Sweet As . . . Sucralose: The Pros and Cons of Artificial Sweeteners

This fact sheet is a basic overview of artificial sweeteners, including what they are, why they are popular, and how they affect health. It is specifically intended for people with diabetes, individuals interested in lowering caloric intake, and other consumers wondering whether or not they should be worried about using artificial sweeteners

Attentional biases towards familiar and unfamiliar foods in children. The role of food neophobia

Familiarity of food stimuli is one factor that has been proposed to explain food preferences and food neophobia in children, with some research suggesting that food neophobia (and familiarity) is at first a predominant of the visual domain. Considering visual attentional biases are a key factor implicated in a majority of fear-related phobias/anxieties, the purpose of this research was to investigate attentional biases to familiar and unfamiliar fruit and vegetables in 8 to 11 year old children with differing levels of food neophobia. To this end, 70 primary aged children completed a visual-probe task measuring attentional biases towards familiar and unfamiliar fruit/vegetables, as well as the food neophobia, general neophobia and willingness to try self-report measures. Results revealed that as an undifferentiated population all children appeared to demonstrate an attentional bias toward the unfamiliar fruit and vegetable stimuli. However, when considering food neophobia, this bias was significantly exaggerated for children self-reporting high food neophobia and negligible for children self-reporting low food neophobia. In addition, willingness to try the food stimuli was inversely correlated with attentional bias toward the unfamiliar fruits/vegetables. Our results demonstrate that visual aspects of food stimuli (e.g. familiarity) play an important role in childhood food neophobia. This study provides the first empirical test of recent theory/models of food neophobia (e.g. Brown & Harris, 2012). Findings are discussed in light of these models and related anxiety models, along with implications concerning the treatment of childhood food neophobia

What Does Self-Reported Likability for Fruit and Vegetables Tell Us About Skin Carotenoid Levels?

In most cases, individuals who have a higher likeability of fruits and vegetables will consume more and reap health-related benefits because of it. However, other factors influence how the body digests, absorbs, and metabolizes the beneficial nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. Biomarkers, like carotenoids are measurable indicators of some biological state or condition. They can be helpful in understanding the relationships between dietary intake of nutrients and the other factors that may influence how a nutrient is being used in the body. Other factors known to influence skin carotenoids include body composition, exposure to environmental pollutants, or illness. Carotenoids give the bright red, orange, and yellow hues to many commonly consumed fruits and vegetables and can be used to track overall fruit and vegetable intake in an individual. Carotenoids are powerful antioxidant agents with properties that lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. They also improve vision and skin protection

Effects of the FIT Game on Physical Activity in Sixth Graders: A Pilot Reversal Design Intervention Study

Background: The FIT Game is a low-cost intervention that increases fruit and vegetable consumption in elementary school children. For this study, the FIT Game was adapted into an intervention designed to increase children’s physical activity at school. Objective: We aimed to evaluate if the FIT Game could increase children’s physical activity relative to their baseline levels. Methods: A total of 29 participants were recruited from a sixth-grade classroom. An ABAB reversal design was used. Participants wore an accelerometer while at school during pre/postintervention baseline (A) and intervention (B) phases. During the FIT Game intervention, daily physical activity goals encouraged the class to increase their median daily step count above the 60th percentile of the previous 10 days. When daily goals were met, game-based accomplishments were realized. Results: Children met their activity goals 80% of the time during the intervention phases. Physical activity at school increased from a median of 3331 steps per day during the baseline to 4102 steps during the FIT Game phases (P Conclusions: Preliminary evidence showed that playing the FIT Game could positively influence children’s physical activity at school

Prevalence of Low Energy Availability in Collegiate Female Runners and Implementation of Nutrition Education Intervention

Objective: This study examined the prevalence of low energy availability in a sample of female collegiate athletes (N=25) then delivered nutrition education related to the female athlete triad and assessed change in knowledge and dietary behaviors. Methods: Average energy intake was assessed pre- and post-education using Automated Self-Administered 24- Hour Dietary Recalls. We assessed body composition with multiple-site skinfold measures. Energy expenditure was assessed with accelerometers and a physical activity diary over a 3-day period. A 73-item questionnaire was used to assess knowledge and behavior changes. Results: At baseline, 92% had an index of energy availability /kg of fat free mass/day. 40% of participants were amenorrheic, and 32% had a history of stress fractures. There was an increase in summed nutrition knowledge, post-nutrition education (p=0.001), but no increase in caloric intake (p=0.979). Conclusion: Low energy availability was common in this sample of female collegiate track athletes, but did not improve with a targeted intervention

Interprofessional Education in Dietetics Programs: Student and Director Perspectives

Background: Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP) supports optimal healthcare outcomes; accordingly, dietetic program accreditation standards require interprofessional-related education (IPE). Objective: To explore IPE implementation and evaluation of IPE in dietetics curricula, and how these relate to director confidence in students and student satisfaction. Main Outcome Measures: IPE approaches (lectures, assignments, direct experience, case studies/facilitated multidisciplinary interactions), Timing of IPE (years 1, 2, 3, 4, other), director confidence (10-level scale), student IPE satisfaction (7-level scale) Statistical Analyses Performed: The strength and direction of correlation between number of IPE methods with director confidence/student satisfaction, and time spent on IPE with director confidence were assessed using Spearman’s Correlation. Director confidence was also regressed on number of IPE methods and time spent on IPE, accounting for program type (CP/DPD/DI) and level (undergraduate/graduate) using multiple linear regression. Results: Case studies (79%) and lectures (86%) were common IPE methods reported among directors and students, respectively. IPE occurred predominantly in years 1&2 and 3&4 in CPs and DPDs, respectively. Number of IPE methods was associated with student satisfaction (r(135)=0.47, pr(45)=0.33, p=0.025). Twenty-three evaluation methods of IP learning were identified. Conclusions: Common IPE methods included case studies and lectures. Timing of IPE varied by program type. More IPE methods and time devoted to IPE were associated with increased student satisfaction and director confidence, respectively. Various methods were used to evaluate IP learning

Nutrition Education for Refugees: Successful Strategies and Barriers

Nutrition education can improve nutrition and health for refugees. Extension program directors providing nutrition education to refugees were surveyed regarding successful program techniques, program challenges, and both the barriers refugees face and the strengths they possess concerning healthy eating. Researchers used grounded theory to explore the qualitative data. Hands-on, skill-based learning emerged as a main theme of successful programs. Language and cultural issues emerged as main program challenges. It is recommended that future refugee nutrition education programs provide culturally sensitive opportunities for skill-based learning

Fit “N” Cool Kids: The Effects of Character Modeling and Goal Setting on Children’s Physical Activity and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Efforts to decrease the risk of overweight and obesity should focus on children's physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. Within school-based interventions, there is insufficient evidence on the effectiveness of the use of character modeling and goal setting to determine changes in step counts, MVPA, and FV consumption. Study participants were 187 students in grades 4 and 5 from 2 Title 1 elementary schools in the Southwest United States. The intervention was a quasi-experimental character modeling and goal setting program. New Lifestyles NL-1000 activity monitors were used to assess number of steps taken and MVPA by the participants. Fruit and vegetable consumption was measured by direct observation. School day steps, MVPA, and FV consumption were recorded at baseline, intervention, and during a 10-week follow-up. There were not differences between groups at baseline. Steps and MVPA were statistically significantly (P <.05; Δ = ~2500 steps and ~5 minutes of MVPA) greater in the intervention compared with the control group over time. Fruit and vegetable consumption was not significantly (P = .308) greater in the intervention compared with the control group over time. Students in the intervention school were significantly more active than students in the control school during the intervention phase and at follow-up. The findings reported here would suggest that character modeling and goal setting can increase PA among elementary aged children but did not increase FV consumption

Nutrition and Dietetic Students\u27 Vitamin and Mineral Knowledge and Concurrent Learning and Retention Strategies

Background: The functions, food sources, deficiency symptoms, and toxicity symptoms are important for dietetic professionals to know and apply to community, food service, and clinical settings. Purpose: To assess nutrition and dietetic students\u27 knowledge of vitamins and minerals and identify students\u27 strategies for learning and retaining vitamin and mineral information. Methodology: Students from three universities in the western United States were invited to participate in cross-sectional study. Participants completed a brief questionnaire that included multiple choice and short answer questions to assess their knowledge of a representative list of 8 vitamins and minerals. The questionnaire also included free-response questions about strategies for retention of vitamin/mineral information. Two researchers independently reviewed responses and identified themes. Results: Students\u27 scores on multiple-choice vitamin/mineral questions suggested that they had difficulty remembering details regarding vitamins and minerals. Three themes were identified as common study strategies for learning vitamin and mineral content: repetition, mnemonic devices, and personal application. Conclusions: These findings suggest that further research assessing the increased use of repetition, mnemonic devices, and especially personal application in dietetics education curriculum are warranted

Toward a New Philosophy of Preventive Nutrition: From a Reductionist to a Holistic Paradigm to Improve Nutritional Recommendations

The reductionist approach has been predominant to date in human nutrition research and has unraveled some of the fundamental mechanisms at the basis of food nutrients (e.g., those that involve deficiency diseases). In Western countries, along with progress in medicine and pharmacology, the reductionist approach helped to increase life expectancy. However, despite 40 y of research in nutrition, epidemics of obesity and diabetes are growing each year worldwide, both in developed and developing countries, leading to a decrease in healthy life years. Yet, interactions between nutrition-health relations cannot be modeled on the basis of a linear cause-effect relation between 1 food compound and 1 physiologic effect but rather from multicausal nonlinear relations. In other words, explaining the whole from the specific by a bottom-up reductionist approach has its limits. A top-down approach becomes necessary to investigate complex issues through a holistic view before addressing any specific question to explain the whole. However, it appears that both approaches are necessary and mutually reinforcing. In this review, Eastern and Western research perspectives are first presented, laying out bases for what could be the consequences of applying a reductionist versus holistic approach to research in nutrition vis-a-vis public health, environmental sustainability, breeding, biodiversity, food science and processing, and physiology for improving nutritional recommendations. Therefore, research that replaces reductionism with a more holistic approach will reveal global and efficient solutions to the problems encountered from the field to the plate. Preventive human nutrition can no longer be considered as "pharmacology" or foods as "drugs.