Mate is a traditional drink obtained from the leaves of yerba mate and rich in a diversity of plant bioactive compounds including polyphenols, particularly chlorogenic acids. Studies, even though limited, suggest that consumption of mate is associated with health effects, including prevention of cardiometabolic disorders. Molecular mechanisms underlying the potential health properties are still largely unknown, especially in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate nutrigenomic effects of mate consumption and identify regulatory networks potentially mediating cardiometabolic health benefits. Healthy middle-aged men at risk for CVD consumed a standardised mate extract or placebo for 4 weeks. Global gene expression, including protein coding and non-coding RNA profiles, was determined using microarrays. Biological function analyses were performed using integrated bioinformatic tools. Comparison of global gene expression profiles showed significant change following mate consumption with 2635 significantly differentially expressed genes, among which six are miRNA and 244 are lncRNA. Functional analyses showed that these genes are involved in regulation of cell interactions and motility, inflammation or cell signalling. Transcription factors, such as MEF2A, MYB or HNF1A, could have their activity modulated by mate consumption either by direct interaction with polyphenol metabolites or by interactions of metabolites with cell signalling proteins, like p38 or ERK1/2, that could modulate transcription factor activity and regulate expression of genes observed. Correlation analysis suggests that expression profile is inversely associated with gene expression profiles of patients with cardiometabolic disorders. Therefore, mate consumption may exert cardiometabolic protective effects by modulating gene expression towards a protective profile.

Autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) has a complex aetiology and the susceptibility to it is determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, although these are not yet fully understood. The present research aimed to explore the DNA methylation patterns in whole blood of extrinsic apoptotic signalling pathway-related genes in AIT among areas with different iodine levels. We selected the iodine-fortification areas, iodine-adequate areas and water-based iodine-excess areas from Shandong Province of China as survey sites. Totally, 176 AIT cases and 176 controls were included. MethylTargetTM and QT-PCR technology were used to detect candidate genes’ DNA methylation levels and mRNA expression levels, respectively. We found that death associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) DNA methylation levels in AIT cases (especially in female) were significantly higher than controls (t = 2·7715, P = 0·0059; t = 2·4638, P = 0·0143 in female). There were differences in DAPK1 (t = 2·5384, P = 0·0121), TNF superfamily member 8 (t = 2·1667, P = 0·0334) and TNF-α-induced protein 8 (TNFAIP8) (t = 2·5672, P = 0·0121) genes methylation between cases and controls with different water iodine levels. The mRNA expression of DAPK1 (t = 4·329, P < 0·001) and TNFAIP8 (t = 3·775, P < 0·001) in the cases was increased. We identified the differences in the DNA methylation status of the extrinsic apoptotic signalling pathway-related genes between AIT and controls and in different iodine levels areas. The results were verified at the mRNA level. The environmental iodine may affect DNA methylation to some extent.

This systematic review aimed to provide a synthesis of the evidence relating to how the provision of vitamin D supplements influences oral health status. An electronic database search was performed across six databases using a standardised search strategy. The PICO framework (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) was used to define the review question. The screening and selection followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses process (PRISMA). The quality of reporting was assessed using Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines, and the bias was assessed using the revised Cochrane tool RoB2. A total of 1812 studies were retrieved. 1427 studies were excluded due to unmet inclusion criteria. Full texts of seventy-five potential studies were retrieved and ultimately six studies met the inclusion criteria. There were limitations in the quality of reporting of studies (between 49 % and 73 %). 70 % of the risk of bias items were in the low risks category. Vitamin D interventions varied with respect to dosage and duration. Qualitative syntheses identified significantly better oral health outcomes. Heterogeneity of study design, intervention and outcomes precluded quantitative synthesis. Few clinical trials investigated the effect of vitamin D supplementation on oral health. There is considerable heterogeneity among studies interventions and oral health outcomes. Quality of reporting of studies has limitations and there is evidence of study biases. Nonetheless, qualitative synthesis of the evidence suggests that vitamin D supplements improve oral health outcomes, particularly periodontal health. Calcium may also play a significant role. Further high-quality trials are required of comparable vitamin D supplements with similar oral health outcomes focused to inform quantitative synthesis of the evidence.

Time to evaluate diet quality and give dietary advice is limited in clinical inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) practice. The Eetscore is a web-based tool that assesses diet quality according to the Dutch dietary guidelines and provides personalised dietary advice. We aimed to assess diet quality of IBD patients using the Eetscore and to study changes in diet quality, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and clinical disease activity over time. A prospective cohort study was performed in 195 adult IBD patients. Participants were invited to fill out questionnaires (Eetscore-FFQ, short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire and Patient Harvey Bradshaw Index/Patient Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index) at baseline and after 1 and 4 months. The Eetscore calculates diet quality based on sixteen food components (ten points per component, total score 0–160; the higher the better) and provides dietary advice per component based on the assessment. At baseline, mean diet quality was 98 (sd 19). Diet quality was positively associated with age, female sex and level of education. Component scores were highest for red meat, wholegrain products and sweetened beverages, and lowest for legumes, nuts and processed meat. Over time, diet quality increased to 107 (sd 21) at 4 months (P < 0·001). Each ten-point improvement in diet quality was associated with an increase in HRQoL (β = 0·4 (95 % CI (0·02, 0·7), P = 0·04). Clinical disease activity did not change. In conclusion, diet quality of IBD patients significantly improved following personalised dietary advice of the Eetscore. Improvement of diet quality was associated with a slight improvement in HRQoL. The Eetscore is a practical and useful tool to monitor and support a healthy diet in IBD patients.

The importance of DHA to support fetal development and maternal health is well established. In this study, we applied the natural abundance approach to determine the contribution of 200 mg/d of DHA supplement to the plasma DHA pool in nineteen healthy pregnant women. Women received DHA, from week 20 until delivery, from an algal source (n 13, Algae group) or from fish oil (n 6, Fish group) with slightly different content of 13C. We measured plasma phospholipids DHA 13C:12C ratio (reported as δ13C) prior to supplementation (T0), after 10 (T1) and 90 days (T2) and prior to delivery (T3). The δ13C of DHA in algae and fish supplements were −15·8 (sd 0·2) mUr and −25·3 (sd 0·2) mUr (P < 0·001). DHA δ13C in the Algae group increased from −27·7 (sd 1·6) mUr (T0) to −21·9 (sd 2·2) mUr (T3) (P < 0·001), whereas there were not significant changes in the Fish group (–27·8 (sd 0·9) mUr at T0 and −27·3 (sd 1·1) mUr at T3, P = 0·09). In the Algae group, 200 mg/d of DHA contributed to the plasma phospholipid pool by a median value of 53 % (31–75 % minimum and maximum). This estimation was not possible in the Fish group. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of assessing the contribution of DHA from an algal source to the plasma DHA pool in pregnant women by the natural abundance approach. Plasma δ13C DHA did not change when consuming DHA of fish origin, with almost the same δ13C value of that of the pre-supplementation plasma δ13C DHA.

Little is known about the effects of dietary patterns on prevalent pre-eclampsia in Chinese population. This study aimed to investigate the associations between dietary patterns and the odds of pre-eclampsia among Chinese pregnant women. A 1:1 age- and gestational week-matched case–control study was conducted between March 2016 and February 2019. A total of 440 pairs of pre-eclampsia cases and healthy controls were included. Dietary intakes were assessed by a seventy-nine-item FFQ and subsequently grouped into twenty-eight distinct groups. Factor analysis using the principal component method was adopted to derive the dietary patterns. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyse the associations of dietary patterns with prevalent pre-eclampsia. We identified four distinct dietary patterns: high fruit-vegetable, high protein, high fat-grain and high salt-sugar. We found that high fruit-vegetable dietary pattern (quartile (Q)4 v. Q1, OR 0·71, 95 % CI 0·55, 0·92, Ptrend = 0·013) and high protein dietary pattern (Q4 v. Q1, OR 0·72, 95 % CI 0·54, 0·95, Ptrend = 0·011) were associated with a decreased odds of pre-eclampsia in Chinese pregnant women. Whereas high fat-grain dietary pattern showed a U-shaped association with pre-eclampsia, the lowest OR was observed in the third quartile (Q3 v. Q1, OR 0·75, 95 % CI 0·57, 0·98, Ptrend = 0·111). No significant association was observed for high salt-sugar dietary pattern. In conclusion, pregnancy dietary pattern characterised by high fruit-vegetable or high protein was found to be associated with a reduced odds of pre-eclampsia in Chinese pregnant women.

Recent studies have focused on habitual intake without addressing meal-specific intakes. We aimed to identify meal-specific dietary patterns and their contribution to habitual dietary patterns. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 838 adults, both sexes who attended the health centres in Tehran. Dietary data were recorded by three 24-h dietary recalls (24hDR). Dietary patterns were identified by using principal component analysis on meal-specific and overall food intakes. Intraclass correlation (ICC) was used as a measurement of consistency across meals and days. Correlation analysis and linear regression (partial R 2) were used for meals contribution. Four habitual dietary patterns were derived from average dietary intake of 3-d 24hDR labelled as ‘Western’, ‘Healthy’, ‘Traditional’ and ‘Legume and broth’. Also, we identified two major dietary patterns on each meal level (factor 1 and 2 for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner). The highest contribution of energy intake was observed in lunch (25·7 %), followed by dinner (20·81 %). Consistency of food groups was the highest across days (ICC tea = 0·58) and breakfasts (ICC tea = 0·60). Dinner had a strong correlation coefficient with the ‘Western’ habitual dietary pattern then followed by lunch. Similarly, dinner and lunch contributed the most (r and partial R 2) to the ‘Western’ habitual dietary pattern. Our results suggest that habitual dietary patterns to several extents are formed at meal levels, and dinner has a greater contribution to the habitual dietary patterns in Iranian people. This may help planning for local dietary guidelines according to the time of eating to promote public health.

Studies exploring the accuracy of equations calculating resting energy expenditure (REE) in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of REE predictive equations against indirect calorimetry in CD patients. REE was measured using indirect calorimetry (mREE) after an overnight fasting. Fourteen predictive equations, with and without body composition analysis parameters, were compared with mREE using different body weight approaches. Body composition analysis was performed using dual X-ray absorptiometry. One hundred and eighty-six CD outpatients (102 males) with mean age 41·3 (sd 14·1) years and 37·6 % with active disease were evaluated. Mean mREE in the total sample was 7255 (sd 1854) kJ/day. All equations underpredicted REE and showed moderate correlations with mREE (Pearson’s r or Spearman’s rho 0·600–0·680 for current weight, all P-values < 0·001). Accuracy was low for all equations at the individual level (28–42 and 25–40 % for current and adjusted body weight, respectively, 19–33 % for equations including body composition parameters). At the group level, accuracy showed wide limits of agreement and proportional biases. Accuracy remained low when sample was studied according to disease activity, sex, BMI and medication use. All predictive equations underestimated REE and showed low accuracy. Indirect calorimetry remains the best method for estimating REE of patients with CD.

Thyroid cancer (TC) incidence has increased greatly during the past decades with a few established risk factors, while no study is available that has assessed the association of the Chinese Health Dietary Index (CHDI) with TC. We conducted a 1:1 matched case–control study in two hospitals in Shanghai, China. Diet-quality scores were calculated according to CHDI using a validated and reliable FFQ. Conditional logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline analysis were used to reveal potential associations between CHDI score and TC risk. A total of 414 pairs of historically confirmed TC patients and healthy controls were recruited from November 2012 to December 2015. The total score of cases and controls were 67·5 and 72·8, respectively (P < 0·001). The median score of total vegetables, fruit, diary products, dark green and orange vegetables, fish, shellfish and mollusk, soyabean, whole grains, dry bean and tuber in cases was significantly lower than those in controls. Compared with the reference group (≤60 points), the average (60–80 points) and high (≥80 points) levels of the CHDI score were associated with a reduced risk of TC (OR: 0·40, 95 % CI 0·26, 0·63 for 60–80 points; OR: 0·22, 95 % CI 0·12, 0·38 for ≥80 points). In age-stratified analyses, the favourable association remained significant among participants who are younger than 50 years old. Our data suggested that high diet quality as determined by CHDI was associated with lower risk of TC.

The impact of egg consumption, a major source of dietary cholesterol, on the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) is controversial. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a CVD which shares common risk factors and mechanistic pathways with ASCVD. However, there is no data on the relationship between egg or cholesterol intake and VTE risk. Therefore, we evaluated the prospective associations of egg and cholesterol intakes with VTE risk and whether the apoE4 phenotype, which influences cholesterol metabolism, could modify the associations. Data involving 1852 men aged 42–61 years at baseline without a history of VTE or CHD in the population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study were analysed. Dietary intakes were assessed with 4-d food records. Incident VTE events were identified by record linkage to hospital discharge registries. Hazard ratios (95 % CI) for incident VTE were estimated using Cox regression. During a median follow-up of 28·8 years, 132 VTE events occurred. Comparing the top (> 38 g/d) v. bottom (< 20 g/d) tertiles of egg consumption, the hazard ratio (95 % CI) for VTE was 0·99 (0·64, 1·53) in analysis adjusted for several established risk factors and other dietary factors. There was also no evidence of an association between cholesterol intake and VTE risk. Imputed results were consistent with the observed results. The apoE4 phenotype did not modify the associations. In middle-aged and older Finnish men, egg or cholesterol intakes were not associated with future VTE risk. Other large-scale prospective studies are needed to confirm or refute these findings.

Considering the influence of body’s growth and development on thyroid volume (TVOL), whether five existed corrected methods could be applied to correct TVOL remains unclear, in terms of Chinese children’s increased growth and development trends. This study aimed to compare the applicability of five correction methods: Body Surface Area corrected Volume (BSAV), Body Mass Indicator corrected Volume (BMIV), Weight and Height corrected Volume Indicator (WHVI), Height corrected Volume Indicator 1 (HVI1) and Height corrected Volume Indicator 2 (HVI2) and to establish the reference values for correction methods. The data of Iodine Nutrition and Thyroid Function Survey were used to analyse the differences in TVOL between normal and abnormal thyroid function children. Data of National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Survey were used to compare five correction methods and to establish their reference values. The median urinary iodine concentrations of children surveyed were 256·1 μg/l in 2009 and 192·6 μg/l in 2019. No significant difference was found in TVOL and thyroid goitre rate between children with normal and abnormal thyroid function. In the determination of goitre, HVI1, HVI2, BSAV and BMIV all showed high agreement with TVOL, while the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of WHVI was relatively low for children aged 8 (AUC = 0·8993) and 9 (AUC = 0·8866) years. Most differences of TVOL between light and heavy weight, short and tall height children can be eliminated by BSAV. BSAV was the best corrected method in this research. Reference values were established for corrected TVOL in Chinese children aged 8–10 years by sex.

Using a sample of US adults aged 65 years and older, we examined the role of dietary quality in cystatin C change over 4 years and whether this association varied by race/ethnicity. The Health and Retirement Study provided observations with biomarkers collected in 2012 and 2016, participant attributes measured in 2012, and dietary intake assessed in 2013. The sample was restricted to respondents who were non-Hispanic/Latino White (n 789), non-Hispanic/Latino Black (n 108) or Hispanic/Latino (n 61). Serum cystatin C was constructed to be equivalent to the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) scale. Dietary intake was assessed by a semi-quantitative FFQ with diet quality measured using an energy-adjusted form of the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010). Statistical analyses were conducted using autoregressive linear modelling adjusting for covariates and complex sampling design. Cystatin C slightly increased from 1·2 mg/l to 1·3 mg/l over the observational period. Greater energy-adjusted AHEI-2010 scores were associated with slower increase in cystatin C from 2012 to 2016. Among respondents reporting moderately low to low dietary quality, Hispanic/Latinos had significantly slower increases in cystatin C than their non-Hispanic/Latino White counterparts. Our results speak to the importance of considering racial/ethnic determinants of dietary intake and subsequent changes in health in ageing populations. Further work is needed to address measurement issues including further validation of dietary intake questionnaires in diverse samples of older adults.

Epidemiological studies on the association between the low carbohydrate diet (LCD) score and CVD risk factors have limited and inconsistent results. Data are from the baseline survey of Community-based Cohort Study on Nervous System Diseases. A total of 4609 adults aged ≥ 18 years were included in the study. Dietary data were assessed using a validated semi-quantitative FFQ. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to estimate relationships of three LCD scores with low HDL-cholesterol, high LDL-cholesterol, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriacylglycerolaemia, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), high blood pressure and hyperuricaemia after adjusting for potential confounders. A higher LCD score was negatively associated with low HDL-cholesterol (OR: 0·65 (95 % CI 0·50, 0·83), P = 0·0001) and IFG (OR: 0·65 (95 % CI 0·51, 0·81), P = 0·001) after the final adjustment. However, there are sex differences in this result. Males in the highest quintile of the animal-based or plant-based LCD scores showed a decreased risk of low HDL-cholesterol, and females in the highest quintile of the animal-based or plant-based LCD scores showed a decreased risk of IFG than those in the lowest quintile of the LCD scores. These results suggest that sex differences should be considered when using LCD to treat dyslipidaemia and reduce fasting blood glucose.

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) have been associated with cardiometabolic outcomes, but the literature has still not reported their association with the incidence of dyslipidaemias, one of the most important risk factors for the occurrence of CVD. The objective of this study was to verify the association between consumption of UPF and incidence of dyslipidaemia in Brazilian civil servants at a 4-year follow-up. The study used data from 5275 participants at baseline and on the first follow-up visit in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). We applied a FFQ at baseline and identified UPF from NOVA classification of foods as to the extent and purpose of processing. The proportion (weight) of UPF in the total diet was calculated for each participant and categorised in tertiles, corresponding to low (first tertile), medium (second tertile) and high (third tertile) consumption. A mixed-effects logistic model was used to obtain the incidence of dyslipidaemia associated with the consumption of UPF. Individuals with medium and high consumption of UPF showed increases in the risks of development of isolated hypercholesterolaemia by 12 % (OR = 1·12, CI 1·00, 1·27) and 28 % (OR = 1·28, CI 1·12, 1·47), of isolated hypertriacylglycerolaemia by 14 % (OR = 1·14, CI 1·03, 1·26) and 30 % (OR = 1·30, CI 1·17–1·45), of mixed hyperlipidaemia by 21 % (OR = 1·21, CI 1·05, 1·39) and 38 % (OR = 1·38, CI 1·18, 1·62), and of low-HDL by 12 % (OR = 1·12, CI 1·00–1·24) and 18 % (OR = 1·18, CI 1·05, 1·32), respectively, compared with participants who consumed less UPF. Our findings showed important cardiovascular risk associated with the consumption of UPF and a gradient in the consumption’s effect, so these products should be discouraged.

Obesity and undernutrition are manifestations of malnutrition that affect many people worldwide. A lack of access to food may explain the association of food insecurity (FI) with both undernutrition and obesity, but there are other factors that are specifically related to obesity. Studies have also found that FI is related to both overweight and obesity among women but not among men. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between FI and weight status among adults from a nationally representative sample of Brazil and to consider the impacts of sex. Data from the 2017–2018 Household Budget Survey (n 28 112), a national cross-sectional study, were analysed using the Brazilian Household FI Scale (EBIA) and BMI (measured in kg/m2) by individual self-reported weight and height. Associations were estimated by OR with 95 % CI considering a multinomial logistic regression model. Women with severe FI were more than twice (OR = 2·36) as likely to be underweight and had a higher frequency of obesity (OR = 1·39). Among men, severe FI status was a protective factor for overweight (OR = 0·58) and obesity (OR = 0·61). In conclusion, FI was a risk factor for underweight and obesity among women but not among men.

The development of colorectal cancer involves some morphological changes, and in the initial stage, pre-neoplastic lesions called aberrant crypt foci (ACF) appear. Thus, an intervention with sources of bioactive compounds such as Hibiscus sabdariffa L., rich in phenolic compounds and anthocyanins, could attenuate the risk of developing these lesions due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of 5 % and 10 % supplementation of dehydrated H. sabdariffa calyces (DHSC) during the development of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced pre-neoplastic lesions in male BALB/c mice. The characterisation of DHSC was carried out. The in vivo experiment lasted 12 weeks, and the animals were randomly divided into three experimental groups: the control group (CON) and the supplemented groups with 5 % DHSC and 10 % DHSC. The activities of liver enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase were determined. In addition, ACF, SCFA, presence of inflammatory infiltrates, goblet cells and leucocytes in the colonic mucosa were quantified. There was a significant reduction in ACF and the presence of inflammatory infiltrates in the colon of animals in groups 5DHSC and 10DHSC. In addition, the 10DHSC group showed an increase in the activity of the CAT enzyme, in the production of butyrate and in the presence of natural killer cells in the colon, in addition to more hypertrophied goblet cells. Based on these findings, it is suggested that DHSC supplementation may be recommended to attenuate cellular responses in the early stage of pre-neoplastic lesions.