It's reticulated: the liver at the heart of atherosclerosis

Platelets play a critical role in both the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, and even more so in the ensuing atherothrombotic complications. Low-dose aspirin remains the mainstay of antiplatelet therapy in high-risk patients by reducing the risk of myocardial ischemia, stroke or death due to cardiovascular disease. However, antiplatelet therapies lose their efficacy in people with diabetes mellitus, increasing the risk of future atherothrombotic events. The molecular mechanisms that promote platelet hyperactivity remain unclear but could be due to glycation-induced conformational changes of platelet membranes resulting in impaired aspirin entry or less-efficient acetylation/compensatory increase in COX-2 expression in newborn platelets. Emerging evidence from our laboratory and elsewhere suggest that enhanced platelet turnover (thrombopoiesis), particularly the production of immature reticulated platelets from the bone marrow, could contribute to atherosclerotic complications. We have identified a major role for neutrophil-derived S100A8/A9, a damage-associated molecular pattern, in driving reticulated thrombopoiesis by directly interacting with its receptors on Kupffer cells in the liver. In this review, we discuss the role of hepatic inflammation in driving reticulated platelet production and suggest potential targets to control their production, improve efficacy of current antiplatelet therapies and reduce the risk of atherothrombotic complications.

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Gluten-free living in China: The characteristics, food choices and difficulties in following a gluten-free diet – An online survey

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Zhenxing Lu, Haoyang Zhang, Sanna Luoto, Xiang Ren
BackgroundIndividuals adhering to a gluten-free diet (GFD) have been scarcely researched within a Chinese population. This present study was conducted to assess the characteristics, food choices, shopping preferences, and emotions and attitudes of individuals following a GFD.MethodsIndividuals following a GFD were invited to complete an online questionnaire about their demography and geography characteristics, gluten-free food choices, shopping preferences, GFD management and subjective difficulty towards the diet. Distribution of the characteristics was described, and univariate and multivariate logistic regressions performed to explore the relationship between the above-mentioned variables and subjective difficulty in following a GFD.Result209 individuals following a GFD completed the questionnaire, most of whom were young, single and well-educated females from developed provinces or municipalities in China. Multiple regression showed that age, education level, advice on starting a GFD, duration before discovering a gluten intolerance, food choices and ways of GFD management were significantly associated with the subjective difficulty in following a GFD.ConclusionOur findings offer a basic characteristics pattern of the population on a GFD in mainland China. Nearly one-third of GFD followers found the diet challenging to be followed. We suggest that sufficient celiac disease and gluten-induced disorder education be conducted among healthcare practitioners. Early diagnosis of gluten-induced disorders and defining an Asian-adapted GFD, as well as an increase in public awareness, may help adherence to a strict GFD in China.



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Cognitive defusion and guided imagery tasks reduce naturalistic food cravings and consumption: A field study

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Sophie Schumacher, Eva Kemps, Marika Tiggemann
The present study investigated the effect of two craving reduction techniques, namely, cognitive defusion and guided imagery, on naturalistic food cravings. These techniques targeted the intrusion and elaboration stages of the craving process, respectively (Kavanagh, Andrade, & May, 2005). Participants underwent a seven-day baseline period followed by a seven-day intervention period, during which they recorded their food cravings as they occurred using online diaries accessed via smartphone. In the intervention period, participants were randomly assigned to one of cognitive defusion, guided imagery or control conditions. Participants in the cognitive defusion and guided imagery conditions listened to three-minute audio clips containing their respective instructions every time they experienced a food craving, and rated their craving intensity before and after the intervention, while the control participants recorded their cravings as they did in the baseline week. Results showed that both cognitive defusion and guided imagery techniques reduced craving frequency, intensity, the likelihood of consumption following cravings, and craving-related calorie intake, consistent with predictions. These findings show that cognitive defusion and guided imagery are useful for dealing with naturally occurring cravings across a range of foods, and can reduce craving-related consumption in everyday life.



https://ift.tt/2ITJ6OY

Fast-food, everyday life and health: A qualitative study of ‘chicken shops’ in East London

Publication date: 1 September 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 128
Author(s): Claire Thompson, Ruth Ponsford, Daniel Lewis, Steven Cummins
The higher prevalence of fast food outlets in deprived areas has been associated with the production and maintenance of geographical inequalities in diet. In the UK one type of fast food outlet - the 'chicken shop' - has been the focus of intense public health and media interest. Despite ongoing concerns and initiatives around regulating these establishments, the 'chicken shop' is both a commercially successful and ubiquitous feature of disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods. However, little is known about how they are perceived by local residents. We report data from a qualitative study of neighbourhood perceptions in a low SES urban setting. Narrative family interviews, go-along interviews and school video focus group workshops with 66 residents of East London were conducted over two waves. The topic of chicken shops was a prolific theme and a narrative analysis of these accounts revealed that local perceptions of chicken shops are complex and contradictory. Chicken shops were depicted as both potentially damaging for the health of local residents and, at the same time, as valued community spaces. This contradiction was discursively addressed in narrative via a series of rhetorical rebuttals that negated their potential to damage health on the grounds of concepts such as trust, choice, balance, food hygiene and compensatory physical activity. In some instances, chicken shops were described as 'healthy' and patronising them constructed as part of a healthy lifestyle. Chicken shops are embedded in the social fabric of neighbourhoods. Successful strategies to improve diet therefore requires context-sensitive environmental interventions.



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Beef quality labels: A combination of sensory acceptance test, stated willingness to pay, and choice-based conjoint analysis

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Stephan G.H. Meyerding, Maria Gentz, Brianne Altmann, Lisa Meier-Dinkel
Consumer perspectives of beef quality are complex, leading to a market that is increasingly differentiating. Thus, ongoing monitoring and assessment of changes in consumer perspectives is essential to identify changing market conditions. Often only credence and search characteristics are evaluated in consumer studies; therefore the object of the present study is to examine consumer preferences and perceptions towards beef steaks, also including experience characteristics, using a mixed methods approach. For this reason, 55 consumers participated in an experiment in Germany, including a sensory acceptance test, stated willingness to pay, and choice-based conjoint analysis (CBCA). Different quality characteristics were included, but a focus on the quality labels of 'dry aged beef', 'Block House beef', and 'Angus beef' was predominant throughout the experiment with the results showing that quality labels significantly increased overall liking as well as the stated willingness to pay. Quality labels were also the one of the most important characteristics in the conjoint analysis, after origin and price. The results of all applied methods are comparable for the characteristic quality label. The combination of sensory acceptance test and CBCA were additionally able to evaluate all three kinds of beef quality characteristics, which could not be evaluated together only using a single method. This suggests that a mixture of methods should be used to gain better knowledge on the true behavior of beef consumers. Experience and credence characteristics, including beef quality labels, present opportunities for future research as well as the potential for determining product and market differentiation.



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Food choice considerations among American Indians living in rural Oklahoma: The THRIVE study

Publication date: 1 September 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 128
Author(s): Marianna S. Wetherill, Mary B. Williams, Micah L. Hartwell, Alicia L. Salvatore, Tvli Jacob, Tamela K. Cannady, Joy Standridge, Jill Fox, Jennifer Spiegel, Natia Anderson, Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan
In rural American Indian (AI) communities, access to affordable, healthy foods is often limited. Understanding AI food choice considerations when selecting foods, such as sensory appeal, cost, or health, is an important yet understudied topic for eliminating persistent AI health disparities.In partnership with the Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, we administered a modified version of the Food Choice Values (FCV) Questionnaire to a cross-sectional sample of 83 AI patrons shopping at tribally-owned convenience stores ≥3 times per week. The FCV Questionnaire uses 25 items to assess eight FCV subscales related to buying and eating food, including sensory appeal; safety; accessibility; convenience; health/weight control; organic; tradition; and comfort. We compared mean scores for each FCV subscale by demographic groups using t-tests and ANOVA. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine how well the data from this population fit FCV subscale constructs. We then used cluster analysis, MANOVA, and discriminant analysis to characterize distinct segments of the population based on patterns of FCV endorsement.Appeal, safety, and access FCVs were most strongly endorsed across the sample. Prioritization of FCVs varied by age, gender, income, and education. Our cluster analysis identified four groups, or segments, each with distinct patterns of FCV endorsement: limited endorsement of any FCVs (23.3%); safety and sensory appeal (32.9%); health/weight control (17.8%); and broad endorsement of FCVs (26.0%). These groups varied by age and employment status.Findings from this analysis informed the design and implementation of a healthy retail intervention comprised of new healthful foods and beverages, product placement and marketing strategies within four tribally-owned and operated convenience stores. Public health interventions aimed at reducing nutrition-related disparities in rural AI populations may benefit from assessing food choice considerations.



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Eating with others and meal location are differentially associated with nutrient intake by sex: The Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE)

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Mark C. Pachucki, Andrew J. Karter, Nancy E. Adler, Howard H. Moffet, E. Margaret Warton, Dean Schillinger, Bethany Hendrickson O'Connell, Barbara Laraia
Though eating with others is often a social behavior, relationships between social contexts of eating and nutrient intake have been underexplored. This study evaluates how social aspects of eating – frequencies of eating meals with others, meals prepared at home, and meals outside the home – are associated with nutrient intake. Because diet improvement can reduce complications of diabetes mellitus, we surveyed a multi-ethnic cohort of persons with type 2 diabetes (n = 770) about social aspects of diet (based on 24-hour recalls). Sex-stratified multiple regression analyses adjusted for confounders assessed the relationship between frequency of eating with others and nutrient intake (total energy, energy from fat, energy from carbohydrates, Healthy Eating Index/HEI, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension/DASH score). Although there was slight variation in men's versus women's propensity to share meals, after adjustment for confounders, there was no consistently significant association between meals with others and the 5 nutrient intake measures for either men or women. The directions of association between categories of eating with others and diet quality (HEI and DASH scores) – albeit not significant – were different for men (positive) and women (mostly negative), which warrants further investigation. The next analyses estimated nutrient intake associated with meals prepared at home, and meals consumed outside the home. Analyses indicated that greater meal frequency at home was associated with significantly better scores on diet quality indices for men (but not women), while meal frequency outside the home was associated with poorer diet quality and energy intake for women (but not men). Better measurement of social dimensions of eating may inform ways to improve nutrition, especially for persons with diabetes for whom diet improvement can result in better disease outcomes.



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Identifying behavioral phenotypes for childhood obesity

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Tanja V.E. Kral, Reneé H. Moore, Jesse Chittams, Elizabeth Jones, Lauren O'Malley, Jennifer O. Fisher
Existing programs which aim to prevent and treat childhood obesity often do not take into account individual variation and the underlying mechanisms that impact child eating behavior. Individual differences in children's appetitive traits have been shown to appear as early as during infancy and become more pronounced as children grow older and become more exposed to the obesogenic food environment. Differences in genetic predispositions interacting with factors in children's early environment account in part for individual differences in appetitive traits. It is very likely that obesogenic eating phenotypes manifest themselves before the onset of childhood obesity. If so, identifying these phenotypes early is expected to move primary prevention strategies in a new direction and holds great potential to significantly enhance our ability to prevent childhood obesity. The aim of this narrative review is to discuss the role of behavioral phenotyping as an innovative approach for the development of more personalized obesity prevention and treatment interventions that are tailored to children's individual predispositions. We describe several examples of appetitive traits which have been linked to overeating and excess weight gain in children and thus may represent modifiable risk factors for future interventions. The review concludes with a comprehensive synthesis of opportunities for future human ingestive behavior research on identifying behavioral phenotypes for childhood obesity.



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Associations between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and dietary habits in elementary school children

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Kyoung Min Kim, Myung Ho Lim, Ho-Jang Kwon, Seung-Jin Yoo, Eun-jung Kim, Jun Won Kim, Mina Ha, Ki Chung Paik
ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between dietary habits and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in elementary school children.MethodsThe parents of 16,831 participating children assessed the ADHD symptoms of their children by responding to the Korean version of the ADHD rating scale (K-ARS). Parents also responded to the food habit questionnaire, which consists of 8 items regarding the eating pace, the frequency of overeating, and patterns of eating six types of food: fast food, soft drinks, instant noodles, fruit and vegetables, and milk.ResultsK-ARS scores were positively associated with higher consumption of foods categorized as unhealthy, including fast food, soft drinks, and instant noodles, and negatively associated with higher consumption of fruit and vegetables categorized as healthy foods. K-ARS scores were also higher in the groups who overate more frequently and ate faster or slower compared to other family members.ConclusionOur findings may provide useful clinical information for dietary interventions in children with ADHD.



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The relation between family meals and health of infants and toddlers: A review

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Chantal L. Verhage, Marleen Gillebaart, Shelley M.C. van der Veek, Carel M.J.L. Vereijken
Family meals are associated with multiple health benefits in children and adolescents including evidence that eating together as a family may play a role in reducing childhood obesity. The current review aims to investigate whether the beneficial health effects of the family meal also apply to infants and toddlers.PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and PsycInfo were searched and 14 empirical studies were identified. The findings were discussed according to frequency of having a family meal and parental perception, associations between the family meal and health aspects (e.g., eating behaviors and diet quality) and causal influences of these associations.Descriptive data showed that mothers offer food at a structured mealtime, but that eating together as a family was not always upheld. The frequency of family meals was positively associated with more nutrient-dense food intake and a more balanced diet. Different advantages (e.g., social importance, practical considerations) and obstacles (e.g., planning, possible mess) of the family meal were mentioned by parents. Further, having structured mealtimes and family meals was associated with more food enjoyment and less fussy and emotional eating. Finally, no causal studies were identified.The limited number of studies suggests that the pattern of positive associations between family meal and child health which has been shown in older children may also exist in infants and toddlers.More specific research is needed to examine the causality of the associations between the family meal and health of the infant and toddler. The associations between the family meal and less fussiness and emotional eating, more food enjoyment and better nutrient intake suggest that the family meal is a valuable moment to promote healthy eating in toddlers and infants.



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An investigation of maternal food intake and maternal food talk as predictors of child food intake

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Jasmine M. DeJesus, Susan A. Gelman, Gail B. Viechnicki, Danielle P. Appugliese, Alison L. Miller, Katherine L. Rosenblum, Julie C. Lumeng
Though parental modeling is thought to play a critical role in promoting children's healthy eating, little research has examined maternal food intake and maternal food talk as independent predictors of children's food intake. The present study examines maternal food talk during a structured eating protocol, in which mothers and their children had the opportunity to eat a series of familiar and unfamiliar vegetables and desserts. Several aspects of maternal talk during the protocol were coded, including overall food talk, directives, pronoun use, and questions. This study analyzed the predictors of maternal food talk and whether maternal food talk and maternal food intake predicted children's food intake during the protocol. Higher maternal body mass index (BMI) predicted lower amounts of food talk, pronoun use, and questions. Higher child BMI z-scores predicted more first person pronouns and more wh-questions within maternal food talk. Mothers of older children used fewer directives, fewer second person pronouns, and fewer yes/no questions. However, maternal food talk (overall and specific types of food talk) did not predict children's food intake. Instead, the most robust predictor of children's food intake during this protocol was the amount of food that mothers ate while sitting with their children. These findings emphasize the importance of modeling healthy eating through action and have implications for designing interventions to provide parents with more effective tools to promote their children's healthy eating.



https://ift.tt/2xn9Vd1

Consumer and product-specific characteristics influencing the effect of nutrition, health and risk reduction claims on preferences and purchase behavior – A systematic review

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Johann Steinhauser, Ulrich Hamm
The research on nutrition, health, and risk reduction claims (NHR claims) shows a lack of consensus as to whether these claims have a positive or negative effect on consumer's preferences and purchase behavior. This issue has been highlighted by many authors. Therefore, a comprehensive literature review was performed to find reasons for contradictory results. First, a theoretical framework was developed which divided the determinants of the effects of NHR claims on consumers' preferences and purchase behavior into consumer and product-specific characteristics. Additionally, a categorization for the different NHR claim types was constructed to make the studies comparable. Afterwards, the scientific literature from the 1980s until May 2017 was scanned and 66 articles were found to be relevant. Consumer-specific characteristics such as nutrition knowledge, health motivation, familiarity, and socio-demographic characteristics were found to influence the NHR claim effect. Important product-specific characteristics were the perceived healthiness of the food product, the interaction between the product and the nutrient in the NHR claim, and the interaction between the claimed benefit and the NHR claim type. The consumer's nutrition knowledge and the product's perceived healthiness were deemed to be the most promising determinants for further investigation.



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Plate-clearing tendencies and portion size are independently associated with main meal food intake in women: A laboratory study

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Florence Sheen, Charlotte A. Hardman, Eric Robinson
BackgroundLarger portion sizes of food promote increased food intake, although the mechanisms explaining the portion size effect are unclear. In the present study we examined whether the tendency to clear one's plate when eating is associated with greater food intake in response to larger portion size.MethodWe recruited female participants who were either self-reported habitual plate clearers (N = 48) or non-plate clearers (N = 41) into a laboratory study. In a between-subjects design, participants were served either a 'normal' (500 g) or 'large' (1000 g) portion of pasta for lunch and ate as much as they desired.ResultsThere was no significant interaction found between portion size and plate-clearing tendencies; portion size had a similar sized effect on food intake in both plate clearers and non-plate clearers. A significant main effect of portion size was found, whereby participants consumed significantly more when served the large versus the normal portion (100.55 g difference, p < .001, ηp2  = 0.16). There was also a significant main effect of plate clearing; participants with a tendency to clear their plate when eating consumed significantly more than non-plate clearers (68.21 g difference, p = .006, ηp2  = 0.08).ConclusionsThe tendency to clear one's plate when eating was associated with increased food intake during a lunchtime meal. Increasing the portion size of the lunchtime meal increased food intake, although the tendency for a larger portion size to increase food intake was observed irrespective of participant plate-clearing tendencies.



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Single-parenthood and perceived income insufficiency as challenges for meal patterns in childhood

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Suvi Parikka, Esko Levälahti, Tuija Martelin, Tiina Laatikainen
Family is an important setting for development of eating behaviour in childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate associations and direct and indirect pathways between family socioeconomic position (SEP) factors, family type and meal patterns in childhood on weekdays (4–6 meals a day, breakfast skipping, and family dinner). The cross-sectional LATE study was carried out in Finland in 2007–2009. Our dataset comprised 2864 school-aged children (aged ca 7–16 years). Associations between parental BMI, education, labor market status, perceived income sufficiency, family type and childhood meal patterns were first examined by bivariate and multivariate regression analyses separately for children (aged 7–11 years; N = 1920) and adolescents (14–16 years; N = 944). To identify direct and indirect pathways between SEP factors, family type and the three meal pattern variables path analysis was performed. The present study showed that family resources in terms of family type and perceived income sufficiency seemed important in meal patterns in childhood. On the other hand the previously reported strong associations between parental education and meal patterns seemed to a large extend to be mediated through family type. Both children and adolescents living in families experiencing income insufficiency had an increased risk of skipping breakfast and not eating the recommended 4–6 meals a day. Family type and especially single-parenthood was associated with breakfast skipping and fewer family dinners in both age groups and with not-recommended meal frequency among children (7–11 y), respectively. This study showed that there are socioeconomic and family type inequalities in meal patterns in childhood and they are more pronounced during childhood compared with adolescence.



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Pathological and non-pathological variants of restrictive eating behaviors in middle childhood: A latent class analysis

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Ricarda Schmidt, Mandy Vogel, Andreas Hiemisch, Wieland Kiess, Anja Hilbert
Although restrictive eating behaviors are very common during early childhood, their precise nature and clinical correlates remain unclear. Especially, there is little evidence on restrictive eating behaviors in older children and their associations with children's shape concern. The present population-based study sought to delineate subgroups of restrictive eating patterns in N = 799 7-14 year old children. Using Latent Class Analysis, children were classified based on six restrictive eating behaviors (for example, picky eating, food neophobia, and eating-related anxiety) and shape concern, separately in three age groups. For cluster validation, sociodemographic and objective anthropometric data, parental feeding practices, and general and eating disorder psychopathology were used. The results showed a 3-cluster solution across all age groups: an asymptomatic class (Cluster 1), a class with restrictive eating behaviors without shape concern (Cluster 2), and a class showing restrictive eating behaviors with prominent shape concern (Cluster 3). The clusters differed in all variables used for validation. Particularly, the proportion of children with symptoms of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder was greater in Cluster 2 than Clusters 1 and 3. The study underlined the importance of considering shape concern to distinguish between different phenotypes of children's restrictive eating patterns. Longitudinal data are needed to evaluate the clusters' predictive effects on children's growth and development of clinical eating disorders.



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Effect of exposure to similar flavours in sensory specific satiety: Implications for eating behaviour

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Ana González, Sergio Andrés Recio, Jesús Sánchez, Marta Gil, Isabel de Brugada
Sensory-specific satiety (SSS) refers to a decline in pleasantness of eaten foods in comparison to other non-ingested meals. Although SSS is specific to the eaten food, it can also generalize to other meals that share similar properties to the satiated food. It is possible that this phenomenon could become more specific after extensive experience, as repeated exposure to an assortment of similar food could cause perceptual learning (i.e. an increase in the distinctiveness of each specific item). This in turn would reduce generalization from the consumed food to other similar products, so they will be more readily consumed. To assess this hypothesis, two experiments were carried out using rats as experimental subjects and flavoured solutions as stimuli. In Experiment 1 our main goal was to find the basic SSS effect with two different solutions. As expected, the results showed that rats tended to consume a higher amount of non-sated solutions in comparison to sated ones. Experiment 2 evaluated how repeated exposure to two similar solutions affected generalization of the SSS. Results showed that rats that did not have extensive exposure to the flavoured solutions showed no preference for the non-sated drink. However, rats that had repeated exposure to the flavours showed SSS. The results suggest that easy and continuous access to a high variety of similar unhealthy foods might have long-term effects on food consumption, and highlight a potential mechanism linking obesogenic environments with dietary habits.



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Does the cost of a meal influence the portion size effect?

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Faris M. Zuraikat, Liane S. Roe, Alissa D. Smethers, Levi W. Reihart, Barbara J. Rolls
Serving larger portions leads to increased intake, but little is known about how the cost of a meal affects this response. Therefore, we tested whether the amount of money paid for a meal influenced the portion size effect at a lunch served in a controlled restaurant-style setting. In a crossover design, 79 adults (55 women; 24 men) came to the lab once a week for 4 weeks to eat a main dish of pasta with side dishes. Across weeks, the meal was varied in two factors: portion size of the main dish (400 g or 600 g) and cost of the meal (US$8 or $16). At discharge subjects completed questionnaires that assessed behaviors thought to influence the response to portion size and cost. Results showed that the portion size of the main dish had a significant effect on meal intake (P < 0.0001). The weight of food consumed at the meal increased by 18 ± 2% (mean ± SEM 83 ± 11 g) and energy intake increased by 20 ± 2% (133 ± 16 kcal) when the larger portion was served. These effects of portion size did not differ across the two levels of cost (both interactions P > 0.37) nor did meal cost have significant effects on meal intake (both P > 0.24). Subject scores for satiety responsiveness did, however, influence the effect of portion size on food intake (P = 0.0007). Serving larger portions led to increased intake in subjects with lower satiety responsiveness scores (P < 0.0001), but did not affect intake in those with higher scores. In summary, the effect of portion size on intake in a restaurant-style setting was not influenced by meal cost but was attenuated in individuals higher in satiety responsiveness.



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“A bumpy road”: Kindergarten staff's experiences with an intervention to promote healthy diets in toddlers

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Berit Johannessen, Sissel H. Helland, Elling Bere, Nina Cecilie Øverby, Liv Fegran
This study explores the experiences of kindergarten staff with a multi-component kindergarten-based intervention, the aims of which were to reduce levels of food neophobia and to promote healthy diets in toddlers (aged 2–3 years). A qualitative design was chosen for the study, and the data are based on three focus group interviews. Altogether, 15 kindergarten staff were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The focus group interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Five main themes emerged from the interviews: i) Successful development of sensory knowledge, ii) Food neophobia, iii) Implementing new routines, a challenge for some, iv) Lack of cooking skills, and v) Inspired to continue. A main finding was that all kindergarten staff perceived the sensory education sessions as successful and reported that both toddlers and staff expanded their food vocabulary and increased their attention to sensory impressions of food. However, the staff reported that some toddlers were less willing to taste new lunch dishes than to taste new foods in the sensory education sessions. The staff also noted that the guidelines for feeding practices resulted in unfamiliar situations at the lunch table. The staff agreed that cooking novel foods was time consuming and left less time for other tasks. Finally, all kindergarten staff expressed that they would like to continue with portions of the food intervention. Our main interpretation is that the intervention presented several challenges, especially regarding cooking and feeding practices. If kindergartens are to be a place to promote healthy eating habits in the early years, sufficient time and resources for cooking seem to be needed and food and feeding practices included in the curriculum of kindergartens and higher education for kindergarten teachers.Trial registrationISRCTN74823448.



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Quantity-based analysis of household food consumption patterns and drivers: The case of Israel

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Yuval Damari, Meidad Kissinger
The interest in better understanding the characteristics and drivers of food consumption by individuals and social groups has grown in recent years, because of various social, environmental, health and economic issues. Most analyses have focused either on the macro or national scale, using food balance/disappearance data, or on the micro scale, focusing on nutrition analysis in limited groups of individual consumers. While various household characteristics are expected to influence food-purchasing habits, the scope and methodology of most previous studies limited their ability to relate to multiple factors, and integrate all into specific consumption patterns. A third, mezzo approach focuses on analyzing household food purchasing, mostly using expenditure surveys. However, focusing on the value spent may result in different quantities of food purchased. This paper aims capturing the amount of food purchased by Israeli households and to analyze the socio-economic factors shaping that consumption. It joins limited number of studies worldwide that focused on the quantity purchased, and the first such analysis of household food purchasing in the State of Israel. It quantified food purchased by more than 30,000 households, and analyzed key shaping factors e.g., income, household size and age. It first, established the need for quantity based analysis. Then, an extensive breakdown of consumed food is presented and the unique diets of different parts of the society were identified. Finally, it examined the consumption of different lifestyles to find that couples lifestyles tend to consume more per capita, and that income has a crucial role in determining the rate of consumption both in terms of quantity and variety purchased. However it highlights that other variables should also be examined in order to assess properly why households consume the way they do. Nevertheless, the findings of this research can be used as the basis for examining the health, social, or environmental implications of the different identified food consumption habits, support long-term research that examines changes over time, and may be the basis for examining the potential benefits of implementing specific policies.



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An ecological momentary assessment of the effect of fasting during Ramadan on disordered eating behaviors

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 127
Author(s): Jia Li Pauline Chia, Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Kimberly Buck, Karim Chamari, Ben Richardson, Isabel Krug
Dietary restriction contributes to disordered eating (DE) behaviors and associated cognitions. However, it is unclear how these outcomes are impacted by dietary restriction for religious purposes, such as fasting observed by Muslims during Ramadan. Using ecological momentary assessment, this study assessed the impact of Ramadan fasting on DE behaviors and correlates. Muslim participants fasting during Ramadan (n = 28) and a control group of non-fasting participants (n = 74) completed baseline measures assessing demographic characteristics and eating pathology. A mobile phone application then prompted participants six times per day for seven days to self-report on dietary restriction efforts, body satisfaction, temptation to eat unhealthily, feelings of guilt or shame following food, and DE behaviors including bingeing, vomiting, and other purging behaviors (use of laxatives, diuretics, or diet pills). After controlling for eating pathology, multilevel modeling indicated that, as expected, the Ramadan fasting group spent significantly more time restricting food intake than the non-fasting group. The Ramadan fasting group also experienced significantly greater temptation to eat unhealthily than their non-fasting counterparts. However, this difference disappeared once models were adjusted for differences in time spent restricting food intake. There were no other significant differences between the groups on any DE variables. These findings suggest that while dietary restriction for health or appearance-related reasons is a known contributor to DE, dietary restriction for religious purposes, such as that observed during the practice of Ramadan, may not confer increased risk of DE symptoms.



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