Journal of the American Nutrition Association最新文献

{"title":"Whey Protein Supplementation Positively Modulates Lung Function and Pulmonary and Systemic Immune Response in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.","authors":"Meiry Souza Moura-Maia, Rosa Helena Ramos Paula-Vieira, Nycole Vieira Ramos-Gomes, Dobroslav Melamed, Anamei Silva-Reis, Eduarda Teodora Rachid Wolpp, Naiara Nadia Moreira-Silva, Wany Soares Fagundes de Carvalho, Antonio Herbert Lancha Junior, Yanesko Fernandes Bella, Regiane Albertini, Alberto Souza de Sá Filho, Rodolfo P Vieira","doi":"10.1080/27697061.2026.2615981","DOIUrl":"10.1080/27697061.2026.2615981","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Aging is associated with reduced protein intake, increasing the risk of infections by damping the pulmonary and systemic immune response. Although whey protein supplementation improves systemic immune response, its effects on the pulmonary immune response are unknown.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This clinical trial composed by two groups (Control; <i>n</i> = 38; Age 69.31 ± 6.13; Men = 9; Women = 27) and (Whey; <i>n</i> = 27;; Age 68.14 ± 5.72; Men = 12; Women = 31) investigated whether isolated whey protein supplementation (IWPS) (25 g/day; 7 days/week; 3 months) could impact the pulmonary immune response, as a primary outcome, and the lung function, systemic cellular and humoral immune response, respiratory muscle strength, functional capacity, peripheral muscle strength and body composition as secondary outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three months of IWPS improved the lung function, such as force expiratory volume (FEV₁) (<i>p</i> < 0.048), forced expiratory volume in the first second/forced vital capacity ratio (FEV₁/FVC) (forced vital capacity) (<i>p</i> < 0.003), forced expiratory volume 25-75% (FEF25-75%) (<i>p</i> < 0.048), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) (<i>p</i> < 0.002). IWPS reduced the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) (<i>p</i> < 0.015), interleukin 6 (IL-6) (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and tumoral necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (<i>p</i> < 0.001) levels, while increased IL-10 (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and Klotho (<i>p</i> < 0.013) in breath condensate, displaying an anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effect. Furthermore, IWPS improved systemic immune response, as showed by reduction on blood total leukocytes (<i>p</i> < 0.017), neutrophils (<i>p</i> < 0.049), and eosinophils (<i>p</i> < 0.009), and plasma levels of pro-inflammatory IL-6 (<i>p</i> < 0.005) and TNF-α (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and increased levels of anti-inflammatory IL-10 (<i>p</i> < 0.00005) and anti-aging protein Klotho (<i>p</i> < 0.0436). The functional capacity (<i>p</i> < 0.0031), expiratory muscle (<i>p</i> < 0.0001) and peripheral muscle strength (<i>p</i> < 0.0028) was improved by IWPS.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>IWPS improved pulmonary and systemic immune response, lung function and functional capacity of older adults.</p>","PeriodicalId":29768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Nutrition Association","volume":" ","pages":"475-488"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146087399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Probiotic Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Traditional Dairy Products: An <i>In Vitro</i> Assessment.","authors":"Murat Ay","doi":"10.1080/27697061.2026.2618111","DOIUrl":"10.1080/27697061.2026.2618111","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) vary depending on the specific strain. This study aimed to evaluate the probiotic potential of LAB present in traditional dairy products using <i>in vitro</i> techniques.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Bacterial isolates from 63 artisanal dairy product samples, which included 6 kefir, 22 cheese, and 35 yogurt products, were analyzed. The isolates were subjected to tests for acid resistance, bile tolerance, antibiotic resistance, acidification capacity, hydrophobicity, exopolysaccharide (EPS) production, and antimicrobial activity. The isolates that gave positive results in these analyses were subsequently identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The survival rates of the 93 isolates decreased significantly as the pH level lowered (<i>p</i> < 0.05), resulting in 76 isolates being classified as acid-resistant. The identical isolates also demonstrated tolerance to high concentrations of bile. Out of these, only 37 isolates were sensitive to all 12 antibiotics tested, while each isolate had varying levels of acidification capacity. Eight of these 37 isolates, which showed negative hydrophobicity ratios, were eliminated from further testing. All 29 remaining isolates exhibited EPS production, but only 17 showed an inhibitory effect against the selected pathogenic bacteria. Molecular identification of these 17 isolates revealed that 6 were <i>Lactobacillus</i> (<i>Lact.</i>) <i>paracasei</i>, 3 were <i>Lact. crustorum</i>, 2 were <i>Lact. brevis</i>, 2 were <i>Lact. casei</i>, 1 was <i>Lact. plantarum</i>, 1 was <i>Lact. pentosus</i>, 1 was <i>Lact. helveticus</i>, and 1 was <i>Lact. rhamnosus</i>.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings indicated that LAB strains naturally present in traditional dairy products possess significant probiotic characteristics. The direct use of the isolated strains in the development of functional foods and supplements within the local industry could contribute to the conservation and enhancement of the country's biodiversity and regional economic value. It is recommended that further comprehensive research be conducted to explore their potential for production and use as dietary supplements for humans.</p>","PeriodicalId":29768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Nutrition Association","volume":" ","pages":"489-502"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146020097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"GPT-4o in Nutrition for Inpatients Undergoing Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: Identifying Dietary Errors, Exploring Expert-AI Rationale Differences, and Structuring AI-Expert Collaboration.","authors":"Alejandro García-Rudolph, Elena Hernandez-Pena, Nuria Del Cacho, Claudia Teixidó-Font, Mark Andrew Wright, Eloy Opisso","doi":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2571878","DOIUrl":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2571878","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Inpatients undergoing stroke rehabilitation experience high malnutrition rates, requiring strict dietary management. However, manual and time-pressured dietary provision can cause errors in diet composition, highlighting the need for innovation. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate whether GPT-4o can accurately identify dietary errors in hospital-based stroke rehabilitation menus, analyze differences in AI vs. expert rationale for decisions, and explore AI's potential role in clinical workflows through a structured collaboration framework.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A TRIPOD-compliant validation study analyzing 264 hospital-based menus designed for stroke rehabilitation inpatients requiring specialized diets (e.g., dysphagia, diabetes). GPT-4o's dietary compliance classifications were assessed using a structured 0-error, 1-error, and 2+ error framework, with expert dietitians as ground-truth in a rehabilitation hospital nutrition department, where expert dietitians selected menus from existing clinical practices for inpatients on specialized diets. AI-expert agreement, overall accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity in dietary error classification were assessed. AI vs. expert justifications were analyzed thematically to identify differences in decision rationale. Cohen's Kappa (95% CI) measured inter-rater reliability. Overall accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated using a 3 × 3 confusion matrix, comparing AI classifications (0-error, 1-error, 2+ error) to the expert-labeled ground truth. Thematic analysis categorized AI vs. expert justifications for flagged dietary errors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 264 menus (1,000+ food items), 26 (9.8%) had discrepancies. Among these, 57.7% (15 cases) were PAS-based dysphagia diets, followed by diabetic (19.2%, 5 cases) and allergen-related (15.4%, 4 cases) diets. The remaining two cases involved low-sodium and low-fat diets. Cohen's Kappa: 0.892 (95% CI: 0.845-0.939, <i>p</i> < 0.001). 0-errors: Sensitivity 94.3%, specificity 100%; 1-error: Sensitivity 86.2%, specificity 96.6%; 2+-errors: Sensitivity 97.8%, specificity 92.6%. Thematic analysis revealed GPT-4o followed strict rule-based interpretations, whereas dietitians incorporated patient tolerance and food preparation considerations.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>GPT-4o demonstrated high accuracy but over-flagged violations, supporting its role as a prescreening tool with expert collaboration.</p>","PeriodicalId":29768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Nutrition Association","volume":" ","pages":"310-321"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145293710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Hepcidin-25 Biomarker on Antioxidant Status and Trace Elements in Pediatric Iron Deficiency.","authors":"Mhabad Khorsheed Saeed, Lina Yousif Mohammed","doi":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2603270","DOIUrl":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2603270","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To investigate the regulatory role of serum hepcidin-25 on the iron metabolism, antioxidant defense mechanisms, and trace element concentrations in children aged 2-10 years with early iron deficiency (EID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA), and to evaluate its interface with iron profile, trace elements such as; zinc (Zn), cupper (Cu) and magnesium (Mg) along with antioxidant markers (catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study involved 90 children. Based on hemoglobin levels and iron status, they were categorized into control (<i>n</i> = 30), EID (<i>n</i> = 30), and IDA (<i>n</i> = 30). Blood samples were obtained to assess hematological parameters, iron profile, serum hepcidin-25, trace elements, and antioxidant markers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Serum hepcidin-25 levels were significantly lower in both IDA (3.73 [1.92-6.30] ng/mL) and EID (7.22 [4.32-9.08] ng/mL) groups compared to controls (10.62 [6.69-17.35] ng/mL) (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). Zn, CAT, and SOD levels were also significantly reduced in both EID (Zn: 55.86 ± 14.89 µg/dL; CAT: 10.55 ± 8.17 kU/L; SOD: 0.84[0.71-0.84] U/mL) and IDA (Zn: 55.33 ± 14.63 µg/dL; CAT: 7.68 ± 5.04 kU/L; SOD: 0.83[0.76-0.87]U/mL) groups compared to the control group (Zn: 92.46 ± 26.41 µg/dL; CAT: 15.78 ± 3.26 kU/L; SOD: 1.05[0 .83- 1.20] U/mL) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Mg and GST levels were significantly decreased in the IDA group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Serum hepcidin-25 showed significant positive correlations with serum iron (<i>ρ</i> = 0.45), transferrin saturation (<i>ρ</i> = 0.44), Zn (<i>ρ</i> = 0.32), Mg (<i>ρ</i> = 0.24), SOD (<i>ρ</i> = 0.37), and CAT (<i>ρ</i> = 0.28), <i>p</i> < 0.05.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These results support hepcidin-25 biomarker suppression as an indicator for iron deficits and systemic iron deficiency disturbances that affect trace elements and antioxidant activities.</p>","PeriodicalId":29768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Nutrition Association","volume":" ","pages":"385-391"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145769412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Role of Monosodium Glutamate in Food Allergies and Its Health Implications.","authors":"Maria Zofia Lisiecka","doi":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2587739","DOIUrl":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2587739","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is frequently utilized as a flavor enhancer, yet it remains controversial due to repeated claims linking it to adverse or allergic-like reactions. The purpose of this review was to determine whether MSG meaningfully contributes to actual food allergies, pseudoallergic phenomena, or systemic metabolic effects.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic evaluation of articles published from 2019 onward, supplemented by foundational studies on MSG safety, was undertaken to assess both clinical and mechanistic evidence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Findings indicate that anecdotal reports concerning Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS) primarily draw upon uncontrolled research or subjective accounts, whereas double-blind, placebo-controlled investigations rarely confirm consistent symptomatology when realistic dietary doses are administered. Although certain participants display transient intolerance manifestations under high-dose, empty-stomach challenges, immunoglobulin E-mediated processes appear exceedingly infrequent. Additionally, discussions regarding monogastric animal research suggest that extremely large exposures could disrupt metabolic pathways, but standard human consumption levels show minimal potential to induce long-term organ dysfunction.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Overall, the aggregated data highlight considerable methodological disparities in the existing literature and underscore the influence of psychological expectation on reported outcomes. Consequently, MSG does not commonly manifest as a significant allergen in humans, although sporadic intolerance episodes may arise in susceptible individuals. Continued research involving rigorous blinding, standardized protocols, and objective clinical endpoints is recommended to clarify any lingering uncertainties and to inform both regulatory frameworks and consumer guidance. Finally, transparent labeling could help consumers differentiate genuine allergic threats from largely anecdotal or overstated concerns, thereby promoting more balanced discourse around MSG's status in the global food industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":29768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Nutrition Association","volume":" ","pages":"367-376"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145606709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Acute Caffeine Intake on Endurance Performance and Cardiac Autonomic Modulation in Patients with COPD.","authors":"B M Costa, A Ferreira Junior, G Ferreira, C Motin, A E Lima-Silva, N M Okuno","doi":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2577341","DOIUrl":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2577341","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to investigate the effects of acute caffeine (CAF) intake on heart rate, time to exhaustion, and cardiac autonomic modulation during a constant-load exercise test in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A counterbalanced, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and crossover design was adopted in the present study. Eleven patients diagnosed with COPD initially performed a maximal incremental exercise test on a cycle ergometer, and from 72 to 96 h later, a constant-load exercise test (60% of the peak power achieved in the maximal incremental exercise test) after ingestion of CAF (5 mg.kg^-1) or placebo (cellulose, PLA) 60 min before the test. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were continuously monitored beat-to-beat throughout the test and recovery using a portable HR monitor.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>During exercise, the response of HR showed a significant effect of time (<i>p</i> < 0.001), but there was no main effect of condition (<i>p</i> = 0.76) or a time x condition interaction (<i>p</i> = 0.74). CAF ingestion increased time to exhaustion during the constant-load exercise test compared to PLA (<i>p</i> = 0.04). The CAF ingestion also reduced the magnitude of HR recovery 60 s post-exercise in comparison with PLA (<i>p</i> = 0.02). No other significant differences were found for HR recovery in further time points or HRV indices (<i>p</i> > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In conclusion, acute CAF ingestion increased time to exhaustion in a constant-load exercise test in patients with COPD. There was no main effect of CAF on HR during exercise. Although CAF reduced HR recovery at the beginning of recovery, CAF did not seem to induce more prolonged changes on cardiac autonomic modulation post-exercise. These findings suggest CAF could be safety used as an effective ergogenic aid to optimize the endurance performance of patients with COPD.</p>","PeriodicalId":29768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Nutrition Association","volume":" ","pages":"322-328"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145378800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hospital Food Services, Patient Satisfaction and Malnutrition Risk Inpatients: A Pilot Study.","authors":"Dilara Göksenin Saraç, Birsen Demirel, Hande Seven Avuk, Ahmet Uğur Kevenk","doi":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2579113","DOIUrl":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2579113","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Malnutrition is a preventable issue that complicates patient recovery and increases healthcare costs. This study evaluated inpatients' satisfaction with food services and its impact on malnutrition.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study included 310 patients (52.6% female, median age 42 years) hospitalized for at least seven days. The NRS-2002 screening test was administered within two days of admission and repeated on day seven, along with the Acute Care Hospital Foodservice Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (ACHFPSQ).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The risk of malnutrition increased from 21.9% initially to 38.7% on the 7-day follow-up evaluation (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Higher ACHFPSQ scores were associated with a decreased malnutrition risk, with significant correlations found between food quality, meal service quality, staff/service issues, and lower malnutrition risk (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Very weak positive but statistically significant relationships were detected between the total scale score, body weight, and BMI (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The risk of malnutrition decreased as food quality (OR = 0.891; <i>p</i> < 0.001), meal service quality (OR = 0.915; <i>p</i> = 0.001), and staff/service issues scores (OR = 0.925; <i>p</i> = 0.010) increased.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study highlights the importance of hospital food service quality in preventing malnutrition among inpatients.</p>","PeriodicalId":29768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Nutrition Association","volume":" ","pages":"329-338"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145453437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Chronic Caffeine Use on Performance in Division I Baseball Players During the Fall Collegiate Season.","authors":"Travis Foster, LesLee K Funderburk, Katherine Lee, Mary Pickler, Leroy Bolden, Andrew R Gallucci","doi":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2604220","DOIUrl":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2604220","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Caffeine is commonly used as an ergogenic aid and has been shown to acutely improve athletic performance. However, research exploring the effects of chronic caffeine use on performance is limited, especially in Division I (DI) collegiate baseball players. The purpose of this observational study was to explore the patterns of caffeine use among collegiate baseball players during their fall season and analyze how chronic caffeine use affected specific measures of sporting performance. A caffeine-focused food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was completed at the end of the season and indicated caffeine use over the final four weeks of the fall season. Weekly performance data was obtained from baseball staff. Results of the caffeine FFQ indicated that there were 3 \"low\" and 3 \"high\" caffeine users among pitchers (<i>n = 6</i>). Pitchers who were \"high\" caffeine users throughout the season trended toward better performance on average than \"low\" caffeine users, although it was not significant (<i>p = 0.100</i>). These findings show there is potential for chronic caffeine use to positively impact pitching performance among collegiate baseball players. Further research should explore this relationship in controlled supplemental intervention studies to confirm the current findings and determine the true impact of chronic caffeine use among collegiate baseball players on sporting performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":29768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Nutrition Association","volume":" ","pages":"392-395"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145865952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defining \"Carrier Foods\" - A Novel Basis for Evaluating Indirect Contributions to Diet Quality.","authors":"Taylor C Wallace","doi":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2571635","DOIUrl":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2571635","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Efforts to improve dietary patterns often focus on the nutritional composition and associated health effects of individual foods in isolation. This reductionist type of approach has been traditionally applied across nutrition science, leading to a weakened understanding of the complex interplay of how food affects human health. Emerging evidence suggests that many foods may exert indirect effects on overall diet quality by acting as a vehicle that increases co-consumption of other foods. Thus, the term \"carrier food\" is intended to describe such foods that, regardless of its direct effect (i.e. nutritional contribution), indirectly impacts diet quality by serving as a vehicle for increasing co-consumption of other foods or food groups, during a snacking or eating occasion. In this context, the \"companion food\" is consumed due to its relationship with consumption of the carrier food. Carrier foods can be classified into four types - positive, offset, gateway, and reverse - each exerting a unique impact on overall diet quality. This editorial defines and contextualizes the term carrier food, explores examples and methods from existing nutrition research, and outlines implications for public health messaging, food formulation, and dietary assessment. By shifting focus from individual nutrients to patterns of co-consumption, the concept of a carrier food offers a more nuanced and actionable approach to dietary assessment and intervention. As food and nutrition science continues to evolve, integrating this term into research, policy, and practice may help better align nutritional recommendations with real-world eating behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":29768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Nutrition Association","volume":" ","pages":"307-309"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145378789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary Intake of Polyphenols in Adults Residing in Chile: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"Carla Guzmán-Pincheira, Esteban Romero-Vera, Dyana Sepúlveda-Caro, Felipe Gacitúa-Riquelme, Gabriela Benedetti-Ibáñez, Dina Guzmán-Oyarzo, Angélica Quintero-Flórez, Gabriel Araujo-Silva","doi":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2585825","DOIUrl":"10.1080/27697061.2025.2585825","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Polyphenols have been recognized for their protective role against chronic noncommunicable diseases. Despite growing international evidence, studies assessing polyphenol intake in Latin American populations remain scarce, particularly in Chile, where profound nutritional transitions have increased the consumption of ultra-processed foods and the burden of obesity and cardiovascular disease.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to quantify dietary polyphenol intake in the Chilean adult population using a validated self-reported food frequency questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A descriptive cross-sectional design was conducted in 521 adults aged ≥18 years, residing in different Chilean macrozones. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle data were collected, and polyphenol intake was estimated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean age of participants was 33.3 ± 10.1 years, with a predominance of women. The average daily intake of polyphenols was 1634.9 ± 1168.6 mg/d, with higher, though non-significant, consumption observed among women, rural residents, and individuals from the northern macrozone. Age-stratified analysis showed that men ≥30 years consumed significantly more polyphenols than younger men.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Fruits represented the main dietary source, followed by coffee and tea, while wine and cider contributed minimally.</p>","PeriodicalId":29768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Nutrition Association","volume":" ","pages":"347-354"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145606686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}