The Nutri-Score is a 5-color front-of-pack nutrition label designed to provide consumers with an easily understandable guideline to the healthiness of food products.The impact that the Nutri-Score may have on consumer...The Nutri-Score is a 5-color front-of-pack nutrition label designed to provide consumers with an easily understandable guideline to the healthiness of food products.The impact that the Nutri-Score may have on consumers'choices is unclear since different experimental paradigms have found vastly different effect sizes.In the present study,we have investigated how student participants change a hypothetical personal 1-daydietary plan after a learning phase during which they learn about the Nutri-Scores of the available food items.Participants were instructed to compose a healthy diet plan in order that the question of whether the NutriScore would improve their ability to compose a healthy dietary plan could be investigated,independent of the question of whether they would apply this knowledge in their ordinary lives.We found a substantial(Cohen's d=0.86)positive impact on nutritional quality(as measured by the Nutrient Profiling System score of the Food Standards Agency)and a medium-sized(Cohen's d=0.43)reduction of energy content.Energy content reduction was larger for participants who had initially composed plans with higher energy content.The results suggest that the Nutri-Score has the potential to guide consumers to healthier food choices.It remains unclear,however,whether this potential will be reflected in real-life dietary choices.展开更多
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorder with motor and non-motorsigns, which begins long before the diagnosis can be made. Pharmacotherapy with dopaminergic drugsis the mainstay of...Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorder with motor and non-motorsigns, which begins long before the diagnosis can be made. Pharmacotherapy with dopaminergic drugsis the mainstay of PD therapy. There is no currently available cure or disease-modifying treatment. Dietand various foods have been proposed as possible risk factors for PD. Nutritional supplementation withomega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, B vitamins, and coenzyme Q may have potential in the management ofPD. In addition, several strategies could possibly lead to the development of medical foods in PD. Forexample, ketogenic diets may have effects complementary to pharmacotherapy. Gut microbial dysbiosisand altered microbial metabolites found in PD may lead to chronic low-grade inflammation in gut andbrain. Interventions targeting gut microbiota, such as the supplementation of probiotics, may providenovel approaches to PD in regard to both symptomatic treatment and disease modification. High qualityrandomized controlled trials need to be conducted in order to evaluate whether these food-basedstrategies have symptomatic efficacy or the potential to delay the progression of PD.展开更多
The mental health effects of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic may shape population health for many years to come.Failure to address the mental health issues stemming from the pandemic is likely to prolon...The mental health effects of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic may shape population health for many years to come.Failure to address the mental health issues stemming from the pandemic is likely to prolong its impact.The COVID-19 pandemic has created a significant global challenge and,in lower-income countries,even a disruption of mental health services.Given our experience with previous pandemics,the present COVID-19 crisis can be expected to cause psychological trauma,and steps are needed to address this issue proactively.Policies focusing on the long-term mental health consequences of COVID-19 may equal the importance of those currently seeking to mitigate its physical effects.The implications of the GOVID-19 pandemic for mental health call for a greater focus on the needs of those with mental disorders and on mental health issues affecting health care workers and the general public.Timely preventive and therapeutic mental health care is essential in addressing the psychosocial needs of populations exposed to the pandemic.In addition to specialist care,"task-shifting"and digital technologies may provide cost-effective means of providing mental health care in lower-income countries worldwide as well as in higher-income countries with mental health services overwhelmed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.In view of the ever-increasing pressure on global health systems resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,adopting and adapting"task-shifting",i.e.,the delegation of psychotherapeutic interventions to trained non-specialists,as an element of the provision of mental health services,is overdue.Digital technologies can be used to enhance social support and facilitate resilience to the detrimental mental health effects of the pandemic;they may also offer an efficient and cost-effective way to provide easy access to mentalhealth care.展开更多
Given its increasing global prevalence,Alzheimer’s disease(AD)has become a major public health challenge worldwide.The symptomatic treatments available for AD have shown no significant efficacy,and no disease-modifyi...Given its increasing global prevalence,Alzheimer’s disease(AD)has become a major public health challenge worldwide.The symptomatic treatments available for AD have shown no significant efficacy,and no disease-modifying interventions are capable of slowing the progression of the disorder.The potential of lifestyle-related factors,including diet,is increasingly recognized as an important consideration in the primary prevention of AD.Numerous mechanisms potentially underlying neuroprotective effects of bioactive components contained in tea,such as(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate,as well as their preventive efficacy against AD,have been elucidated in preclinical studies.However,in contrast to the abundance of mechanistic findings in animals,clinical results demonstrating efficacy in humans are scarce.While epidemiological studies have provided some evidence indicating that green tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of age-related cognitive decline and AD,a causal relationship cannot be established on the basis of these observations.The clinical evidence regarding preventive or therapeutic effects of green tea and its bioactive components is unsatisfactory.A role of green tea in the prevention of AD cannot be recommended until well-designed,randomized,placebo-controlled clinical trials using standardized formulations confirm the purported beneficial effects of green tea.展开更多
The findings of various epidemiological studies,interventions using randomized controlled trials and mechanistic experiments have suggested a protective role of tea and its bioactive components in cardiovascular healt...The findings of various epidemiological studies,interventions using randomized controlled trials and mechanistic experiments have suggested a protective role of tea and its bioactive components in cardiovascular health.The potential of tea in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases(CVDs)has therefore attracted increasing research interest.Polyphenols,in particular flavonoids,found in both green and black tea,have been suggested to play a primary role in the reduction of CVD risk.While promising results regarding the effects of tea on blood pressure and other CVD-related biomarkers have been found in preclinical experiments,the effects demonstrated in human studies are modest and less satisfactory.This discrepancy may be explained,at least in part,by different research strategies used in human and animal research.However,since tea is globally one of the most commonly consumed beverages,even small beneficial effects in humans may shift the population distribution of CVD risk,with major implications for public health.However,research conducted to date does not yield sufficiently robust evidence to allow a recommendation as to an optimal level of tea consumption as an element of health policies seeking to prevent hypertension and improve cardiovascular health.展开更多
The German pathologist and politician Rudolf Virchow proposed the concept of sociomedical causation,emphasising the role of social and environmental factors in the aetiology and prevention of diseases.Virchow’s...The German pathologist and politician Rudolf Virchow proposed the concept of sociomedical causation,emphasising the role of social and environmental factors in the aetiology and prevention of diseases.Virchow’s achievements are threefold:he was a founder of scientific biomedicine,he characterised medicine as a social science as much as a biological science and he promoted and improved public health.In his landmark report of a typhus epidemic in mid-19th century Germany,Virchow drew a connection between the epidemic and poverty and living conditions.He proposed radical social reform and stated that,“medicine is social science and politics nothing but medicine on a grand scale”.The task of medicine was therefore not merely to treat disease but also to contribute to the health of the entire population.Virchow realised that,in order to improve the health of the public,medicine must attend to both its biological and social underpinnings.His work has had far-reaching consequences for the development of public health and medical sociology.As in Virchow’s times,poverty,deprived living conditions,malnutrition,crowding and economic insecurity determine to a high degree the prevalence of disease and life expectancy in low-and middle-income countries today.Sociomedical causation is not limited to infectious diseases but also extends to the contemporary pandemics of non-communicable diseases.Obesity and other non-communicable diseases cannot be addressed effectively without considering and acting on the social determinants of health.The concept of“health in all policies”has emerged with the goal of promoting political action addressing the social determinants of health.This concept concerns prevention of disease,promotion of a healthy lifestyle and improvement of factors potentially harmful to the health of entire populations.The current“health-in-all-policies”reforms in China may advance the global evidence base for the prevention of chronic disease in low-,middle-and high-income countries.展开更多
Polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs),particularly the omega-3 PUFAs,are thought to be involved in neuronal processes,to play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders and to be important for the integrity of central nervou...Polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs),particularly the omega-3 PUFAs,are thought to be involved in neuronal processes,to play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders and to be important for the integrity of central nervous system functioning.The present study investigated the effects of nutritional omega-3 PUFAs on attentional functions and impulsive behavior in Wistar rats.For this purpose,female Wistar rats were fed an omega-3 deficient diet over several generations,and the dams of the seventh generation were randomly assigned to two diet groups and fed an omega-3 deficient or an omega-3 sufficient diet.In addition,a group of previously untreated dams was fed an omega-3 sufficient diet.The male offspring of these three diet groups were tested using an established paradigm for the assessment of attention and impulsive behavior,i.e.a modified version of the five-choice-serial-reaction-time task(5CSRTT).The present data show that the deficiency of omega-3 PUFAs over generations led to substantial changes in attentional processes and impulsive behaviors.The impairments associated with an omega-3 deficiency were partly corrected by treatment with the omega-3 sufficient diet in the last generation of the omega-3 deficient group which showed substantial improvements in attention parameters.While there were no significant effects of dietary modifications on psychomotor activity levels,there was some evidence for changes in impulsive behavior.In conclusion,transgenerational dietary changes in the availability of omega-3 PUFAs led to changes in attentional processes and impulsive behavior in rats,supporting the hypothesis that omega-3 PUFAs play a role in cognitive and behavioral processes.The present findings offer a promising approach in the investigation of the role of omega-3 PUFAs in a variety of cognitive and behavioral domains.展开更多
Theories proposing a role of specific dietary components or food supplements in the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 have received extensive social media coverage.A multitude of scientific publications have also po...Theories proposing a role of specific dietary components or food supplements in the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 have received extensive social media coverage.A multitude of scientific publications have also pointed to the importance of food and nutrition in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.The present perspective critically addresses the question of what food science can actually contribute in this context.Animal studies suggest that micronutrients,food bioactives or functional foods may carry the potential to augment viral defense.However,the specific roles of food components in viral infectious diseases in humans remain unclear.Rigorous research assessing the efficacy of food compounds in counteracting infections would require long-term randomized controlled trials in large samples.While no foods,single nutrients or dietary supplements are capable of preventing infection with COVID-19,a balanced diet containing sufficient amounts of macronutrients and diverse micronutrients is a prerequisite of an optimally functioning immune system.High-energy diets and obesity are major risk factors for a more severe course of COVID-19.Therefore,population-wide body weight control and weight reduction in overweight people are important preventive measures.Diet may play a beneficial role in maintaining a healthy body weight and preventing non-communicable conditions.展开更多
Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is the most prevalent cause of dementia worldwide.Treatments achieving a marked improvement in symptoms or preventing or delaying the progression of the disease are not available.Various diet-r...Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is the most prevalent cause of dementia worldwide.Treatments achieving a marked improvement in symptoms or preventing or delaying the progression of the disease are not available.Various diet-related risk factors for AD have been identified.Evidence for a protective effect of the Mediterranean diet on AD risk is inconclusive.Medical foods are designed to meet specific dietary needs for certain diseases.Improvements in symptomatology and regional brain atrophy in AD have been claimed for several medical foods,for example,those providing ketone bodies as alternative energy supply to neurons,those containing precursors believed to improve synaptic function,and those addressing oxidative stress related to memory loss.Many methodological shortcomings render the interpretation of the available findings of medical food trials in AD difficult.Optimal results of medical foods in AD may be expected when administered in presymptomatic or early stages of the disease.This requires the reliable identification of minimal neuropathological changes related to AD.The outcome measures currently used may not be able to detect subtle changes in cognition and function in early AD.Large-scale clinical studies using valid,sensitive,and reliable assessment tools are needed to establish the efficacy of medical foods in AD.展开更多
Potential therapeutic benefits of seaweed consumption have been reported in the management of body weight and obesity.In vitro and in vivo animal studies provide the majority of data available at present.The majority ...Potential therapeutic benefits of seaweed consumption have been reported in the management of body weight and obesity.In vitro and in vivo animal studies provide the majority of data available at present.The majority of studies assessing the short-term effects of alginate consumption indicate that alginate may increase satiety,reduce energy intake and support weight reduction.Mechanisms suggested for these effects include delayed gastric clearance,stimulation of gastric stretch receptors and attenuated nutrient absorption.Long-term studies in humans are required in order to allow firm conclusions.Animal studies have investigated potential anti-obesity effects of seaweeds on adipogenesis and the inhibition of major lipid hydrolyzing and metabolizing enzymes.The results of these studies suggest beneficial effects of seaweed components such as fucoxanthin on body weight and the percentage of abdominal white adipose tissue.It is premature to extrapolate these findings to humans since consistent findings are still lacking.There is at present no solid evidence indicating that seaweeds are effective in long-term weight management.However,available findings suggest potential benefits of seaweed components on obesity.Future investigations are required to establish the therapeutic efficacy in the management of overweight and obesity in humans and elucidate the underlying mechanisms of actions.展开更多
Confinement to the home and psychological distress due to the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemicmay lead to harmful health behaviors,such as overeating,sedentary behavior with reduced physical activity,elevate...Confinement to the home and psychological distress due to the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemicmay lead to harmful health behaviors,such as overeating,sedentary behavior with reduced physical activity,elevated alcohol and tobacco use and increased screen time causing impaired sleep.All of these behaviors areassociated with non-communicable diseases and can interfere with immunity.While no foods,single nutrientsor dietary supplements are capable of preventing infection with COVID-19,a balanced diet containing sufficientamounts of macronutrients and diverse micronutrients is a prerequisite of an optimally functioning immunesystem.High-energy“Western”diets and obesity are major risk factors for a more severe course of COVID-19.Alcohol use and tobacco also have detrimental effects on the immune system.Therefore,population-wide bodyweight control,reduction of smoking rates and limitation of alcohol consumption are important preventivemeasures.Furthermore,sufficient restorative sleep is needed for adequate immune functioning.Appropriatelifestyle changes in regard to nutrition,exercise,sleep,smoking and alcohol intake may help shift the populationdistribution of infection risk and aid in preventing severe COVID-19 disease.Large-scale surveys should explorethe effects of lifestyle changes,and the provision of reliable lifestyle information and effective interventions toindividuals and communities during the pandemic is a pressing need.展开更多
A global disparity exists between the burden of mental ill-health and the resources available to address this issue.Common mental disorders,such as mild-to-moderate depression,anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stre...A global disparity exists between the burden of mental ill-health and the resources available to address this issue.Common mental disorders,such as mild-to-moderate depression,anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder,are associated with a significant decline in health and functioning and contribute significantly to the overall burden of disease.In view of a shortage of mental health professionals in most low-and middle-income countries,task sharing(task shifting)can make an important contribution to improving access to mental health services.Task sharing involves non-specialists in the delivery of health care.The use of lay health workers is premised on the assumption that the shorter training required for non professionals will allow an increase in the provision of required care without the need for an increase in resources and will strengthen and scale-up sustainable health systems.The need for low-tech support in the management of conunon mental disorders is widespread,and the core resource is humans trained to identify and treat those requiring mental health care.There is a strong evidence base for the effectiveness of task sharing in psychotherapy,and talk therapies,e.g.cognitive behavioral therapy,can easily be delegated to non-specialists,including non-specialist health workers,peer helpers and lay people.A(cost-)effective model of mental health care in low-resource settings as well as in high-income countries may include the medical school-based training of some psychiatrists and clinical psychologists in the treatment of referred patients with serious mental illness.These professional mental health specialists would also be trainers and supervisors of non-specialist health workers who would identify common mental health disorders and provide psychotherapy to people with these conditions in a community-based setting.Community-based generalism including task sharing rather than centralized specialism may be capable of preventing and treating many common mental disorders with minor financial expenditure.展开更多
The available evidence,which derives from studies investigating mechanistic effects of tea,research on animal models as well as epidemiological studies and intervention trials in humans,suggests that compounds contain...The available evidence,which derives from studies investigating mechanistic effects of tea,research on animal models as well as epidemiological studies and intervention trials in humans,suggests that compounds contained in tea may have the potential to aid in the prevention of depression or in its treatment as an addition to established therapies.A wide range of potentially antidepressive biological activities of tea components have been reported.However,the mechanisms of tea phytochemicals possibly capable of decreasing the risk of depressive symptoms are complex,multifaceted and not well understood.Potent pharmacological effects on circumscribed neurobiological systems may be produced not by individual tea components but rather by the synergistic action of various compounds on multiple pathophysiological mechanisms involved in depression.While epidemiological studies have generally demonstrated beneficial effects of tea consumption on mood and depressive symptoms,cross-sectional studies are unable to prove a cause-effect relationship.If positive effects on mood could be firmly established,tea drinking could support mental health.However,the moderate antidepressive effects observed in healthy people are not necessarily indicative of possible clinical effects in major depressive disorder.Randomized controlled intervention studies are needed to establish a causal relationship between bioactive compounds in tea and depression.展开更多
Pattern separation keeps items distinct in memory and is mediated by the hippocampus.A relationship between hippocampal function and diet quality has been suggested by findings in both humans and animals.In the presen...Pattern separation keeps items distinct in memory and is mediated by the hippocampus.A relationship between hippocampal function and diet quality has been suggested by findings in both humans and animals.In the present study,rats were fed over seven generations a diet containing increased amounts of sugar and saturated fatty acids,reduced levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids and an increased ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids(“Western”diet).Spatial pattern separation(or local discrimination)performance of these animals was compared with that of rats fed a standard diet.A separation-dependent difference between the standard and Western diet groups was found in the number of discriminations performed in the pattern separation task,with rats of the“Western”group performing fewer discriminations.The present results suggest that behavioral assessment of spatial pattern separation can detect effects of dietary interventions in rats and that pattern separation can be impaired by transgenerational administration of a“Western”diet.Future studies should determine which components of this diet induce the memory impairments related to the hippocampus.The translational relevance of these findings in regard to mental disorders such as dementia and depression needs to be investigated.展开更多
Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by decline in cognitive functions and associated with the neuropathological hallmarks of amyloid-peptide plaques and neurofibrillary ta...Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by decline in cognitive functions and associated with the neuropathological hallmarks of amyloid-peptide plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.Cerebral glucose uptake and metabolism deteriorate in AD and this hypometabolism precedes the onset of clinical signs in AD.The early decline in brain glucose metabolism in AD has become a potential target for therapeutic intervention.This has led to investigations assessing the supplementation of the normal glucose supply with ketone bodies which are produced by the body during glucose deprivation and can be metabolized by the brain when glucose utilization is impaired.The present review provides a synopsis of preclinical studies and clinical trials assessing the efficacy of ketogenic diets in the treatment of AD.Both the direct administration of ketone bodies and the use of high-fat,low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets have been shown to be efficacious in animal models of AD and clinical trials with AD patients.The mechanism underlying the efficacy of ketogenic diets remains unclear,but some evidence points to the normalization of aberrant energy metabolism.At present there is only limited evidence of the usefulness of ketogenic diets in AD.However,this dietary approach seems to be promising and deserves further clinical investigations.展开更多
Nutrition plays a key role in brain development,mental health,and psychiatric disorders.The role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in physical health is well established,and their role in mental health is becomin...Nutrition plays a key role in brain development,mental health,and psychiatric disorders.The role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in physical health is well established,and their role in mental health is becoming increasingly evident.Omega-3 fatty acids are involved in a wide range of physiological functions that are related to neurogenesis,neurotransmission,and neuroinflammation;therefore,they play fundamental roles in the development,functioning,and aging of the brain.In humans,dietary deficiencies of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with an increased risk of developing various psychiatric disorders,including depression,bipolar disorder,schizophrenia,dementia,attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder,and autism.In particular,eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid have been linked to the maintenance of mental health,and their deficits have been implicated in the pathophysiology of mental disorders.This may be mediated by the modulation of inflammatory processes and their direct effects on neuronal membrane fluidity and receptor function.However,randomized clinical trials that have investigated the therapeutic effects of omega-3 fatty acids have yielded inconclusive results,thereby limiting the use of these nutrients in psychiatric practice.High-quality clinical trials should be conducted to examine the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids in preventing and treating mental disorders.The undesirable side effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation should also be considered.These effects may become apparent after many years of administration,and therefore,they may not be detected in most cases.展开更多
Obesity and other nutrition-related non-communicable diseases were virtually non-existent before the advent of industrialized food production.In recent years,a 5-color front-of-package food label(“Nutri-Score”)seeki...Obesity and other nutrition-related non-communicable diseases were virtually non-existent before the advent of industrialized food production.In recent years,a 5-color front-of-package food label(“Nutri-Score”)seeking to demonstrate the overall nutritional value and healthiness of food products has been adopted for voluntary use in some European countries.The Nutri-Score is mainly based on the sugar,salt and calorie content of food items.The present viewpoint discusses whether the Nutri-Score correctly identifies healthy and unhealthy food items and how large an impact the Nutri-Score may have on consumers’choices.Furthermore,other benefits as well as hidden costs and drawbacks in implementing the Nutri-Score will be presented.Despite its reducing of the complex information regarding the contents of foods,the Nutri-Score may provide easily intelligible information regarding healthy nutrition and may become a valuable tool in educating consumers and influencing their food choices.The Nutri-Score may not become a game-changer in combating poor nutrition,but it is helpful in the right circumstances.If an inexpensive public policy,such as front-of-package labeling,makes some positive contribution,there is no reason to argue against its adoption.Even small effects may be relevant when a measure is adopted at population level.展开更多
The hypothesis that some children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)may show sensitivity or allergic reactions to various food items has led to the development of the the few-foods(or oligoantigenic)d...The hypothesis that some children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)may show sensitivity or allergic reactions to various food items has led to the development of the the few-foods(or oligoantigenic)diet.The rationale of the diet is to eliminate certain foods from the diet in order to exclude potential allergens contained either naturally in food or in artificial ingredients with allergenic properties.The oligoantigenic diet attempts to identify individual foods to which a person might be sensitive.First,ADHD symptoms are monitored while multiple foods are excluded from the diet.Subsequently,if symptoms remit,foods are re-introduced,while observing the individual for the return of symptoms.An advantage of the oligoantigenic diet is that it can be tailored to the individual.A growing body of evidence suggests that behavioral symptoms of subgroups of children with ADHD may benefit from the elimination of certain foods.The effect sizes of an oligoantigenic diet regarding improvement of ADHD symptoms have been found to be medium to large.Available evidence suggests that the investigation of the role of food hypersensitivities in ADHD is a promising avenue worthy of further exploration.Further large-scale,randomized controlled studies including assessment of long-term outcome are therefore warranted.展开更多
The large-scale disruptions to physical activity during the coronavirus pandemic have been found to be a leading predictor of common mental disorders.In addition,regular physical exercise has been found to alleviate a...The large-scale disruptions to physical activity during the coronavirus pandemic have been found to be a leading predictor of common mental disorders.In addition,regular physical exercise has been found to alleviate anxiety,sadness and depression during the pandemic.These findings,together with numerous studies published before the pandemic on the effects of physical activity on mental health,should be considered in the provision of mental health care following the pandemic.Cross-sectional research has revealed that all types of exercise and sport are associated with a reduced mental health burden.Therefore,the effectiveness of exercise and sport participation in sustainable mental health care as well as the causal relationship between exercise,psychosocial health and common mental disorders merit further investigation.Physical activity and sport,with their global accessibility,significant and clinically meaningful efficacy as well as virtual absence of adverse effects,offer a promising option for the promotion of mental health,including the prevention and treatment of common mental disorders.Physical exercise and sport are likely to become valuable public mental health resources in the future.展开更多
The consumption of insects(entomophagy)has recently attracted global attention for health reasons as well as environmental and economic benefits.Achieving environmentally sustainable food security is currently one of ...The consumption of insects(entomophagy)has recently attracted global attention for health reasons as well as environmental and economic benefits.Achieving environmentally sustainable food security is currently one of the biggest global challenges.A wide range of edible insect species,with their high contents in protein,fat,minerals,vitamins and fiber,can play a significant role in addressing food insecurity.Advantages of entomophagy include a high feed-conversion efficiency of insects and the rearing on organic side streams,adding value to waste and decreasing environmental contamination.Compared to cattle raising,insects emit relatively few greenhouse gases and little ammonia and require significantly less land and water.The nutritional quality of edible insects appears to be equivalent and sometimes superior to that of foods derived from birds and mammals.Insect farming may offer a sustainable means of food production.Since edible insects are calorie dense and highly nutritious,their consumption has the potential to reduce famine worldwide.The presence of high-quality protein and various micronutrients as well as potential environmental and economic benefits render edible insects globally a major potential future food.However,consumer acceptance remains a major obstacle to the adoption of insects as a food source in many Western countries.展开更多
文摘The Nutri-Score is a 5-color front-of-pack nutrition label designed to provide consumers with an easily understandable guideline to the healthiness of food products.The impact that the Nutri-Score may have on consumers'choices is unclear since different experimental paradigms have found vastly different effect sizes.In the present study,we have investigated how student participants change a hypothetical personal 1-daydietary plan after a learning phase during which they learn about the Nutri-Scores of the available food items.Participants were instructed to compose a healthy diet plan in order that the question of whether the NutriScore would improve their ability to compose a healthy dietary plan could be investigated,independent of the question of whether they would apply this knowledge in their ordinary lives.We found a substantial(Cohen's d=0.86)positive impact on nutritional quality(as measured by the Nutrient Profiling System score of the Food Standards Agency)and a medium-sized(Cohen's d=0.43)reduction of energy content.Energy content reduction was larger for participants who had initially composed plans with higher energy content.The results suggest that the Nutri-Score has the potential to guide consumers to healthier food choices.It remains unclear,however,whether this potential will be reflected in real-life dietary choices.
文摘Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorder with motor and non-motorsigns, which begins long before the diagnosis can be made. Pharmacotherapy with dopaminergic drugsis the mainstay of PD therapy. There is no currently available cure or disease-modifying treatment. Dietand various foods have been proposed as possible risk factors for PD. Nutritional supplementation withomega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, B vitamins, and coenzyme Q may have potential in the management ofPD. In addition, several strategies could possibly lead to the development of medical foods in PD. Forexample, ketogenic diets may have effects complementary to pharmacotherapy. Gut microbial dysbiosisand altered microbial metabolites found in PD may lead to chronic low-grade inflammation in gut andbrain. Interventions targeting gut microbiota, such as the supplementation of probiotics, may providenovel approaches to PD in regard to both symptomatic treatment and disease modification. High qualityrandomized controlled trials need to be conducted in order to evaluate whether these food-basedstrategies have symptomatic efficacy or the potential to delay the progression of PD.
文摘The mental health effects of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic may shape population health for many years to come.Failure to address the mental health issues stemming from the pandemic is likely to prolong its impact.The COVID-19 pandemic has created a significant global challenge and,in lower-income countries,even a disruption of mental health services.Given our experience with previous pandemics,the present COVID-19 crisis can be expected to cause psychological trauma,and steps are needed to address this issue proactively.Policies focusing on the long-term mental health consequences of COVID-19 may equal the importance of those currently seeking to mitigate its physical effects.The implications of the GOVID-19 pandemic for mental health call for a greater focus on the needs of those with mental disorders and on mental health issues affecting health care workers and the general public.Timely preventive and therapeutic mental health care is essential in addressing the psychosocial needs of populations exposed to the pandemic.In addition to specialist care,"task-shifting"and digital technologies may provide cost-effective means of providing mental health care in lower-income countries worldwide as well as in higher-income countries with mental health services overwhelmed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.In view of the ever-increasing pressure on global health systems resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,adopting and adapting"task-shifting",i.e.,the delegation of psychotherapeutic interventions to trained non-specialists,as an element of the provision of mental health services,is overdue.Digital technologies can be used to enhance social support and facilitate resilience to the detrimental mental health effects of the pandemic;they may also offer an efficient and cost-effective way to provide easy access to mentalhealth care.
文摘Given its increasing global prevalence,Alzheimer’s disease(AD)has become a major public health challenge worldwide.The symptomatic treatments available for AD have shown no significant efficacy,and no disease-modifying interventions are capable of slowing the progression of the disorder.The potential of lifestyle-related factors,including diet,is increasingly recognized as an important consideration in the primary prevention of AD.Numerous mechanisms potentially underlying neuroprotective effects of bioactive components contained in tea,such as(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate,as well as their preventive efficacy against AD,have been elucidated in preclinical studies.However,in contrast to the abundance of mechanistic findings in animals,clinical results demonstrating efficacy in humans are scarce.While epidemiological studies have provided some evidence indicating that green tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of age-related cognitive decline and AD,a causal relationship cannot be established on the basis of these observations.The clinical evidence regarding preventive or therapeutic effects of green tea and its bioactive components is unsatisfactory.A role of green tea in the prevention of AD cannot be recommended until well-designed,randomized,placebo-controlled clinical trials using standardized formulations confirm the purported beneficial effects of green tea.
文摘The findings of various epidemiological studies,interventions using randomized controlled trials and mechanistic experiments have suggested a protective role of tea and its bioactive components in cardiovascular health.The potential of tea in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases(CVDs)has therefore attracted increasing research interest.Polyphenols,in particular flavonoids,found in both green and black tea,have been suggested to play a primary role in the reduction of CVD risk.While promising results regarding the effects of tea on blood pressure and other CVD-related biomarkers have been found in preclinical experiments,the effects demonstrated in human studies are modest and less satisfactory.This discrepancy may be explained,at least in part,by different research strategies used in human and animal research.However,since tea is globally one of the most commonly consumed beverages,even small beneficial effects in humans may shift the population distribution of CVD risk,with major implications for public health.However,research conducted to date does not yield sufficiently robust evidence to allow a recommendation as to an optimal level of tea consumption as an element of health policies seeking to prevent hypertension and improve cardiovascular health.
文摘The German pathologist and politician Rudolf Virchow proposed the concept of sociomedical causation,emphasising the role of social and environmental factors in the aetiology and prevention of diseases.Virchow’s achievements are threefold:he was a founder of scientific biomedicine,he characterised medicine as a social science as much as a biological science and he promoted and improved public health.In his landmark report of a typhus epidemic in mid-19th century Germany,Virchow drew a connection between the epidemic and poverty and living conditions.He proposed radical social reform and stated that,“medicine is social science and politics nothing but medicine on a grand scale”.The task of medicine was therefore not merely to treat disease but also to contribute to the health of the entire population.Virchow realised that,in order to improve the health of the public,medicine must attend to both its biological and social underpinnings.His work has had far-reaching consequences for the development of public health and medical sociology.As in Virchow’s times,poverty,deprived living conditions,malnutrition,crowding and economic insecurity determine to a high degree the prevalence of disease and life expectancy in low-and middle-income countries today.Sociomedical causation is not limited to infectious diseases but also extends to the contemporary pandemics of non-communicable diseases.Obesity and other non-communicable diseases cannot be addressed effectively without considering and acting on the social determinants of health.The concept of“health in all policies”has emerged with the goal of promoting political action addressing the social determinants of health.This concept concerns prevention of disease,promotion of a healthy lifestyle and improvement of factors potentially harmful to the health of entire populations.The current“health-in-all-policies”reforms in China may advance the global evidence base for the prevention of chronic disease in low-,middle-and high-income countries.
文摘Polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs),particularly the omega-3 PUFAs,are thought to be involved in neuronal processes,to play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders and to be important for the integrity of central nervous system functioning.The present study investigated the effects of nutritional omega-3 PUFAs on attentional functions and impulsive behavior in Wistar rats.For this purpose,female Wistar rats were fed an omega-3 deficient diet over several generations,and the dams of the seventh generation were randomly assigned to two diet groups and fed an omega-3 deficient or an omega-3 sufficient diet.In addition,a group of previously untreated dams was fed an omega-3 sufficient diet.The male offspring of these three diet groups were tested using an established paradigm for the assessment of attention and impulsive behavior,i.e.a modified version of the five-choice-serial-reaction-time task(5CSRTT).The present data show that the deficiency of omega-3 PUFAs over generations led to substantial changes in attentional processes and impulsive behaviors.The impairments associated with an omega-3 deficiency were partly corrected by treatment with the omega-3 sufficient diet in the last generation of the omega-3 deficient group which showed substantial improvements in attention parameters.While there were no significant effects of dietary modifications on psychomotor activity levels,there was some evidence for changes in impulsive behavior.In conclusion,transgenerational dietary changes in the availability of omega-3 PUFAs led to changes in attentional processes and impulsive behavior in rats,supporting the hypothesis that omega-3 PUFAs play a role in cognitive and behavioral processes.The present findings offer a promising approach in the investigation of the role of omega-3 PUFAs in a variety of cognitive and behavioral domains.
文摘Theories proposing a role of specific dietary components or food supplements in the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 have received extensive social media coverage.A multitude of scientific publications have also pointed to the importance of food and nutrition in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.The present perspective critically addresses the question of what food science can actually contribute in this context.Animal studies suggest that micronutrients,food bioactives or functional foods may carry the potential to augment viral defense.However,the specific roles of food components in viral infectious diseases in humans remain unclear.Rigorous research assessing the efficacy of food compounds in counteracting infections would require long-term randomized controlled trials in large samples.While no foods,single nutrients or dietary supplements are capable of preventing infection with COVID-19,a balanced diet containing sufficient amounts of macronutrients and diverse micronutrients is a prerequisite of an optimally functioning immune system.High-energy diets and obesity are major risk factors for a more severe course of COVID-19.Therefore,population-wide body weight control and weight reduction in overweight people are important preventive measures.Diet may play a beneficial role in maintaining a healthy body weight and preventing non-communicable conditions.
文摘Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is the most prevalent cause of dementia worldwide.Treatments achieving a marked improvement in symptoms or preventing or delaying the progression of the disease are not available.Various diet-related risk factors for AD have been identified.Evidence for a protective effect of the Mediterranean diet on AD risk is inconclusive.Medical foods are designed to meet specific dietary needs for certain diseases.Improvements in symptomatology and regional brain atrophy in AD have been claimed for several medical foods,for example,those providing ketone bodies as alternative energy supply to neurons,those containing precursors believed to improve synaptic function,and those addressing oxidative stress related to memory loss.Many methodological shortcomings render the interpretation of the available findings of medical food trials in AD difficult.Optimal results of medical foods in AD may be expected when administered in presymptomatic or early stages of the disease.This requires the reliable identification of minimal neuropathological changes related to AD.The outcome measures currently used may not be able to detect subtle changes in cognition and function in early AD.Large-scale clinical studies using valid,sensitive,and reliable assessment tools are needed to establish the efficacy of medical foods in AD.
文摘Potential therapeutic benefits of seaweed consumption have been reported in the management of body weight and obesity.In vitro and in vivo animal studies provide the majority of data available at present.The majority of studies assessing the short-term effects of alginate consumption indicate that alginate may increase satiety,reduce energy intake and support weight reduction.Mechanisms suggested for these effects include delayed gastric clearance,stimulation of gastric stretch receptors and attenuated nutrient absorption.Long-term studies in humans are required in order to allow firm conclusions.Animal studies have investigated potential anti-obesity effects of seaweeds on adipogenesis and the inhibition of major lipid hydrolyzing and metabolizing enzymes.The results of these studies suggest beneficial effects of seaweed components such as fucoxanthin on body weight and the percentage of abdominal white adipose tissue.It is premature to extrapolate these findings to humans since consistent findings are still lacking.There is at present no solid evidence indicating that seaweeds are effective in long-term weight management.However,available findings suggest potential benefits of seaweed components on obesity.Future investigations are required to establish the therapeutic efficacy in the management of overweight and obesity in humans and elucidate the underlying mechanisms of actions.
文摘Confinement to the home and psychological distress due to the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemicmay lead to harmful health behaviors,such as overeating,sedentary behavior with reduced physical activity,elevated alcohol and tobacco use and increased screen time causing impaired sleep.All of these behaviors areassociated with non-communicable diseases and can interfere with immunity.While no foods,single nutrientsor dietary supplements are capable of preventing infection with COVID-19,a balanced diet containing sufficientamounts of macronutrients and diverse micronutrients is a prerequisite of an optimally functioning immunesystem.High-energy“Western”diets and obesity are major risk factors for a more severe course of COVID-19.Alcohol use and tobacco also have detrimental effects on the immune system.Therefore,population-wide bodyweight control,reduction of smoking rates and limitation of alcohol consumption are important preventivemeasures.Furthermore,sufficient restorative sleep is needed for adequate immune functioning.Appropriatelifestyle changes in regard to nutrition,exercise,sleep,smoking and alcohol intake may help shift the populationdistribution of infection risk and aid in preventing severe COVID-19 disease.Large-scale surveys should explorethe effects of lifestyle changes,and the provision of reliable lifestyle information and effective interventions toindividuals and communities during the pandemic is a pressing need.
文摘A global disparity exists between the burden of mental ill-health and the resources available to address this issue.Common mental disorders,such as mild-to-moderate depression,anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder,are associated with a significant decline in health and functioning and contribute significantly to the overall burden of disease.In view of a shortage of mental health professionals in most low-and middle-income countries,task sharing(task shifting)can make an important contribution to improving access to mental health services.Task sharing involves non-specialists in the delivery of health care.The use of lay health workers is premised on the assumption that the shorter training required for non professionals will allow an increase in the provision of required care without the need for an increase in resources and will strengthen and scale-up sustainable health systems.The need for low-tech support in the management of conunon mental disorders is widespread,and the core resource is humans trained to identify and treat those requiring mental health care.There is a strong evidence base for the effectiveness of task sharing in psychotherapy,and talk therapies,e.g.cognitive behavioral therapy,can easily be delegated to non-specialists,including non-specialist health workers,peer helpers and lay people.A(cost-)effective model of mental health care in low-resource settings as well as in high-income countries may include the medical school-based training of some psychiatrists and clinical psychologists in the treatment of referred patients with serious mental illness.These professional mental health specialists would also be trainers and supervisors of non-specialist health workers who would identify common mental health disorders and provide psychotherapy to people with these conditions in a community-based setting.Community-based generalism including task sharing rather than centralized specialism may be capable of preventing and treating many common mental disorders with minor financial expenditure.
文摘The available evidence,which derives from studies investigating mechanistic effects of tea,research on animal models as well as epidemiological studies and intervention trials in humans,suggests that compounds contained in tea may have the potential to aid in the prevention of depression or in its treatment as an addition to established therapies.A wide range of potentially antidepressive biological activities of tea components have been reported.However,the mechanisms of tea phytochemicals possibly capable of decreasing the risk of depressive symptoms are complex,multifaceted and not well understood.Potent pharmacological effects on circumscribed neurobiological systems may be produced not by individual tea components but rather by the synergistic action of various compounds on multiple pathophysiological mechanisms involved in depression.While epidemiological studies have generally demonstrated beneficial effects of tea consumption on mood and depressive symptoms,cross-sectional studies are unable to prove a cause-effect relationship.If positive effects on mood could be firmly established,tea drinking could support mental health.However,the moderate antidepressive effects observed in healthy people are not necessarily indicative of possible clinical effects in major depressive disorder.Randomized controlled intervention studies are needed to establish a causal relationship between bioactive compounds in tea and depression.
文摘Pattern separation keeps items distinct in memory and is mediated by the hippocampus.A relationship between hippocampal function and diet quality has been suggested by findings in both humans and animals.In the present study,rats were fed over seven generations a diet containing increased amounts of sugar and saturated fatty acids,reduced levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids and an increased ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids(“Western”diet).Spatial pattern separation(or local discrimination)performance of these animals was compared with that of rats fed a standard diet.A separation-dependent difference between the standard and Western diet groups was found in the number of discriminations performed in the pattern separation task,with rats of the“Western”group performing fewer discriminations.The present results suggest that behavioral assessment of spatial pattern separation can detect effects of dietary interventions in rats and that pattern separation can be impaired by transgenerational administration of a“Western”diet.Future studies should determine which components of this diet induce the memory impairments related to the hippocampus.The translational relevance of these findings in regard to mental disorders such as dementia and depression needs to be investigated.
文摘Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by decline in cognitive functions and associated with the neuropathological hallmarks of amyloid-peptide plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.Cerebral glucose uptake and metabolism deteriorate in AD and this hypometabolism precedes the onset of clinical signs in AD.The early decline in brain glucose metabolism in AD has become a potential target for therapeutic intervention.This has led to investigations assessing the supplementation of the normal glucose supply with ketone bodies which are produced by the body during glucose deprivation and can be metabolized by the brain when glucose utilization is impaired.The present review provides a synopsis of preclinical studies and clinical trials assessing the efficacy of ketogenic diets in the treatment of AD.Both the direct administration of ketone bodies and the use of high-fat,low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets have been shown to be efficacious in animal models of AD and clinical trials with AD patients.The mechanism underlying the efficacy of ketogenic diets remains unclear,but some evidence points to the normalization of aberrant energy metabolism.At present there is only limited evidence of the usefulness of ketogenic diets in AD.However,this dietary approach seems to be promising and deserves further clinical investigations.
文摘Nutrition plays a key role in brain development,mental health,and psychiatric disorders.The role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in physical health is well established,and their role in mental health is becoming increasingly evident.Omega-3 fatty acids are involved in a wide range of physiological functions that are related to neurogenesis,neurotransmission,and neuroinflammation;therefore,they play fundamental roles in the development,functioning,and aging of the brain.In humans,dietary deficiencies of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with an increased risk of developing various psychiatric disorders,including depression,bipolar disorder,schizophrenia,dementia,attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder,and autism.In particular,eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid have been linked to the maintenance of mental health,and their deficits have been implicated in the pathophysiology of mental disorders.This may be mediated by the modulation of inflammatory processes and their direct effects on neuronal membrane fluidity and receptor function.However,randomized clinical trials that have investigated the therapeutic effects of omega-3 fatty acids have yielded inconclusive results,thereby limiting the use of these nutrients in psychiatric practice.High-quality clinical trials should be conducted to examine the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids in preventing and treating mental disorders.The undesirable side effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation should also be considered.These effects may become apparent after many years of administration,and therefore,they may not be detected in most cases.
文摘Obesity and other nutrition-related non-communicable diseases were virtually non-existent before the advent of industrialized food production.In recent years,a 5-color front-of-package food label(“Nutri-Score”)seeking to demonstrate the overall nutritional value and healthiness of food products has been adopted for voluntary use in some European countries.The Nutri-Score is mainly based on the sugar,salt and calorie content of food items.The present viewpoint discusses whether the Nutri-Score correctly identifies healthy and unhealthy food items and how large an impact the Nutri-Score may have on consumers’choices.Furthermore,other benefits as well as hidden costs and drawbacks in implementing the Nutri-Score will be presented.Despite its reducing of the complex information regarding the contents of foods,the Nutri-Score may provide easily intelligible information regarding healthy nutrition and may become a valuable tool in educating consumers and influencing their food choices.The Nutri-Score may not become a game-changer in combating poor nutrition,but it is helpful in the right circumstances.If an inexpensive public policy,such as front-of-package labeling,makes some positive contribution,there is no reason to argue against its adoption.Even small effects may be relevant when a measure is adopted at population level.
文摘The hypothesis that some children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)may show sensitivity or allergic reactions to various food items has led to the development of the the few-foods(or oligoantigenic)diet.The rationale of the diet is to eliminate certain foods from the diet in order to exclude potential allergens contained either naturally in food or in artificial ingredients with allergenic properties.The oligoantigenic diet attempts to identify individual foods to which a person might be sensitive.First,ADHD symptoms are monitored while multiple foods are excluded from the diet.Subsequently,if symptoms remit,foods are re-introduced,while observing the individual for the return of symptoms.An advantage of the oligoantigenic diet is that it can be tailored to the individual.A growing body of evidence suggests that behavioral symptoms of subgroups of children with ADHD may benefit from the elimination of certain foods.The effect sizes of an oligoantigenic diet regarding improvement of ADHD symptoms have been found to be medium to large.Available evidence suggests that the investigation of the role of food hypersensitivities in ADHD is a promising avenue worthy of further exploration.Further large-scale,randomized controlled studies including assessment of long-term outcome are therefore warranted.
文摘The large-scale disruptions to physical activity during the coronavirus pandemic have been found to be a leading predictor of common mental disorders.In addition,regular physical exercise has been found to alleviate anxiety,sadness and depression during the pandemic.These findings,together with numerous studies published before the pandemic on the effects of physical activity on mental health,should be considered in the provision of mental health care following the pandemic.Cross-sectional research has revealed that all types of exercise and sport are associated with a reduced mental health burden.Therefore,the effectiveness of exercise and sport participation in sustainable mental health care as well as the causal relationship between exercise,psychosocial health and common mental disorders merit further investigation.Physical activity and sport,with their global accessibility,significant and clinically meaningful efficacy as well as virtual absence of adverse effects,offer a promising option for the promotion of mental health,including the prevention and treatment of common mental disorders.Physical exercise and sport are likely to become valuable public mental health resources in the future.
文摘The consumption of insects(entomophagy)has recently attracted global attention for health reasons as well as environmental and economic benefits.Achieving environmentally sustainable food security is currently one of the biggest global challenges.A wide range of edible insect species,with their high contents in protein,fat,minerals,vitamins and fiber,can play a significant role in addressing food insecurity.Advantages of entomophagy include a high feed-conversion efficiency of insects and the rearing on organic side streams,adding value to waste and decreasing environmental contamination.Compared to cattle raising,insects emit relatively few greenhouse gases and little ammonia and require significantly less land and water.The nutritional quality of edible insects appears to be equivalent and sometimes superior to that of foods derived from birds and mammals.Insect farming may offer a sustainable means of food production.Since edible insects are calorie dense and highly nutritious,their consumption has the potential to reduce famine worldwide.The presence of high-quality protein and various micronutrients as well as potential environmental and economic benefits render edible insects globally a major potential future food.However,consumer acceptance remains a major obstacle to the adoption of insects as a food source in many Western countries.
