1. A low-sodium diet was given to Blackface ewes over two reproductive seasons. This diet provided a total of 3–7 mmol/d except during lactation when the intake was about 11 mmol/d. Control ewes were given the same diet supplemented with sodium chloride to provide recommended levels which were about tenfold that of the experimental diet.

2. The output of Na in urine and faeces from ewes given the low-Na diet was very low, about 3 mmol/d, from early in the experiment and continued at about this level throughout.

3. Lambs born to low-Na ewes and given a low-Na diet similar to that of their dams during lactation, grew, after weaning, more slowly than corresponding lambs from control ewes, but at 6 months of age when six from each group were killed, tissue Na contents were only slightly lower in experimental than control lambs.

4. Fluids and tissues obtained at the end of the second lactation from four ewes of each group that had suckled twin lambs, were analysed for Na and potassium. The Na concentration in saliva and rumen fluid of low-Na ewes was about half that of control ewes and there were corresponding increases in K: the differences were significant. Although Na concentrations for experimental ewes were generally lower than those for control ewes in the tissues analysed (liver, kidney, heart, brain and bone), the difference was significant only for the heart (P < 0.05). Haemoglobin and packed cell volume were significantly elevated in low-Na ewes (P < 0.01), indicating decreased body fluid volume. Enlargement of the adrenal glands in low-Na ewes (P < 0.01) and specifically in the zona glomerulosa (P < 0.001), showed the marked hormonal response to Na status of experimental ewes given a very-low-Na diet over two reproductive cycles.

Changes between diet quality and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) over 12 years were examined in men and women, in 2844 adults (46 % males; mean age 47·3 (sd 9·7) years) from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study with data at baseline, 5 and 12 years. Dietary intake was assessed with a seventy-four-item FFQ. Diet quality was estimated with the Dietary Guideline Index, Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet Intervention for Neurological Delay Index (MIND) and Dietary Inflammatory Index. HR-QoL in terms of global, physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) was assessed with the Short-Form Health Survey-36. Fixed effects regression models adjusted for confounders were performed. Mean MCS increased from baseline (49·0, sd 9·3) to year 12 (50·7, sd 9·1), whereas mean PCS decreased from baseline (51·7, sd 7·4) to year 12 (49·5, sd 8·6). For the total sample, an improvement in MIND was associated with an improvement in global QoL (β = 0·28, 95 % CI (0·007, 0·55)). In men, an improvement in MIND was associated with an improvement in global QoL (β = 0·28, 95 % CI (0·0004, 0·55)). In women, improvement in MIND was associated with improvements in global QoL (β = 0·62 95 % CI (0·38, 0·85)), MCS (β = 0·75, 95 % CI (0·29, 1·22)) and PCS (β = 0·75, 95 % CI (0·29, 1·22)). Positive changes in diet quality were associated with broad improvements in HR-QoL, and most benefits were observed in women when compared to men. These findings support the need for strategies to assist the population in consuming healthy dietary patterns to lead to improvements in HR-QoL.

Acid–base disequilibrium is a contributor to cancer development because it affects molecular activities such as insulin-like growth factor 1 levels and adiponectin production. However, evidence of an association of diet-induced acid–base imbalance with colorectal cancer (CRC) is limited. We examined whether colorectal carcinogenesis is attributable to a diet with a high acid load. We recruited a total of 923 CRC cases and 1846 controls at the National Cancer Center in Korea for inclusion in a case–control study. We collected information on nutrient intake and specific clinical parameters of CRC by using a semiquantitative FFQ and medical records, respectively. Potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) were used to estimate diet-dependent acid load. We used an unconditional logistic regression model to analyse the association. Dietary acid load scores had a positive association with the odds of CRC (OR = 2·31 (95 % CI 1·79, 2·99) and OR = 2·14 (95 % CI 1·66, 2·76) for PRAL and NEAP, respectively, Pfor trend < 0·001). A stronger positive association was observed for females (OR = 3·09, 95 % CI 1·93, 4·94) than for males (OR = 1·71, 95 % CI 1·27, 2·31). Furthermore, acidogenic diets appeared to affect rectal cancer more strongly than colon cancer in females. Our study contributes to reinforcing epidemiological evidence regarding a detrimental effect of acidogenic diets on colorectal carcinogenesis. Thus, it is important to pay attention to the balance of acidogenic (e.g. poultry and red meat) and alkalinogenic foods (e.g. fruits and vegetables) in CRC prevention, especially for females.

Recent efforts for alternative non-pharmaceutical treatments for postmenopausal osteoporosis are focused on nutritional measures. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of table olive wastewater extract (OE) administration on bone mineral density (BMD) and biomechanical strength in ovariectomised rats. Thirty mature 9-month-old female Wistar rats were separated into three groups of ten: Control, Ovariectomised (OVX) and OVX + OE. BMD was measured before ovariectomy, 3 and 6 months afterwards. At the end of the study, blood, both femurs and tibias, internal organs and abdominal fat were collected. After 3 months, the percentage changes from baseline of the total and proximal tibial BMD of the OVX + OE group were both higher compared with the OVX group (P < 0·005). Similar results were found after 6 months, when the percentage changes from baseline of the total and proximal tibial BMD of the OVX + OE group were both higher compared with the OVX group (P < 0·005). Biomechanical testing of the femurs did not reveal any statistically significant difference between the groups. Body weights throughout the study, organs’ and abdominal fat ratios to final body weight and blood results (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT), total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, Ca and P) were within normal limits and did not show any significant difference between the treated and untreated groups. As a conclusion, the administration of OE for 6 months protected tibial BMD loss in comparison with the untreated OVX group without causing adverse effects.

Overweight is increasing in the adolescent population and became a public health problem in the world. This study aimed to identify the body adiposity indices (BAI) with the best capacity to predict excess fat tissue and propose cut-off points for them, according to sex and adolescence period. This is a cross-sectional study. We calculated BMI, conicity index (CI), BAI, body roundness index (BRI), waist:height ratio (WtHR) and waist:hip ratio. Predictive capacity and cut-off points of adiposity indices were established by ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves. We determined AUC-ROC and CI, stratified by sex and adolescence period. The best index to identify excess body fat in 10-13-year-old female adolescents was the WtHR (AUC = 0·92), like the BAI in girls aged from 14 to 16 years old (AUC = 0·87) and 17 to 19 years old (AUC = 0·80). In male adolescents aged from 10 to 13 years old and 14 to 16 years old, the best index was the WtHR (AUC = 0·93 and AUC = 0·8, respectively), like the BAI in boys aged from 17 to 19 years old (AUC = 0·95). The use of indices with specific cut-off points for each period of adolescence and according to sex is important for the reliable diagnosis of excess body fat. It is advisable to use indices together to obtain a more accurate assessment. Thus, the WtHR and BAI are reproducible and reliable, with high sensitivity and specificity values, and can be used together with the BMI.

1. The possibility of an effect of zinc on the rate of tumour cell division, mediated through a regulation of cellular cAMP concentration, was investigated in the present study in rats.

2. Dietary Zn deficiency (< 1·5 mg Zn/kg) but not Zn excess (500 mg Zn/kg) resulted in an increased cAMP concentration in transplanted hepatoma cells. Neither treatment had any effect on the cAMP concentration in regenerating liver or normal resting liver. Both the deficient and excess Zn diets resulted in a small reduction in tumour growth (not statistically significant).

3. The results seem to indicate that the relation investigated in the present study does not apply in the cell line used.

The occurrence of anorectal malformations (ARM) is thought to be reduced with sufficient folate intake. However, there is no apparent evidence. We focused on enzyme cofactors for one-carbon metabolism, including folate (vitamin B9), vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, and explored the association between maternal combined intake of these B vitamins and the risk of ARM. Using baseline data from a Japanese nationwide birth cohort study between 2011 and 2014, we analysed data of 89 235 women (mean age at delivery = 31·2 years) who delivered singleton live births without chromosomal anomalies. Information on dietary intake was obtained via a FFQ focused on early pregnancy and used to estimate B vitamin intake. We also collected information on the frequency of folic acid supplement use. ARM occurrence was ascertained from medical records. We identified forty-three cases of ARM diagnosed up to the first month after birth (4·8 per 10 000 live births). In terms of individual intake of the respective B vitamins, high vitamin B6 intake was non-significantly associated with reduced odds of ARM. Compared with women in the low combined B vitamin intake group, the OR of having an infant with ARM was 0·4 (95 % CI 0·2, 1·0) in the high intake group (folate ≥400 μg/d, and upper half of vitamin B6 and/or vitamin B12). In conclusion, our cohort analysis suggested an inverse association between the combined intake of one-carbon metabolism-related B vitamins in early pregnancy and ARM occurrence.

Central Africa is experiencing rapid urbanisation, and this situation comes along with changes in food habits and an increased prevalence of obesity and associated health risks. Factors influencing dietary intake among the diverse African populations are not well understood. Our objective was to characterise the dietary intake and their determinants in the two main ethnic groups experiencing nutrition transition in Cameroon, the Bamiléké and the Béti. We sampled Bamiléké (381) and Béti (347) adults living in both rural and urban, collected socio-demographic variables, assessed dietary patterns by using a food portion photographs book to administrate a FFQ and a 24-h dietary recall technique and derived their BMI from measured weight and height. The dietary patterns of Bamiléké people were composed of more energy-dense foods than the Béti people, regardless of the living area. The energy intake (13·8 (sd 4·6)–15·4 (sd 4·8) MJ v. 9·7 (sd 3·5)–11·2 (sd 3·9 MJ) and the obesity (15–29 % v. 5–8 %) were therefore higher in Bamiléké than in Béti, respectively. Multivariable linear regression analyses showed strong associations of both ethnicities (4·02 MJ; P < 0·001), living area (0·21 MJ; P < 0·001) and education (0·59 MJ; P < 0·048) with energy intake, independently of each other and other socio-demographic factors. The ethnicity factor has been characterised as the more important determinant of diet. Our findings provide new insights and perspectives highlighting the importance of anthropological factors when building prevention campaigns against obesity in Central Africa.

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.