Modification of food to control fat intake

National trends in amounts and types of fat consumed have not alleviated our problems in nutrition and health. The dilemma of the public, as well as of the medical and nutritional sectors of society, has been what to do about atherosclerosis and obesity. Various methods and approaches are suggested where-by the fat intake may be reduced or controlled. Several unique classes of compounds are suggested as possible candidates for novel nutritional foods. Nutritional education is stressed as the long range prerequisite for an enlightened public which can meet the challenge of tomorrow.     

Reported food intake and distribution of body fat: a repeated cross-sectional study

The number of individuals with age-related cognitive impairment is rising dramatically in the UK and globally. There is considerable interest in the general hypothesis that improving the diet of older people may slow the progression of cognitive decline. To date, there has been little attention given to the possible protective role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPs) most commonly found in oily fish, in age-related loss of cognitive function. The main research hypothesis of this study is that an increased dietary intake of n-3 LCPs will have a positive effect on cognitive performance in older people in the UK. To test this hypothesis, a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial will be carried out among adults aged 70–79 years in which the intervention arm will receive daily capsules containing n-3 LCP (0.5 g/day docosahexaenoic acid and 0.2 g/day eicosapentaenoic acid) while the placebo arm will receive daily capsules containing olive oil. The main outcome variable assessed at 24 months will be cognitive performance and a second major outcome variable will be retinal function. Retinal function tests are included as the retina is a specifically differentiated neural tissue and therefore represents an accessible window into the functioning of the brain. The overall purpose of this public-health research is to help define a simple and effective dietary intervention aimed at maintaining cognitive and retinal function in later life. This will be the first trial of its kind aiming to slow the decline of cognitive and retinal function in older people by increasing daily dietary intake of n-3 LCPs. The link between cognitive ability, visual function and quality of life among older people suggests that this novel line of research may have considerable public health importance.     

Impact of fat substitutes on fat intake

Dietary fat is the number one nutrition concern of Americans. In response to rising consumer demand for reduced-fat foods, the food industry has developed a multitude of nonfat, lowfat, and reduced-fat versions of regular food products. To generate reduced-fat or fat-free products that have the same organoleptic characteristics of the regular fat version, food manufactures frequently employ fat substitutes in the formulation of these foods. Fat substitutes are made from either carbohydrate, protein, or fat, or a combination of these components. Researchers have questioned the impact of fat substitutes on both fat and caloric intake. The majority of research studies in which fat substitutes were either covertly or overtly substituted for dietary fat indicate that in short-term, carefully-controlled conditions, fat substitutes can decrease both dietary fat intake and percentage of calorie intake from fat. However, individuals compensate for the caloric deficit created by the fat substitutes by increasing their consumption of other macronutrients, primarily carbohydrate. The long-term effect of fat substitutes on the fat intake of free-living individuals and weight control are unknown. People tend to eat more of a food when they know that food is reduced in fat. Fat substitutes should not be considered a substitute for sound nutrition education and a healthy lifestyle which includes regular exercise.     

Fats for the food industry: Implications for cholesterol-lowering

The special needs of the food industry may not always coincide with what is healthiest for consumers. People always demand optimal taste, flavor and texture; they expect shelf-stability, convenience and novelty. The edible oils and fat industry has been particularly vulnerable in this regard but has tried, often very successfully, to modify its products to take into account the customer's preferences and their health. The following review illustrates some potential strategies in the retail and commercial sectors, especially in baking, frying and food service areas. Given the large increase in the consumption of convenient, small portion meals, the fat content and composition of such meals and products will critically influence further outcomes in areas related to cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes.     

Providing lubricity in food fat systems

Lubricity, in particular mouthfeel, is an important factor in production of vegetable oil bases for food product formulations. Certain functional characteristics are necessary for good texture at various temperatures. These characteristics are dependent on degree of unsaturation, fatty acid distribution, and degree of geometrical isomerization during processing. Proper selectivity and activity of hydrogenation catalysts used in hardening of the oils are essential. Sufficient solid fat content must be balanced by necessary oxid ative stability. Products discussed include salad oils and their formulations in pourable and spoonable salad dressings, mayonnaises, frying oils, imitation dairy products, margarines and bakery shortenings. Past, present and future industry technology will be evaluated for each type of food fat product. Customer needs have greatly affected the course of research in this area.     

Relative validation of a food frequency questionnaire for national health and nutrition monitoring

Background  

Validation of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is important as incorrect information may lead to biased associations. Therefore the relative validity of an FFQ developed for use in the German Health Examination Survey for Adults 2008-2011 (DEGS) was examined.     

The intravenous use of fat for the total parenteral nutrition of the infant

A new program for the total iv feeding of the postoperative neonate has been described and evaluated. The program is based on a crystalline 1-amino acid solution as the nitrogen source and a soybean fat emulsion as the major source of calories. This program has three main advantages over ones based on hypertonic glucose as the main calorie source: (a) no central venous catheter is needed, (b) the complication of osmotic diuresis is eliminated, and (c) the high caloric value of fat allows small volumes of fluid to be infused into the infant. The present regimen has been shown to sustain nitrogen and potassium retention in amounts similar to those found in normal newborns and in other parenteral feeding programs. In the initial phase of this study, 32 newborns were treated with this program and 26 survived, following surgery for life-threatening congenital anomalies. Since this first evaluation, over 75 infants have been placed on this iv feeding protocol.     

Use of the demonstrative method for the quantitative evaluation of food intake

The demonstrative method can be used to evaluate food intake by permitting interviewed subjects to visualize food samples and to demonstrate the amount consumed of each food using standard kitchen utensils. In the present study, data obtained by the 24-hour recall method were compared to those obtained by the demonstrative method. The data collected by the two methods were then compared to the values obtained by direct weighing of the different foods; they were used as reference values. The study was carried out on 10 women and 10 men admitted to the University Hospital of the School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto. All patients were adults, had completed at most their elementary education, consumed a hospital common diet, and were selected at random. There were no differences between the two methods tested for evaluation of the amount of rice, beans and milk consumed, regardless of sex. The item salad, however, was poorly evaluated by the 24-hour recall method, but in relation to the demonstrative method, the 24 hour recall permitted a better evaluation of the amount of meat ingested by women. Nevertheless, the demonstrative method allowed a better evaluation of the amount of bread ingested by both men and women. We conclude that the demonstrative method has advantages with respect to some food items when compared to the 24-hour recall method.     

INCAP'S policies and strategies for training and capacitation of human resources in food and nutrition

The activities of the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP), are focused according to the present food and nutrition situation of the Central American and Panamanian population, their conditioning factors and the prevailing political, economical and social context. According to the mandate of its Directing Council, INCAP has developed teaching activities in the field of food and nutrition at the subregional level, as a priority function. This function falls within the initiative of the plan of priority needs in health, promoted by the countries that integrate the Contadora group, the Central American area Governments and PAHO/WHO. The INCAP's human resources policy is centered on formation and training, which are closely linked to aspects such as holistic planning, recruiting, utilization and evaluation of human resources according to guidelines set up by the Central American countries and PAHO/WHO, in regard to the development of human resources in health and allied fields. The document herein discussed responds to the institutional objective of possessing an explicit guide to orient INCAP's technical cooperation in the programmatic area of human resources, pointing out priorities and fundamental aspects really effective in supporting the institutional development of the countries, thus contributing to the improvement of their food and nutrition situation. The experience accumulated by the Institute and the countries, in formation and training activities oriented to benefit the communities have also been considered in the present document. Likewise, strategies that guide the present and future actions according to the reality of the subregion have also been considered.     

Folate and folic acid intake estimation and food enrichment requirements

The term "folate" is a generic way to name the different forms derived from folic acid, one of the B vitamins (specifically B9 vitamin). They are essential in the metabolism when they act as cofactors in the transfer reactions of one carbon. However, only plants and microorganisms are able to synthesize them de novo, in such a way that both animals and human beings have to intake them through their diet. Folic acid is widely spread in nature, mainly in vegetables, liver ans cereals. However, nowadays, the lack of folates in the diet is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the world, and it has serious consequences on human health. There is evidence that even in developed countries folate intake is usually low; and even, is some cases, below optima levels. The authorities in several countries have adapted different norms related to folic acid, fortifying staple food such as dairy products or cereals, mandatory (U.S.A., Canada or Chile) or voluntary (most of the European countries).     

Measurement of fat content of food with single-sided NMR

Fat content is one of the important parameters of quality control in many food products. Several techniques are used to determine the amount of fat in a given product. In this work, the applicability of a portable dedicated nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyzer to measure the fat content in a packaged product without destruction of the material was examined. Two different low-field NMR methods, namely, a ratio method and a relaxation time method, were applied and discussed. The processed NMR signal was linearly correlated with the fat content obtained by reference methods. The linear correlation allowed the application of single-sided NMR for fat measurements. In memoriam     

Correction of dietary fat availability estimates for wastage of food service deep-frying fats

Because of the renewed interest in the consumption of hydrogenated fats, reliable estimates of the dietary fat available to the United States population require correction for the considerable amount of deep-frying fats used in food service operations that are discarded after use and thus are not available for consumption. We estimated this fat wastage from food service sources from published data on fat exchange during cooking and on numbers of specific entrees purchased away from the home by United States households. Among food items considered, fat rendered from hamburgers and chicken contributed substantially to the total gross fat available for discard; fried chicken, french fries and doughnuts accounted for a large portion of total fat uptake by foods. To calculate waste frying fat, expressed as a percent of net waste fat, we subtracted fat uptake by foods from the total visible frying fat available for usage and from the level of gross fat available for discard. Dividing the resulting values gave a percent waste frying fat of 60%. For calculation of fat available for consumption, we recommend that contributions from deep-frying fats be reduced by 50% of the total available to correct for wastage. This value is conservative and representative of actual experience of major food service operations and agrees closely with estimates derived from spent grease recovery reported in the United States. Presented at the 1992 AOCS Annual Meeting, May 10–14, 1992, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.     

Dietetic determinants on food intake and effects in body weight regulation

Obesity is a multifactorial pathology currently considered one of the main public health problems. Its prevalence is increasing dramatically in the last decades, reaching huge rates in Brazil and many other countries. Regardless of the factors associated with genetic predisposition, this pathology is often associated with abnormal food intake, and also with high consumption of caloric foods and sedentary habits. Thus, obesity is the result of an imbalance between food intake and energy expenditure. One of the greatest research interests in nutrition has currently been the dietetic determinants that may exert an influence on the process of food intake, as well as the role of foods on physiological, physical and chemical factors most related to the processes of satiation and satiety. Based on these aspects, this paper analyzes several research works to gain a better insight of the dietetic factors affecting food intake and body weight regulation.     

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.     

Rural development, household food safety, and nutrition in western Honduras

The authors studied the impact of a rural development project on household food security and nutrition. A quasi-experimental study design was used to compare the experience of members of thirteen Honduran small-holder farmers groups which had already received a year of credit and technical assistance, with another thirteen groups which had just joined the project, and thirteen control communities. All these communities were followed-up for one year (March/April 1997-March/April 1998). Farmers participating in the project showed a greater increase in maize stores than farmers in the control communities (p = 0.01), but did not increase their dietary energy consumption. There was, however, a small improvement in their dietary diversity (p = 0.01). The impact of the project on the nutritional status of under 5's was complex. The study underlined the importance of monitoring the impact of programs which may affect food and nutrition.     

Urban-rural differences in food intake of poor families in Guatemala]

The present paper deals with the urban-rural differences in food consumption patterns and nutrient intake of poor families in Guatemala, based on consumption data collected in 1987 using the 24-hour dietary recall method. The main results show mean intake energy and protein levels below the mean recommended allowances in both groups of families included in the study. Higher levels of protein and calorie intakes, however, are also reported for families in the urban areas. In spite of the fact that caloric and protein intake levels are lower in the urban sector, the food consumption pattern is more diversified and of better quality than the habitual diet of the rural families. This explains why a higher average level of calcium and vitamin A (retinol equivalents) is observed, in comparison with the rural families.     

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.