Impact of a "vegetables first" approach to complementary feeding on later intake and liking of vegetables in infants: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

© The Author(s). 2021BACKGROUND: Vegetables as first complementary foods for infants may programme taste preferences that lead to improved vegetable intake in children. Yet few studies have investigated the impact of a "vegetables first" approach to complementary feeding, especially in New Zealand. The purpose of this randomised control trial is to investigate the effect of starting complementary feeding with vegetables only on infants' later intake and liking of vegetables, compared to those starting with fruit and vegetables. METHODS/DESIGN: One-hundred and twenty mother-infant pairs living in Auckland, New Zealand, will be randomised to receive either vegetables only (intervention) or fruit and vegetables (control) for 28 days, starting from the first day of complementary feeding at around 4-6 months of age. Infants will be presented with a brassica (broccoli), followed by a green leafy vegetable (spinach) and sweet fruit (pear) at 9 months of age. The primary outcome measures of intake of each food will be assessed using a weighed food diary. Secondary outcome measures of overall intake, liking and wanting of vegetables will be assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, liking tool and video coding tool, respectively, at 9, 12, and 24 months of age. Infant growth and iron status will be assessed as part of health screening and monitoring at baseline, post intervention and 9 months of age. Other biological samples to be collected include infant stool samples, vitamin D (mother and infant), iron status (mother), and mothers' diet. DISCUSSION: This randomised, controlled trial will be the first to our knowledge to investigate a "vegetables first" approach to complementary feeding on infants' liking and intake of vegetables in New Zealand. Comparison against standard practice (fruit and vegetables as first foods) should complement other trials underway, such as the Baby's First Bites and Nordic OTIS trial. Results may contribute to the evidence supporting complementary feeding guidelines in New Zealand and worldwide. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12619000737134 . Registered on 16 May 2019.fals

Starting complementary feeding with vegetables only increases vegetable acceptance at 9 months: a randomized controlled trial

(c) The Author/s 2022BACKGROUND: Starting complementary feeding (CF) with vegetables only may improve vegetable acceptance throughout childhood. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to test whether exposure to vegetables only during the first 4 wk of CF increases later vegetable acceptance compared with a control group receiving fruit and vegetables. METHODS: In this randomized, controlled, parallel-group study, 117 Auckland infants received either vegetables only (veg-only, n = 61) or a combination of fruit and vegetables (control, n = 56) for a duration of 4 wk, starting from the first day of CF at ∼4-6 mo of age. The primary outcome measure was intake of target vegetables (broccoli, spinach) provided by the study at 9 mo of age. Daily intake of vegetables (FFQs) at 9 mo was a supporting measure. Infants' iron status (serum ferritin, hemoglobin) was examined at all time points. RESULTS: The veg-only infants consumed more broccoli and spinach than controls [mean difference (95% CI): 11.83 (0.82, 22.84) g, P = 0.036 and 10.19 (0.50, 19.87) g, P = 0.039, respectively]. Intake of pear was comparable among intervention groups (P = 0.35). At 9 mo, veg-only infants consumed target vegetables at a faster rate [mean difference (95% CI): broccoli, 3.37 (1.26, 5.47), P = 0.002; spinach, 4.12 (0.80, 7.45), P = 0.016] and showed greater acceptance for target vegetables [mean difference (95% CI): broccoli, 0.38 (0.07, 0.70), P = 0.019; spinach, 032 (0.04, 0.60), P = 0.024] than controls. The rate of eating and acceptance of pear was comparable among intervention groups (P = 0.42 and P = 0.98, respectively). Also, veg-only infants consumed more vegetables than controls [86.3 (52.5, 146.3) compared with 67.5 (37.5, 101.3) g, respectively, P = 0.042]. Introducing vegetables as the first food was not associated with 9-mo iron status. CONCLUSIONS: Providing vegetables as first foods increased vegetable intake at 9 mo of age and may be an effective strategy for improving child vegetable consumption and developing preferences for vegetables in infancy

Sparticle Spectrum of Large Volume Compactification

We examine the large volume compactification of Type IIB string theory or its F theory limit and the associated supersymmetry breakdown and soft terms. It is crucial to incorporate the loop-induced moduli mixing, originating from radiative corrections to the Kahler potential. We show that in the presence of moduli mixing, soft scalar masses generically receive a D-term contribution of the order of the gravitino mass m_{3/2} when the visible sector cycle is stabilized by the D-term potential of an anomalous U(1) gauge symmetry, while the moduli-mediated gaugino masses and A-parameters tend to be of the order of m_{3/2}/8pi^2. It is noticed also that a too large moduli mixing can destabilize the large volume solution by making it a saddle point.Comment: 29 page

Body composition associations with muscle strength in older adults living in Auckland, New Zealand

Copyright: © 2021 Hiol et al.BACKGROUND: Aging is associated with decreases in muscle strength and simultaneous changes in body composition, including decreases in muscle mass, muscle quality and increases in adiposity. METHODS: Adults (n = 369; 236 females) aged 65-74 years living independently were recruited from the cross-sectional Researching Eating Activity and Cognitive Health (REACH) study. Body fat percentage and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) (sum of lean mass in the arms and legs) were assessed using Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (Hologic, QDR Discovery A). The ASM index was calculated by ASM (kilograms) divided by height (meters) squared. Isometric grip strength was measured using a hand grip strength dynamometer (JAMAR HAND). RESULTS: Linear regression analyses revealed that muscle strength was positively associated with the ASM index (R2 = 0.431, p < 0.001). When exploring associations between muscle strength and muscle mass according to obesity classifications (obesity ≥30% males; ≥40% females), muscle mass was a significant predictor of muscle strength in non-obese participants. However, in participants with obesity, muscle mass was no longer a significant predictor of muscle strength. CONCLUSIONS: Body fat percentage should be considered when measuring associations between muscle mass and muscle strength in older adults.fals

Body Fat Percentage and Blood Donation are the Strongest Determinants of Iron Stores in Premenopausal Women Joining the New Zealand Army.

INTRODUCTION: Suboptimal iron status is an issue for women joining the military because of its association with impaired aerobic performance, yet no studies have investigated dietary and non-dietary determinants of iron status simultaneously in this population. The purpose of this study was to explore associations between iron stores, dietary patterns (DPs), and potential non-dietary determinants of iron status in premenopausal women at the commencement of basic military training (BMT) in the New Zealand Army. METHODS: During week 1 of BMT, demographic, body composition, lifestyle, medical history, and dietary data were measured as potential determinants of serum ferritin (SF) in 101 participants. Following univariate analysis, age, body fat percentage, previous blood donation, at least 6 h of exercise per week that raised the heart rate, and a vegetarian DP were analyzed using a multiple linear regression model. RESULTS: An increase in body fat percentage was associated with increased SF (P < .009), although blood donation in the past year decreased SF (P < .011) compared to those participants who did not donate blood. There was no association between SF and a vegetarian DP or hours of exercise per week. The model explained 17.5% of the variance in SF at the commencement of BMT. CONCLUSION: Body fat percentage and blood donation in the past year were the strongest determinants of iron stores in healthy premenopausal women commencing BMT. It is recommended that women joining the New Zealand Army are provided information to maintain or improve their iron status based on these findings. This includes clinical screening of iron status, advice for women considering blood donation, and dietary advice regarding total energy requirements and iron bioavailability.fals

Sugar-sweetened beverages consumption among New Zealand children aged 8-12 years: a cross sectional study of sources and associates/correlates of consumption

© The Author(s) 2021BACKGROUND: The benefit of reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is widely accepted, but updated and in-depth data on New Zealand (NZ) children's SSB consumption is lacking. The aims of this study were to describe beverage consumption, focusing on SSBs in primary school age children living in Auckland; to examine the association of selected socio-demographic, home, community and school factors and children's beverage knowledge/attitudes with regards to beverage consumption; to explore the relationship between SSBs consumption and adiposity in children. METHODS: A cross-sectional, Auckland-wide survey of 578 school age children (8-12 years) was conducted using questionnaires to collect data on beverage consumption, beverage knowledge/attitudes, and selected socio-demographic and home, community, school factors. Body fat percentage (BF%) was assessed using bioelectrical impedance (BIA). RESULTS: Ninety-six percent of children consumed ≥1 serving of SSBs a week; with ≥5 servings reported by 62% of children. Of all SSBs assessed, consumption of ≥1 serving of sugar sweetened milk-based beverages (85%, mainly milk drinks made from powder) was most prevalent, followed by fruit juice (46%) and sugar-containing carbonated drinks (39%, mainly soft/fizzy drinks). Among unsweetened beverages, plain water was reported to be consumed < 2 times a day by 22% of children, and plain milk < 1 serving a day by 53%. Higher consumption of SSBs was associated with socio-economic disadvantage, non-NZ European ethnicities (Māori, Pacific, Asian, others), availability of SSBs in the home, frequent takeaway/convenience shop visits, children's incorrect perception of adequate SSBs consumption frequency, and higher BF% (females only). School health policy and encouragement of children to consume un-sweetened beverages was not associated with SSBs consumption. CONCLUSIONS: The consumption of SSBs is prevalent in NZ school age children, with higher consumption rates observed among those from socially disadvantaged areas. This high consumption is associated with higher BF% in females. Multi-contextual interventions to decrease SSBs should target children, and their families/environment, particularly those from socially disadvantaged areas.fals

Plasma nervonic acid levels were negatively associated with attention levels in community-living older adults in New Zealand

© The Author(s) 2022The global population is aging. Preserving function and independence of our aging population is paramount. A key component to maintaining independence is the preservation of cognitive function. Metabolomics can be used to identify biomarkers of cognition before noticeable deterioration. Our study investigated the plasma metabolome of 332 community-living New Zealanders between 65 and 74 years of age, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Six cognitive domains were assessed. Of the 123 metabolites identified using an in-house mass spectral libraries of standards, nervonic acid had a significant, inverse association with the attention domain (P-value = 1.52E− 4; FDR = 0.019), after adjusting for covariates (apolipoprotein E -ε4 genotype, sex, body fat percentage (standardised by sex), age, education, deprivation index, physical activity, metabolic syndrome, polypharmacy, smoking status, and alcohol intake) and multiple testing. Attention is defined as the ability to concentrate on selected aspects of the environment while ignoring other stimuli. This is the first study to identify nervonic acid as a potential biomarker of attention in older adults. Future research should confirm this association in a longitudinal study

Impact of a "vegetables first" approach to complementary feeding on later intake and liking of vegetables in infants: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background Vegetables as first complementary foods for infants may programme taste preferences that lead to improved vegetable intake in children. Yet few studies have investigated the impact of a ”vegetables first” approach to complementary feeding, especially in New Zealand. The purpose of this randomised control trial is to investigate the effect of starting complementary feeding with vegetables only on infants’ later intake and liking of vegetables, compared to those starting with fruit and vegetables. Methods/design One-hundred and twenty mother-infant pairs living in Auckland, New Zealand, will be randomised to receive either vegetables only (intervention) or fruit and vegetables (control) for 28 days, starting from the first day of complementary feeding at around 4–6 months of age. Infants will be presented with a brassica (broccoli), followed by a green leafy vegetable (spinach) and sweet fruit (pear) at 9 months of age. The primary outcome measures of intake of each food will be assessed using a weighed food diary. Secondary outcome measures of overall intake, liking and wanting of vegetables will be assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, liking tool and video coding tool, respectively, at 9, 12, and 24 months of age. Infant growth and iron status will be assessed as part of health screening and monitoring at baseline, post intervention and 9 months of age. Other biological samples to be collected include infant stool samples, vitamin D (mother and infant), iron status (mother), and mothers’ diet. Discussion This randomised, controlled trial will be the first to our knowledge to investigate a “vegetables first” approach to complementary feeding on infants’ liking and intake of vegetables in New Zealand. Comparison against standard practice (fruit and vegetables as first foods) should complement other trials underway, such as the Baby’s First Bites and Nordic OTIS trial. Results may contribute to the evidence supporting complementary feeding guidelines in New Zealand and worldwide. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12619000737134. Registered on 16 May 2019

TRAIP promotes DNA damage response during genome replication and is mutated in primordial dwarfism.

DNA lesions encountered by replicative polymerases threaten genome stability and cell cycle progression. Here we report the identification of mutations in TRAIP, encoding an E3 RING ubiquitin ligase, in patients with microcephalic primordial dwarfism. We establish that TRAIP relocalizes to sites of DNA damage, where it is required for optimal phosphorylation of H2AX and RPA2 during S-phase in response to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, as well as fork progression through UV-induced DNA lesions. TRAIP is necessary for efficient cell cycle progression and mutations in TRAIP therefore limit cellular proliferation, providing a potential mechanism for microcephaly and dwarfism phenotypes. Human genetics thus identifies TRAIP as a component of the DNA damage response to replication-blocking DNA lesions.This work was supported by funding from the Medical Research Council and the European Research Council (ERC, 281847) (A.P.J.), the Lister Institute for Preventative Medicine (A.P.J. and G.S.S.), Medical Research Scotland (L.S.B.), German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, 01GM1404) and E-RARE network EuroMicro (B.W), Wellcome Trust (M. Hurles), CMMC (P.N.), Cancer Research UK (C17183/A13030) (G.S.S. and M.R.H), Swiss National Science Foundation (P2ZHP3_158709) (O.M.), AIRC (12710) and ERC/EU FP7 (CIG_303806) (S.S.), Cancer Research UK (C6/A11224) and ERC/EU FP7 (HEALTH-F2- 2010-259893) (A.N.B. and S.P.J.).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from NPG via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.345