Blood oxygen is an essential component for numerous biological processes of mammalian animals. Milk production of ruminants largely relies on the supply of nutrients, such as glucose, amino acids and fatty acids. To define the regulatory role of blood oxygen availability in regard to milk production, seventy-five healthy Guanzhong dairy goats with similar body weight, days in milk and parities were selected. For each animal, milk yield was recorded and milk sample was collected to determine compositions. Milk vein blood was collected to determine parameters including blood gas, physio-biochemistry and haematology. Another blood sample was prepared for transcriptome and RT-qPCR. Results showed that both pressure of oxygen (pO2) in the milk vein (positively) and numbers of neutrophils in mammary vein (negatively) were associated with milk yield of the animals. To learn the role of pO2 in blood cell functionality, twelve animals (six with higher yield (H-group) and six with lower yield (L-group)) from seventy-five goats were selected. Compared with animals in L-group, goats in H-group were higher in pO2 but lower in pCO2, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase activity and neutrophil abundance in milk vein, compared with L-group. The blood transcriptome analysis suggested that compared with L-group, animals in H-group were depressed in functionality including neutrophil activation and metabolic pathways including glycolysis, NF-κB and HIF-1. Our result revealed that lower milk production could be associated with neutrophil activation responding to low pO2 in the mammary vein. In the meantime, we highlighted the potential importance of blood oxygen as a milk yield regulator.

A short-term 2-week (2w) and long-term 8-week (8w) feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of low-starch (LS) and high-starch (HS) diets on the growth performance, metabolism and liver health of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Two isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets containing two levels of starch (LS, 9·06 %; HS, 13·56 %) were fed to largemouth bass. The results indicated that HS diet had no significant effects on specific growth rate during 2w, whereas significantly lowered specific growth rate at 8w. HS diet significantly increased hepatic glycolysis and gluconeogenesis at postprandial 24 h in 2w. The hepatosomatic index, plasma alkaline phosphatase, total bile acid (TBA) levels, and hepatic glycogen, TAG, total cholesterol, TBA, and NEFA contents were significantly increased in the HS group at 2w. Moreover, HS diet up-regulated fatty acid and TAG synthesis-related genes and down-regulated TAG hydrolysis and β-oxidation-related genes. Therefore, the glucolipid metabolism disorders resulted in metabolic liver disease induced by HS diet at 2w. However, the up-regulation of bile acid synthesis, inflammation and energy metabolism-related genes in 2w indicated that largemouth bass was still in a state of ‘self-repair’ response. Interestingly, all the metabolic parameters were returned to homoeostasis, with up-regulation of intestinal glucose uptake and transport-related genes, even hepatic histopathological analysis showed no obvious abnormality in the HS group in 8w. In conclusion, HS feed induced short-term acute metabolic disorder, but long-term metabolic adaptation to HS diet was related to repairing metabolism disorders via improving inflammatory responses, bile acid synthesis and energy metabolism. These results strongly indicated that the largemouth bass owned certain adaptability to HS diet.

Colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer worldwide and linked to dietary/lifestyle factors. Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis (AP) contains bioactive compounds with beneficial effects in vivo/in vitro. We evaluated the effects of AP feeding against 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced colon carcinogenesis. Male Sprague Dawley rats were given subcutaneous injections of DMH (4 × 40 mg/kg body weight) (G1–G3) or vehicle (G4–G5) twice a week (weeks 3–4). During weeks 1–4, animals were fed a diet containing 1 % (G2) or 2 % (G3–G4) AP powder (w/w). After this period, all groups received a balanced diet until week 12. Some animals were euthanised after the last DMH injection (week 4) for histological, immunohistochemical (Ki-67, γ-H2AX and caspase-3) and molecular analyses (real time-PCR for 91 genes), while other animals were euthanised at week 12 for preneoplastic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) analysis. Both AP treatments (G2–G3) significantly decreased the DMH-induced increase in γ-H2AX (DNA damage) and caspase 3 (DNA damage-induced cell death) in colonic crypts at week 4. In addition, Cyp2e1 (Drug metabolism), Notch1, Notch2 and Jag1 genes (Notch pathway) and Atm, Wee1, Chek2, Mgmt, Ogg1 and Xrcc6 genes (DNA repair) were also down-regulated by 2 % AP feeding (G3) at week 4. A significant reduction in ACF development was observed in both AP-treated groups (G2–G3) at week 12. In conclusion, findings indicate that AP feeding reduced acute colonic damage after DMH, resulting in fewer preneoplastic lesions. Our study provided mechanistic insights on dietary AP-preventive effects against early colon carcinogenesis.

Malnutrition and sarcopenia are prevalent in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Pre-treatment sarcopenia and adverse oncological outcomes in this population are well described. The impact of myosteatosis and post-treatment sarcopenia is less well known. Patients with HNSCC (n = 125) undergoing chemoradiotherapy, radiotherapy alone and/or surgery were assessed for sarcopenia and myosteatosis, using cross-sectional computed tomography (CT) imaging at the third lumbar (L3) vertebra, at baseline and 3 months post-treatment. Outcomes were overall survival (OS) at 12 months and 5 years post-treatment. One hundred and one participants had a CT scan evaluable at one or two time points, of which sixty-seven (66 %) participants were sarcopenic on at least one time point. Reduced muscle attenuation affected 93 % (n = 92) pre-treatment compared with 97 % (n = 90) post-treatment. Five-year OS favoured those without post-treatment sarcopenia (hazard ratio, HR 0·37, 95 % CI 0·16, 0·88, P = 0·06) and those without both post-treatment myosteatosis and sarcopenia (HR 0·33, 95 % CI 0·13, 0·83, P = 0·06). Overall, rates of myosteatosis were high at both pre- and post-treatment time points. Post-treatment sarcopenia was associated with worse 5-year OS, as was post-treatment sarcopenia in those who had myosteatosis. Post-treatment sarcopenia should be evaluated as an independent risk factor for decreased long-term survival post-treatment containing radiotherapy (RT) for HNSCC.

Despite several efforts by the Government of India, the national burden of anaemia remains high and its growing prevalence (between 2015–2016 and 2019–2021) is concerning to India’s public health system. This article reviews existing food-based and clinical strategies to mitigate the anaemia burden and why they are premature and insufficient. In a context where multiple anaemia control programmes are in play, this article proposes a threefold strategy for consideration. First, except the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey, 2016–2018, which measured Hb concentration among children and adolescents aged 1–19 years using venous blood samples, all national surveys use capillary blood samples to determine Hb levels, which could be erroneous. The Indian government should prioritise conducting a nationwide survey for estimating the burden of anaemia and its clinical determinants for all age groups using venous blood samples. Second, without deciding the appropriate dose of Fe needed for an individual, food fortification programmes that are often compounded with layering of other micronutrients could be harmful and further research on this issue is needed. Same is true for the pharmacological intervention of Fe tablet or syrup supplementation programmes, which is given to individuals without assessing its need. In addition, there is a dire need for robust research to understand both the long-term benefit and side effects of Fe supplementation programmes. Third and final, the WHO is in process of reviewing the Hb threshold for defining anaemia, therefore the introduction of new anaemia control programmes should be restrained.

There is now evidence to suggest that there may be an interaction between B vitamins and n-3 PUFA, with suggestions that increasing intake of both nutrients simultaneously may benefit cognition in older adults. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate whether supplementation with a combination of n-3 PUFA and B vitamins can prevent cognitive decline in older adults. Randomised controlled trials conducted in older adults that measured cognitive function were retrieved. The included trials provided a combination of n-3 PUFA and B vitamins alone, or in combination with other nutrients. Trials that provided n-3 PUFA alone and also measured B vitamin status or provided B vitamin supplementation alone and measured n-3 PUFA status were also included. The databases searched were The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus and MEDLINE. A total of 14 papers were included in the analysis (n 4913; age: 60–70 years; follow-up 24 weeks to 4 years). The meta-analysis results found a significant benefit of nutrient formulas, which included both n-3 PUFA and B vitamins alongside other nutrients, v. placebo on global cognition assessed using composite scores from a neuropsychological test battery (G = 0·23, P = 0·002), global cognition using single measures of cognition (G = 0·28, P = 0·004) and episodic memory (G = 0·32, P = 0·001). The results indicate that providing a combination of n-3 PUFA and B vitamins as part of a multi-nutrient formula benefits cognition in older adults v. a placebo, and the potential for an interaction between these key nutrients should be considered in future experimental work.

Beetroot (BR) is a rich source of nitrate (NO3-) that has been shown to reduce blood pressure (BP). Yet, no studies have examined the vascular benefits of BR in whole-food form and whether the effects are modified by age. This study was a four-arm, randomised, open-label, cross-over design in twenty-four healthy adults (young n 12, age 27 ± 4 years, old n 12, age 64 ± 5 years). Participants consumed whole-cooked BR at portions of (NO3- content in brackets) 100 g (272 mg), 200 g (544 mg) and 300 g (816 mg) and a 200-ml solution containing 1000 mg of potassium nitrate (KNO3) on four separate occasions over a 4-week period (≥7-d washout period). BP, plasma NO3- and nitrite (NO2-) concentrations, and post-occlusion reactive hyperaemia via laser Doppler, were measured pre- and up to 5-h post-intervention. Data were analysed by repeated-measures ANOVA. Plasma NO2- concentrations were higher in the young v. old at baseline and post-intervention (P < 0·05). All NO3- interventions decreased systolic and diastolic BP in young participants (P < 0·05), whereas only KNO3 (at 240–300 min post-intake) significantly decreased systolic (–4·8 mmHg, −3·5 %, P = 0·024) and diastolic (–5·4 mmHg, −6·5 %, P = 0·007) BP in older participants. In conclusion, incremental doses of dietary NO3- reduced systolic and diastolic BP in healthy young adults whereas in the older group a significant decrease was only observed with the highest dose. The lower plasma NO2- concentrations in older participants suggest that there may be mechanistic differences in the production of NO from dietary NO3- in young and older populations.

Childhood malnutrition is known as a public health concern globally. The present study aims to assess the anthropometry and blood biochemical status of rural primary schoolchildren in Malaysia. A total of 776 children (7–11 years old) from ten rural primary schools from five states were included in this study. Nutritional outcomes were assessed based on sex, age group and school categories among the children (median age: 9 years (P25:8, P75:10)). The overall prevalence of malnutrition was 53·4 %. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) was recorded at 20·6 and 39·8 % based on retinol and retinol-binding protein (RBP) levels, respectively. Anaemia, iron deficiency (ID), iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) and elevated inflammation were found at 14·9, 17·9, 9·1 and 11·5 %, respectively. Malnutrition, VAD, anaemia, ID, IDA and elevated inflammation were more prevalent among Orang Asli (OA) schoolchildren compared with Non-Orang Asli schoolchildren. Higher occurrences of VAD and anaemia were also found among children aged <10 years. Retinol, RBP, α-carotene, ferritin and haemoglobin levels were lower among undernourished children. Besides, overweight/obese children exhibited a higher level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that OA school children (adjusted OR (AOR): 6·1; 95 % CI 4·1, 9·0) and IDA (AOR: 3·6; 95 % CI 1·9, 6·6) were associated with stunting among this population. The present study revealed that malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia are prevalent among rural primary schoolchildren in Malaysia, especially those from OA schools and younger age children (<10 years). Hence, more appropriate and targeted measures are needed to improve the nutritional status of these children.

Iron deficiency is the leading cause of anaemia. In Argentina, the prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency is very high; for that reason, the Argentine Society of Pediatrics recommends daily ferrous sulphate supplementation as a preventive treatment strategy. Alternatively, weekly ferrous sulphate supplementation has also been shown to be effective for anaemia prevention. Excess iron could be related to oxidative stress, which may in turn cause cytomolecular damage. Both can be prevented with vitamin E supplementation. We evaluated the effect of both daily and weekly ferrous sulphate supplementation combined with two doses of vitamin E on cell viability, oxidative stress and cytomolecular damage in peripheral blood cultured in vitro. The experimental design included the following groups: untreated negative control, two vitamin E controls (8·3 and 16·6 µg/ml), weekly ferrous sulphate supplementation (0·55 mg/ml) with each vitamin E dose, daily ferrous sulphate supplementation (0·14 mg/ml) with each vitamin E dose and a positive control. Daily ferrous sulphate supplementation decreased cell viability and increased the levels of reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation and cytomolecular damage (P < 0·5) compared with the weekly supplementation, probably due to the excess iron observed in the former. Vitamin E seemed to reduce ferrous sulphate-induced oxidative stress and genomic damage.

Zn deficiency arising from inadequate dietary intake of bioavailable Zn is common in children in developing countries. Because house crickets are a rich source of Zn, their consumption could be an effective public health measure to combat Zn deficiency. This study used Optifood, a tool based on linear programming analysis, to develop food-based dietary recommendations (FBR) and predict whether dietary house crickets can improve both Zn and overall nutrient adequacy of children’s diets. Two quantitative, multi-pass 24-h recalls from forty-seven children aged 2 and 3 years residing in rural Kenya were collected and used to derive model parameters, including a list of commonly consumed foods, median serving sizes and frequency of consumption. Two scenarios were modelled: (i) FBR based on local available foods and (ii) FBR based on local available foods with house crickets. Results revealed that Zn would cease to be a problem nutrient when including house crickets to children’s diets (population reference intake coverage for Zn increased from 89 % to 121 % in the best-case scenario). FBR based on both scenarios could ensure nutrient adequacy for all nutrients except for fat, but energy percentage (E%) for fat was higher when house crickets were included in the diet (23 E% v. 19 E%). This manoeuvre, combined with realistic changes in dietary practices, could therefore improve dietary Zn content and ensure adequacy for twelve nutrients for Kenyan children. Further research is needed to render these theoretical recommendations, practical.

A nationally generalisable cohort (n 5770) was used to determine the prevalence of non-timely (early/late) introduction of complementary food and core food groups and associations with maternal sociodemographic and health behaviours in New Zealand (NZ). Variables describing maternal characteristics and infant food introduction were sourced, respectively, from interviews completed antenatally and during late infancy. The NZ Infant Feeding Guidelines were used to define early (≤ 4 months) and late (≥ 7 months) introduction. Associations were examined using multivariable multinomial regression, presented as adjusted relative risk ratios and 95 % confidence intervals (RRR; 95% CI). Complementary food introduction was early for 40·2 % and late for 3·2 %. The prevalence of early food group introduction were fruit/vegetables (23·8 %), breads/cereals (36·3 %), iron-rich foods (34·1 %) and of late were meat/meat alternatives (45·9 %), dairy products (46·2 %) and fruits/vegetables (9·9 %). Compared with infants with timely food introduction, risk of early food introduction was increased for infants: breastfed < 6months (2·52; 2·19–2·90), whose mothers were < 30 years old (1·69; 1·46–1·94), had a diploma/trade certificate v. tertiary education (1·39; 1·1–1·70), of Māori v. European ethnicity (1·40; 1·12–1·75) or smoked during pregnancy (1·88; 1·44–2·46). Risk of late food introduction decreased for infants breastfed < 6 months (0·47; 0.27–0·80) and increased for infants whose mothers had secondary v. tertiary education (2·04; 1·16–3·60) were of Asian v. European ethnicity (2·22; 1·35, 3·63) or did not attend childbirth preparation classes (2·23; 1·24–4·01). Non-timely food introduction, specifically early food introduction, is prevalent in NZ. Interventions to improve food introduction timeliness should be ethnic-specific and support longer breast-feeding.

Food insecurity has been associated with poor diet, but few studies focused on the postpartum period – an important time for women’s health. We examined associations between food security and diet quality in postpartum women and assessed whether participation in federal food assistance programmes modified this potential relation. Using longitudinal data, we analysed the association between food security at 3 months postpartum and a modified Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI) at 6 months postpartum (excluding alcohol). We conducted multivariable linear regressions examining associations between food security and AHEI. We assessed two food assistance programmes as potential effect modifiers. The sample included 363 postpartum women from the Nurture study, located in the Southeastern USA (2013–2017). Among women, 64·4 % were Black and 45·7 % had a high school diploma or less. We found no evidence of an interaction between food security and two federal food assistance programmes. In adjusted models, marginal, low and very low food security were not associated with AHEI. However, low (β: −0·64; 95 % CI −1·15, −0·13; P = 0·01) and very low (β: −0·57; 95 % CI −1·02, −0·13; P = 0·01) food security were associated with greater trans fat intake. Food security status was not associated with overall diet quality but was associated with higher trans fat (low and very low) and more moderate alcohol (marginal) intake. Future studies should assess the consistency and generalisability of these findings.

A healthy lifestyle during adolescence is associated with insulin sensitivity or liver enzyme levels and thus might contribute to the prevention of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, we examined the association between adherence to a hypothesis-based lifestyle score including dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep duration and BMI in adolescence and fatty liver indices in early adulthood. Overall, 240 participants of the DOrtmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed study completed repeated measurements of lifestyle score factors during adolescence (females: 8·5–15·5 years, males: 9·5–16·5 years). Multivariable linear regression models were used to investigate the association between adolescent lifestyle scores and NAFLD risk (hepatic steatosis index (HSI) and fatty liver index (FLI)) in early adulthood (18–30 years). Participants visited the study centre 4·9 times during adolescence and achieved on average 2·8 (min: 0·6, max: 5) out of five lifestyle score points. Inverse associations were observed between the lifestyle score and fatty liver indices (HSI: ß=−5·8 % (95 % CI −8·3, −3·1), P < 0·0001, FLI: ß=−32·4 % (95 % CI −42·9, −20·0), P < 0·0001) in the overall study population. Sex-stratified analysis confirmed these results in men, while inverse but non-significant associations were observed in women (P > 0·05). A higher lifestyle score was associated with lower HSI and FLI values, suggesting that a healthy lifestyle during adolescence might contribute to NAFLD prevention, predominantly in men. Our findings on repeatedly measured lifestyle scores in adolescents and their association with NAFLD risk in early adulthood warrant confirmation in larger study populations.

One potential mechanism by which diet and lifestyle may affect chronic disease risk and subsequent mortality is through chronic systemic inflammation. In this study, we investigated whether the inflammatory potentials of diet and lifestyle, separately and combined, were associated with all-cause, all-CVD and all-cancer mortality risk. We analysed data on 18 484 (of whom 4103 died during follow-up) Black and White men and women aged ≥45 years from the prospective REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study. Using baseline (2003–2007) Block 98 FFQ and lifestyle questionnaire data, we constructed the previously validated inflammation biomarker panel-weighted, 19-component dietary inflammation score (DIS) and 4-component lifestyle inflammation score (LIS) to reflect the overall inflammatory potential of diet and lifestyle. From multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, the hazards ratios (HR) and their 95 % CI for the DIS–all-cause mortality and LIS–all-cause mortality risk associations were 1·32 (95 % CI (1·18, 1·47); P for trend < 0·01) and 1·25 (95 % CI (1·12, 1·38); P for trend < 0·01), respectively, among those in the highest relative to the lowest quintiles. The findings were similar by sex and race and for all-cancer mortality, but weaker for all-CVD mortality. The joint HR for all-cause mortality among those in the highest relative to the lowest quintiles of both the DIS and LIS was 1·91 (95 % CI 1·57, 2·33) (P for interaction < 0·01). Diet and lifestyle, via their contributions to systemic inflammation, separately, but perhaps especially jointly, may be associated with higher mortality risk among men and women.

The INDDEX24 Dietary Assessment Platform (INDDEX24) was developed to facilitate the collection of 24-h dietary recall (24HR) data. Alongside validation studies in Viet Nam and Burkina Faso in 2019–2020, we conducted activity-based costing studies to estimate the cost of conducting a 24HR among women of reproductive age using INDDEX24 compared with the pen-and-paper interview (PAPI) approach. We also modelled alternative scenarios in which: (1) 25–75 % of dietary reference data were borrowed from the INDDEX24 Global Food Matters Database (FMDB); (2) all study personnel were locally based and (3) national-scale surveys. In the primary analysis, in Viet Nam, the 24HR cost US $111 004 ($755/respondent, n 147) using INDDEX24 and $120 483 ($820/respondent, n 147) using PAPI. In Burkina Faso, the 24HR cost $78 105 ($539/respondent, n 145) using INDDEX24 and $79 465 ($544/respondent, n 146) using PAPI. In modelled scenarios, borrowing dietary reference data from the FMDB decreased the cost of INDDEX24 by 17–34 % (Viet Nam) and 5–15 % (Burkina Faso). With all locally based personnel, INDDEX24 cost more than PAPI ($498 v. $448 per respondent in Viet Nam and $456 v. $410 in Burkina Faso). However, at national scales (n 4376, Viet Nam; n 6500, Burkina Faso) using all locally based personnel, INDDEX24 was more cost-efficient ($109 v. $137 per respondent in Viet Nam and $123 v. $148 in Burkina Faso). In two countries and under most circumstances, INDDEX24 was less expensive than PAPI. Higher INDDEX24 survey preparation costs (including purchasing equipment) were more than offset by higher PAPI data entry, cleaning and processing costs. INDDEX24 may facilitate cost-efficient dietary data collection.