Maria Gabriella Vecchio

Types of Food and Nutrient Intake in India: A Literature Review

Nowadays India is undergoing an impressive economic growth accompanied by a very slow decline, almost stagnation, in malnutrition levels. In developing countries, studies on dietary patterns and their relationship with nutritional status are scarce. Over the years some nutritional studies have been performed to explore different types of food consumed in various Indian regions, among different social samples. The aim of the present paper is to review and describe trends in food and nutrition intake patterns in the different states of India. The review was carried out in PubMed, using the advanced research criteria: [food* OR (“meal pattern*”) OR (“eating pattern*”)] AND (“nutrient intake”) AND India*. PubMed research gave back 84 results and out of these, 7 papers due to their focus on food intake and consumption levels in India have been included in this study. Food intake patterns showed that most of the Indians are vegetarians and that food items rich in micronutrients (pulses, other vegetables, fruits, nuts, oilseeds and animal foods) are generally consumed less frequently. Poor and monotonous cereals-based diet may promote inadequate nutrition intakes according to Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) standards.

The IBAI Instrument to Assess Brand Awareness Toward Food in Children: the Chile Adaptation

The prevalence of obesity and overweight in children and adolescents during the last decades has reached the epidemic level in both developed and in developing countries. Besides the genetic aspects, which represent one of the motivating factors in the progress of obesity, the shift in the energetic balance also plays a significant role in the development of obesity. TV viewing and the high-calorie snack foods consumption have come under more scrutiny as potential causes of increased obesity in children and adolescents. The aim of the present work was to develop an instrument that allows to estimate the Chilean childrens brand awareness. We developed the IBAI (International Brand Awareness Instrument), an age-appropriate instrument that uses twelve sheets with pictures of food logos to test childrens recall and recognition. The IBAI was presented to a sample of 80 children aged from 3 to 10 years, enrolled in the city of Santiago de Chile. The instrument allowed distinguishing different kinds of childrens brand awareness. Considering the total score reached by each child, the majority of the children for both genders showed a medium-low brand awareness (32.5%) followed by medium-high brand awareness (31.3%), high brand awareness (23.8%) and low brand awareness (12.5%). Although the study confirmed the moderate brand logo recognition in the children tested, it did not demonstrate a close relationship between this and the childrens reported eating behaviors, food knowledge and preferences.

Randomized Controlled Trials Evaluating Effect of Television Advertising on Food Intake in Children: Why Such a Sensitive Topic is Lacking Top-Level Evidence?

The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of evidence coming from randomized controlled trials (RCT) aimed at assessing the effect of television advertising on food intake in children from 4 to 12 years old. Randomized controlled trials were searched in PubMed database and included if they assessed the effect of direct exposure to television food advertising over the actual energy intake of children. Seven studies out of 2166 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The association between television advertising and energy intake is based on a very limited set of randomized researches lacking a solid ground of first-level evidence.

The Contribution of Confectionery to the Global Obesity Epidemic: a Review

Obesity has become, nowadays, a global concern affecting both developed and developing countries. Nutrition and physical activity represent the major factors influencing energy balance and subsequently weight status. Deciding toward an appropriate intake of all nutrients is seen as necessary to maintain a wholesome lifestyle: among nutrients, sugar plays a major role and its consumption has long been seen as an issue in public health, due to its possible role in displacing or diluting nutrients in the diet and contributing to the epidemic of obesity. A research on Pubmed was assessed to evaluate the impact of confectionery consumption, as sugar source, on the daily energy intake. The studies considered in the current paper generally failed to show that confectionery consumption leads necessarily to a shift of energy intake. Anyway, considering that till now, very few works on this topic were conducted, more researches are necessary to demonstrate the effective influence of confectionery on daily energy intake.

Definition of a tolerable upper intake level of niacin: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the dose-dependent effects of nicotinamide and nicotinic acid supplementation

Context: Nicotinic acid and nicotinamide are soluble compounds of the vitamin B group, widely used to regulate the lipid profile in hyperlipidemic individuals. Higher doses of nicotinic acid are associated with adverse effects, especially flushing. A unique tolerable upper intake level (UL) of nicotinic acid has not been defined. Objective: This meta‐analysis aims to evaluate adverse effects and their incidence after supplementation with different doses of nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, comparing results with current ULs in Europe and the United States. Data sources: PubMed was searched for articles providing detailed information about nicotinic acid or nicotinamide supplementation and related outcomes. Study selection: A total of 2670 citations were selected for screening. Two primary outcomes were considered: occurrence of adverse effects following nicotinic acid or nicotinamide supplementation, and dose at which adverse effects occurred. Data extraction: Details on study population, type and duration of treatment, dosage of vitamins, association with lipid‐influencing drugs, length of follow‐up, and incidence and type of adverse events were extracted. Results: After screening, 47 articles involving 11 741 individuals were included. Meta‐analysis was based on estimation of benchmark doses for the probability of adverse effects after supplementation. In individuals with dyslipidemia or cardiovascular disease, nicotinic acid monotherapy seems to be protective against any adverse effects considered, as adverse events occurred at doses above those used with other treatments. In healthy individuals treated with nicotinic acid alone, major adverse effects occurred at doses below 1000 mg/d. Conclusions: Results may indicate a high degree of conservativeness in the UL of nicotinic acid, fixed at 35 mg/d in United States and 10 mg/d in Europe. Reconsideration of the UL of nicotinic acid for nutritional supplements, possibly differentiating between ULs in healthy and unhealthy individuals, may be warranted.

Pimpinella Anisum and Illicium Verum: The Multifaceted Role of Anise Plants

The role of dietary active compounds in human nutrition is an important area of investigation in the field of nutritional science. In this perspective, functional foods play a relevant role, offering a new kind of health tool that promises specific effects related to particular food components. Anise plant has a long cultural tradition in various countries all over the world, both as food and as drug. The essential oil of anise, extracted from the dry ripe fruits of Illicium verum and Pimpinella anisum, contains anethole, an active chemical compound that showed several functional properties including antimicrobial, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and oestrogenic properties. To date, studies conducted on the properties of anise, demonstrated the efficacy of the plant in the improvement of physiological condition in human and the possibility to exploit the active compounds of anise for the treatment of several chronic diseases. The aim of this review is to collect data on anise in order to evaluate its pharmacological properties.

Beneficial and Healthy Properties of Eucalyptus Plants: A Great Potential Use

Eucalyptus (Eucapyptus spp.), an evergreen tall tree native to Australia and Tasmania, has been used since ancient times by the aboriginal population for several purposes. In particular, the species E. globulus is widely used in the pulp industry, as well as for the production of eucalyptus oil extracted on a commercial scale in many countries as raw materials in perfumery, cosmetics, food, beverages, aromatherapy and phytotherapy. The 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol), the principal and the most important constituent extracted from eucalyptus leaves, demonstrated an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. Despite the fact that the healthy effects of eucalyptus have been well established by research, further studies are necessary to investigate other prime effects of the plant and its possible implication in the treatment of a greater number of pathological conditions.