data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention involved healthy Malaysian adults (aged 20-60) of Chinese, Malay, or Indian ethnicities with elevated urinary aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) and serum aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁)-albumin concentrations. Hundred and seventy-four (n = 174) subjects were randomly and equally assigned (n = 87/group) to consume either fermented milk with LcS (probiotic) (3 × 10¹⁰ CFU/80 mL/bottle) or milk without LcS (placebo) twice/d for 12 wk, with a 4-wk follow-up. Baseline data included sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and practice related to aflatoxin contamination, dietary intake, body weight, and physical activity status. Urine and fasting blood samples were collected every 2 and 4 wk for AFM₁ and AFB₁-lysine adduct analyses, respectively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eighty-five (n = 85) and 82 (n = 82) subjects in the probiotic and placebo groups completed the intervention, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, a significant effect was observed at postintervention in the probiotic group with a 23% reduction in urinary AFM₁ concentrations compared with the placebo group (B = -0.26; Exp(B) = 0.77; P = 0.04). Serum AFB₁-lysine adduct concentrations remained lower in the probiotic group throughout the study. Both aflatoxin biomarkers significantly differed by ethnicity (AFM₁: P = 0.001; AFB₁: P = 0.01). Subjects with lower aflatoxin knowledge had significantly higher AFB₁-lysine concentrations (mean rank = 95.99) than those with higher knowledge (mean rank = 73.57) (P = 0.04). Urinary AFM₁ concentrations were higher with cereal intake (ρ = 0.17, P = 0.03) but lower with protein intake (ρ = -0.18, P = 0.02).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Ethnicity, knowledge level, and dietary intake influenced aflatoxin exposure. The benefits of consuming LcS to reduce aflatoxin exposure deserve further attention.</p><p><strong>Trial registration number: </strong>This trial is registered in the National Medical Research Register (NMRR-16-2693-3230) and clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03882294).</p>","PeriodicalId":16620,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144009247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"National Food Expenditure Patterns of the Nutrition Transition in Ghana and Differences by Fish and Seafood Diversity.","authors":"Zachary P Gersten, Ana Baylin, Erica C Jansen, Daniel B Sarpong, Andrew D Jones","doi":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Diets are changing in low- and middle-income countries in concert with the nutrition transition. National dietary patterns have yet to be established in Ghana, and previous studies present conflicting results on which patterns contain fish and seafood-a highly consumed and diverse food group.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We aimed to establish national food expenditure patterns in Ghana and assess their relationships with socioeconomic variables. We further sought to assess differences in these patterns after disaggregating fish and seafood into 10 subgroups.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed nationally representative cross-sectional household food expenditure and socioeconomic data from 13,782 households that were collected for 2016-2017 for the seventh round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey. We used principal component analysis to identify food expenditure patterns and multivariable regression models to explore relationships between patterns and household socioeconomic characteristics. We repeated the analysis after disaggregating fish and seafood into 10 subgroups using information on taxonomic population (e.g., species) and ecosystem source (e.g., marine or freshwater).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found a \"traditional\" pattern of starchy staples, fruits, vegetables, and fish and seafood, a \"processed foods\" pattern of refined grains, processed meats, dairy, and sweets, and a \"food away from home (FAFH)\" pattern of mixed dishes prepared in restaurants. Head of household age, female sex, and households with a pregnant female or children <5 y were positively associated with the \"traditional\" pattern but negatively associated with the \"FAFH\" pattern. After disaggregating fish and seafood, we found that freshwater fishes loaded positively in the \"traditional\" pattern, and sardines, a canned marine fish, loaded positively in the \"processed foods\" pattern.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The 3 national food expenditure patterns, \"traditional,\" \"processed foods,\" and \"FAFH,\" aligned with the nutrition transition. Disaggregating fish and seafood into subgroups yielded more specific information on the food expenditure patterns to which they belong.</p>","PeriodicalId":16620,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144023685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effect of Quintuply-Fortified Salt on the Gut Microbiome of Nonpregnant Women of Reproductive Age in Punjab, India: A Substudy of a Randomized, Community-Based Trial.","authors":"Lauren Thompson, Yvonne E Goh, Manu Jamwal, Bidhi L Singh, Gurjinder Kaur Brar, Charles D Arnold, Jamie Westcott, Nancy F Krebs, Angela Zivkovic, Reena Das, Mona Duggal, Christine M McDonald","doi":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Women of reproductive age in India are vulnerable to multiple micronutrient deficiencies. Large-scale food fortification of staple foods and condiments offers a cost-effective approach to improving micronutrient intake. However, the impact of large-scale food fortification on the gut microbiome remains poorly understood.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aims to determine whether quintuply-fortified salt (QFS) alters the gut microbiome of nonpregnant women of reproductive age after 12 mo.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A double-blind, randomized, controlled community-based trial was conducted among 998 women (18-49 y) in Punjab, India. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to receive 1) QFS with iron as encapsulated ferrous fumarate (eFF), zinc, vitamin B₁₂, folic acid, and iodine (eFF-QFS); 2) QFS with the same micronutrients, but iron as encapsulated ferric pyrophosphate (eFePP) plus ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (eFePP-QFS); or 3) standard iodized salt. Stool samples were collected from a subsample of women at baseline and 12 mo and subjected to 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Outcomes included intervention effects on alpha diversity (Shannon index and abundance-based estimator (ACE) index) assessed via linear mixed regression models, Bray-Curtis dissimilarity (beta diversity) assessed via permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), and relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium, Prevotella or Streptococcus modeled using zero-inflated negative binomial mixed regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the 129 women who provided both a baseline and 12-mo stool sample, 86 had sufficient read depth following sequencing (eFF-Q5S, n = 33; eFePP-Q5S, n = 26; iodized salt, n= 27). Neither alpha diversity nor beta diversity differed significantly at baseline or after the 12-mo intervention. There was no intervention effect on relative abundance of individual taxa (q-value > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>QFS did not appear to alter the gut microbiome of nonpregnant women of reproductive age in Punjab, India.</p>","PeriodicalId":16620,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144016174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beverage Consumption and Cancer Risk: Insights and Future Directions.","authors":"Qiao-Yi Chen, Edward L Giovannucci","doi":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.010","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16620,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143968443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Proteomic Insights into the Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) Diet: Bridging Nutrition and Dementia Prevention.","authors":"Zhong-Yue Liu, Guo-Chong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.013","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16620,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144018225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Associations of Maternal Prepregnancy Body Mass Index With Human Milk Fatty Acid and Phospholipid Composition in the Observational Norwegian Human Milk Study.","authors":"Talat B Ahmed, Merete Eggesbø, Rachel Criswell, Hans Demmelmair, Martina Totzauer, Berthold Koletzko","doi":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Human milk fat quality depends on its fatty acid (FA) and phospholipid (PL) composition. There is clear evidence that maternal diet influences human milk FA composition. However, the scientific literature concerning associations between prepregnancy body mass index (pBMI) and milk FA and PL composition remains inconclusive.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This observational study aimed to identify the associations between maternal pBMI and the milk FA and choline-containing PL species composition, considering study confounders, including fish intake as a proxy for n3 long-chain polyunsaturated FA (n3-LCPUFA).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed total FA and choline-containing PL-classes (lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylcholine, and sphingomyelin) in 628 milk samples from the Norwegian Human Milk Study birth-cohort using gas chromatography and flow-injection mass spectrometry, respectively. Multiple regression analysis assessed the relationship between pBMI and milk lipid metabolites (%FA, %PL) (reported as β = standardized regression coefficient with adjusted P value < 0.0005, B(95% confidence interval [CI]) = unstandardized coefficient with 95% CI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Maternal pBMI showed significant association (P < 0.0005) with n3-LCPUFA [β = -0.138, B(95% CI) = -0.010 (-0.015, -0.005)], n6/n3LCPUFA ratio [β = 0.170, B(95% CI) = 0.020(0.012, 0.028)], monounsaturated FA [β = 0.207, B(95% CI) = 0.128(0.076, 0.180)], and corresponding PL species [%LysoPC16:1, β = 0.171, B(95% CI) = 0.001(0.001,0.002), %LysoPC18:1, β = 0.155, B(95%CI) = 0.005 (0.002,0.007)] adjusted with the study covariates. The percentages of variance explained by pBMI were 40% for the n6/n3 LCPUFA ratio, 34% for n3-LCPUFA, and 10% for monounsaturated FA. Conversely, analyses revealed no significant associations between pBMI and choline-containing PL classes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Biological factors likely increased stearoyl-CoA desaturase activity, lower lipoprotein lipase activity, and a compensatory higher contribution of nonesterified FA from adipose tissue in mothers with pBMI ≥30 could potentially lead to the observed outcomes. Metabolic differences regarding BMI variances may influence the FA availability for mammary gland triglyceride and PL synthesis. Therefore, in addition to dietary intake, maintaining a healthy maternal pBMI may improve the nutritional quality of human milk, ultimately supporting infants' development.</p>","PeriodicalId":16620,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143976653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plant-Based Diets and Cardiovascular Events: A Proteomics Approach to Examine the Underlying Pathways.","authors":"Hyunju Kim, Jingsha Chen, Brenton Prescott, Maura E Walker, Morgan E Grams, Bing Yu, Ramachandran S Vasan, James Floyd, Nona Sotoodehnia, Nicholas L Smith, Dan E Arking, Josef Coresh, Casey M Rebholz","doi":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Proteomics may improve our understanding of the biological pathways underlying these associations.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Using large-scale proteomics, we aimed to examine if plant-based diet-related proteins, which have been previously identified, are associated with incident CVD and subtypes of CVD in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Offspring cohort.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Discovery analyses were based on 9078 participants free of CVD at ARIC visit 3 (1993-1995). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the associations between plant-based diet-related proteins and incident CVD, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke. Replication analyses were based on 1279 participants without CVD in the FHS Offspring cohort.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the ARIC study, over a median follow-up of 21 y, there were 3167 CVD events. At a false discovery rate <0.05, 26 of 73 plant-based diet-related proteins were significantly associated with incident CVD, after adjusting for important confounders. Eighteen, 1, and 0 proteins were associated with heart failure, stroke, and coronary artery disease, respectively. Three and 2 additional proteins were associated with CVD and heart failure risk in the FHS Offspring cohort at the nominal threshold (P < 0.05). In the ARIC Study and FHS Offspring cohort, soluble advanced glycosylation end product-specific receptor was inversely associated with incident CVD whereas thrombospondin-2 (THBS2) and N-terminal pro-BNP was positively associated with incident CVD. THBS2 was positively associated with incident heart failure, whereas neuronal growth factor regulator 1 and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 was inversely associated.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These proteins highlight several pathways that could explain plant-based diets-CVD associations.</p>","PeriodicalId":16620,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144010022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Food Avoidance Taboos During Breastfeeding Are Widespread and Associated With Large Declines in Maternal Dietary Diversity in Myanmar.","authors":"Derek Headey, Salauddin Tauseef, Khin Mar Linn, Theingi Oo, Soe Nyi Nyi","doi":"10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Maternal food avoidance practices during pregnancy and breastfeeding have been documented in several Asian countries, but their prevalence and impacts on dietary diversity are not well quantified.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study: 1) assessed the prevalence of beliefs around maternal food avoidance during breastfeeding in Myanmar; 2) explored the correlates of women's food avoidance beliefs as well as mother's stated rationales for avoiding specific foods; and 3) assessed how minimum dietary diversity of women (MDD-W) pertaining to mothers changed from pregnancy to postpartum/breastfeeding.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We added a novel nutrition module to a nationally representative survey (N = 12,353) in Myanmar to estimate the prevalence of beliefs around maternal food avoidance during breastfeeding and resurveyed a subsample of mothers (N = 155) to understand avoidance of specific foods. We then used a high-frequency panel of mothers in Yangon (N = 3541) to assess how MDD-W changed from pregnancy to postpartum/breastfeeding, employing mother fixed-effects regressions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forty percent of adult women in Myanmar believe that breastfeeding mothers should avoid at least one food group that nutritionists would typically define as a healthy (e.g., vegetables and fruits). Regression analysis indicated these beliefs were less prevalent among women with more education and nutritional knowledge and with exposure to nutrition counseling from community health workers. Mothers rationalized food avoidance by referring to a variety of perceived maternal and child health risks. MDD-W pertaining to mothers in the Yangon panel fell by 43 percentage points from pregnancy to the first month after birth, including significant declines in 8 of the 10 MDD-W food groups. MDD-W remained significantly lower ≤6 mo after birth than during pregnancy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Food avoidance taboos during breastfeeding pose a potentially serious risk of micronutrient deficiencies for mothers and infants and warrant more extensive monitoring in nutrition surveys and more research on how to redress these nutritionally harmful beliefs and practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":16620,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144040643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}