Assess Macronutrient Intakes and Diet Quality for Contemporary Consumer Diets
A wide range of self-selected contemporary diets restrict or eliminate specific foods or food groups (e.g., gluten free). Health professionals advising consumers may be unaware of the relationship between specific diets and nutrient insufficiency as well as low diet quality overall. Restriction diets may be inadvertently putting consumers at risk for low quality diets or even specific nutrient inadequacies. This research will examine diet quality and nutrient insufficiencies.
Institution: William & Mary
Principal Investigator: Zach Conrad, PhD
Year Awarded: 2021
This work is supported by IAFNS Carbohydrates Committee.
View this project on the Center for Open Science’s Open Science Framework.
Assessing the Relationship between Low-Calorie Sweetener Use and Quality of Life Measures in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes
Low- and No- calorie sweeteners (LNCSs) have been acknowledged as a tool for reducing the intake of total carbohydrates and particularly added sugars in the nutritional management of diabetes. LNCSs may also help to improve Quality of Life (QoL). QoL is an important aspect in management of diabetes as reduced QoL can negatively affect diabetes-related outcomes. As such, understanding the potential relationship between use of LNCSs to replace added sugars and excess carbohydrate in the diet on QoL is important. This knowledge may also be useful to clinicians who field questions about the general utility of LNCSs. A recent systematic review sponsored by the World Health Organization that was designed to investigate the effects of LCS use for people with diabetes included health-related QoL as an outcome measure. However, authors did not identify any data in the peer-reviewed literature that met the inclusion-exclusion criteria specified. Authors concluded that data on this “patient-important outcome” were “scarce or lacking”. The objective of this work is to assess the relationship between use of LCSs and health-related Quality of Life (QoL) measures in individuals residing in North America that were diagnosed with diabetes (type 1) not less than 1 year ago.
Institution: University of Colorado
Principal Investigator: Halis K. Akturk, MD
Year Awarded: 2021
View this project on the Center for Open Science’s Open Science Framework here.
This work is supported by the IAFNS Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners Committee
Broader Dietary Value of Food Category Contributors to Sodium Intake
As noted in the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report, there is significant overlap between food categories that contribute to sodium intake and to vegetable intake. To ensure appropriate and effective messaging, dietary guidance, and food development or modification, it is important to understand the totality of nutrients and food groups provided by commonly consumed high-sodium foods. This applies whether they are in excess or support meeting dietary recommendations. In this project, national health and nutrition survey data (NHANES) from 2017-2018 will be examined to identify the top food category contributors to sodium intake. The analysis will break out data by racial and ethnic groups, and by poverty-to-income ratio. Intake of these food categories will be evaluated for the contribution to food groups and nutrient intake relative to dietary recommendations. This information will provide clarity on the broader contribution of these foods to better inform dietary guidance and messaging.
Institution: University of Toronto
Principal Investigator: Mary L'Abbe, PhD
Year Awarded: 2021
This project is being supported by the IAFNS Sodium Committee.
Read more: Top Sodium Food Sources in the American Diet—Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
View this project on the Center for Open Science’s Open Science Framework.
Impact of Ingested Live Microbes on Health: An evidence Map
Human gut microbiome research has linked imbalances in the gut microbiota with several suboptimal health conditions. Consequently, the application of dietary interventions including foods (i.e., fermented foods [FFs]) and food supplements (i.e., probiotics) that contain live microorganisms to positively impact the gut microbiota and, in turn, health, has been the subject of much attention. Evidence indicates that consumption of FFs as well as probiotics can be protective against a wide range of ailments. However, despite the large body of evidence relating to the health benefits of specific probiotics and FFs, there is an absence of recommended dietary allowances (RDA) relating to the consumption of live microbes. This is partly due to an incomplete understanding of the more general health benefits imparted by ingesting live microbes. To address this, the research team will conduct an in-depth evidence mapping exercise to understand the breadth of evidence linking ingestion of live microbes with potential health benefits. This evidence mapping exercise will form a key step in a process towards determining the merits of recommending a level of live microbe intake that can be linked to positive health outcomes.
Institution: Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Republic of Ireland
Principal Investigator: Paul Cotter, PhD
Year Awarded: 2020
Learn more about our work on Live Dietary Microbes with this summary handout.
Read More: The Impact of Live Dietary Microbes on Health: A Scoping Review
View this project on the Center for Open Science's Open Science Framework.
This project was supported by the IAFNS Gut Microbiome Committee
Understanding Sweetness: Perception, Liking, and the Role of Sweet Taste in a Healthy Eating Plan
Recorded December 2, 2020.
Continuing Education Hours: IAFNS is a Continuing Professional Education (CPE) provider with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). CDR Credentialed Practitioners will receive 1.0 Continuing Professional Education Unit (CPEU) for completion of this recorded webinar.
Description:
As a means of addressing excess intakes of added sugars and the link to obesity, authoritative guidance (e.g., from the Pan America Health Organization, Health Canada, and others) includes avoidance of sweet taste in a dietary pattern. Statements about avoidance of sweet include use of low-calorie sweeteners, a tool shown to be useful in reducing added sugars intake. There is an opportunity to communicate what is known about how individuals perceive sweet, alterations due to changes in physiology, and implications for health. Reconciling current messages about sweet taste given individual variability and the role of sweet in a healthy eating plan will be covered. Finally, speakers will review some of the research gaps toward better understanding the role of sweetness to support optimal public health messaging and nutrition counseling.
Webinar program:
Moderator: Marie Latulippe, MS, RDN, IAFNS
Individual Differences in Sweet Taste: Implications for Nutrition Practitioners
- Beverly J Tepper, PhD, Head of the Sensory Evaluation Laboratory Director of the Center for Sensory Sciences & Innovation Department of Food Science, Rutgers University
Crafting Public Health Messages Around Sweet Taste: The Struggle is Real
- Robin M. Tucker, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University
Learning outcomes:
After this presentation, the viewer will be able to:
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Articulate the rationale for differences in patient and client responses to sweetness.
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Provide evidence-based responses to client questions about sweetness in the diet and management of gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and weight.
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Counsel clients and patients on where and how to identify sweetness in the diet and the role of sweetness in an eating plan that promotes health.
Continuing Education Hours: IAFNS is a Continuing Professional Education (CPE) provider with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). CDR Credentialed Practitioners will receive 1.0 Continuing Professional Education Unit (CPEU) for completion of this recorded webinar until December 2, 2023.