BMC Nutrition最新文献

{"title":"Do pandemics influence food choice motives, diet, and health behaviors? Evidence from a cross-sectional survey in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Rida Khan, Afifa Tanweer, Sanaullah Iqbal","doi":"10.1186/s40795-024-00959-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40795-024-00959-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>COVID-19 has significantly impacted the health and well-being of individuals by influencing their diet and lifestyle. Therefore, this study was designed to compare the dietary and health practices pre- and post-COVID-19 infection and to study the association of changes in dietary and health practices with the change in food choice motives.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An online cross-sectional survey was conducted, and retrospective data was gathered from 259 recovered cases of COVID-19 aged 18-50 years in Pakistan. The survey questionnaire included socio-demographic information, adherence to Pakistan dietary guidelines, Breslow's health practices, and food choice motives. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to analyze the normality of data. McNemar's test and Wilcoxon sign ranked test were used to determine the change in the dietary practices, health practices, and food choice motives scores pre- and post-COVID-19 infection. Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression were used to study the relation between the changes in dietary practices, health practices, and food choice motives.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Dietary practices improved (mean ± SD: 0.17 ± 1.56), and health practices deteriorated (mean ± SD: -0.18 ± 1.36) after COVID-19 infection. The importance of convenience, health, mood, natural content, weight control, familiarity, and ethical concerns while choosing food increased after suffering from COVID-19. Improvement in dietary practices was correlated with health practices (r = 0.32), convenience (r = 0.15), health concern (r = 0.16), mood (r = 0.18), and natural content of food (r = 0.15). Changes in dietary practices were found to be negatively associated (p = 0.043, B=-0.145) with the price of food.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We conclude that the food choice motives of the Pakistani population changed during COVID-19. This change in food choice motives was found to be related to dietary and health practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":36422,"journal":{"name":"BMC Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"46"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11869401/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143531980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of Nordic Keyhole and Nutri-Score for assessment of nutritional quality of plant-based dairy analogues.","authors":"Hanieh Moshtaghian, Elinor Hallström, Marta Bianchi, Susanne Bryngelsson","doi":"10.1186/s40795-025-01023-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40795-025-01023-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Public interest in plant-based dairy analogues is increasing; thus, their assessment by front-of-pack nutrition labelling schemes such as Keyhole and Nutri-Score can facilitate the identification of products with optimal nutritional quality. In this study, Keyhole and the latest version of Nutri-Score criteria were applied to plant-based dairy analogues (i.e., milk, yoghurt, cheese, cream, fat spread, and ice cream analogues) in the Swedish market to evaluate their nutritional quality.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Nutritional data for 222 plant-based dairy analogues were collected from food manufacturers' websites, and the eligibility of these analogues for Keyhole and Nutri-Score (A to E) were assessed. Products eligible for Keyhole and Nutri-Score A or B were deemed to have optimal nutritional quality.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>16% of plant-based milk analogues (from oat-, almond-, rice-, and potato-based products), 2% of plant-based yoghurt analogues and 37% of plant-based fat spread analogues were eligible for Keyhole. The plant-based cheese, cream and ice cream analogues were ineligible for Keyhole. None of the plant-based milk analogues qualified for Nutri-Score A, and 45% (mainly soy-, almond-, coconut-, pea- and mixed-based products) qualified for Nutri-Score B. 68% of plant-based yoghurt analogues (from oat-, soy-, almond- and mixed-based products) qualified for Nutri-Score A or B. The plant-based cheese, fat spread and ice cream analogues were ineligible for Nutri-Score A or B and 32% of plant-based cream analogues qualified for Nutri-Score B. A higher percentage of organic milk analogues and a lower percentage of organic yoghurt analogues were eligible for Keyhole and Nutri-Score A or B compared to their non-organic varieties. Keyhole and Nutri-Score had an agreement on classifying two plant-based dairy analogues as optimal nutritional quality products and 133 plant-based dairy analogues as suboptimal.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>There is variability in the eligibility of plant-based dairy analogues for Keyhole and Nutri-Score labelling. Eligibility for Keyhole was highest among plant-based fat spread analogues, while Nutri-Score A and B ratings were more common for plant-based yoghurt analogues. Plant-based cheese and ice cream analogues were ineligible for Keyhole and Nutri-Score A or B. Since the micronutrient content of organic and non-organic plant-based dairy analogues did not affect their evaluation by Keyhole and Nutri-Score, this limitation warrants further consideration.</p>","PeriodicalId":36422,"journal":{"name":"BMC Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"45"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11869733/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143531978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mediterranean diet and hypertension: relationship between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and arterial hypertension.","authors":"Mario Daidone, Tiziana Di Chiara, Alessandro Del Cuore, Alessandra Casuccio, Giovanni Salamone, Domenico Di Raimondo, Antonino Tuttolomondo","doi":"10.1186/s40795-025-01025-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40795-025-01025-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>No study has examined the relationship between the presence of hypertension and the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) concerning other cardiometabolic risk factors. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the presence of lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet in hypertensive subjects and analyze the correlation between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and other cardiovascular risk factors.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>We analyzed the records and collected the data of the patients admitted to our Internal Medicine ward from 2010 to 2020 with a discharge diagnosis of metabolic syndrome according to the NCEP ATP-III criteria. We divided patients in two groups: hypertensive and no hypertensive. The Mediterranean Diet Score was used to evaluate the consumption and frequency of the foods characterizing a Mediterranean-type diet.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Hypertensive patients were older (73 ± 11.5 vs. 57.2 ± 5.7; p < 0.0005) and had a higher mean BMI (29.9 ± 5.2 vs. 25 ± 2.4, p < 0.0005) compared to control group. The degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, evaluated by the Mediterranean diet score (MDS), was significantly higher in the control group than in the hypertensive group (3.8 ± 1.6 vs 6.9 ± 1.5; p < 0.0005). Various comorbidities were more prevalent in hypertensives, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and chronic renal failure. Lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with an increased prevalence of dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, chronic renal insufficiency, and PAD/carotid atherosclerosis, and significantly worse lipid profiles.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings show that a lower adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Style is associated with a worse cardiovascular risk factor profile in hypertensive patients. Thus, Mediterranean diet adherence in hypertensive subjects is associated with a wider cardiometabolic scenario.</p>","PeriodicalId":36422,"journal":{"name":"BMC Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"44"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11866820/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143517001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A multilevel analysis of the factors associated with minimum acceptable diets among children aged 6-23 months in Lesotho: a study of the Lesotho Multiple Cluster Indicator 2018.","authors":"Nthatisi Leseba, Kerry Vermaak, Tiisetso Makatjane","doi":"10.1186/s40795-025-01030-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40795-025-01030-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The World Health Organisation's Infant and Young Children Feeding Guidelines (IYCF) have been adopted as an internationally acceptable complementary feeding guideline, known as the Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD). The MAD is the combination of the Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF) and Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD). MAD is not met in many countries in the world. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the prevalence and multilevel factors associated with a minimum acceptable diet among the children aged 6-23 months in Lesotho.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study used the Lesotho Multiple Cluster Indicator Survey of 2018. The data was analysed using STATA version 14 software. A multilevel logistic regression model was fitted. The Wald adjusted odds ratio (WAOR) with P-value < 0.05 was taken to indicate statistical significance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The prevalence of the MAD in Lesotho for the children aged 6-23 months was 10.4% [95% CI: 8.1, 12.3]. At the immediate level, the children aged 12-17 months [WAOR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.5, 4.0] were more likely to be fed the MAD. At the underlying level, the children from rural areas [WAOR = 0.5; 95% CI: 0.3, 0.7] were less likely to be fed with the MAD while those from the rich households [WAOR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.2, 4.1] and the richest households [WAOR = 3.4; 95% CI: 1.8, 6.4], as well as those with the mothers with secondary education [WAOR = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.1, 3.1] and education beyond secondary [WAOR = 4.8; 95% CI: 2.4, 9.6] had elevated odds of being fed MAD. Additionally, the children, whose mothers received antenatal care during pregnancy [WAOR = 0.6; 95% CI: 0.0, 0.9] and those whose mothers were exposed to media [WAOR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1, 2.5], were more likely to be fed the MAD. At the community level, the community ownership of land and livestock [WAOR = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.3, 0.6], community poverty [WAOR = 0.5; 95% CI: 0.3, 0.7], community male education [WAOR = 2.1; 95%% CI: 1.4, 3.2] and community media exposure [WAOR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.5, 3.8] were also associated with MAD.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings suggest targeting community food availability and knowledge acquisition. Expanding information availability through radio and other social media would help.</p>","PeriodicalId":36422,"journal":{"name":"BMC Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"43"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11863839/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143517000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nutrition in cancer patients: analysis of the forum of women´s self-help association against cancer.","authors":"A Fettig, V Mathies, J Hübner","doi":"10.1186/s40795-025-01027-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40795-025-01027-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Online forums play a crucial role for cancer patients seeking nutrition-related information and support. This study investigated the most common nutrition-related questions and concerns among members of the Women's Self-Help Association Against Cancer, focusing on emotional, physical, and practical aspects of dietary changes in cancer patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A mixed-methods approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative content analysis of 5314 forum responses. The themes identified included common questions, patient contributions, physician involvement, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the discussions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 2246 posts across 22 threads were analyzed, spanning 3867 days and receiving 654,100 visits. Key topics included 41 themes and 356 questions, with common inquiries like \"Has your diet changed since your diagnosis?\" (45 responses) and \"Is sugar allowed in your diet?\" (29 responses). There were 4958 contributions, with 558 evidence-based responses (e.g., recommending balanced diets) and 200 non-evidence-based responses (e.g., fasting, cancer-specific diets). Concerns regarding sugar (188 responses), dairy (121 responses), and emotional stress (187 responses) were common. Despite evidence-based recommendations from healthcare professionals supporting balanced diets, members frequently encounter non-evidence-based advice on fasting- and cancer-specific diets, leading to significant emotional and nutritional challenges. Additionally, Members emphasized the need to balance the enjoyment of food with dietary restrictions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The forum is a valuable resource for sharing experiences and advice; however, non-evidence-based content underscores the need for moderation and expert input. Collaboration between medical professionals and moderators can improve content reliability, enabling informed dietary decisions for cancer patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":36422,"journal":{"name":"BMC Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"41"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11827412/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143415482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of productive safety net program on children's nutritional outcomes in Ethiopia: a systematic review without meta-analysis.","authors":"Abdu Oumer, Muluken Yigezu, Milkiyas Solomon Getachew, Berhanu Abebaw Mekonnen","doi":"10.1186/s40795-025-01021-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40795-025-01021-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) is a livelihood intervention to improve food insecurity among the poor and has been implemented in Ethiopia. However, there is inconsistent evidence on the impacts of PSNP on improving the nutritional status of vulnerable segments (children). The current review was to synthesize evidence on the effects of PSNP on the nutritional status of children in Ethiopia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive search for Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, and other relevant repositories, coupled with a manual search (till March 15, 2024), was done using a combination of relevant key words. Hence, the search was conducted on \"productive safety net,\" \"Ethiopia,\" \"nutritional status,\" and \"undernutrition.\" An updated systematic review without meta-analysis guideline was used to select relevant literature. Data were extracted using MS Excel format by two reviewers and cross-checked. The extracted data were grouped, and summarized in narrative summaries, descriptions, and quantitative summaries whenever applicable. The risk of bias was assessed, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) was used to assess the strength of the evidence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of nine studies (n = 14,114) were included in this review, and the studies assessed the risk of undernutrition among PSNP members and non-PSNP members, in the form of pre- and post-design, survey, and cohort studies. The program has the potential to improve income, food security, dietary diversity, and reduce the occurrence of acute malnutrition, with a limited effect on stunting reduction. Moreover, food aid or cash transfer plus food aid was found to be superior compared to cash transfer mode in improving child nutrition than cash transfer alone, which could be frustrated by food inflation, subjects' knowledge and attitude about child feeding. Overall, evidence from survey studies reporting the comparative risk of undernutrition could limit the conclusiveness of the causation which could be confounded.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>PSNP could improve wasting with limited evidence on stunting reduction, where the causal pathway could be frustrated by the purchasing power of cash vouchers, household income expenditure patterns, and subjects' knowledge and attitude limiting its impact. Well-designed implementation research could further help. A comprehensive review, considering more recent evidence, could help.</p><p><strong>Clinical trial registration: </strong>Not applicable.</p>","PeriodicalId":36422,"journal":{"name":"BMC Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"40"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11827244/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143415478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of oral nutrition supplements on anthropometric and functional parameters among community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.","authors":"Nazanin Asghari Hanjani, Pishva Arzhang, Leila Azadbakht","doi":"10.1186/s40795-025-01010-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40795-025-01010-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Oral nutrition supplement (ONS) prescription in older adults is affordable for preventing malnutrition through the use of multiple nutrients and energy products. However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the benefits of ONS supplementation on anthropometric and functional parameters in malnourished older adults without complicated conditions, known as community-dwelling older people.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Electronic databases, including PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, were searched to answer this question through August 10, 2023. The study adhered to the PRISMA guidelines and was registered on PROSPERO. The Cochrane risk of bias tool assessed the quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) tool was used to evaluate the certainty of evidence. In total, 12 RCTs (n = 1320) were initially included.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ONS had a positive effect on body weight (weighted mean difference (WMD): 1.33, 95% CI: 0.94, 1.72, P = 0.00) with moderate certainty, BMI (WMD: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.68, P = 0.02), calf circumference (WMD: 0.27, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.46, P < 0.001) with low certainty and midarm circumference (WMD: 0.38, 95% CI: -0.14, 0.89, P = < 0.15, I2: 87.2 P < 0.00) with very low certainty. Significant improvements in grip strength (WMD: 1.012, 95% CI: 0.37, 1.65, P < 0.00) and a slightly positive change in gait speed (WMD: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.004.0.083, P = 0.03, I2:0.0, P:0.72) were also observed.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ONS in community-dwelling older persons without complicated conditions can also have beneficial effects in terms of anthropometric and functional parameters.</p>","PeriodicalId":36422,"journal":{"name":"BMC Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"42"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11827344/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143415302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficacy of different nutrition interventions on sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.","authors":"Elham Sobhrakhshankhah, Mohammad Farahmand, Minoo Hasan Rashedi, Hossein Shahinfar, Sakineh Shab-Bidar, Saghar Dinari, Azam Doustmohammadian","doi":"10.1186/s40795-025-01028-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40795-025-01028-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background & aims: </strong>Sarcopenia, characterized by the loss of muscle mass and strength, is a significant concern in cirrhotic patients. Nutritional interventions have been explored for its management, but the comparative efficacy of these interventions remains unclear. This study synthesizes current evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of nutritional interventions for sarcopenia in cirrhosis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data sources included Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, and Cochrane Library up to Dec 2024. Eligible trials compared different nutritional interventions against control diets, placebos, or each other. A Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed to combine direct and indirect evidence. Effect sizes were calculated as mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Intervention rankings were assessed using P-score, and evidence quality was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1,437 patients met the inclusion criteria. For improving muscle mass (MAMC), post-paracentesis intravenous nutritional support combined with an oral nutritional protocol (Treat A) showed the greatest effect compared to high-calorie, high-protein diets (HCHP) (MD: 2.78 cm, 95% CI: 1.15 to 4.40, low certainty), and oral nutritional protocol (Treat B) (MD of 3.41 cm, 95% CI: 2.12, 4.69). For muscle strength, the HINT diet (MD: 8.01 kg, 95% CI: 7.64 to 8.37, low certainty) and the HCHP (MD: 5 kg, 95% CI: 3.90 to 6.10, low certainty) were more effective than control diets. HCHP also demonstrated greater handgrip improvement than the HINT diet (MD: 3.00 kg, 95% CI: 1.84, 4.16; low certainty evidence). BCAA combined with vitamin D (2000 IU once a day) significantly improved skeletal muscle index (SMI) compared to both BCAA (MD: 0.72 kg/m², 95% CI: 0.11 to 1.34; low certainty evidence) and placebo (MD: 0.25 kg/m², 95% CI: -0.05 to 0.05; very low certainty evidence). BCAA supplementation effectively improved handgrip strength compared to placebo (MD: 2.36 kg, 95% CI: 1.85, 2.88; low certainty evidence).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Post-paracentesis intravenous nutritional support combined with an oral nutritional protocol effectively improves muscle mass, while high-calorie, high-protein diets enhance handgrip strength. BCAA supplementation alone or with vitamin D has been shown to effectively enhance muscle strength and muscle mass. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to low evidence certainty.</p>","PeriodicalId":36422,"journal":{"name":"BMC Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"39"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11817602/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143411201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Benchmarking the healthiness, equity and environmental sustainability of university food environments in Australia, 2021/22.","authors":"Gary Sacks, Jasmine Chan, Davina Mann, Sarah Dickie, Alexa Gaucher-Holm, Shaan Naughton, Oriana Ruffini, Ella Robinson","doi":"10.1186/s40795-025-01029-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40795-025-01029-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Food environments on university campuses have an important influence on the diets of staff and students. This study aimed to assess the healthiness, equitability and environmental sustainability of Australian university food environments, and identify priority recommendations for policy and practice.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We applied the previously developed 'Uni-Food' tool in nine universities (17 campuses, 165 food retail outlets) in Australia between 2021 and 2022. Data on three components: (1) 'university systems and governance'; (2) 'campus facilities and environment'; and (3) 'food retail outlets' were collected from desk-based policy audits and in-person campus audits. Universities were given an overall score from 0-100, based on their performance across all components.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>University scores ranged from 27/100 to 66/100 (median = 46). Universities scored highest in the 'campus facilities and environment' component, reflecting that the broad campus environment (including areas such as catering, advertising on campus, and food-related environmental sustainability initiatives) has been an area of focus. Universities scored lowest in the 'university systems and governance' component, reflecting a relative lack of policy action, funding and governance in this area, with few initiatives to promote the availability and affordability of healthy and environmentally sustainable foods.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Stronger action is needed to improve Australian university food environments, including in food retail outlets, vending, catering and at campus events. Universities can demonstrate leadership by implementing university-wide policies that limit the availability of unhealthy foods and beverages (e.g. sugary drinks) on campus, and setting targets for the proportion of healthy and environmentally sustainable foods procured and sold on campus. Other stakeholders, including governments, can play a role in incentivising universities to adopt recommended actions.</p>","PeriodicalId":36422,"journal":{"name":"BMC Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"38"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11817424/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143400238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A central role of nutrition in cognitive function among primary school children: a cross-sectional analysis.","authors":"Azat Samigullin, Jana Gählert, Gabriel Groß, Michael Morcos, Rainer Schwertz, Rickard Öste, Erhard Siegel, Per Humpert","doi":"10.1186/s40795-025-01016-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40795-025-01016-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Childhood overweight and obesity have implications that extend beyond physical health. Despite evidence linking obesity to poorer cognition, the combined effects of weight status and dietary habits on cognitive function in children remain insufficiently studied. This study took a comprehensive approach investigating effects of weight status on cognition, incorporating socio-economic factors, parental anthropometrics, and detailed nutrition assessments in primary school children.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Anthropometric measurements, cognitive testing and short interviews were performed in schools from October 2021 until July 2022 in the Rhein-Neckar region, Germany. Cognitive testing included the distractibility and flexibility modules of the PSYTEST KiTap battery, alongside a self-designed short-term memory assessment. Parents were asked to provide information on physical activity, socioeconomic status (SES) and nutrition (3-day food diary and a questionnaire). Pearson's correlations were used for normally distributed continuous data, and Spearman's correlations for nonparametric data Pearson's or Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated based on data distribution.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 256 children with a mean age of 8.0 years participated in the study. According to German growth reference tables, 16% were underweight, 75% normal weight, 5% overweight and 5% obese. Cognitive testing resulted in an average age- and sex adjusted performance. No significant correlations were found between any of the anthropometric variables collected and the cognitive domains studied. At the same time, cognition was associated with nutrition, physical activity and SES with strongest associations between reaction time in the flexibility task and fat consumption (R -0.35, p < 0.001), total kilocalories (R -0.30, p < 0.001) and protein (R -0.30, p < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The cognitive domains studied are not associated with anthropometric variables in primary school children. Nutrition appears to have strongest associations with cognition followed by other factors such as physical activity and SES. This study underlines the importance of nutrition for cognitive function and emphasizes the need to include nutrition in studies on cognitive performance and body weight status in schoolchildren. The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov on September 21st 2021 under the registration number NCT05077059.</p>","PeriodicalId":36422,"journal":{"name":"BMC Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"35"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11809016/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143391852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}