Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Telomeres—Are They the Elixir of Youth?

Telomeres are complexes consisting of tandem repeat DNA combined with associated proteins that play a key role in protecting the ends of chromosomes and maintaining genome stability. They are considered a biological clock, as they shorten in parallel with aging. Furthermore, short telomeres are associated with several age-related diseases. However, the variability in telomere shortening independent of chronological age suggests that it is a modifiable factor. In fact, it is regulated inter alia by genetic damage, cell division, aging, oxidative stress, and inflammation. A key question remains: how can we prevent accelerated telomere attrition and subsequent premature replicative senescence? A number of studies have explored the possible impact of omega-3 fatty acids on telomere shortening. This review summarizes published cross-sectional studies, randomized controlled trials, and rodent studies investigating the role of omega-3 fatty acids in telomere biology. It also covers a broad overview of the mechanism, currently favored in the field, that explains the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on telomeres—the food compound’s ability to modulate oxidative stress and inflammation. Although the results of the studies performed to date are not consistent, the vast majority indicate a beneficial effect of omega-3 fatty acids on telomere length.     

Children’s and Parents’ Marburg Sugar Index (MSI) Values: Are They Comparable?

Studies on children’s nutritional behaviour (CNB) rarely compare children’s answers regarding the frequency of their sugar intake with the respective statements of their parents. Therefore, data from a prevention study were used to analyse this aspect, as well as a potential correlation between Marburg Sugar Index (MSI) values and caries experience of children. The present study based its questionnaire data on CNB and caries data. Pairs of questionnaires filled in separately by children and parents of the participating families were dichotomised by either having completed the diet section entirely (Group A) or in part (Group B). The MSI scores were calculated separately for children and parents. The statistical confidence level was set at α = 0.05 (two-sided). Furthermore, the Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated and tested for “r = 0”. Additionally, a test for equality of the correlations was applied. The number of available questionnaire pairs was 429 in Group A and 400 in Group B. In both groups, significant correlations between children’s and parents’ MSI scores (A: r = 0.301, p < 0.001; B: r = 0.226, p < 0.001) were found. Using Spearman’s Rho, a significant correlation between MSI scores and children’s caries experiences was observed in Group A. MSI scores based on dietary questionnaires can be used to obtain consistent information on children’s CNB provided by the children themselves or their parents. This is true even when the MSI score has to be calculated on the basis of incomplete questionnaires. Questionnaire-based CNB information can improve the effectiveness of individual or group preventive measures supplemented by individually adapted nutritional counselling.     

Is the Magnesium Content in Food Supplements Consistent with the Manufacturers’ Declarations?

Food supplements (FS) are gaining more and more popularity because they are a quick way to compensate for deficiencies in the diet. Due to their affordable price and easy-to-take form, they are eaten by all age groups and by healthy and sick people. There are many categories of this type of preparations on the market, and FS with magnesium (Mg) are some of the most commonly used. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the Mg content in FS and to compare the estimated value with that declared by the manufacturer. The study included 116 FS containing Mg. In order to determine the Mg content, the atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) method was used. The tested FS were divided in terms of the declared content, pharmaceutical form, chemical form of Mg, composition complexity, and price. It was shown that in the case of 58.7% of the samples, the Mg content was different than the permissible tolerance limits set by the Polish chief sanitary inspectorate, which range from −20% to +45%. It has been estimated that as a result of the differences in the content, the patient may take up to 304% more Mg per day or 98% less than it is stated in the declaration. The above results indicate that the quality and safety of FS should be more closely monitored.     

Are You Sure? Confidence about the Satiating Capacity of a Food Affects Subsequent Food Intake

Expectations about a food’s satiating capacity predict self-selected portion size, food intake and food choice. However, two individuals might have a similar expectation, but one might be extremely confident while the other might be guessing. It is unclear whether confidence about an expectation affects adjustments in energy intake at a subsequent meal. In a randomized cross-over design, 24 subjects participated in three separate breakfast sessions, and were served a low-energy-dense preload (53 kcal/100 g), a high-energy-dense preload (94 kcal/100 g), or no preload. Subjects received ambiguous information about the preload’s satiating capacity and rated how confident they were about their expected satiation before consuming the preload in its entirety. They were served an ad libitum test meal 30 min later. Confidence ratings were negatively associated with energy compensation after consuming the high-energy-dense preload (r = −0.61; p = 0.001). The same relationship was evident after consuming the low-energy-dense preload, but only after controlling for dietary restraint, hunger prior to, and liking of the test meal (p = 0.03). Our results suggest that confidence modifies short-term controls of food intake by affecting energy compensation. These results merit consideration because imprecise caloric compensation has been identified as a potential risk factor for a positive energy balance and weight gain.     

Are We Closer to International Consensus on the Term ‘Food Literacy’? A Systematic Scoping Review of Its Use in the Academic Literature (1998–2019)

(1) Background: The term ‘food literacy’ has gained momentum globally; however, a lack of clarity around its definition has resulted in inconsistencies in use of the term. Therefore, the objective was to conduct a systematic scoping review to describe the use, reach, application and definitions of the term ‘food literacy’ over time. (2) Methods: A search was conducted using the PRISMA-ScR guidelines in seven research databases without any date limitations up to 31 December 2019, searching simply for use of the term ‘food literacy’. (3) Results: Five hundred and forty-nine studies were included. The term ‘food literacy’ was used once in 243 articles (44%) and mentioned by researchers working in 41 countries. Original research was the most common article type (n = 429, 78%). Food literacy was published across 72 In Cites disciplines, with 456 (83%) articles from the last 5 years. In articles about food literacy (n = 82, 15%), review articles were twice as prevalent compared to the total number of articles (n = 10, 12% vs. n = 32, 6%). Fifty-one different definitions of food literacy were cited. (4) Conclusions: ‘Food literacy’ has been used frequently and broadly across differing article types and disciplines in academic literature internationally. However, agreement on a standardised definition of food literacy endorsed by a peak international agency is needed in order to progress the field.     

Does Responsiveness to Basic Tastes Influence Preadolescents’ Food Liking? Investigating Taste Responsiveness Segment on Bitter-Sour-Sweet and Salty-Umami Model Food Samples

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between taste responsiveness and food liking in preadolescents. Model food samples of grapefruit juice (GF) and vegetable broth (VB) modified with four additions of sucrose and sodium chloride, respectively, were employed. Intensity perception for sweetness, sourness, and bitterness were measured in GF while saltiness and umami were measured in VB. The children (N = 148) also completed food choice, familiarity, stated liking and neophobia questionnaires. The test was conducted at school, with instructions provided remotely via video call. Four segments were defined differing in basic taste responsiveness. Segments and sucrose concentrations significantly affected liking for GF, while no significant effect of segments and sodium chloride concentrations occurred on liking for VB. An increasing sucrose concentration was positively associated with liking for GF only in the segment with low responsiveness to bitter and sour tastes. No significant differences across segments were found for food choice, familiarity, stated liking, and neophobia. Conclusively, relationships between taste responsiveness and liking are product and basic taste-dependent in addition to being subject-dependent. Strategies to improve acceptance by using sucrose as a suppressor for warning sensations of bitterness and sourness can be more or less effective depending on individual responsiveness to the basic tastes.     

Which ‘imperfect vaccines’ encourage the evolution of higher virulence?

Background and objectivesTheory suggests that some types of vaccines against infectious pathogens may lead to the evolution of variants that cause increased harm, particularly when they infect unvaccinated individuals. This theory was supported by the observation that the use of an imperfect vaccine to control Marek’s disease virus in chickens resulted in the virus evolving to be more lethal to unvaccinated birds. This raises the concern that the use of some other vaccines may lead to similar pernicious outcomes. We examine that theory with a focus on considering the regimes in which such outcomes are expected.MethodologyWe evaluate the plausibility of assumptions in the original theory. The previous theory rested heavily on a particular form of transmission–mortality–recovery trade-off and invoked other assumptions about the pathways of evolution. We review alternatives to mortality in limiting transmission and consider evolutionary pathways that were omitted in the original theory.ResultsThe regime where the pernicious evolutionary outcome occurs is narrowed by our analysis but remains possible in various scenarios. We propose a more nuanced consideration of alternative models for the within-host dynamics of infections and for factors that limit virulence. Our analysis suggests imperfect vaccines against many pathogens will not lead to the evolution of pathogens with increased virulence in unvaccinated individuals.Conclusions and implicationsEvolution of greater pathogen mortality driven by vaccination remains difficult to predict, but the scope for such outcomes appears limited. Incorporation of mechanistic details into the framework, especially regarding immunity, may be requisite for prediction accuracy.Lay SummaryA virus of chickens appears to have evolved high mortality in response to a vaccine that merely prevented disease symptoms. Theory has predicted this type of evolution in response to a variety of vaccines and other interventions such as drug treatment. Under what circumstances is this pernicious result likely to occur? Analysis of the theory in light of recent changes in our understanding of viral biology raises doubts that medicine-driven, pernicious evolution is likely to be common. But we are far from a mechanistic understanding of the interaction between pathogen and host that can predict when vaccines and other medical interventions will lead to the unwanted evolution of more virulent pathogens. So, while the regime where a pernicious result obtains may be limited, caution remains warranted in designing many types of interventions.     

Are There Enough Doctors in My Rural Community? Perceptions of the Local Physician Supply

ABSTRACT:  Purpose: To assess whether people in the rural Southeast perceive that there is an adequate number of physicians in their communities, assess how these perceptions relate to county physician-to-population (PtP) ratios, and identify other factors associated with the perception that there are enough local physicians. Methods: Adults (n = 4,879) from 150 rural counties in eight southeastern states responded through a telephone survey. Agreement or disagreement with the statement "I feel there are enough doctors in my community" constituted the principal outcome. Weighted chi-square analysis and a generalized estimating equation (GEE) assessed the strength of association between perceptions of an adequate physician workforce and county PtP ratios, individual characteristics, attitudes about and experiences with medical care, and other county characteristics. Findings: Forty-nine percent of respondents agreed there were enough doctors in their communities, 46% did not agree, and 5% were undecided. Respondents of counties with higher PtP ratios were only somewhat more likely to agree that there were enough local doctors (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.09, P < .001). Multivariate analyses revealed that perceiving that there were enough local physicians was more common among men, those 65 and older, whites, and those with lower regard for physician care. Perceptions that the local physician supply was inadequate were more common for those who had longer travel distances, problems with affordability, and little confidence in their physicians. Perceptions of physician shortages were more common in counties with higher poverty rates. Conclusions: County PtP ratios only partially account for rural perceptions that there are or are not enough local physicians. Perceptions of an adequate local physician workforce are also related to how much people value physicians' care and whether they face other barriers to care.     

“Yes They are Listening but Do They Hear Us?” Reflections on the Journey of the Barnardo's Participation Project

The Barnardo's Participation Project, previously known as the Disabled Children and Young People's Participation Project, was established by Barnardo's (Northern Ireland) in 2002. The aim of the Project was to develop ways of involving children and young people with disabilities in decision-making in relation to health and social care and children's services planning processes. Since its inception, hundreds of children and young people, with a range of physical and learning disabilities, sensory impairments and autism as well as life-limiting conditions, have participated in the Project. This paper describes how the Project has evolved over the years in response to emerging issues identified by the members as well as the demands of changing organisational and political contexts. Reflecting on the journey of the Project, the paper identifies the factors that contribute to successful participation practice and the challenges to participatory practice in recent years. As the title of this article suggests, the Project has found that children and young people with disabilities are skilled in recognising the difference between tokenistic consultation and meaningful participation. Within policy there is a strong emphasis on service user involvement; however, the principles of good participation practice require specific knowledge and attention. Good participation practice requires policy-makers and professionals to realign themselves with the rights of children and young people to have their say. The value of true, meaningful participation is evidenced by seeking and acting on their views about issues that affect their lives.     

Perception of primary care physicians on the impact of comprehensive geriatric assessment: what is the next step?

Older adults are at high risk of developing multimorbidity, and the high levels of clinical and psychosocial complexity in this population pose special challenges for primary care physicians (PCPs). As a way to improve the care for the older adults, a number of health systems have developed programs to provide comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), which generally refers to an intensive interprofessional evaluation and management of geriatric syndromes with the goals of maximizing health in aging. Sternberg and Bentur examined the impact of CGA as perceived by PCPs, the PCPs attitude toward CGA, and their satisfaction with CGA. In this commentary, we seek to provide additional context to the current state of outpatient consultative CGA and how it relates to the findings in the study by Sternberg and Bentur. The knowledge gained from this study begs for future investigations, especially in the areas of PCPs’ understanding of outpatient consultative CGA, the perceived benefit in health outcomes and actual health outcomes, perceived needs in geriatric consultation, preference in management of complex geriatric syndromes, and interests in continuing education in geriatrics. Insight into these factors could allow for improvement of the current outpatient consultative CGA model and allow for adaption of the model to local needs.     

Homemade Food Allergen Extracts for Use in Skin Prick Tests in the Diagnosis of IgE-Mediated Food Allergy: A Good Alternative in the Absence of Commercially Available Extracts?

Introduction: The skin prick test (SPT) is the first step in the diagnosis of an immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy. The availability of commercial food allergen extracts is very limited, resulting in a need for alternative extraction methods of food allergens. The objective of this study was to compare the SPT results of homemade food allergen extracts with commercially available extracts. Methods: Adult patients with a suspected food allergy were included. Food allergen-specific symptoms were scored using a questionnaire. SPTs were performed with homemade and commercially available extracts (ALK-Abelló, Kopenhagen, Denmark) from almond, apple, hazelnut, peach, peanut, and walnut. Serum-specific IgE was measured with ISAC or ImmunoCAP™. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) between the SPT results of both extract methods were calculated. The proportion of agreement with food allergen-specific symptoms was analyzed. Results: Fifty-four patients (mean age 36; range 19–69 years; female/male: 42/12) were included. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) between the SPT results of both extract methods were strong for hazelnut 0.79 (n = 44) and walnut 0.78 (n = 31), moderate for apple 0.74 (n = 21) and peanut 0.66 (n = 28), and weak for almond 0.36 (n = 27) and peach 0.17 (n = 23). The proportion of agreement between SPT results and food allergen-specific symptoms was comparable for homemade and commercially available extracts, except for peach; 0.77 versus 0.36, respectively. Conclusion: In the diagnostic procedures to identify an IgE-mediated food allergy, homemade extracts from hazelnut and walnut appear to be a good alternative in the absence of commercially available food allergen extracts.     

Are Surveys on Quality Improvement of Healthcare Chaplaincy Emotionally Distressing for Patients? A Pilot Study

In recent years, much research work has been done in the field of religion/spirituality and healthcare. Many chaplains are wary of doing research because they assume it is cumbersome or potentially deleterious to ill patients. The aim of the present pilot study is, therefore, to find out if research on quality improvement of healthcare chaplaincy is emotionally distressing for patients. In connection with a questionnaire about quality improvement proceeding of healthcare chaplaincy, patients were asked subsequently to assess whether the completion of the questionnaire was emotionally distressing for them. A total of 91.89% of the 37 respondents said that the completion of the questionnaire was not or only slightly emotionally distressing for them. Furthermore, analyses for significant differences showed no effect, except for a significant association with the anxiety scale. Findings from this study suggest that participants found no objective reasons not to do research in healthcare chaplaincy.     

Where Are the Gaps? The Effects of HIV-prevention Interventions on Behavioral Change

As more funding becomes available for HIV/AIDS programs in developing countries, an understanding of how prevention interventions lead to behavioral change and how behavioral change leads to reductions in HIV prevalence is crucial. This study presents the results of an extensive effort to develop a matrix to relate coverage of key HIV/AIDS-prevention services to changes in behavior among different risk groups and to describe the gaps that exist in the literature. Many studies could not be included in the matrix because they did not meet the necessary criteria. Evaluation of interventions targeting abstinence programs, workplace programs, and certain groups at high risk of infection would prove invaluable.     

Do Individuals Use Nutrition Labels on Food Packages to Make Healthy Choices? Testing the Dual-Process Model in Two Laboratory-Based Experiments

Nutrition labels on food packages are designed to assist consumers in making healthy decisions. Based on the model of a dual-process system, the current study examined how people might be affected by nutrition labels and consuming contexts when making choices about healthy foods. Using four types of nutrition labels (i.e., the NuVal label, 5-Color nutrition label, traffic light label, and daily value label), participants were instructed to choose the healthier foods with or without time constraints in two experiments. In Experiment 1, participants were presented with pairs of foods accompanied by the same type of nutrition labels to measure the efficiency of their health evaluation. In Experiment 2, two types of labels with inconsistent nutritional information were presented to participants simultaneously to measure their preference regarding the nutrition labels. Findings of the current study support the notion that the traffic light label is advantageous in terms of both the efficiency of, and preferences regarding, nutrition judgment, especially with time constraints. When there was only one type of nutrition label, participants made decisions fastest and most accurately when observing the NuVal label, regardless of time constraints. Overall, the reliable interactions between the time constraints and patterns of nutrition labels have theoretical implications for the appeal-based heuristics and rational-based processing when making health-related food decisions.     

How Can We Support Healthy Eating in Young Adults with Low Diet Quality? A Survey of Users of the ‘No Money No Time’ Healthy Eating Website

Nutrition interventions to support young adults are needed due to low diet quality. The aims were to explore the (1) circumstances and (2) barriers regarding dietary habits of the young adult users of the No Money No Time (NMNT) healthy eating website with the lowest diet quality scores. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from August–September 2022 with a sample of NMNT users aged 18–35 years with low diet quality (defined as Healthy Eating Quiz score 0–38/73). The survey included demographics (e.g., gender), circumstances (6-item US Food Security Survey, Cooking and Food Skills Confidence Measures), and challenges and resources used in relation to healthy eating (open-responses). Theoretical thematic analysis was used to analyse open-response questions and derive main themes. The study sample (n = 108; 71.3% female, median age 28; 28.7% food insecure) had a mean (standard deviation) Cooking Skills score 70.2 (17.5)/98, and median (interquartile range) Food Skills score 96.0 (83.5–107.5)/133. The main challenges regarding healthy eating were (1) time and (2) cost, and the main resources to support healthy eating were (1) online resources (e.g., websites, Google) and (2) recipes. Findings identify possible targets for future interventions to support healthy eating in this vulnerable group (e.g., supporting cooking and food skills).