Maximizing your "nutrition minute": Bridging nutritional gaps across the life span

Beyond sleep: A multidimensional model of chronotype

Chronotype can be defined as an expression or proxy for circadian rhythms of varied mechanisms, for example in body temperature, cortisol secretion, cognitive functions, eating and sleeping patterns. It is influenced by a range of internal (e.g., genetics) and external factors (e.g., light exposure), and has implications for health and well-being. Here, we present a critical review and synthesis of existing models of chronotype. Our observations reveal that most existing models and, as a consequence, associated measures of chronotype have focused solely or primarily on the sleep dimension, and typically have not incorporated social and environmental influences on chronotype. We propose a multidimensional model of chronotype, integrating individual (biological and psychological), environmental and social factors that appear to interact to determine an individual's true chronotype with potential feedback loops between these factors. This model could be beneficial not only from a basic science perspective but also in the context of understanding health and clinical implications of certain chronotypes as well as designing preventive and therapeutic approaches for related illnesses.

E-1500: Survey on feeding practices in the first 1,500 days of life, recommended by healthcare professionals in Latin America

INTRODUCTION

Health-disease processes are established and programmed in the first 1500 days of life, a period in which nutrition and the microbiota play a fundamental role. Feeding practices vary, according to regional sociocultural characteristics. The Early Nutrition Group of the Latin American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (LASPGHAN) established the goal of identifying the main feeding practices in the first 1500 days that were recommended by health professionals in Latin America.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A survey was conducted on the aspects of maternal-infant and young child nutrition during the first 1500 days of life. An open invitation was extended to Latin American healthcare professionals to anonymously answer the online survey.

RESULTS

A total of 1284 surveys from participants in 18 Latin American countries were analyzed. The mean age of the participants was 37.14 ± 11.1 years, 75.7% were women, 64.7% were physicians, and the rest were nutritionists/nutriologists. A total of 71.4% were familiar with the concept of the first 1000 days of life, 95% answered that exclusive breastfeeding should be carried out up to 6 months of age, and 34.3% responded that complementary feeding should be begun between 4 and 6 months of age. There was scant knowledge regarding nutrition in the pregnant woman. Adherence to traditional complementary feeding practices was evident.

CONCLUSIONS

In a group of Latin American healthcare professionals, knowledge about nutrition in the first 1000-1500 days of life of an individual is still incomplete and insufficient, showing the need for continued training of healthcare professionals, with respect to those themes.

Nurse practitioner experiences providing nutrition counseling to adult patients in primary care

BACKGROUND

Poor nutrition is one of the leading risk factors for preventable chronic diseases in the United States. Nutrition counseling has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in the adult primary care setting. Nurse practitioners (NPs) can help fill the critical need for nutrition counseling, yet little is known about their role providing nutrition counseling.

PURPOSE

To describe the primary care NP's experience in providing nutrition counseling to adult patients in primary care practice.

METHODS

Qualitative descriptive study design. Data were collected through virtual semi-structured interviews with 18 board-certified primary care NPs. Interviews were audio-recorded, de-identified, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed. Data collection and analysis took place concurrently and continued until data saturation was achieved.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged from NPs' descriptions of their experiences in providing nutrition counseling to adult patients in primary care practice: (1) role of nutrition counseling in NP primary care practice; (2) developing NP self-efficacy in nutrition counseling; (3) nutrition counseling is more than the provision of information; (4) emotional aspect of nutrition; and (5) barriers to behavior change.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that although NPs understand the importance of nutrition counseling in primary care practice and provide it in some capacity, its continuance is limited by multiple barriers. Future research should evaluate ways to enhance NPs' preparedness to provide nutrition counseling, assess specific resources and tools to aid in nutrition counseling, and determine best practices for communication when delivering nutrition counseling.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Future interventions have the potential to positively affect patients' dietary practices and improve clinical outcomes.

The Association between Chronotype and Dietary Pattern among Adults: A Scoping Review

Chronotype reflects an individual's preferred time of the day for an activity/rest cycle and individuals can be classified as a morning, intermediate, or evening type. A growing number of studies have examined the relationship between chronotype and general health. This review aimed to map current evidence of the association between chronotype and dietary intake among the adult population. A systematic search was conducted across five databases: EBSCO Host, Medline & Ovid, Pubmed, Scopus, and The Cochrane Library. The inclusion criteria were adult subjects (more than 18 years old), and included an assessment of (i) chronotype, (ii) dietary behaviour/nutrient intake/food group intake, and (iii) an analysis of the association between chronotype and dietary behaviour/nutrient intake/food group intake. A total of 36 studies were included in the review. This review incorporated studies from various study designs, however, the majority of these studies were based on a cross-sectional design (n = 29). Dietary outcomes were categorized into three main groups, namely dietary behaviour, nutrient intake, and specific food group intake. This scoping review demonstrates that evening-type individuals are mostly engaged with unhealthy dietary habits related to obesity and were thus hampered in the case of weight loss interventions. Hence, this review has identified several dietary aspects that can be addressed in the development of a personalised chrono-nutrition weight loss intervention.

The diversity of healthy diets for older persons across the world

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To examine eating patterns, and with a particular focus on the different healthy diets followed by older persons across the world and the factors that can limit accessibility to healthy foods.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent evidence has demonstrated that older people are, generally speaking, following less healthy diets with respect to the past. The only exception seems to be China, but the quality of the food there appears to be less than optimal. Socioeconomic status and, in particular, the price of food seems to be the most important factors linked to diet quality.

SUMMARY

Although healthy diets are associated with lower risk of several chronic disabling diseases, elderly people tend to follow less healthy diets with respect to the past. Public health strategies can and should promote healthy eating patterns in this population.