Nutrient intakes in relation to style of breakfast and taste preferences

Relationship between sensory liking for fat, sweet or salt and cardiometabolic diseases: mediating effects of diet and weight status

PURPOSE

Previous works have been suggested that individual sensory liking is a predictor of dietary intake and weight status, and may consequently influence development of cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs). We investigated the association between sensory liking for fat-and-salt, fat-and-sweet, sweet or salt and the onset of hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) over 6 years in adults, and the mediating effects of dietary intake and body mass index (BMI).

METHODS

We examined the CMDs risk among 41,332 (for CVD and diabetes) and 37,936 (for hypertension) French adults (NutriNet-Santé cohort). Liking scores, individual characteristics, diet and anthropometry were assessed at baseline using questionnaires. Health events were collected during 6 years. Associations between sensory liking and CMDs risk, and the mediating effect of diet and BMI, were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

Sensory liking for fat-and-salt was associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension and CVD [hazard ratios (HR) for 1-point increment of the sensory score: HR 1.30 (95% CI 1.18, 1.43), HR 1.08 (1.04, 1.13) and HR 1.10 (1.02, 1.19), respectively]. BMI and dietary intake both explained 93%, 98% and 70%, of the overall variation of liking for fat-and-salt liking in diabetes, hypertension and CVD, respectively. Liking for fat-and-sweet and liking for salt were also associated with an increased risk of diabetes [HR 1.09 (1.01, 1.17) and HR 1.09 (1.01, 1.18), respectively], whereas liking for sweet was associated with a decreased risk [HR 0.76 (0.69, 0.84)].

CONCLUSIONS

Higher liking for fat-and-salt is significantly associated with CMDs risk, largely explained by dietary intake and BMI. Our findings may help to guide effective targeted measures in prevention.

Relative Influence of Socioeconomic, Psychological and Sensory Characteristics, Physical Activity and Diet on 5-Year Weight Gain in French Adults

Individual characteristics, dietary intake and physical activity influence weight status; however, the contribution of each factor to weight change has not been studied. The objective was to confirm a conceptual framework by simultaneously assessing the relative influence of socioeconomic, psychological and sensory characteristics, physical activity, and dietary intake on five-year weight gain in French adults. Individual characteristics, physical activity, and dietary data were assessed at baseline in 8014 participants in the NutriNet-Santé cohort. Self-reported anthropometric data were collected at baseline and five years later. Structural equation models, stratified by baseline body mass index (BMI), were used to perform analyses. Dietary restraint was a direct predictor of weight gain, with a stronger effect than age or intake of energy-dense foods, both in non-overweight and overweight participants. In non-overweight individuals only, intake of nutrient-dense foods and physical activity were inversely associated with weight gain. Regarding dietary intake, fat liking was the most important predictor of nutrient-dense food intake and was also related to energy-dense food intake. In these models, dietary restraint appears to be a direct predictor of weight gain and fat liking is a strong determinant of dietary intake. The influence of dietary restraint on weight gain, not explained by diet, warrants further investigation.

Food choice motives including sustainability during purchasing are associated with a healthy dietary pattern in French adults

Background

Sustainability has become a greater concern among consumers that may influence their dietary intake. Only a few studies investigated the relationship between sustainable food choice motives and diet and they focused on specific food groups.

Objective

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the associations between food choice motives during purchasing, with a focus on sustainability, and dietary patterns in a large sample of French adults.

Design

Food choice motives were collected in 31,842 adults from the NutriNet-Santé study, using a validated 63 items questionnaire gathered into 9 dimension scores: ethics and environment, traditional and local production, taste, price, environmental limitation (i.e. not buying a food for environmental concerns), health, convenience, innovation and absence of contaminants. Dietary intake was assessed using at least three web-based 24-h food records. Three dietary patterns were obtained through factor analysis using principal component analysis. The associations between food choice motive dimension scores and dietary patterns were assessed using linear regression models, stratifying by sex.

Results

Individuals were more likely to have a “healthy diet” when they were more concerned by not buying a food for environmental concerns (only for 3^rd tertile versus 1^st tertile β_women=0.18, 95% CI=0.15–0.20, β_men=0.20 95% CI=(0.15–0.25)), ethics and environment (women only, β=0.05, 95% CI=0.02–0.08), absence of contaminants (women only, β=0.05, 95% CI=0.01–0.07), local production (women only, β=0.08, 95% CI=0.04–0.11), health (women only) and innovation (men only), and when they were less concerned by price. Individuals were also less likely to have traditional or western diets when they gave importance to food choice motive dimensions related to sustainability.

Conclusion

Individuals, especially women, having higher concerns about food sustainability dimensions such as ethics and environment and local production, appear to have a healthier diet. Further longitudinal studies are required to better understand how sustainable concerns may influence long-term nutritional quality of the diet.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12937-017-0279-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Preference of Food Saltiness and Willingness to Consume Low-Sodium Content Food in a Chinese Population

OBJECTIVE

To compare the preference of food saltiness and the willingness to consume low-sodium food among hypertensive older people, non-hypertensive older people and non-hypertensive young people in a Chinese population.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study based on a quota sample. Three saltiness options (low-sodium, medium-sodium and high-sodium) of soup and bread were offered to each participant who rated the taste of each food on a 5-point Likert scale. Then, the participants rated their willingness to consume the low-sodium content foods on a 5-point Likert scale, given they were informed of the benefit of the low-sodium option. Generalised linear mixed model and multiple linear regression were used to analyse the data.

SETTING

Elderly centres and community centres in Hong Kong.

PARTICIPANTS

Sixty hypertensive older people, 49 non-hypertensive older people and 60 non-hypertensive young people were recruited from June to August 2014.

MEASUREMENTS

The tastiness score and the willingness score were the primary outcome measures. The Chinese Health Literacy Scale for Low Salt Consumption - Hong Kong population (CHLSalt-HK) was also assessed.

RESULTS

The tastiness rating of the high-sodium option of soup was significantly lower than the medium-sodium option (p<0.001), but there was no significant difference between the low-sodium and the medium-sodium options (p=0.204). For bread, tastiness rating of the low-sodium option and the high-sodium option were significantly lower than the medium-sodium option (p<0.001 for both options). The tastiness score of soup did not have significant difference across the groups (p=0.181), but that of bread from the hypertensive older adults (p=0.012) and the non-hypertensive older adults (p=0.006) was significantly higher than the non-hypertensive young adults. Higher willingness rating to consume the low-sodium option was significantly (p<0.001) associated with higher tastiness rating of the low-sodium option of soup and bread, and weakly associated with higher health literacy of low salt intake (soup: p=0.041; bread: p=0.024). Hypertensive older adults tended to be more willing to consume the low-sodium option than non-hypertensive older adults for soup (p=0.009), there was insignificant difference between non-hypertensive older adults and non-hypertensive young adults (p=0.156). For bread, there was insignificant difference in willingness rating to consume low-sodium option (p=0.375).

CONCLUSION

Older people are at a higher risk of hypertension, reduction of salt intake is important for them to reduce their risk of cardiovascular diseases. There is room for reducing the sodium content of soup, while the sodium in bread should be reduced progressively. Improving the taste of low-sodium food may help to promote reduction in dietary sodium intake.

Associations between liking for fat, sweet or salt and obesity risk in French adults: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Individual sensory liking appears to be an important determinant of dietary intake and may consequently influence weight status. Cross-sectional studies have shown positive association between fat liking and weight status and equivocal results regarding salt and sweet liking. Moreover, the contribution of dietary intake to explain this relationship has not been studied yet. We investigated the prospective association between sensory liking for fat, sweet or salt and the onset of obesity over 5 years in adults, and the mediating effect of dietary intake.

METHODS

We prospectively examine the risk of obesity among 24,776 French adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé cohort study. Liking scores and dietary data were assessed at baseline using a validated web-based questionnaire and 24 h records, respectively. Self-reported anthropometric data were collected using web-based questionnaire, each year during 5 years. Associations between quartiles of liking for fat, sweet or salt and obesity risk, and the mediating effect of diet were assessed by multivariate Cox proportional hazards models stratified by gender, adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

RESULTS

In both genders, sensory liking for fat was associated with an increased risk of obesity (hazard ratios for quartile 4 compared to quartile 1, men: HR(Q4vs.Q1) = 2.39 (95% CI 1.39,4.11) P-trend = 0.0005, women: HR(Q4vs.Q1) = 2.02 (1.51,2.71) P-trend = <0.0001). Dietary intake explained 32% in men and 52% in women of the overall variation of liking for fat in obesity. Sensory liking for sweet was associated with a decreased risk of obesity (men: HR(Q4vs.Q1) = 0.51 (0.31,0.83) P-trend = 0.01, women: HR(Q4vs.Q1) = 0.72 (0.54,0.96) P-trend = 0.035). No significant association between salt liking and the risk of obesity was found.

CONCLUSIONS

Unlike sweet and salt liking, higher liking for fat appears to be a major risk factor of obesity, largely explained by dietary intake. Our findings emphasize the need to centrally position sensory liking in obesity prevention.

Association between intake of nutrients and food groups and liking for fat (The Nutrinet-Santé Study)

Apart from the established association between liking for fat and fat intake, little is known about the association between liking for fat and intake of specific nutrients or food groups. We investigated the association between dietary intake and liking for fat, fat-and-sweet and fat-and-salt. Liking scores were constructed using a validated preference questionnaire administered to 41,595 French adults participating in the Nutrinet-Santé study. Dietary data were collected using web-based 24 h records. Relationships between liking and dietary intake were assessed using linear regression adjusted for age and energy intake. Results are expressed in percentage difference of intake between individuals with low liking and those with high liking. Compared with participants with low liking for fat, individuals with a strong liking for fat had higher intakes of total energy (+10.1% in women (W); +8.4% in men (M)), fats (W: +7.3%; M: +10.0%), saturated fats (W: +10.8%; M+15.4%), meat (W: +13.0%; M: +12.6%), butter (W: +34.0%; M: +48.1%), sweetened cream desserts (W: +14.8%; M: +21.1%) and croissant-like pastries (W: +27.2%; M: +36.9). They also consumed lower quantities of omega-3 fatty acids (W: -6.2%;M: -6.0%), fiber (W: -16.4%; M: -18.9%), fruits (W: -28.8%; M: -29.5%), vegetables (W: -16.4%; M: -19.7%) and yogurt (W: -12.1%; M: -14.8%). Participants with high liking for fat-and-salt had higher intakes of total energy, sodium and alcoholic beverages and lower consumption of total and simple carbohydrates and fruit and vegetables than persons with high liking for fat-and-sweet. Our study contributes to the understanding of liking as a determinant of dietary intake. It highlighted that increased liking for fat, especially fat-and-salt liking, was associated with a lower intake of healthy foods, such as fruit and vegetables.

Reproducibility and validity of a simple checklist-type questionnaire for food intake and dietary behavior

BACKGROUND

A simple, reliable, and valid food questionnaire is needed in clinical dietary assessments, community health education, and multi-purpose epidemiologic studies to obtain a crude measure of dietary intake.

METHODS

To assess the validity and reproducibility of a simple 4-point scale food intake and behavior checklist, it was compared to two 3-day weighed dietary records. The FBC was administered to 47 students of a dietician course and their parents (n = 94) over a 9-month interval to assess the reproducibility. The mean intakes of selected food groups assessed by the two dietary records completed between food intake and behavior checklists were compared to the responses to the food intake and behavior checklist to assess its validity.

RESULTS

The kappa statistics for reproducibility ranged from 0.25 for confectionaries to 0.63 for a preference for fatty foods (median, 0.39). There was a reasonable level of correlation between the dietary record and the food intake and behavior checklist in the intake of eggs, milk, and fruits (r = 0.53, 0.56, and 0.50, respectively). There was a weaker but still significant correlation in the intake of vegetables, and alcohol (r = 0.31 and 0.45, respectively). No significant correlation was observed in the intake of meat, fish, confectionaries, and soft drinks. However, those who reported consuming mainly fish rather than meat were found to eat significantly less meat and animal fat. Similarly, those who did not prefer fatty foods consumed significantly less meat, animal fat, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

CONCLUSIONS

This simple food checklist was useful in collecting data on egg, milk, and fruit consumption. Assessing intake frequency of vegetables, meat or fish with the FBC may be useful in screening high- or low-intake individuals.

Prospective study of educational background and stomach cancer in Japan

BACKGROUND

Different lifestyle choices are commonly regarded as a reflection of socioeconomic status, and the latter is inversely correlated with the risk of developing stomach cancer. However, the details of this association are still unclear in terms of the degree to which lifestyle factors are having impact. To explain the correlation between socioeconomic status and stomach cancer, we therefore examined the roles played by different lifestyle factors.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study of diet and cancer was initiated in Japan during 1988. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. A follow-up survey was conducted annually, and the cause of death was recorded from the death certificate. The total of 127,477 study participants resided in 45 areas of Japan, and we retrieved data for 18,746 men and 26,184 women for the present analysis. After 328,030 person-years of follow-up, 379 deaths from stomach cancer were detected: 261 in men and 118 in women.

RESULTS

For men, the age-adjusted relative risk was lowest in the highly educated group (relative risk = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.50-1.04). Relative risk after adjustment for age and dietary choices (including pickles, vegetables, fruit, green tea, and preference for salty foods) was the same as the age-adjusted relative risk (relative risk = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.50-1.04).

CONCLUSION

The expected inverse correlation between education level and death from stomach cancer was observed in men. However, this association could not be explained by differences in dietary habits, smoking, or alcohol consumption associated with socioeconomic status.