Understanding the value of dietary indices prior to research application

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.

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Correction: Healthy dietary indices and risk of depressive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Molecular Psychiatry ◽

10.1038/s41380-021-01056-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Camille Lassale ◽

G. David Batty ◽

Amaria Baghdadli ◽

Felice Jacka ◽

Almudena Sánchez-Villegas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Dietary Indices

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Prospective associations of four nutrient profiles with weigh gain, overweight and obesity risk

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.1285 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

M Egnell ◽

B Neal ◽

C Ni Mhurchu ◽

M Rayner ◽

A Jones ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Weight Gain ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Important Indicator ◽

Nutrient Profiling ◽

Nutrition Policies ◽

Food Standards ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Dietary Indices

Abstract Background Nutrient Profiling Systems (NPSs), including the UK Food Standards Agency NPS and its variants are used to classify foods according to their nutritional composition for nutrition policies. The prospective validity of these NPSs requires however further investigation. The study investigates the associations of the original Food Standards Agency (FSA)-NPS and three variants - the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC), the Health Star Rating (HSR) system NPS and the French NPS (HCSP-NPS) -, which are used as a basis for nutrition policies, with weight status. Methods Dietary indices based on each of the four investigated NPSs applied at the food level were computed at the individual level to characterize the diet quality of 71,178 French individuals from the NutriNet-Santé cohort. Associations of these Dietary Indices (DIs) (as tertiles) with weight gain were assessed using multivariable mixed models, and with overweight and obesity risks using multivariable Cox models. Results For the four NPSs, participants with a lower diet nutritional quality were more likely to have an increase in body mass index over time (median follow-up of 3.14 ± 2.76 years, beta coefficients positive, all p ≤ 0.0001), and an increased risk of overweight (HRT3vs.T1=1.27 [1.17-1.37] for the HCSP-DI, followed by the original FSA-DI with HRT3vs.T1=1.18 [1.09-1.28], the NPSC-DI with HRT3vs.T1=1.14 [1.06-1.24] and the HSR-DI, HRT3vs.T1=1.12 [1.04-1.21]). Whilst differences were small, the HCSP-DI appeared to show significantly greater association with risk of overweight compared to other NPS. Conclusions Less healthy diets defined using the Food Standards Agency-NPS and related systems were all associated with weight gain and overweight risk. Demonstrating this association with health outcomes is an important indicator of one validity dimension of NPSs and supports their use in public policies for the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases. Key messages Nutrient profile models of foods and beverages allow capturing the nutritional quality of diets and are prospectively associated with weight gain and obesity. The French NPS which underpins the front-of-pack Nutri-Score appeared to have a small but significant higher performance.

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Diet composition of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Frederick Sound, southeast Alaska: a comparison of quantification methods using scats to describe temporal and spatial variabilities

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2014-0292 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 93 (5) ◽

pp. 361-376 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

D.J. Tollit ◽

M.A. Wong ◽

A.W. Trites

Keyword(s):

Pacific Salmon ◽

Biomass Energy ◽

Eumetopias Jubatus ◽

Steller Sea Lions ◽

Southeast Alaska ◽

Merluccius Productus ◽

Sea Lions ◽

Sampling Protocols ◽

Dietary Indices

We compared eight dietary indices used to describe the diet of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776)) from 2001 to 2004 in Frederick Sound, southeast Alaska. Remains (n = 9666 items) from 59+ species categories were identified from 1684 fecal samples (scats) from 14 collection periods. The most frequently occurring prey were walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma (Pallas, 1814) = Gadus chalcogrammus Pallas, 1814; 95%), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1847; 30%), Pacific hake (Merluccius productus (Ayres, 1855); 29%), and arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias (Jordan and Gilbert, 1880) = Reinhardtius stomias (Jordan and Gilbert, 1880); 21%). These species, along with Pacific salmon (genus Oncorhynchus Suckley, 1861) and skate (genus Raja L., 1758), accounted for 80%–90% of the reconstructed biomass and energy contribution, with pollock contributing 37%–60%. Overall, 80% of fish were 14–42 cm long and mainly pelagic, though 40% of scats contained benthic-associated prey. Steller sea lions switched from adult pollock to strong cohorts of juvenile pollock, and took advantage of spawning concentrations of salmon in autumn and herring in late spring and summer, as well as a climate-driven increase in hake availability. Observed temporal and site differences in diet confirm the need for robust long-term scat sampling protocols. All major indices similarly tracked key temporal changes, despite differences in occurrence and biomass-energy-based diet estimates linked to prey size and energy-density effects and the application of correction factors.

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The mix map modelling approach: research application - a thought for the service industry

International Journal of Business and Globalisation ◽

10.1504/ijbg.2014.058031 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 75 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gianpaolo Vignali

Keyword(s):

Service Industry ◽

Research Application ◽

Modelling Approach

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Scoring models of a diet quality index and the predictive capability of mortality in a population-based cohort of Swedish men and women

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980012002789 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 468-478 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Isabel Drake ◽

Bo Gullberg ◽

Emily Sonestedt ◽

Peter Wallström ◽

Margaretha Persson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diet Quality ◽

Quality Index ◽

Population Based ◽

Dietary Recommendations ◽

Predictive Capability ◽

Men And Women ◽

Scoring Model ◽

Diet Quality Index ◽

Specific Mortality ◽

Dietary Indices

AbstractObjectiveTo examine how different scoring models for a diet quality index influence associations with mortality outcomes.DesignA study within the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort. Food and nutrient intakes were estimated using a diet history method. The index included six components: SFA, PUFA, fish and shellfish, fibre, fruit and vegetables, and sucrose. Component scores were assigned using predefined (based on dietary recommendations) and population-based cut-offs (based on median or quintile intakes). Multivariate Cox regression was used to model associations between index scores (low, medium, high) and all-cause and cause-specific mortality by sex.SettingMalmö, the third largest city in Sweden.SubjectsMen (n 6940) and women (n 10 186) aged 44–73 years. During a mean follow-up of 14·2 years, 2450 deaths occurred, 1221 from cancer and 709 from CVD.ResultsThe predictive capability of the index for mortality outcomes varied with type of scoring model and by sex. Stronger associations were seen among men using predefined cut-offs. In contrast, the quintile-based scoring model showed greater predictability for mortality outcomes among women. The scoring model using median-based cut-offs showed low predictability for mortality among both men and women.ConclusionsThe scoring model used for dietary indices may have a significant impact on observed associations with disease outcomes. The rationale for selection of scoring model should be included in studies investigating the association between dietary indices and disease. Adherence to the current dietary recommendations was in the present study associated with decreased risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality, particularly among men.

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