Genetic and Environmental Influences of Dietary Indices in a UK Female Twin Cohort

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 330-337
Author(s):  
Olatz Mompeo ◽  
Rachel Gibson ◽  
Paraskevi Christofidou ◽  
Tim D. Spector ◽  
Cristina Menni ◽  
...  

AbstractA healthy diet is associated with the improvement or maintenance of health parameters, and several indices have been proposed to assess diet quality comprehensively. Twin studies have found that some specific foods, nutrients and food patterns have a heritable component; however, the heritability of overall dietary intake has not yet been estimated. Here, we compute heritability estimates of the nine most common dietary indices utilized in nutritional epidemiology. We analyzed 2590 female twins from TwinsUK (653 monozygotic [MZ] and 642 dizygotic [DZ] pairs) who completed a 131-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Heritability estimates were computed using structural equation models (SEM) adjusting for body mass index (BMI), smoking status, Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), physical activity, menopausal status, energy and alcohol intake. The AE model was the best-fitting model for most of the analyzed dietary scores (seven out of nine), with heritability estimates ranging from 10.1% (95% CI [.02, .18]) for the Dietary Reference Values (DRV) to 42.7% (95% CI [.36, .49]) for the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (A-HEI). The ACE model was the best-fitting model for the Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI) and Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010) with heritability estimates of 5.4% (95% CI [−.17, .28]) and 25.4% (95% CI [.05, .46]), respectively. Here, we find that all analyzed dietary indices have a heritable component, suggesting that there is a genetic predisposition regulating what you eat. Future studies should explore genes underlying dietary indices to further understand the genetic disposition toward diet-related health parameters.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Miller ◽  
Patrick Webb ◽  
Renata Micha ◽  
Dariush Mozaffarian

Abstract Objectives Meeting most of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) will require a strong focus on tackling all forms of malnutrition─ addressing maternal and child health (MCH) as well as diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Yet, the optimal metrics to define a healthy diet remain unclear. Our aim was to comprehensively review diet metrics and assess the evidence on each metric's association with MCH and NCDs. Methods Using comprehensive searches and expert discussions, we identified metrics that i) are used in ≥3 countries to link diet to health, ii) quantify the number of foods/food groups consumed and/or iii) quantify recommended nutrient intakes. We reviewed and summarized each metric's development, components and scoring. For each identified metric, we systematically searched PubMed to identify meta-analyses or narrative reviews evaluating these metrics with nutrient adequacy and health outcomes. We assessed validity by grading the number of studies included and the consistency of the diet metric-disease relationship. Results We identified 6 MCH, 13 NCD and 0 MCH/NCD metrics. Most were developed for describing adherence to dietary guidelines or patterns, and others were developed for predicting micronutrient adequacy. On average, the metrics included 14 food groups/nutrients (range 4–45), with 10 food-group only metrics and 0 nutrient-only metrics. The most frequent metric components were grains/roots/tubers, fruits and vegetables. We identified 16 meta-analyses and 14 narrative reviews representing 102 metric-disease relationships (98 metric-NCD and 4 metric-MCH relationships, respectively). We found 5 metrics that have been consistently validated in meta-analyses and narrative reviews for NCDs, 1 metric with limited evidence for MCH, but 0 metrics for both. Of the metrics, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (aHEI), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Healthy Eating Index (HEI), and Mediterranean Diet Score (MED) were most commonly validated, especially for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (Figure 1). Conclusions Few diet metrics have been used in multiple countries to define a healthy diet. This suggests a serious gap in global analyses of diet quality relating to malnutrition in all its forms, which hinders effective policy action. Funding Sources Gates Foundation. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs


2015 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Marques-Vidal ◽  
Gérard Waeber ◽  
Peter Vollenweider ◽  
Murielle Bochud ◽  
Silvia Stringhini ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: The determinants of a healthy diet have not been studied in Switzerland. This study aimed at assessing the individual and behavioural factors associated with a healthy diet in a Swiss city. Methods: Cross-sectional, population-based study conducted between 2009 and 2013 (n = 4,439, 2,383 women, mean age 57.5 ± 10.3 years) in Lausanne. Food consumption was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Two Mediterranean diet scores (classic score and specific for Switzerland) and the Harvard School of Public Health alternate healthy eating index were computed. Results: For all three dietary scores considered, living in couple or having a high education were associated with a healthier diet. An unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, sedentary behaviour) or a high body mass index were associated with an unhealthier diet. Participants born in Italy, Portugal and Spain had healthier diets than participants born in France or Switzerland. Women and elderly participants had healthier diets than men and young participants according to 2 scores, while no differences were found for the Swiss-specific Mediterranean score. Conclusions: In Switzerland, healthy eating is associated with high education, a healthy lifestyle, marital status and country of origin. The associations with gender and age depend on the dietary score considered.


2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 1439-1451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie L McCullough ◽  
Maret L Maliniak ◽  
Victoria L Stevens ◽  
Brian D Carter ◽  
Rebecca A Hodge ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background Healthy diet patterns are associated with lower risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Metabolomics has the potential to expand dietary biomarker development to include dietary patterns, which may provide a complement or alternative to self-reported diet. Objective This study examined the correlation of serum untargeted metabolomic markers with 4 diet pattern scores—the alternate Mediterranean diet score (aMED), alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015—and used multivariate methods to identify discriminatory metabolites for each pattern. Methods Among 1367 US postmenopausal women with serum metabolomic data in the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort, we conducted partial correlation analysis, adjusted for demographic and lifestyle variables, to examine cross-sectional correlations between serum metabolomic markers and healthy diet pattern scores. In a randomly selected “training” set (50%), we conducted orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis to identify metabolites that discriminated the top from bottom diet score quintiles. Combinations of metabolites with a variable importance in projection (VIP) score ≥2.5 were tested for predictability in the “testing” set based on the use of receiver operating characteristic curves. Results Out of 1186 metabolites, 32 unique metabolites were considered discriminatory based on a VIP score ≥2.5 in the training dataset with some overlap across scores (aMED = 16; AHEI = 17; DASH = 13; HEI = 12). Spearman partial correlation analyses, applying a cut-point (|r| ≥ 0.15) and Bonferroni correction (P < 1.05 × 10−5), identified similar key metabolites. The top 5 metabolites for each pattern mostly distinguished high compared with low scores; 4 of the 5 (fish-derived) metabolites were the same for aMED and AHEI, 2 of which were identified for HEI; 4 DASH metabolites were unique. Conclusions Metabolomic methods that used a split-sample approach identified potential biomarkers for 4 healthy diet patterns. Similar metabolites across scores reflect fish consumption in healthy dietary patterns. These findings should be replicated in independent populations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 534-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Hautero ◽  
Tuija Poussa ◽  
Kirsi Laitinen

AbstractObjectiveSufficient maternal dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids (FA) supports offspring development. We aimed to construct simple criteria for dietary counselling to improve intake of n-3 FA.DesignSerum phospholipid FA from mothers and infants were analysed by GC one month after delivery. Dietary intake of foods during pregnancy and one month after delivery were recorded using 3 d food diaries and an index for healthy eating was calculated. Fish consumption was established by questionnaires. Dietary consumption of foods resulting in an increase in serum n-3 FA was defined.SettingA mother–child follow-up study in Southwest Finland.SubjectsMothers (n 90) and 1-month-old infants (n 63).ResultsAfter delivery, the mother’s consumption of fish at least three times per week resulted in an increase in total serum n-3 FA (mean difference (95 % CI): 1·7 (0·7, 2·8) % of total FA, P<0·001) and DHA (1·1 (0·5, 1·8) % of total FA, P<0·001) compared with non-consumers. Persistent fish intake once weekly throughout pregnancy increased total serum n-3 FA (P=0·001) and DHA (P<0·001). Overall, a healthy diet (middle and highest tertiles of healthy eating index score v. the lowest tertile) resulted in higher total serum n-3 FA (P=0·004) and DHA (P=0·008). Mother’s diet along with higher serum levels of n-3 FA were related to serum FA levels in 1-month-old infants.ConclusionsAn overall healthy diet and persistent consumption of fish at least once weekly throughout pregnancy or more frequent fish intake three times per week increases n-3 FA in serum phospholipids of both mothers and their infants.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3828
Author(s):  
Sergio Ruiz-Saavedra ◽  
Nuria Salazar ◽  
Ana Suárez ◽  
Clara G. de los Reyes-Gavilán ◽  
Miguel Gueimonde ◽  
...  

During the last decades the gut microbiota has been identified as a key mediator in the diet-health interaction. However, our understanding on the impact of general diet upon microbiota is still limited. Dietary indices represent an essential approach for addressing the link between diet and health from a holistic point of view. Our aim was to test the predictive potential of seven dietary ratings on biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress and on the composition and metabolic activity of the intestinal microbiota. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on a sample of 73 subjects aged >50 years with non-declared pathologies. Dietary inflammatory index (DII), Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index (EDII), Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), Mediterranean adapted Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), Modified Mediterranean Diet Score (MMDS) and relative Mediterranean Diet Score (rMED) were calculated based on a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Major phylogenetic types of the intestinal microbiota were determined by real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and fecal short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by gas chromatography. While DII, HEI, DQI-I and MMDS were identified as predictors of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii levels, AHEI and MMDS were negatively associated with Lactobacillus group. HEI, AHEI and MMDS were positively associated with fecal SCFAs. In addition, DII and EDII explained lipoperoxidation level and Mediterranean scores the serum IL-8 concentrations. The lower detection of IL-8 in individuals with higher scores on Mediterranean indices may be partially explained by the increased levels of the anti-inflammatory bacterium F. prausnitzii in such individuals.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 252
Author(s):  
Mireia Falguera ◽  
Esmeralda Castelblanco ◽  
Marina Idalia Rojo-López ◽  
Maria Belén Vilanova ◽  
Jordi Real ◽  
...  

We aimed to assess differences in dietary patterns (i.e., Mediterranean diet and healthy eating indexes) between participants with prediabetes and those with normal glucose tolerance. Secondarily, we analyzed factors related to prediabetes and dietary patterns. This was a cross-sectional study design. From a sample of 594 participants recruited in the Mollerussa study cohort, a total of 535 participants (216 with prediabetes and 319 with normal glucose tolerance) were included. The alternate Mediterranean Diet score (aMED) and the alternate Healthy Eating Index (aHEI) were calculated. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were performed. There was no difference in the mean aMED and aHEI scores between groups (3.2 (1.8) in the normoglycemic group and 3.4 (1.8) in the prediabetes group, p = 0.164 for the aMED and 38.6 (7.3) in the normoglycemic group and 38.7 (6.7) in the prediabetes group, p = 0.877 for the aHEI, respectively). Nevertheless, women had a higher mean of aMED and aHEI scores in the prediabetes group (3.7 (1.9), p = 0.001 and 40.5 (6.9), p < 0.001, respectively); moreover, they had a higher mean of aHEI in the group with normoglycemia (39.8 (6.6); p = 0.001). No differences were observed in daily food intake between both study groups; consistent with this finding, we did not find major differences in nutrient intake between groups. In the multivariable analyses, the aMED and aHEI were not associated with prediabetes (odds ratio (OR): 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75–1.87; p = 0.460 and OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 0.83–2.10; p = 0.246, respectively); however, age (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02–1.05; p < 0.001), dyslipidemia (OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.27–3.22; p = 0.003) and body mass index (BMI) (OR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.05–1.14; p < 0.001) were positively associated with prediabetes. Physical activity was associated with a lower frequency of prediabetes (OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.31–0.72; p = 0.001). In conclusion, subjects with prediabetes did not show a different dietary pattern compared with a normal glucose tolerance group. However, further research is needed on this issue.


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 58-59
Author(s):  
Larissa L Becker ◽  
Emily E Scholtz ◽  
Joel M DeRouchey ◽  
Mike D Tokach ◽  
Jason C Woodworth ◽  
...  

Abstract A total of 2,124 barrows and gilts (PIC 1050′DNA 600, initially 48.9 kg) were used in a 32-d study to determine the optimal dietary standardized ileal digestibility (SID) Lys level in a commercial setting. Pigs were randomly allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments with 24 to 27 pigs/pen and 16 replications/treatment. Similar number of barrows and gilts were placed in each pen. Diets were fed over 3 phases (48.9 to 58.6, 58.6 to 70.9, and 70.9 to 80.8 kg respectively). Dietary treatments were corn-soybean meal-based and contained 10 (phase 1 and 2) or 5% (phase 3) distillers dried grains with solubles. Diets were formulated to 85, 95, 103, 110, or 120% of the current Pig Improvement Company (PIC, Hendersonville, TN) SID Lys gilt recommendations with phase 1 SID Lys levels of 0.90, 1.01, 1.09, 1.17 and 1.27%, phase 2 levels of 0.79, 0.87, 0.94, 1.03, and 1.10%, and phase 3 levels of 0.71, 0.78, 0.85, 0.92, and 0.99%, respectively. Dose response curves were evaluated using linear (LM), quadratic polynomial (QP), broken-line linear (BLL), and broken-line quadratic (BLQ) models. For each response variable, the best-fitting model was selected using the Bayesian information criterion. Overall (d 0 to 32), increasing SID Lys increased (linear, P&lt; 0.001) BW, ADG, G:F, Lys intake/d, and Lys intake/kg of gain. Modeling margin over feed cost (MOFC), BLL and QP estimated the requirement at 105.8% and 113.7% respectively. In summary, while growth increased linearly up to 120% of the PIC current feeding level, the optimal MOFC was 106% to 114% depending on the model used.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Satu Männistö ◽  
Kennet Harald ◽  
Tommi Härkänen ◽  
Mirkka Maukonen ◽  
Johan G. Eriksson ◽  
...  

AbstractThere is limited evidence for any dietary factor, except alcohol, in breast cancer (BC) risk. Therefore, studies on a whole diet, using diet quality indices, can broaden our insight. We examined associations of the Nordic Diet (mNDI), Mediterranean diet (mMEDI) and Alternative Healthy Eating Index (mAHEI) with postmenopausal BC risk. Five Finnish cohorts were combined including 6374 postmenopausal women with dietary information. In all, 8–9 dietary components were aggregated in each index, higher total score indicating higher adherence to a healthy diet. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the combined hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for BC risk. During an average 10-year follow-up period, 274 incident postmenopausal BC cases were diagnosed. In multivariable models, the HR for highest vs. lowest quintile of index was 0.67 (95 %CI 0.48–1.01) for mNDI, 0.88 (0.59–1.30) for mMEDI and 0.89 (0.60–1.32) for mAHEI. In this combined dataset, a borderline preventive finding of high adherence to mNDI on postmenopausal BC risk was found. Of the indices, mNDI was more based on the local food culture than the others. Although a healthy diet has beneficially been related to several chronic diseases, the link with the etiology of postmenopausal BC does not seem to be that obvious.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Zach Conrad ◽  
Sarah Reinhardt ◽  
Rebecca Boehm ◽  
Acree McDowell

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the association between diet quality and cost for foods purchased for consumption at home and away from home. Design: Cross-sectional analysis. Multivariable linear regression models evaluated the association between diet quality and cost for all food, food at home, and food away from home. Setting: Daily food intake data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2016). Food prices were derived using data from multiple, publicly available databases. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010. Participants: 30,564 individuals ≥20 y with complete and reliable dietary data. Results: Mean per capita daily diet cost was $14.19 (95% CI: $13.91-14.48), including $6.92 ($6.73-7.10) for food consumed at home and $7.28 ($7.05-7.50) for food consumed away from home. Diet quality was higher for food at home compared to food away from home (P<0.001). Higher diet quality was associated with higher food costs overall, at home, and away from home (P<0.001 for all comparisons). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that higher diet quality is associated with higher costs for all food, food consumed at home, and food consumed away from home. This research provides policymakers, public health professionals, and clinicians with information needed to support healthy eating habits. These findings are particularly relevant to contemporary health and economic concerns that have worsened because of the COVID-19 pandemic.


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