Dietary habits in Japanese patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: Low intake of meat in psoriasis and high intake of vitamin A in psoriatic arthritis

Psoriasis is characterized by T‐helper 17 cell‐dominant abnormal immunity, and hyperproliferation and abnormal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. Some patients are associated with arthritis. Dietary habits can modulate the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Previous studies in Western countries showed higher body mass indices, higher intake of fat and lower intake of fish or vegetables in psoriatic patients compared with the reference groups. We evaluated dietary habits in adult Japanese psoriatic patients, using a validated brief‐type self‐administered dietary history questionnaire, and compared the results to those of age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls. The results in psoriatic patients with arthritis were compared with those in the patients without. Japanese psoriatic patients showed higher body mass indices, higher intake of fish/shellfish, pulses, sugar/sweeteners, vitamin B₁₂ and vitamin D, and lower intake of meat, compared with those of healthy controls. The logistic regression analysis showed that psoriasis was associated with high body mass index and low intake of meat. The intake of confection in patients with high Psoriasis Area and Severity Index was higher than that in those with low index. The intake of β‐carotene, vitamin A and green/yellow vegetables in psoriatic patients with arthritis were higher than those in the patients without. The dietary habits in Japanese psoriatic patients are rather different from those in Western patients. This is the first study showing the differences in dietary habits between psoriatic patients with arthritis and those without. Further studies should elucidate the relationships of these results with skin and joint lesions in psoriatic patients.     

Association of Red Meat Intake with the Risk of Cardiovascular Mortality in General Japanese Stratified by Kidney Function: NIPPON DATA80

The consumption of red meat has been recommended for individuals with reduced kidney function. However, red meat intake was recently suspected to increase cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We evaluated the association of red meat intake with CVD mortality risk in Japanese with/without reduced kidney function. Overall, 9112 participants of a Japanese national survey in 1980, aged ≥30 years, were followed for 29 years. Red meat intake was assessed using weighed dietary record. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of CVD mortality according to sex-specific tertiles of red meat intake. We also performed stratified analyses with/without reduced kidney function defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m². Red meat intake was not associated with CVD mortality risk in men and women. In stratified analyses, the HR of the highest compared with the lowest tertile of red meat intake was lower only in women with reduced kidney function (0.67, 95% confidence interval 0.46–0.98). In conclusion, there were no clear associations between red meat intake and CVD mortality risk in Japanese population; however, a higher intake of red meat was associated with lower risk of future CVD mortality in women with reduced kidney function.     

Dietary intake in people consuming a low‐carbohydrate diet in the UK Biobank

Background

Low‐carbohydrate diets are becoming increasingly popular, although their dietary quality outside of clinical studies is unknown. A previous study analysed the dietary intake in people consuming a reduced‐carbohydrate diet (<40% calories). However, it is not clear what foods people consume when carbohydrate is reduced to below 26% of total calories.

Methods

In the present cross‐sectional study, the dietary and nutrient intake collected via up to five consecutive 24‐h dietary recalls and a food frequency questionnaire of 444 individuals (aged 46‐79 years) consuming <26% of calories from carbohydrate (LCHO ) was compared with that of 131 897 individuals consuming ≥45% calories from carbohydrate (NCHO ) using the UK Biobank Dataset. Absolute cut‐offs to define the low‐carbohydrate group (<130 g day^–1; n  = 1953 versus ≥225 g day^–1, n  = 113 036) were also used.

Results

Both NCHO (>45% calories and ≥225 g) groups consumed significantly more high‐sugar, high‐fat snacks [median 6.0, interquartile range (IQR ) = 2.0–11.0 and median 6.0, IQR  = 3.0–11.8, respectively) compared to the LCHO (<26% calories and <130 g) groups (median 0, IQR  = 0–2.8 and median 1, IQR  = 0–3.8, respectively) (P  < 0.0001). Both LCHO groups reported consuming significantly more red meat, oily fish, nuts and seeds but fewer fruits, vegetables and pulses compared to the NCHO groups. In general, the consumption of oily fish, nuts, seeds and pulses was low across the whole cohort and differences in intake between the LCHO and NCHO groups were small. After adjusting for socio‐economic status, most differences remained.

Conclusions

Carbohydrate restriction is associated with both beneficial and potentially deleterious dietary changes compared to a normal carbohydrate intake.

     

Responding to food,environment and health challenges by changing meat consumption behaviours in consumers

Current meat consumption levels impact environment and health, highlighting a need to reduce meat consumption and increase that of plant‐based alternative proteins. There appears to be a lack of awareness amongst consumers as to how meat consumption affects health and climate change, which is likely to undermine intention to change. Of those who intend to change, many do not translate that intention to reduce meat consumption into behaviour change. Consumers appear open to the notion of reducing meat consumption but lack the knowledge, motivation or capability to make such changes. For many, meat eating is a traditional social practice, re‐enforced by economics, ecological, technological and institutional factors, including media and marketing. Many food choices are not logical reasoned actions but subconscious, automatic, rapid decisions, relying on heuristic processing and heavily influenced by contextual cues. Promising targets for changing individual consumption patterns could focus on closing the awareness‐intention and intention‐behaviour gaps. Modifying contextual determinants of food choice, highlighting personally relevant internal motivators related to individual requirements, and aligning such messages with positive re‐enforcement about animal welfare and environment would close the awareness‐intention gap. A framework of reference for a healthy, sustainable diet, improvements in the range, sensory attributes, convenience and ease of use of meat substitutes, reduction in the meat portion components of ready meals (by substitution with other foods), reformulation of processed products to include a greater proportion of non‐meat proteins, economic incentives and emphasis on the benefits to environment and animal welfare could reduce the intention‐behaviour gap. Better alignment of environmental and health messages would concentrate public health messages and effort to create a market environment that facilitates sustainable food choices to produce moderate population level wide‐scale changes in plant protein consumption, with significant impact on health and environmental outcomes.     

Exploratory investigation of Q fever in apparently healthy meat sheep flocks in Belgium

Q fever is a cosmopolitan disease affecting both humans and many animal species. Although sheep are often implicated in human Q fever outbreaks, the disease remains largely underestimated in meat sheep flocks. In order to fulfil this gap, a preliminary study was performed aiming to investigate the serological and molecular aspects of infection with Coxiella burnetii among meat sheep flocks in Belgium. Five Belgian sheep flocks were recruited for this work. Indirect ELISA was used, and in addition, real‐time PCR was performed on samples of milk, rectal and vaginal swabs, to understand the dynamics of bacterial shedding. Despite the low overall apparent seroprevalence of 1.39% (95% CI : 0.04–7.5), a high rate of bacterial shedding was found, with 27.7% of tested sheep (N  = 72) with a positive result to PCR , especially through the rectal and vaginal routes and in seronegative animals. Furthermore, Coxiella burnetii DNA was detected in 26.76% of seronegative animals. It can be concluded that an overall good clinical condition of the sheep cannot be used to exclude the presence of C. burnetii in a flock. Furthermore in the diagnosis of Q fever in sheep, serology alone was not a sensitive diagnostic tool. On the contrary, molecular biology allowed to detect bacterial shedding, which is an essential element in order to assess the risk due to the contact with shedding animals. At the light of these results, the role of meat sheep flocks in the epidemiology of Q fever in Belgium needs to be better understood.     

Potential routes for indirect transmission of African swine fever virus into domestic pig herds

Following its introduction into Georgia in 2007, African swine fever virus (ASFV) has become widespread on the European continent and in Asia. In many cases, the exact route of introduction into domestic pig herds cannot be determined, but most introductions are attributed to indirect virus transmission. In this review, we describe knowledge gained about different matrices that may allow introduction of the virus into pig herds. These matrices include uncooked pig meat, processed pig‐derived products, feed, matrices contaminated with the virus and blood‐feeding invertebrates. Knowledge gaps still exist, and both field studies and laboratory research are needed to enhance understanding of the risks for ASFV introductions, especially via virus‐contaminated materials, including bedding and feed, and via blood‐feeding, flying insects. Knowledge obtained from such studies can be applied to epidemiological risk assessments for the different transmission routes. Such assessments can be utilized to help predict the most effective biosecurity and control strategies.     

Dietary Sources of Vitamin B-12 and Their Association with Vitamin B-12 Status Markers in Healthy Older Adults in the B-PROOF Study

Low vitamin B-12 concentrations are frequently observed among older adults. Malabsorption is hypothesized to be an important cause of vitamin B-12 inadequacy, but serum vitamin B-12 may also be differently affected by vitamin B-12 intake depending on food source. We examined associations between dietary sources of vitamin B-12 (meat, fish and shellfish, eggs, dairy) and serum vitamin B-12, using cross-sectional data of 600 Dutch community-dwelling adults (≥65 years). Dietary intake was assessed with a validated food frequency questionnaire. Vitamin B-12 concentrations were measured in serum. Associations were studied over tertiles of vitamin B-12 intake using P for trend, by calculating prevalence ratios (PRs), and splines. Whereas men had significantly higher vitamin B-12 intakes than women (median (25th–75th percentile): 4.18 (3.29–5.38) versus 3.47 (2.64–4.40) μg/day), serum vitamin B-12 did not differ between the two sexes (mean ± standard deviation (SD): 275 ± 104 pmol/L versus 290 ± 113 pmol/L). Higher intakes of dairy, meat, and fish and shellfish were significantly associated with higher serum vitamin B-12 concentrations, where meat and dairy—predominantly milk were the most potent sources. Egg intake did not significantly contribute to higher serum vitamin B-12 concentrations. Thus, dairy and meat were the most important contributors to serum vitamin B-12, followed by fish and shellfish.     

Developing an Improved Home-Level Technology for the Production of a Protein-Enriched Nigerian Local Snack,Tofu Pie

Abstract

Maize flours and dough were variously prepared from whole, decorticated, and alkaline-cooked maize grains. Other flour types include soycorn milk residue and wheat flours. All the flour types were made into base for pie-type preparations. Tofu (soybean curd) cubes were mixed with local pepper and onion condiments, fried, and were used for pie filling. The various pie types namely WFTP, DMFTP, WMFTP, WMADTP, DMADTP, SRFTP and MPI-MPVI (MPs) represent pie types made from base using wheat, decorticated, whole maize flours, wet and dry masa doughs, soycorn residue flour, and market pies 1 to VI, respectively. MP1 was used as control for sensory evaluation. The protein content of the maize-based pies ranged from 19.54 to 34.13% and was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than the range of protein content 11.67–15.53% for the MPs. Except for WMFTP, all other experimental pie types gave higher in vitro digestibility (IVD) percent than the MPs. The sensory evaluation scores showed that none of the experimental pies were rejected but their scores were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those for the MPs in all the parameters measured. Pie types WFTP, DMFTP, and WMFTP were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the other experimental pies in all the sensory attributes measured. The consumption of tofu pies developed in this study, using the improved home-level technology described, will help to reduce malnutrition consequent to the high protein content and nutritional attributes of the improved local snack. doi:10.1300/J385v05n02_07     

Calcium inhibits promotion by hot dog of 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine‐induced mucin‐depleted foci in rat colon

Epidemiology suggests that processed meat is associated with colorectal cancer risk, but few experimental studies support this association. We have shown that a model of cured meat made in a pilot workshop promotes preneoplastic lesions, mucin‐depleted foci (MDF) in the colon of rats. This study had two aims: to check if real store‐bought processed meats also promote MDF, and to test if calcium carbonate, which suppresses heme‐induced promotion, can suppress promotion by processed meat. A 14‐day study was done to test the effect of nine purchased cured meats on fecal and urinary biomarkers associated with heme‐induced carcinogenesis promotion. Fecal water from rats given hot dog or fermented raw dry sausage was particularly cytotoxic. These two cured meats were thus given to rats pretreated with 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine, to evaluate their effect on colorectal carcinogenesis. After a 100‐days feeding period, fecal apparent total N‐nitroso compounds (ATNC) were assayed and colons were scored for MDF. Hot dog diet increased fecal ATNC and the number of MDF per colon compared with the no‐meat control diet (3.0 ± 1.7 vs. 1.2 ± 1.4, p < 0.05). In a third study, addition of calcium carbonate (150 µmol/g) to the hot dog diet decreased the number of MDF/colon and fecal ATNC compared with the hot dog diet without calcium carbonate (1.2 ± 1.1 vs. 2.3 ± 1.4, respectively, p < 0.05). This is the first experimental evidence that a widely consumed processed meat promotes colon carcinogenesis in rats. It also shows that dietary prevention of this detrimental effect is possible.