The effects of dietary modification as denned by NACNE on the eating habits of 28 people

Twenty-eight members of the general public, with little nutritional knowledge and no previous commitment to dietary change, completed 7-day-weighed dietary diaries. They then attempted to change their diets, where appropriate, in line with current nutritional guidelines.
The panel achieved changes in diet that were consistent with the recent recommendations but several problems arose. In particular, although fat levels were reduced, energy levels fell and fibre goals were not reached; in addition, certain of the initial vitamin and mineral intakes gave cause for concern. These results emphasize the importance of giving advice not only about foods that might be reduced in the diet, but also about food that might be used as alternatives. They also illustrate the difficulty of persuading people to make radical changes to their eating habits even when given personal advice from a nutritionist.
The panel was small and not necessarily representative, but the results illustrate the need for more dietary analysis studies. It is not enough simply to formulate appropriate guidelines from a nutritional point of view; it is also important to ensure that the public understands them and that people make sensible decisions about their diet.     

Low doses of the 5-HT1A agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH DPAT) increase ethanol intake

Previous work has reported that the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)_1A agonist, 8-hydroxy 2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH DPAT), reduces ethanol intake by rats. However, as 8-OH DPAT reduces 5-HT neurotransmission, these findings are inconsistent with the proposed inhibitory role of central 5-HT neurons on ethanol intake. We examined the effect of 8-OH DPAT on ethanol, water and food intake in rats maintained on a limited access schedule using a lower dose range (6–250 µg/kg) and by assessing concomitant changes in behaviour. Low doses of 8-OH DPAT enhanced ethanol intake even when food and water were offered as alternatives. Suppression in ethanol intake was observed at higher doses where elements of the 5-HT syndrome were apparent. Similar observations were made in both fluid and non-fluid deprived water drinking rats, suggesting the latter effect is non-selective. Therefore 8-OH DPAT may both increase or decrease ethanol consumption in the rat depending on the dose used.     

Daily nutrient intake represents a modifiable determinant of nutritional status in chronic haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: In maintenance haemodialysis patients, daily food intake is changeable; however, its relationship with nutritional status is unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the isolated, long-term effect of daily nutrient intake on nutritional status in haemodialysis patients. METHODS: We performed a prospective 1-year controlled study in 27 chronic haemodialysis patients, without recognized risk factors for malnutrition. Each day for 1 week, four times in the year, we measured protein nitrogen appearance, and assessed dietary protein (DPI) and energy (DEI) intake from dietary diaries. We compared the nutritional outcome of patients spontaneously reducing nutrient intake below the threshold of 0.8 g/kg body weight/day for DPI and 25 kcal/kg body weight/day for DEI during the week (LOW, n = 8), with controls at adequate nutrient intake (CON, n = 19). An interventional 6-month study was then carried out in LOW to verify the cause-effect relationship. RESULTS: All patients showed a day-by-day reduction of whole nutrient intake during interdialytic period, which was mostly relevant in the third interdialytic day (L3). During the 1-year study, even in the presence of adequate dialysis dose and normal inflammatory indexes, body weight (68.0 +/- 5.5 to 65.8 +/- 5.9 kg), serum albumin (3.96 +/- 0.07 to 3.66 +/- 0.06 g/dl) and creatinine (9.2 +/- 1.1 to 8.1 +/- 0.7 mg/dl) significantly decreased in LOW but not in CON. Diaries evidenced in LOW a reduced number of meals at L3 that was explained by the fear of excessive interdialytic weight gain. During the interventional study, daily DPI and DEI increased at L3; this was associated with a significant increment of body weight, and serum albumin and creatinine levels. CONCLUSIONS: In maintenance haemodialysis patients the persistent, marked reduction of daily nutrient intake, even if limited to a single day of the week, is an independent determinant of reversible impairment of nutritional status.     

Sleeping more as a way to lose weight

Caloric consumption in a society with readily available food is likely to be approximately proportional to the number of hours of being awake. Thus, replacing 1 h of inactive wakefulness (e.g. watching TV), with sleeping is likely to result in a substantial reduction in caloric intake. Calculations are presented to illustrate the possible benefits of such a switch on weight reduction.     

西宁地区幼儿园儿童的膳食调查报告

本文对西宁地区幼儿园儿童进行了膳食调查。了解该人群的营养素摄入情况以及热能、蛋白质、脂肪来源分布和三大营养素供热比。同时提出所存在问题。     

Reduction in sodium chloride intake: effects on urinary Na, K and aldosterone output in healthy free-living adults

Eleven healthy free-living adults (six women, five men) weighed and recorded all food and drink consumed and collected all urine for two non-consecutive 7-day periods whilst eating their usual diet (Period 1) and attempting to reduce salt intake (Period 2). Bread (including pitta bread) provided on average a quarter of total Na intake of subjects in Period 1 so that wholemeal bread made without added salt was made available in Period 2. All subjects achieved substantial reductions (mean 65%) in Na intake in Period 2 with no change in K intake so that the Na:K molar ratio fell from 1.3 to 0.5. Urinary Na output closely followed intakes and there was a large increase (mean 11.2 μg/d) in aldosterone excretion with a non-significant increase in K output. Simple linear relationships which allow prediction of Na and K intake from the more easily measured urinary output were derived.     

不同膳食特点地区中老年人血红蛋白及其与膳食营养的关系

测定分析不同膳食特点地区975例年龄45～74岁中老年人的血红蛋白及其与膳食营养素的关系。结果牧民及城市居民贫血率低，北京及新疆托里分别为7.6％和4.6％。男性比女性血红蛋白高，血红蛋白随年龄增加而降低。相关分析结果血红蛋白与膳食热能、蛋白质、动物蛋白质与总蛋白质比值呈显著正相关。结果说明血红蛋白可用于中老年人营养状态监测。     

三峡地区大学生膳食调查与分析

目的：为开展大学生膳食营养教育提供依据。方法：采用记录和询问相结合的方法对301名大学生进行膳食调查。结果：男生的膳食营养状况比女生好。男生对热能、磷、铁、维生素A和维生素B1的摄入量均超过推荐量（Recommended Nutrient Intake，RNI），蛋白质达到RNI的94％，但钙、维生素B2和维生素C摄入不足，分别达到RNI的54％、71％、69％。女生磷、铁、维生素B1的摄取量超过RNI，维生素A达到RNI的90％，基本满足需要，但蛋白质、能量、钙、维生素B2和维生素C分别达到RNI量的76％、78％、57％和54％。男女生摄入的优质蛋白质均达到总摄入量的41％。男女生均有早上餐能量过低，晚餐量过高的现象。结论：大学生的膳营养水平比以往有所提高，但某些营养素仍严重缺乏，应加强对大学生的膳食营养教育。