Development of a food frequency questionnaire to estimate habitual dietary intake in Japanese children

Background  

Food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) are used for epidemiological studies. Because of the wide variations in dietary habits within different populations, a FFQ must be developed to suit the specific group. To date, no FFQ has been developed for Japanese children. In this study, we developed a FFQ to assess the regular dietary intake of Japanese children. The FFQ included questions regarding both individual food items and mixed dishes.     

Development of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for use in United Arab Emirates and Kuwait based on local foods

Background  

The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) is one of the most commonly used tools in epidemiologic studies to assess long-term nutritional exposure. The purpose of this study is to describe the development of a culture specific FFQ for Arab populations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait.     

Validity of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and its generalizability to the estimation of dietary folate intake in Japan

Background  

In an epidemiological study, it is essential to test the validity of the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for its ability to estimate dietary intake. The objectives of our study were to 1) validate a FFQ for estimating folate intake, and to identify the foods that contribute to inter-individual variation of folate intake in the Japanese population.     

Evaluation of energy and dietary intake estimates from a food frequency questionnaire using independent energy expenditure measurement and weighed food records

Background  

We have developed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for the assessment of habitual diet, with special focus on the intake of fruit, vegetables and other antioxidant-rich foods and beverages. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relative validity of the intakes of energy, food and nutrients from the FFQ.     

Nutrient estimation from an FFQ developed for a black Zimbabwean population

Background  

There is little information in the literature on methods of food composition database development to calculate nutrient intake from food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data. The aim of this study is to describe the development of an FFQ and a food composition table to calculate nutrient intake in a Black Zimbabwean population.     

Validity and reproducibility of an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire for healthy French-Canadian men and women

Objective  

To evaluate the validity (study 1) and the reproducibility (study 2) of an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).     

Use of a food frequency questionnaire to assess diets of Jamaican adults: validation and correlation with biomarkers

Background  

Assessment of habitual diet is important in investigations of diet-disease relationships. Many epidemiological studies use the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to evaluate dietary intakes but few studies validate the instrument against biological markers. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reproducibility of a previously validated 70-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that was expanded to 120-items to assess diet - cancer relations.     

Relative validity of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire designed for schoolchildren in western Greece

Background  

The use of food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) has become increasingly important in epidemiologic studies. During the past few decades, a wide variety of nutritional studies have used the semiquantitative FFQ as a tool for assessing and evaluating dietary intake. One of the main concerns in a dietary analysis is the validity of the collected dietary data.     

Test-retest reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and estimated effects on disease risk in the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study (NOWAC)

Background  

The Norwegian Women and Cancer Study (NOWAC) is a national population-based cohort study with 102 443 women enrolled at age 30–70 y from 1991 to 1997. The present study was a methodological sub-study to assess the test-retest reproducibility of the NOWAC food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and to study how measurement errors in the data can affect estimates of disease risk.     

Reproducibility and validity of the food frequency questionnaire for estimating habitual dietary intake in children and adolescents

Background  

A previous study reported the development a 75-item food frequency questionnaire for Japanese children (CFFQ). The first aim was to examine the reproducibility and validity of the CFFQ in order to assess dietary intake among two groups; 3-11 year old children (YC group) and 12-16 year old children (AD group). The second aim was to use the CFFQ and the FFQ for adults (AFFQ), and to determine which was better suited for assessing the intake of children in each group.     

Evaluation of effectiveness of class-based nutrition intervention on changes in soft drink and milk consumption among young adults

Background

The repeatability of a risk factor measurement affects the ability to accurately ascertain its association with a specific outcome. Choline is involved in methylation of homocysteine, a putative risk factor for cardiovascular disease, to methionine through a betaine-dependent pathway (one-carbon metabolism). It is unknown whether dietary intake of choline meets the recommended Adequate Intake (AI) proposed for choline (550 mg/day for men and 425 mg/day for women). The Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) remains to be established in population settings. Our objectives were to ascertain the reliability of choline and related nutrients (folate and methionine) intakes assessed with a brief food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and to estimate dietary intake of choline and betaine in a bi-ethnic population.

Methods

We estimated the FFQ dietary instrument reliability for the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and the measurement error for choline and related nutrients from a stratified random sample of the ARIC study participants at the second visit, 1990–92 (N = 1,004). In ARIC, a population-based cohort of 15,792 men and women aged 45–64 years (1987–89) recruited at four locales in the U.S., diet was assessed in 15,706 baseline study participants using a version of the Willett 61-item FFQ, expanded to include some ethnic foods. Intraindividual variability for choline, folate and methionine were estimated using mixed models regression.

Results

Measurement error was substantial for the nutrients considered. The reliability coefficients were 0.50 for choline (0.50 for choline plus betaine), 0.53 for folate, 0.48 for methionine and 0.43 for total energy intake. In the ARIC population, the median and the 75^th percentile of dietary choline intake were 284 mg/day and 367 mg/day, respectively. 94% of men and 89% of women had an intake of choline below that proposed as AI. African Americans had a lower dietary intake of choline in both genders.

Conclusion

The three-year reliability of reported dietary intake was similar for choline and related nutrients, in the range as that published in the literature for other micronutrients. Using a brief FFQ to estimate intake, the majority of individuals in the ARIC cohort had an intake of choline below the values proposed as AI.     

Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean diet: a healthy cardiovascular diet for weight loss

Background

Self-reports of dietary intake in the context of nutrition intervention research can be biased by the tendency of respondents to answer consistent with expected norms (social approval bias). The objective of this study was to assess the potential influence of social approval bias on self-reports of fruit and vegetable intake obtained using both food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and 24-hour recall methods.

Methods

A randomized blinded trial compared reported fruit and vegetable intake among subjects exposed to a potentially biasing prompt to that from control subjects. Subjects included 163 women residing in Colorado between 35 and 65 years of age who were randomly selected and recruited by telephone to complete what they were told would be a future telephone survey about health. Randomly half of the subjects then received a letter prior to the interview describing this as a study of fruit and vegetable intake. The letter included a brief statement of the benefits of fruits and vegetables, a 5-A-Day sticker, and a 5-a-Day refrigerator magnet. The remainder received the same letter, but describing the study purpose only as a more general nutrition survey, with neither the fruit and vegetable message nor the 5-A-Day materials. Subjects were then interviewed on the telephone within 10 days following the letters using an eight-item FFQ and a limited 24-hour recall to estimate fruit and vegetable intake. All interviewers were blinded to the treatment condition.

Results

By the FFQ method, subjects who viewed the potentially biasing prompts reported consuming more fruits and vegetables than did control subjects (5.2 vs. 3.7 servings per day, p < 0.001). By the 24-hour recall method, 61% of the intervention group but only 32% of the control reported eating fruits and vegetables on 3 or more occasions the prior day (p = 0.002). These associations were independent of age, race/ethnicity, education level, self-perceived health status, and time since last medical check-up.

Conclusion

Self-reports of fruit and vegetable intake using either a food frequency questionnaire or a limited 24-hour recall are both susceptible to substantial social approval bias. Valid assessments of intervention effects in nutritional intervention trials may require objective measures of dietary change.     

Dietary patterns are associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus among middle-aged adults in Zhejiang Province,China

Background

Although some studies have shown the associations between dietary patterns and the risk T2DM in a general population, the associations in middle-aged Chinese have been rarely studied to date. In this study, we aimed to characterize dietary patterns in Chinese adults aged 45-59y (n?=?1918) and to evaluate the relationship between dietary patterns and the risk of T2DM.

Methods

The study population was a part of the population-based the Nutrition and Health Study conducted in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Dietary intake was assessed by using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the associations between dietary patterns and the risk of T2DM, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

Three major dietary patterns were identified using factor analysis, including the traditional southern Chinese, the Western, and the grains-vegetables patterns. After adjusting for the potential confounders, subjects in the highest quartile of the Western dietary pattern scores had greater odds ratio(OR) for T2DM(OR?=?1.28; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.103–1.697; P?=?0.02) than did those in the lowest quartile. Compared with those in the lowest quartile, subjects in the highest quartile of the grains-vegetables dietary pattern scores had a lower OR for T2DM (OR?=?0.72; 95% CI:0.596–0.952; P?=?0.04). Moreover, no significant association was found between the traditional southern Chinese dietary pattern and risk of developing T2DM.

Conclusions

Our findings indicated that the Western dietary pattern was associated with an elevated risk, whereas the grains-vegetables dietary pattern was associated with a reduced risk of T2DM. Further researches are needed to confirm these findings.

     

Dietary and physical activity adaptations to alternate day modified fasting: implications for optimal weight loss

Background  

Alternate day modified fasting (ADMF) is an effective strategy for weight loss in obese adults.     

Biomarker validation of a long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid food frequency questionnaire

Long-chain omega-3 PUFA (LC n−3 PUFA) are beneficial for health. To date there is no specific food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess LC n−3 PUFA intakes. The objective of this study is to validate our newly developed FFQ by comparison with LC n−3 PUFA content of both red blood cells (RBC) and plasma, expressed as a percentage of total FA. Fifty-three healthy male and female subjects were recruited from Wollongong, Australia. Average LC n−3 PUFA intakes (mg/d) were estimated using the new FFQ. RBC and plasma FA were assessed using GC. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to assess the linear relationship between FFQ intakes and both RBC and plasma FA. The results show that there were significant Spearman's correlation coefficients between the FFQ intakes and RBC (and plasma) FA for total LC n−3 PUFA, EPA, and DHA (0.50 (0.54), 0.39 (0.54) and 0.40 (0.48), respectively) but not for docosapentaenoic acid. The FFQ was also an effective ranking tool. The FFQ is a valid method based on erythrocyte and plasma FA as biochemical markers. In conclusion, the new FFQ is a valid method that can be used to estimate the LC n−3 PUFA intake of adults.     

Does creatine supplementation improve the plasma lipid profile in healthy male subjects undergoing aerobic training?

   

We aimed to investigate the effects of creatine (Cr) supplementation on the plasma lipid profile in sedentary male subjects undergoing aerobic training.     

Effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on gene expression of the critical enzymes involved in homocysteine metabolism

Background  

Previous studies showed that plasma n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was negatively associated with plasma homocysteine (Hcy).     

Four-week short chain fructo-oligosaccharides ingestion leads to increasing fecal bifidobacteria and cholesterol excretion in healthy elderly volunteers

Background  

Short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) are increasingly used in human diet for their prebiotic properties. We aimed at investigating the effects of scFOS ingestion on the colonic microflora and oro-fecal transit time in elderly healthy humans.     

Acute effects of ingesting a commercial thermogenic drink on changes in energy expenditure and markers of lipolysis

Background  

To determine the acute effects of ingesting a thermogenic drink (Celsius, Delray Beach, FL) (TD) on changes in metabolism and lipolysis.     

A natural seaweed derived mineral supplement (Aquamin F) for knee osteoarthritis: A randomised, placebo controlled pilot study

Background  

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a slowly destructive process that may be influenced by a nutritional mineral balance in the body.