Dietary and herbal supplements use among patients hospitalized in internal medicine departments

ObjectivesTo assess consumption of dietary and herbal supplements (DHS) among patients in internal medicine departments and determine whether such use is documented in their medical files.Methods267 patients from three internal medicine departments of an academic medical center in Haifa, Israel were assessed prospectively with questionnaires about their DHS use in the month preceding hospitalization. DHS were categorized into vitamins & minerals, herbal supplements and others. Further data was then collected from patients' medical records on socio-demographic and medical characteristics, as well as documentation of DHS use.Results123 patients (50.6 %) used DHS on a daily basis. Most of them (53.7 %) were using more than one DHS. DHS use was more prevalent in older (OR = 1.02 [1.001–1.036], p = 0.034) and educated (OR = 0.482 [0.252-0.923], p = 0.028) patients. Vitamins & minerals were used mainly to enhance vitality and address laboratory abnormalities, whereas herbal supplements were used mainly for gastrointestinal problems (p < 0.001). DHS use was reported to the physicians by 42 % of the patients, mostly at the patients’ initiative [92 (82.1 %), p < 0.001)]. Vitamins and minerals were the most reported category of DHS (94 (57.3 %), p < 0.001). The use of DHS was reported to physicians for 112 DHS (41.8 %) but only 32 DHS (11.9 %) were documented in their medical files. The documentation of vitamins and minerals was significantly higher compared to herbal supplements documentation (29 (17.7 %) & 3 (2.9 %) respectively, P < 0.001).ConclusionsDHS are commonly used by patients hospitalized in the internal medicine departments. Many patients do not report such use to the physicians, and more strikingly, physicians do not document DHS use in patient medical files. This communication gap may have serious medico-legal ramifications due to DHS side effects and DHS interactions with other DHS and with conventional drugs.     

Establishing new principles for nutrient reference values (NRVs) for food labeling purposes

Many countries such as The Republic of Korea have established their own nutritional standards, collectively termed Nutrient Reference Values(NRVs), and they vary due to the science which was reviewed, the purposes for which they are developed, and issues related to nutrition and food policy in the country. The current effort by the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CNFSDU) to update the NRVs that were established following the Helsinki Consultation in 1988 represents an opportunity to develop a set of reference values reflecting current scientific information to be used or adapted by many countries. This paper will focus on possible approaches to selecting or developing reference values which would serve the intended purpose for nutrition labeling to the greatest extent possible. Within the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) is currently reviewing regulations on nutrition labeling to better address current health issues, and is expected to enter into a process in the next few months to begin to explore how best to update nutrient Daily Values (DVs), most of which are still based on the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) of the Food and Nutrition Board, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, last reviewed and revised in 1968. In this presentation, I review the current purposes in the U.S. for nutrition labeling as identified in the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as amended, the scientific basis for current nutrition labeling regulations in the United States, and the recommendations made by the recent Committee on Use of Dietary Reference Intakes in Nutrition Labeling of the Institute of Medicine (2003) regarding how to use the DRIs in developing new DVs to be used on the label in the United States and Canada. Based on these reviews, I then provide examples of the issues that arise in comparing one approach to another. Much of the discussion focuses on the appropriate role of nutrient labeling within the Nutrition Facts panel, one of the three major public nutrition education tools in the United States (along with MyPyramid and Dietary Guidelines for Americans).     

Validation of a self-administered diet history questionnaire using multiple diet records

The validity of a self-administered diet history questionnaire has been estimated using as the reference data the mean of three 4-day diet records collected over the year prior to the administration of the questionnaire, in 1985–1986. Subjects were women ages 45–70 years, participants in the Women's Health Trial Feasibility Study, a multi-center clinical trial in which some women were randomized to be taught to adopt and maintain a low-fat diet, while others maintained their usual diet. The questionnaire produced group mean nutrient estimates closely approximating the values obtained by three 4-day records, e.g. in the usual-diet group, 37.7% of calories from fat by both food records and by questionnaire, and in the low-fat, group, 21.3% of calories from fat by food records and 23.7% of calories from fat by questionnaire. Correlations between questionnaire and diet records for per cent of calories from fat were 0.67 and 0.65 respectively in the two groups; most correlations were in the 0.5–0.6 range, and were similar to those achievable by a single 4-day food record.     

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。     

2010—2019年江西省居民食物消费量变化趋势研究

目的 分析2010—2019年间江西省居民食物消费变化趋势。方法 采用多阶段分层的整群抽样的方法,2010—2012年和2018—2019年分别抽取调查对象1 967人和1 130人。采用非连续的3天24小时回顾询问法、称重法收集和食物频率法对居民开展膳食调查,利用t检验对2010—2012年和2018—2019年居民各类食物摄入量进行统计分析。结果 2010—2019年间江西省城乡居民谷薯类食物消费量总体呈下降趋势（t = - 14.816,P＜0.001）,平均每标准人日摄入量由469.2 g降至398.3 g,但城市却呈上升趋势。蔬菜（t = - 22.258,P＜0.001）和水果（t = - 11.105,P＜0.001）消费量总体呈下降趋势,平均每标准人日摄入量分别由316.5 g和66.9 g降至240.5 g和48.0 g,但城市居民水果消费量呈上升趋势。禽畜肉类（t = 6.591,P＜0.001）、水产品（t = 12.531,P＜0.001）、蛋类（t = 13.944,P＜0.001）、奶类（t = 5.071,P＜0.001）和大豆及坚果类（t = 17.880,P＜0.001）呈上升趋势,平均每标准人日摄入量分别由97.6 g、24.0 g、18.1 g、19.5 g和16.6 g增至111.7 g、43.0 g、27.9 g、26.3 g和40.4 g,其中城市禽畜肉和奶类增幅都明显高于农村。油脂类（t = - 18.444,P＜0.001）和食盐（t = - 40.029,P＜0.001）消费量都呈下降趋势,平均每标准人日摄入量分别由43.8 g和9.1 g降至31.1 g和7.8 g,其中城市油脂类降幅高于农村。结论 江西省居民食物消费状况总体有所改善,但仍存在不合理,蔬菜水果、奶类摄入不足,而禽畜肉、油脂类和食盐过高,导致膳食纤维和钙的摄入不足,而脂肪摄入过多。     

Risks Associated with the Use of Garcinia as a Nutritional Complement to Lose Weight

Nowadays, obesity is one of the great nutritional problems facing public health. The prevalence of this pathology has increased in a worrying way over recent years, currently reaching epidemic proportions. In this context, nutritional supplements are presented as a therapeutic alternative to which more and more people are turning to. Nutritional supplements to lose weight based on the Garcinia plant, specifically on Garcinia cambogia, are commonly used. The active principle of this plant to which these properties have been attributed, is hydroxycitric acid (HCA). The aim of the present review is to gather reported data concerning the effectiveness of nutritional supplements based on Garcinia extracts on weight loss and their possible negative effects. Contradictory results have been observed regarding the effectiveness of the supplements. While statistically significant weight loss was observed in some studies, no changes were found in others. Regarding safety, although Garcinia supplements have been revealed as safe in the vast majority of the studies carried out in animal models and humans, some cases of hepatotoxicity, serotonin toxicity and mania have been reported. In conclusion, the results suggest that Garcinia-based supplements could be effective in short-term weight loss, although the data are not conclusive. In addition, the safety of the complement should be further studied.     

Effects of Maternal Nutritional Supplements and Dietary Interventions on Placental Complications: An Umbrella Review,Meta-Analysis and Evidence Map

The placenta is a vital, multi-functional organ that acts as an interface between maternal and fetal circulation during pregnancy. Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy alter placental development and function, leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as pre-eclampsia, infants with small for gestational age and low birthweight, preterm birth, stillbirths and maternal mortality. Maternal nutritional supplementation may help to mitigate the risks, but the evidence base is difficult to navigate. The primary purpose of this umbrella review is to map the evidence on the effects of maternal nutritional supplements and dietary interventions on pregnancy outcomes related to placental disorders and maternal mortality. A systematic search was performed on seven electronic databases, the PROSPERO register and references lists of identified papers. The results were screened in a three-stage process based on title, abstract and full-text by two independent reviewers. Randomized controlled trial meta-analyses on the efficacy of maternal nutritional supplements or dietary interventions were included. There were 91 meta-analyses included, covering 23 types of supplements and three types of dietary interventions. We found evidence that supports supplementary vitamin D and/or calcium, omega-3, multiple micronutrients, lipid-based nutrients, and balanced protein energy in reducing the risks of adverse maternal and fetal health outcomes. However, these findings are limited by poor quality of evidence. Nutrient combinations show promise and support a paradigm shift to maternal dietary balance, rather than single micronutrient deficiencies, to improve maternal and fetal health. The review is registered at PROSPERO (CRD42020160887).