To assess the impact of nutritional and multiple-micronutrient supplementation to lactating mothers on the micronutrient status of mother–infant dyad at 6 months of age postnatally.

This study was a trial that aimed to investigate the impact of maternal nutritional supplementation on infant growth. A secondary objective was to assess the effect on the micronutrient status of mother–infant pairs. The intervention group mothers received snacks with 600 kcal energy, 20 g protein and daily micronutrient tablets.

Blood samples were collected from both mothers and infants at 6 months.

The participants in this study were mother–infant pairs. The micronutrient status of these pairs was assessed through blood samples, focusing on vitamins A, D, B12, ferritin, Zn and folate.

Micronutrient analysis of serum samples from 600 mother–infant pairs showed that mothers in the intervention group had higher levels of serum ferritin (mean difference (MD) 14·7 ng/ml), retinol (MD 0·6 μmol/l), folate (MD 3·3 ng/ml) and vitamin D (1·03 ng/ml) at 6 months postpartum. Additionally, the supplementation was associated with a higher mean ± sd of serum ferritin (MD 8·9 ng/ml) and vitamin A (MD 0·2 μmol/l) levels in infants at 6 months.

The study found that supplementing maternal nutrition with additional dietary and micronutrient intakes during lactation improved maternal micronutrient status and slightly increased ferritin and vitamin A levels in infants at 6 months. The findings highlight the importance of nutritional interventions for improving the micronutrient health of mother–infant pairs, with significant public health implications.

Trial registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (CTRI/2018/04/013095).

To identify (1) who experiences food insecurity of differing severity and (2) who uses food banks in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; (3) whether the same groups experience food insecurity and use food banks; and (4) to explore country- and region-level differences in food insecurity and food bank use.

This pooled cross-sectional study analysed the characteristics of adults experiencing food insecurity of differing severity using generalised ordinal logistic regression models and the characteristics of adults using food banks using logistic regression models, using data from three waves of the Food and You 2 surveys, 2021–2023.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

18 557 adults.

20·8 % of respondents experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months, and 3·6 % had used a food bank. Food insecurity was associated with income, working status, respondent age, family type, ethnicity, country, long-term health conditions, food hypersensitivity, urban-rural status and area-level deprivation. Severe food insecurity was concentrated among respondents with long-term health conditions and food hypersensitivities. Food bank use was more prevalent among food insecure respondents and unemployed and low-income respondents. Neither outcome showed clear geographical variation. Certain groups experienced an elevated likelihood of food insecurity but did not report correspondingly greater food bank use.

Food insecurity is unevenly distributed, and its nutrition and health-related consequences demonstrate that food insecurity will intensify health inequalities. The divergence between the scale of food insecurity and food bank use strengthens calls for adequate policy responses.

To characterise consumption of ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPF) across a range of socio-demographic characteristics of Canadians.

Cross-sectional study. The national-level 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey–Nutrition provided data on all foods and drinks consumed on the previous day via a 24-hour dietary recall. All food items were classified according to the type of industrial processing using the NOVA system. Multivariable linear regression models examined associations between a range of socio-demographic characteristics and the mean energy contribution (% of total daily energy intake) from total UPF and UPF subgroups.

The ten Canadian provinces.

Canadians aged 2 or older (n 20 103).

UPF contributed, on average, nearly half (44·9 %) of total daily energy intake of Canadians. Children aged 6–12 and adolescents aged 13–18 consumed over half of total daily energy from UPF (adjusted means of 51·9 % and 50·7 %, respectively). Recent and long-term immigrants consumed a significantly lower share of energy from UPF (adjusted means of 42·2 % and 45·1 %, respectively) compared with non-immigrants (54·4 %), as did the food secure (42·8 %) v. those in moderately (48·1 %) or severely food-insecure households (50·8 %). More modest differences were observed for intake of total UPF and UPF subgroups by sex, education, income adequacy and region of residence.

Levels of UPF consumption in 2015 in Canada were pervasive in all socio-demographic groups and highest among children and adolescents, non-immigrants and those living in food-insecure households. These findings can inform public health interventions to reduce UPF consumption and promote healthier diets in various socio-demographic groups.

To assess the relationship between dietary intake of α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein+zeaxanthin (LZ) and occurrence of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).

Cross-sectional study design. The MAFLD diagnosis was based on hepatic steatosis and metabolic dysregulation. Carotenoid intake was adjusted for using an energy-adjusted model. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were used to assess the relationships, with sensitivity analysis to validate the findings. Weighted quantile sum regression (WQS) was used to explore the combined effect of these carotenoids on MAFLD. Subgroup analyses were conducted to identify population-specific associations.

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017–March 2020.

This study included 5098 individuals aged 18 years and older.

After adjusting for potential confounders, a weak inverse association was observed between α-carotene and β-carotene intakes and MAFLD occurrence (all P value <0·05). The highest quartile of β-carotene intake showed a significantly lower occurrence of MAFLD compared with the lowest quartile (OR = 0·65; 95 % CI: 0·44, 0·97). RCS analysis showed that a significantly lower occurrence of MAFLD was associated with a higher intake of the four carotenoids, excluding lycopene. Furthermore, the WQS analysis revealed a negative relationship between combined carotenoid intake and MAFLD occurrence (OR = 0·95, 95 % CI: 0·90, 1·00, P = 0·037). Subgroup analyses showed dietary carotenoid intake was associated with reduced MAFLD occurrence in populations aged 50–69 years, females, physically active individuals and non-drinkers.

Higher dietary intake of carotenoids is associated with lower MAFLD occurrence. However, this relationship varies among individuals of different ages, sexes and lifestyles.

The International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes is an important instrument to protect and promote appropriate infant and young child feeding and the safe use of commercial milk formulas. Ghana and Tanzania implemented the Code into national legislation in 2000 and 1994, respectively. We aimed to estimate the effects of the Code implementation on child mortality (CM) in both countries.

The countries analysed were Ghana and Tanzania.

For CM and HIV rates, data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation from up to 2019 were used. Data for income and skilled birth rates were retrieved from the World Bank, for fertility from the World Population Prospects, for vaccination from the Global Health Observatory and for employment from the International Labour Organization.

We used the synthetic control group method and performed placebo tests to assess statistical inference. The primary outcomes were CM by lower respiratory infections, mainly pneumonia, and diarrhoea and the secondary outcome was overall CM.

One-sided inference tests showed statistically significant treatment effects for child deaths by lower respiratory infections in Ghana (P = 0·0476) and Tanzania (P = 0·0476) and for diarrhoea in Tanzania (P = 0·0476). More restrictive two-sided inference tests showed a statistically significant treatment effect for child deaths by lower respiratory infections in Ghana (P = 0·0476). No statistically significant results were found for overall CM.

The results suggest that the implementation of the Code in both countries had a potentially beneficial effect on CM due to infectious diseases; however, further research is needed to corroborate these findings.

The solicitation of nutrition-related health advice on social media platforms is on the rise. However, there is a paucity of research on the distinctive nutrition-related concerns and needs faced by transgender and gender-diverse individuals. Understanding patterns of nutrition-related information-seeking behaviour is vital to advancing health promotion efforts within this community. This study aimed to characterise the nutrition-related questions posed by the transgender community on a prominent social media outlet, Reddit.

A qualitative, cross-sectional content analysis was conducted, focusing on the top 100 submissions (ranked by popularity) within a transgender-centric online subreddit (r/asktransgender). Data extraction was facilitated using the Application Programming Interface Pushshift. The content analysis was conducted using NVivo.

The study was situated within the discussion forum of the social media platform, Reddit.

A total of 148 references from 90 eligible posts were identified and coded. The major themes included the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on nutritional health (n 66), weight status (n 45), dietary needs and behaviours (n 21), physical activity and weight loss on body shape (n 9), social undermining (n 4) and effects of health behaviours on HRT (n 3).

This study underscores the pressing need for tailored and evidence-based nutrition guidelines and communication toolkits that specifically address the distinct needs and experiences of transgender individuals, particularly those undergoing HRT.

To investigate how dieting is portrayed on TikTok and the potential implications for public health considering the effect of diet culture on eating disorders amongst young people.

A cross-sectional descriptive content analysis of 250 videos from the five most popular diet-related hashtags. A codebook was developed to analyse the content of the videos and collect the engagement for each video (likes, comments and shares).

TikTok website.

There were no participants in this study.

More than half of the videos portrayed ‘body checking’, a potentially harmful practice for body image. Of the videos that represented body image, almost half represented body image negatively. However, most videos promoted the idea of ‘healthy eating’, and only 6·4 % displayed disordered eating behaviours. Over half of the videos provided dietary advice, and of those videos, most content creators claimed to be experts (64 %). Claiming expertise was not significantly associated with engagement; however, the use of humour was significantly associated with engagement. Additionally, males were more likely than females to disclose their goals of the diet.

Overall, it appears that TikTok is commonly used to share nutrition tips and personal experiences around dieting and eating in general, often employing humour as an effective technique. The popularity of the platform and rapid dissemination of information would be a useful tool for health professionals, especially those working with eating disorders, to utilise.

Food literacy (FL) is a potential approach to address the nutrition transition in Africa, but a validated tool is lacking. We developed and validated a scale to assess FL among Ugandan and Kenyan adult populations.

A mixed-method approach was applied: (1) item development using literature, expert and target group insights, (2) independent country-specific validation (content, construct, criterion and concurrent) and (3) synchronisation of the two country-specific FL-scales. Construct validity was evaluated against the prime dietary quality score (PDQS) and healthy eating self-efficacy scale (HEWSE).

Urban Uganda and Kenya.

Two cross-sectional cross-country surveys, adults >18 years (n = 214) and university students (n = 163), were conducted.

The initial development yielded a forty-eight-item FL-scale draft. In total, twenty-six items were reframed to fit the country contexts. Six items differed content-wise across the two FL-scales and were dropped for a synchronised East African FL-scale. Weighted kappa tests revealed no deviations in individuals’ FL when either the East African FL-scale or the country-specific FL-scales are used; 0·86 (95 % CI: 0·83, 0·89), Uganda and 0·86 (95 % CI: 0·84, 0·88), Kenya. The FL-scale showed good reliability (0·71 (95 % CI: 0·60, 0·79), Uganda; 0·78 (95 % CI: 0·69, 0·84), Kenya) and positively correlated with PDQS (r = 0·29 P = 0·003, Uganda; r = 0·26 P < 0·001, Kenya) and HEWSE (r = 0·32 P < 0·001, Uganda; r = 0·23, P = 0·017, Kenya). The FL-scale distinguishes populations with higher from those with lower FL (β = 14·54 (95 % CI: 10·27, 18·81), Uganda; β = 18·79 (95 % CI: 13·92, 23·68), Kenya).

Provided culture-sensitive translation and adaptation are done, the scale may be used as a basis across East Africa.