The consumption of sugars, particularly sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs; beverages or drinks that contain added caloric sweeteners (ie, sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates), in European children and adolescents exceeds current recommendations. This is of concern because there is no nutritional requirement for free sugars, and infants have an innate preference for sweet taste, which may be modified and reinforced by pre- and postnatal exposures. Sugar-containing beverages/free sugars increase the risk for overweight/obesity and dental caries, can result in poor nutrient supply and reduced dietary diversity, and may be associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular risk, and other health effects. The term "free sugars," includes all monosaccharides/disaccharides added to foods/beverages by the manufacturer/cook/consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey/syrups/unsweetened fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. Sugar naturally present in intact fruits and lactose in amounts naturally present in human milk or infant formula, cow/goat milk, and unsweetened milk products is not free sugar. Intake of free sugars should be reduced and minimised with a desirable goal of (5% energy intake in children and adolescents aged ?2 to 18 years. Intake should probably be even lower in infants and toddlers (2 years. Healthy approaches to beverage and dietary consumption should be established in infancy, with the aim of preventing negative health effects in later childhood and adulthood. Sugar should preferably be consumed as part of a main meal and in a natural form as human milk, milk, unsweetened dairy products, and fresh fruits, rather than as SSBs, fruit juices, smoothies, and/or sweetened milk products. Free sugars in liquid form should be replaced by water or unsweetened milk drinks. National Authorities should adopt policies aimed at reducing the intake of free sugars in infants, children and adolescents. This may include education, improved labelling, restriction of advertising, introducing standards for kindergarten and school meals, and fiscal measures, depending on local circumstances.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4120236
BACKGROUNG/OBJECTIVES: Compares the nutritional quality of pre-packaged foods carrying health-related claims with foods that do not carry health-related claims. SUBJECT/METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of pre-packaged foods available in Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia and the United Kingdom in 2013. A total of 2034 foods were randomly sampled from three food store types (a supermarket, a neighbourhood store and a discounter). Nutritional information was taken from nutrient declarations present on food labels and assessed through a comparison of mean levels, regression analyses and the application of a nutrient profile model currently used to regulate health claims in Australia and New Zealand (Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion, FSANZ NPSC). RESULTS: Foods carrying health claims had, on average, lower levels, per 100 g, of the following nutrients, energy-29.3 kcal (P(0.05), protein-1.2 g (P(0.01), total sugars-3.1 g (P(0.05), saturated fat-2.4 g (P(0.001), and sodium-842 mg (P(0.001), and higher levels of fibre-0.8 g (P(0.001). A similar pattern was observed for foods carrying nutrition claims. Fortythree percent (confidence interval (CI) 41%, 45%) of foods passed the FSANZ NPSC, with foods carrying health claims more likely to pass (70%, CI 64%, 76%) than foods carrying nutrition claims (61%, CI 57%, 66%) or foods that did not carry either type of claim (36%, CI 34%, 38%). CONCLUSIONS: Foods carrying health-related claims have marginally better nutrition profiles than those that do not carry claims; these differences would be increased if the FSANZ NPSC was used to regulate health-related claims. It is unclear whether these relatively small differences have significant impacts on health.
COBISS.SI-ID: 38761989
Ustrezna in pravočasna mikrobna kolonizacija črevesja dopolnjuje dojenčkovo zdravo presnovno programiranje in se kaže v ustrezni rasti in napredovanju na telesni teži pri otrocih. Iz blata (fecesov), ki smo jih zbrali 3, 30 in 90 dni po rojstvu od 60 dojenih novorojenčkov, smo izvedli mikrobno ekstrakcijo DNK in qPCR kvantifikacijo izbranih črevesnih povezanih taksonov. Za ovrednotenje mikrobne dinamike glede na demografske, okoljske, klinične značilnosti in podatke o rasti v prvem letu smo uporabili multivariatno regresijsko analizo. Zgodnja mikrobiološka variabilnost je zaznamoval delež Bacilli, a se je zmanjšala in konvergirala v kasnejših vzorcih, saj so začele prevladovati bifidobakterije. V prvem mesecu so bili deleži enterokokov povezani z lokacijo porodnišnice in dopolnitvijo dojenja z mlečnimi formulami, medtem ko je razmerje Enterococcus faecalis odražalo način poroda. Delež skupine Bacteroides-Prevotella je bil povezan s telesno težo dojenčka in ponderalnim indeksom v prvem mesecu. Prehrana (zalivančki) in zdravstveno stanje dojenčkov v prvem mesecu so najbolj vplivali na razširjene mikrobnih perturbacij. Naše ugotovitve zbujajo zaskrbljenost nad sposobnostjo zgodnjega prehranjevanja z mlečno formulo, da bi lahko podprla in posnemala mikrobioto črevesja na podoben način, kot je to pri izključno dojenih dojenčkih. Poleg tega se je dodajanje mlečne formule po prvem mesecu starosti izkazalo v večji telesni teži in Z-vrednosti telesne mase v prvem letu.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3954568
Background: While functional foods offer promise for public health and innovation in the industry, the efficiency of such products should be assured to protect consumers from misleading claims. Globally, many countries regulate the communication of the health effects of such foods to final consumers. Scope and Approach: In the European Union (EU), the use of health claims was harmonized in 2006. All claims need to be scientifically assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and pre-approved. Implementing the regulation has involved a steep learning curve for stakeholders, resulting in many health claims being rejected. The EU-funded REDICLAIM project used existing guidance documents, analyses of Scientific Opinions on new health claim applications, and a series of interviews with experts involved in such applications to identify key points in the process of authorizing new health claims. Key Findings and Conclusions: Recommendations for the successful substantiation of new health claims in the EU were prepared. The substantiation of health claims is primarily based on human efficacy studies, and greater resources are required to authorize more innovative claims. The reported recommendations should be seen as a starting point for researchers in the area of nutrition, food technology and pharmacy, and for those dealing with functional foods, including the industry.
COBISS.SI-ID: 39303941
Objectives: The marketing of energy-dense foods is recognised as a probable causal factor in children's overweight and obesity. To stimulate policymakers to start using nutrient profiling to restrict food marketing, a harmonised model was recently proposed by the WHO. Our objective is to evaluate the television advertising of foods in Slovenia using the above-mentioned model. Methods: An analysis is performed using a representative dataset of 93,902 food-related advertisements broadcast in Slovenia in year 2013. The advertisements are linked to specific foods, which are then subject to categorisation according to the WHO and UK nutrient profile model. Results: Advertising of chocolate and confectionery represented 37% of food-related advertising in all viewing times, and 77% in children's (4-9 years) viewing hours. During these hours, 96% of the food advertisements did not pass the criteria for permitted advertising according to the WHO profile model. Conclusions: Evidence from Slovenia shows that, in the absence of efficient regulatory marketing restrictions, television advertising of food to children is almost exclusively linked to energy-dense foods. Minor modifications of the proposed WHO nutrient profile model are suggested.
COBISS.SI-ID: 38759173
This study aimed to explore the influence of the use of various food labelling information on consumers’ preferences for yoghurts with a different nutritional composition, and the influence of more and less familiar claims on food choices. The study was conducted on 371 consumers using conjoint methodology and further cluster analysis. Fruit yoghurt was used as a base product. The results suggest that, while consumers generally consider the nutritional composition of yoghurt (sugar/fat content) to be more important than the tested claims, some groups of consumers are more sensitive to the use of health-related statements. Overall, results indicate that some groups of consumers are more sensitive to the use of health-related communications and are therefore more exposed to the risk of being misled if the composition of the yoghurt they buy is in fact less favourable.
COBISS.SI-ID: 37842181
The health effects of olive oil are attributed to its high content of oleic acid and other constituents, particularly its phenolic fraction. Olive oil also contains other substances with potential health effects. The objective of our study was to investigate some factors that could influence the quantity of coenzyme Q (CoQ) in olive oils. We analysed almost 100 samples of commercial oil blends and fresh extra virgin olive oils of various cultivars using high-performance liquid chromatography. With the investigation of various monocultivar samples we determined that genetic parameters (cultivars) have an important influence on the composition of olive oils, especially the content of CoQ10. We also determined that the highest levels of both CoQ10 and CoQ9 can be found in early maturation stages.
COBISS.SI-ID: 37273349
The Mediterranean diet and consumption of olive oil have been connected in several studies with longevity and a reduced risk of morbidity and mortality. Lifestyle, such as regular physical activity, a healthy diet, and the existing social cohesion in Southern European countries have been recognised ascandidate protective factors that may explain the Mediterranean Paradox. Along with some other characteristics of the Mediterranean diet, the use of olive oil as the main source of fat is common in Southern European countries. The benefits of consuming olive oil have been known since antiquity and were traditionally attributed to its high content in oleic acid. However, it is now well established that these effects must also be attributed to the phenolicfraction of olive oil with its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activities. The mechanisms of these activities are varied and probably interconnected. For some activities of olive oil phenolic compounds, the evidence is already strong enough to enable the legal use of health claimson foods. This review discusses the health effects of olive oil phenols along with the possibilities of communicating these effects on food labels.
COBISS.SI-ID: 36580869
Little is known about the molecular mechanism of the 2R3-M RYB transcriptional repressors involved in plant phenylpropanoid metabolism important for the synthesis of rutin and quercetin in Tartary buckwheat. Here, we described one R2R3-type MYB repressor, FtMYB11 from Fagopyrum tataricum. It contains the SID-like motif GGDFNFDL and it is regulated by both the importin protein ‘Sensitive to ABA and Drought 2’ (SAD2) and the jasmonates signalling cascade repressor JAZ protein. These research results are important to understand and regulate the synthesis of buckwheat substances involved in phenylpropanoid metabolism, including rutin and quercetin. The results are thus of importance for understanding metabolism of nutritionally important flavonoids rutin and quercetin. Based on high concentration of rutin and quercetin Tartary buckwheat is nutritionally rich functional food material.
COBISS.SI-ID: 8758137
The aim of the study was to assess acute cumulative dietary exposure to organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides via fruit and vegetables consumption of the schoolchildren population aged 11-12 years and the level of risk for their health. Probabilistic methodology is used to assess the dietary exposure resulting in an exposure distribution. With this tool, dietary intake distributions are generated that include the variability in consumption of certain foods within a given population and the variability of the occurrence of substances in the consumed foods. Furthermore, with this tool the effect of uncertainties on the exposure outcome can be quantified and a similar approach will be used in Task 2.1 of the proposed project.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3380197