Weaker connectivity in resting state networks is associated with disinhibited eating in older adults

Background/objectives Obesity affects more than forty percent of adults over the age of sixty. Aberrant eating styles such as disinhibition have been associated with the engagement of brain networks underlying executive functioning, attentional control, and interoception. However, these effects have been exclusively studied in young samples overlooking those most at risk of obesity related harm. Methods Here we assessed associations between resting-state functional connectivity and disinhibited eating (using the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire) in twenty-one younger (aged 19–34 years, BMI range: 18–31) and twenty older (aged 60–73 years, BMI range: 19–32) adults matched for BMI. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index was used to quantify diet quality. Results Older, compared to younger, individuals reported lower levels of disinhibited eating, consumed a healthier diet, and had weaker connectivity in the frontoparietal (FPN) and default mode (DMN) networks. In addition, associations between functional connectivity and eating behaviour differed between the two age groups. In older adults, disinhibited eating was associated with weaker connectivity in the FPN and DMN––effects that were absent in the younger sample. Importantly, these effects could not be explained by differences in habitual diet. Conclusions These findings point to a change in interoceptive signalling as part of the ageing process, which may contribute to behavioural changes in energy intake, and highlight the importance of studying this under researched population.

Is the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) Associated with Depression and Anxiety?

The article's abstract is not available.

Association between overall diet quality and postmenopausal breast cancer risk in five Finnish cohort studies

There 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.

Lung function, COPD and Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010) in US adults

BackgroundThere is a large burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the United States (US). The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between diet quality with lung function, airway restriction, and spirometrically defined COPD in a nationally representative sample of US adults.MethodsAdults (19–70 years of age) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2012 cycles were included (N=10 428). Diet quality was determined using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010). Pre-bronchodilator measurements of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and the FEV1/FVC were described. Calibrated lower limit of normal (LLN) estimates were derived to determine prevalence of airway restriction (FVC<LLN) and COPD (FEV1/FVC Ratio<LLN). Population-weighted linear and logistic regression models were used to investigate the association of AHEI-2010 and respiratory outcomes.ResultsThe average AHEI was 45.3 (±12.2), equivalent to meeting 41% of the daily recommendations for optimal diet quality. Those in the highest quartile of AHEI had better FEV1 (adjusted [a]β:47.92, 95% CI 2.27, 93.57) and FVC (aβ: 80.23, 95% CI 34.03, 126.42; p-value interaction (*) of AHEI and smoking >0.05) compared to those in quartile 1. Higher AHEI was also associated with lower odds of airway restriction (OR: 0.23, 95% CI 0.08, 0.67; p-value AHEI*ethnicity >0.05).ConclusionsDiet quality was independently associated with better FEV1, FVC, and with lower odds of spirometric restriction. These findings highlight the need for research to further elucidate the possible beneficial role of diet in the preservation of lung function.

Abstract MP06: Healthy Diet Quality Is Associated With Epigenetic Age Deceleration

Introduction: Epigenetic age is a marker of healthy lifespan. Diet quality is known to be associated with the risk of developing chronic diseases; however, the relation between diet quality and epigenetic age remains to be investigated. Hypothesis: We tested the hypothesis that healthy diet quality is associated with favorable epigenetic age. Methods: Participants were drawn from the eighth examination of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort ( n =1,995; mean age 67 years; 55% women). Diet quality was estimated using Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and Mediterranean-style Diet Score (MDS) derived from food frequency questionnaire. A second generation of epigenetic age, DNA methylation GrimAge, was calculated. Epigenetic age acceleration (GrimAA) was derived as residual after adjustment for chronological age using linear regression model. Results and Conclusions: Higher AHEI and MDS (i.e., healthier diet) were associated with decreased GrimAA after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and energy intake ( P < 0.001). We observed that the association of diet quality with GrimAA was stronger in ever-smokers (i.e., former and current smokers) compared to that in never-smokers ( P interaction < 0.001 for both scores). In ever-smokers, adjusted mean Grim AA was 3.95 years (95%CI: 3.47, 4.43) and 0.65 years (95%CI: 0.11, 1.19) in the lowest and highest AHEI quartile category, respectively, or GrimAA was reduced by 1.15 years (95%CI: 0.82, 1.48) per standard deviation (SD) increase in AHEI, P < 0.001. In never-smokers, adjusted mean GrimAA was -1.73 years (95%CI: -2.19, -1.26) and -2.37 years (95%CI: -2.80, 1.94) in the lowest and highest AHEI quartile category, respectively, or GrimAA was reduced by 0.23 years (95%CI: 0.05, 0.40) per SD increase in AHEI, P = 0.01. Similarly, for one SD increase in MDS, the GrimAA was reduced by 0.92 years (95%CI: 0.56, 1.27; P < 0.001) in ever-smokers, but by 0.19 years (95%CI: 0.01, 0.38; P = 0.04) in never-smokers. GrimAA significantly mediated the association between diet quality and all-cause mortality with the mean proportion of 37.0% for AHEI ( P mediation < 0.001) and 25.5% for MDS ( P mediation = 0.001). The mediation effect of GrimAA was more prominent in ever-smokers, which was twice the proportion found in never-smokers for both AHEI and MDS. In conclusion, higher diet quality is associated with decelerated epigenetic aging, which partially explains the beneficial relation of diet quality and healthy lifespan. These results also suggest that better diet quality could be more beneficial in ever-smokers.

Diet scores and prediction of general and abdominal obesity in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study.

Objective To ascertain which of the Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI), Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) and Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) best predicted body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip circumference ratio (WHR). Design Body size was measured at baseline (1990-94) and in 2003-7. Diet was assessed at baseline using a food frequency questionnaire, along with age, sex, socioeconomic status, smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, and country of birth. Regression coefficients and 95% confidence intervals for the association of baseline dietary scores with follow-up BMI and WHR were generated using multivariable linear regression, adjusting for baseline body-size, confounders and energy intake. Setting Population-based cohort in Melbourne, Australia. Participants Included were data from 11,030 men and 16,774 women aged 40 to 69 years at baseline. Results Median (IQR) follow up was 11.6 (10.7 – 12.8) years. BMI and WHR at follow-up were associated with baseline DII® (Q5 vs Q1 (BMI 0.41 95%CI (0.21, 0.61) and WHR 0.009 95%CI (0.006, 0.013)), and AHEI (Q5 vs Q1 (BMI -0.51 95%CI (-0.68, -0.35) and WHR -0.011 95%CI (-0.013, -0.008)). WHR, but not BMI, at follow-up was associated with baseline MDS (Group 3 most Mediterranean vs G1 (BMI -0.05 95%CI (-0.23, 0.13) and WHR -0.004 95%CI (-0.007, -0.001)). Based on Akaike’s Information Criterion and Bayesian Information Criterion statistics, AHEI was a stronger predictor of body size than the other diet scores. Conclusion Poor quality or pro-inflammatory diets predicted overall and central obesity. The AHEI may provide the best way to assess the obesogenic potential of diet.

Dietary Pattern Trajectories in Middle Age and Physical Function in Older Age

Background Increasingly, lifestyle factors in midlife are reported to impact health and functional status in old age. This work examines associations between dietary trajectories in middle age and subsequent impairments in physical function. Method Data are from 851 participants (61% men, mean age at first dietary assessment = 47 years, range 30–59 years) from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. We used latent class analysis to derive dietary trajectories based on adherence to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI), and further classified them based on tertiles, as poor (score &lt;39.3), intermediate (39.3–48.9), or good (&gt;48.9). Physical function was assessed with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Random effects tobit regression models were used to examine associations between dietary trajectories and later physical function. Results Two latent classes of AHEI scores were generated and labeled “greatly improved” or “moderately improved.” In the greatly improved class, participants showed a trend in overall AHEI score from poor/intermediate to good diet categories across dietary assessments with age, over time. In the moderately improved class, the overall AHEI score shifted from poor to intermediate diet categories over time, and the prevalence of the good diet category remained low. Mean AHEI score between ages 30 and 59 years was higher in the greatly, than moderately, improved class. The moderately improved class had 1.6 points lower SPPB score (indicating poorer physical function) at older age than the greatly improved class (p = .022). Conclusions Findings suggest that improving diet quality in middle age may contribute to better physical function in older age.

Association of food security, body mass index, micronutrient adequacy and adherence to Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 among Iranian households

Purpose There is limited knowledge about the association of food insecurity and dietary quality among the Iranian households. The purpose of this study is to determine diet quality among the Iranian households and to investigate whether dietary quality is associated with food security status in this population. Design/methodology/approach The 18-item household food security questionnaire was administered to 200 households from different parts of Isfahan, Iran. Households were selected by two-stage cluster randomized sampling. Households were categorized into four groups based on their score on the questionnaire; food secure (total score 0), mild food insecure (total score 1–2), moderate food insecure (total score 3–7) and severe food insecure (total score 8–18). In the second stage of the study, 25 households were selected from each food security status group to evaluate the micronutrient adequacy and assess the adherence to Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010). Findings Food-secure households had higher adherence to the AHEI-2010 than food-insecure households (p < 0.001). Food-secure households consistently achieved higher value of the nutrient adequacy ratio for most of the micronutrients than food-insecure households, with the greatest differences seen for zinc (p < 0.001) in households (father, mother and first child), vitamin D (p < 0.001), vitamin A (father: p = 0.05, mother: p = 0.04), calcium (p < 0.001) and iron (father: p = 0.02, mother: p < 0.001) in mother and father. Originality/value Low dietary quality was associated with food insecurity. Food-secure households had higher micronutrient adequacy ratio for most of the nutrients.

The reliability and relative validity of predefined dietary patterns were higher than that of exploratory dietary patterns in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam population

The aim of this study was to assess the ability of the FFQ to describe reliable and valid dietary pattern (DP) scores. In a total of 134 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam study aged 35–67 years, the FFQ was applied twice (baseline and after 1 year) to assess its reliability. Between November 1995 and March 1997, twelve 24-h dietary recalls (24HDR) as reference instrument were applied to assess the validity of the FFQ. Exploratory DP were derived by principal component analyses. Investigated predefined DP were the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and two Mediterranean diet indices. From dietary data of each FFQ, two exploratory DP were retained, but differed in highly loading food groups, resulting in moderate correlations (r 0·45–0·58). The predefined indices showed higher correlations between the FFQ (r(AHEI) 0·62, r(Mediterranean Diet Pyramid Index (MedPyr)) 0·62 and r(traditional Mediterranean Diet Score (tMDS)) 0·51). From 24HDR dietary data, one exploratory DP retained differed in composition to the first FFQ-based DP, but showed similarities to the second DP, reflected by a good correlation (r 0·70). The predefined DP correlated moderately (r 0·40–0·60). To conclude, long-term analyses on exploratory DP should be interpreted with caution, due to only moderate reliability. The validity differed extensively for the two exploratory DP. The investigated predefined DP showed a better reliability and a moderate validity, comparable to other studies. Within the two Mediterranean diet indices, the MedPyr performed better than the tMDs in this middle-aged, semi-urban German study population.