The aim of this review is to examine two factors that may be associated with development of childhood overweight: early feeding, namely exclusive breastfeeding practices; family structure. Findings from the Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS (IDEFICS) study are presented in the context of the literature. IDEFICS is a multi-centre European study exploring the risks for overweight and obesity in children, which recruited 16 224 children aged 2–9 years from September 2007 to June 2008 at survey centres in Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, Hungary, Germany and Spain. Among the IDEFICS sample, after controlling for confounders, exclusive breastfeeding for 4–6 months was protective of overweight (including obesity) when compared with children never exclusively breastfed (OR 0·73, 95 % CI 0·63, 0·85). Family structure and number of siblings may also be associated with overweight. IDEFICS children without siblings were more likely (OR 1·52, 95 % CI 1·34, 1·72) to be overweight than their peers with siblings when controlling for factors related to childhood overweight such as country, parental education, parental weight, maternal age, child's age, birth weight and gender. Both early feeding practices and family structure play a role in the future development of obesity. The impact of breastfeeding on future development of overweight is dependent upon the dose. Exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended 6 months appears to be protective of overweight. Family structure is also an important component and emerging research suggests only children are at increased risk for overweight in comparison with those with siblings. In European countries, approximately 22 million children are overweight. Early dietary exposures, genetic, environmental and social factors have all been proposed as potential causal factors. Two such factors include exclusive breastfeeding and the impact of being an only child. We have investigated these two factors for associations with overweight; our studies, in the context of previous findings, are the focus of this review.

Epidemiological studies, including those in identical twins, and in individuals in utero during periods of famine have provided robust evidence of strong correlations between low birth-weight and subsequent risk of disease in later life, including type 2 diabetes (T2D), CVD, and metabolic syndrome. These and studies in animal models have suggested that the early environment, especially early nutrition, plays an important role in mediating these associations. The concept of early life programming is therefore widely accepted; however the molecular mechanisms by which early environmental insults can have long-term effects on a cell and consequently the metabolism of an organism in later life, are relatively unclear. So far, these mechanisms include permanent structural changes to the organ caused by suboptimal levels of an important factor during a critical developmental period, changes in gene expression caused by epigenetic modifications (including DNA methylation, histone modification and microRNA) and permanent changes in cellular ageing. Many of the conditions associated with early-life nutrition are also those which have an age-associated aetiology. Recently, a common molecular mechanism in animal models of developmental programming and epidemiological studies has been development of oxidative stress and macromolecule damage, specifically DNA damage and telomere shortening. These are phenotypes common to accelerated cellular ageing. Thus, this review will encompass epidemiological and animal models of developmental programming with specific emphasis on cellular ageing and how these could lead to potential therapeutic interventions and strategies which could combat the burden of common age-associated disease, such as T2D and CVD.

A range of individual nutrients and foods have been suggested to increase obesity risk in childhood, but the evidence is inconsistent. Dietary patterns that summarise the whole diet may, however, be more informative. The aim of the present paper was to systematically review the current evidence pertaining to overall dietary patterns in childhood and later obesity risk. Studies eligible for review identified childhood dietary patterns using an empirical method, i.e. principal components analysis, factor analysis or reduced rank regression, and reported their prospective associations with an obesity-related outcome. Literature searches identified 166 studies and of these, seven met the eligibility criteria. Despite differences between studies, a common dietary pattern was identified in all seven studies that was high in energy-dense, high-fat and low-fibre foods. The quality of studies varied, however; the four studies reporting positive associations between this type of dietary pattern and later obesity risk were of consistently higher quality than those reporting null associations. The balance of evidence from this systematic review indicates that dietary patterns that are high in energy-dense, high-fat and low-fibre foods predispose young people to later overweight and obesity. It also highlights that examining multiple dietary factors within a dietary pattern may better explain obesity risk than individual nutrients or foods. However, more prospective studies are needed and dietary pattern research requires greater rigour and focus, to further clarify the role of dietary factors in the aetiology of obesity and inform future interventions.

Gait and cognitive impairments in older adults can reflect the simultaneous existence of two syndromes that affect certain brain substrates and pathologies. Nutritional deficiencies, which are extremely common among elderly population worldwide, have potential to impact the existence and rehabilitation of both syndromes. Gait and cognition are controlled by brain circuits which are vulnerable to multiple age-related pathologies such as vascular diseases, inflammation and dementias that may be caused or accentuated by poor nutrition or deficiencies that lead to cognitive, gait or combined cognitive and gait impairments. The following review aims to link gait and cognitive classifications and provide an overview of the potential impact of nutritional deficiencies on both neurological and gait dysfunctions. The identification of common modifiable risk factors, such as poor nutrition, may serve as an important preventative strategy to reduce cognitive and mobility impairments and moderate the growing burden of dementia and disability worldwide.

A pre-school offering a full-day-care service provides for children aged 0–5 years for more than 4 h/d. Researchers have called for studies that will provide an understanding of nutrition and physical activity practices in this setting. Obesity prevention in pre-schools, through the development of healthy associations with food and health-related practices, has been advocated. While guidelines for the promotion of best nutrition and health-related practice in the early years’ setting exist in a number of jurisdictions, associated regulations have been noted to be poor, with the environment of the child-care facility mainly evaluated for safety. Much cross-sectional research outlines poor nutrition and physical activity practice in this setting. However, there are few published environmental and policy-level interventions targeting the child-care provider with, to our knowledge, no evidence of such interventions in Ireland. The aim of the present paper is to review international guidelines and recommendations relating to health promotion best practice in the pre-school setting: service and resource provision; food service and food availability; and the role and involvement of parents in pre-schools. Intervention programmes and assessment tools available to measure such practice are outlined; and insight is provided into an intervention scheme, formulated from available best practice, that was introduced into the Irish full-day-care pre-school setting.

Influenza is a major cause of death in the over 65s. Increased susceptibility to infection and reduced response to vaccination are due to immunosenscence in combination with medical history and lifestyle factors. Age-related alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota have a direct impact on the immune system and it is proposed that modulation of the gut microbiota using pre- and probiotics could offer an opportunity to improve immune responses to infections and vaccination in older people. There is growing evidence that probiotics have immunomodulatory properties, which to some extent are strain-dependent, and are strongly influenced by ageing. Randomised controlled trials suggest that probiotics may reduce the incidence and/or severity of respiratory infections, although there is limited data on older people. A small number of studies have examined the potential adjuvant effects of selected probiotics for vaccination against influenza; however, the data is inconsistent, particularly in older people. This review describes the impact of age-related changes in the gut on the immune response to respiratory infections and evaluates whether restoration of gut microbial homoeostasis by probiotics offers an opportunity to modulate the outcome of respiratory infections and vaccination against influenza in older people. Although there is promising evidence for effects of probiotics on human health, there is a lack of consistent data, perhaps partly due to strain-specific differences and an influence of the age of the host. Further research is critical in evaluating the potential use of probiotics in respiratory infections and vaccination in the ageing population.

High amounts of time spent sedentary and low levels of physical activity have been implicated in the process of excessive adiposity gains in youth. The aim of this review is to discuss the role of physical activity, sedentary time and behaviour (i.e. television (TV)-viewing) in relation to adiposity during the first two decades of life with a specific focus on whether the association between sedentary time, and behaviour and adiposity is independent of physical activity. We identified nine cohort studies (three prospective) whether sedentary time was associated with adiposity independent of physical activity. Eight of these studies suggested that sedentary time was unrelated to adiposity when physical activity was taken into account. Results from studies (n 8) examining the independent association between TV-viewing and adiposity independent of physical activity were mixed. Those that observed a positive association between TV-viewing and adiposity independent of physical activity discussed that the association may be due to residual confounding. A few additional studies have also challenged the general notion that low levels of physical activity leads to fatness and suggested that higher baseline fatness may be predictive of a decline in physical activity. It appears unlikely that higher levels of sedentary time are associated with or predictive of, higher levels of adiposity when physical activity is controlled for in youth. Specific sedentary behaviours such as TV-viewing may be associated with adiposity independent of physical activity but the results may be explained by residual confounding.

Osteoporosis, a metabolic skeletal disease characterised by decreased bone mass and increased fracture risk, is a growing public health problem. Among the various risk factors for osteoporosis, calcium and vitamin D have well-established protective roles, but it is likely that other nutritional factors are also implicated. This review will explore the emerging evidence supporting a role for certain B-vitamins, homocysteine and the 677C→T polymorphism in the gene encoding the folate-metabolising enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, in bone health and disease. The evidence, however, is not entirely consistent and as yet no clear mechanism has been defined to explain the potential link between B-vitamins and bone health. Coeliac disease, a common condition of malabsorption, induced by gluten ingestion in genetically susceptible individuals, is associated with an increased risk both of osteoporosis and inadequate B-vitamin status. Given the growing body of evidence linking low bone mineral density and/or increased fracture risk with low B-vitamin status and elevated homocysteine, optimal B-vitamin status may play an important protective role against osteoporosis in coeliac disease; to date, no trial has addressed this possible link.