Food group contributions to nutrient intake in whites, blacks, and Mexican Americans in Texas

Cholesterol-lowering effects of bovine serum immunoglobulin in participants with mild hypercholesterolemia

BACKGROUND

The consumption of milk products has been shown to lower cholesterol. The mechanism of action surrounding this observation has been attributed to the protein fraction of milk and serum.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the effect of an oral serum bovine immunoglobulin protein fraction (bIg) derived from US Department of Agriculture-approved beef (aged <30 mo) on lipid indexes in humans.

DESIGN

Participants included men and women (aged 25-70 y) with hypercholesterolemia (5.44-6.99 mmol/L) who were not receiving cholesterol-lowering medication. Treatment consisted of the randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled administration of 5 g bIg for 6 wk in 52 participants (n = 26 each in treatment and control groups).

RESULTS

Mean (+/-SD) total cholesterol (TC) at baseline was 6.33 +/- 0.1 mmol/L for bIg and 6.16 +/- 0.1 mmol/L for placebo. A repeated-measures multivariate analysis of covariance covaried for change in total energy and alcohol intake and Tukey's post hoc examination of our data showed that the bIg-treated group had a significant reduction in TC at 3 wk (5.98 +/- 0.5 mmol/L; P < 0.05) and 6 wk (5.97 +/- 0.7 mmol/L; P < 0.05). The concentration at 6 wk was significantly different from that in the placebo group (P < 0.05). This reduction was largely due to a decrease in LDL cholesterol in the bIg-treated group from baseline (4.12 +/- 0.6 mmol/L) at 3 wk (3.92 +/- 0.7 mmol/L, P < 0.05) and at 6 wk (3.84 +/- 0.6 mmol/L, P < 0.05); the 6-wk concentration differed significantly between the treatment and placebo groups (P < 0.05). We observed no significant changes in the placebo group or in any other lipid indexes or markers associated with hepatorenal or cardiovascular function.

CONCLUSION

Consumption of bIg appears to positively modulate the primary lipid indexes associated with cardiovascular disease.

Comparison of baseline fat-related eating behaviors of Puerto Rican, Dominican, Colombian, and Guatemalan participants who joined a cholesterol education project

OBJECTIVE

The objective is to compare baseline fat-related eating behaviors among Hispanic subgroups who joined a cholesterol education research project in New England.

DESIGN

Participants attended baseline screenings as part of the study. They had their height, weight, and blood cholesterol measured and completed baseline surveys with demographic, risk factor, dietary, and psychosocial questions.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 370 Puerto Rican, 210 Colombian, 357 Dominican, and 102 Guatemalan subjects participated in the baseline.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Dietary behavior was measured using the Food Habits Questionnaire (FHQ), which was originally developed to assess food choices and preparation patterns related to adopting a low-fat diet. Measures include FHQ fat summary scores (a reflection of total fat intake), fat behavior subscales, and individual fat-related behaviors.

ANALYSIS

Analysis of variance was used to compare FHQ fat summary scores and multivariate analysis of variance was used to compare fat behavior scores and individual food item scores for the 4 Hispanic subgroups. Age and gender were covariates in the models.

RESULTS

Puerto Rican participants had a significantly higher mean FHQ fat summary score than Dominicans and Guatemalans and a higher prevalence of many fat-related eating behaviors. Although there were some differences by subgroup, the 4 most prevalent fat-related behaviors were similar: cooking with fat/oil, eating higher-fat sweets, eating higher-fat snacks, and eating dinners with meat.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Future educational programs and materials for diverse Hispanic audiences in the northeastern United States should include the above issues; however, educational materials and programs ought to be tailored to individuals whenever possible. Efforts may need to focus on Puerto Ricans, who had a higher prevalence of many fat-related behaviors in this study.

ICS-II USA research locations: environmental, dental care delivery system, and population sociodemographic characteristics

Secondary data sources are used to describe the ICS-II USA research locations in terms of external environment, dental care delivery system, and population sociodemographics. The Native American reservations located in Arizona, New Mexico, and South Dakota were rural, while the other research locations were primarily urban. Baltimore, Maryland, and the Native American communities had fluoridated water, but San Antonio did not. Dental services in Baltimore and San Antonio were predominantly financed by private sources, with a small public health component. Dental care services in Native American communities were largely Indian Health Services (IHS) financed by the US Government. Each geographical area exhibited diverse characteristics indicating unique challenges for the delivery of community and clinical dental services.

Dietary intakes by levels of glycemic control for black and white adults with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)

OBJECTIVES

The relationship between diet and glycemic control was examined among a racially mixed population of male and female adults with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).

METHODS

Data from 3-day dietary records and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were analyzed for two-hundred eighty two patients of a Family Practice Ambulatory Care Unit and a community-based health center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Correlations were calculated for individual nutrients to determine their strength of association with glycemic control. Analyses by tertiles of HbA1c were also conducted for each race/gender group. Regression analysis was used to determine independent dietary predictors of HbA1c.

RESULTS

For all subjects, energy, energy per kilogram of body weight, fat, carbohydrates saturated fat, and cholesterol were significantly correlated with HbA1c. Nutritional differences across tertile levels of HbA1c for all subjects were not significant. For black females, consumption of energy, protein and fat was significantly higher among upper tertile subjects compared to the lowest tertile; and intake of energy, protein, fat, and saturated fat was significantly correlated with HbA1c in this group. For black males, energy intake was highest among upper tertile subjects compared to those in the middle tertile, while energy per kilogram of body weight, and percent of calories from protein, were significantly correlated with HbA1c. For white males, energy intake expressed as a function of body weight was highest among subjects in the upper tertile and a significant positive correlation with HbA1c was observed. No relationship between nutritional intake and HbA1c was found among white females. Racial differences in nutrient intake were also compared for males and females in the upper tertile of HbA1c. Black females in the upper tertile consumed significantly more energy, protein, and significantly less dietary fiber per 1000 kilocalories. No significant differences were observed between black and white males in the upper tertile, although higher cholesterol consumption in black males compared to white males approached significance. Regression analysis revealed that total energy intake significantly predicted HbA1c for all subjects and all white subjects, while a similar observation was made for total fat intake among all black subjects and among black females.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings confirm that diet, especially total energy, is an important contributor to glycemic control. Dietary fat is also associated with glycemic control among blacks, especially black females, who are especially prone to more dire health consequences of NIDDM. Strict monitoring of diet should lead to improved glycemic control and less mortality and morbidity in this population.

Dietary, alcohol, and tobacco intake among Mexican-American women of childbearing age: results from HANES data

PURPOSE

Dietary intake and substance abuse are important predictors of pregnancy outcome yet little is known about these behaviors in Mexican Americans. Dietary, tobacco, and alcohol intake of Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white women were compared across the reproductive cycle.

DESIGN

Four cross-sectional groups--interconceptional, pregnant, lactating, and postpartum non-lactating--were compared within and between ethnic groups.

SUBJECTS

A stratified sample of 682 women, 16 to 44 years old, of Mexican birth or origin from the Hispanic HANES was contrasted with a similarly stratified sample of 1,396 white non-Hispanic women from the NHANES:

MEASURES

Demographic, behavioral and health characteristics, food practices, and fluid intake were examined. Data on food servings were combined into five major food groups.

RESULTS

Compared with white non-Hispanics, Mexican-American women had lower socioeconomic status and worse perceived health. However, Mexican Americans reported lower consumption of tobacco, alcohol, diet soda, and caffeine, particularly during pregnancy and lactation. Although portion sizes for the foods consumed were not assessed, frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables and milk was lower and meat higher among Mexican Americans.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite socioeconomic disadvantages, Mexican-American women have better health habits than white non-Hispanic women. From these data it is unclear how diet affects pregnancy outcomes in Mexican Americans.

A comparison of diets of blacks and whites in three areas of the United States

Dietary factors may contribute to the increased cancer risk of blacks. As a first step to explore this hypothesis, we examined food frequency data obtained by interview with 1,976 adults (881 blacks and 1,095 whites) randomly selected from three areas of the United States. The a priori hypothesis was that blacks were more likely to consume diets low in fruits and vegetables and/or high in fat, particularly saturated fat. Contrary to expectation, blacks were more frequent consumers of fruits and vegetables considered to be protective against cancer (e.g., citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, and vegetables rich in vitamins A and C). Intake of both total and saturated fat was slightly lower among blacks than whites. This analysis does not rule out a role for these dietary factors in the etiology of cancer but indicates that ascribing the excess cancer risk among blacks to their frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption or intake of fat per se is inadequate. This suggests that alternative dietary explanations for the racial disparity in cancer risk should be pursued in future studies.