Consuming sustainable seafood: guidelines, recommendations and realities

Gut Microbiota and its Metabolites: Bridge of Dietary Nutrients and Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation. Recent research has revealed the crucial role of gut microbiota and microbial metabolites in modulating AD. However, the mechanisms by which the microbiome and microbial metabolites affect brain function remain poorly understood. Here, we review the literature on changes in the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome in patients with AD and in animal models of AD. We also discuss the latest progress in understanding the pathways by which the gut microbiota and microbial metabolites from the host or diet regulate AD. By understanding the effects of dietary components on brain function, microbiota composition, and microbial metabolites, we examine the potential for manipulation of the gut microbiota through dietary intervention to delay the progression of AD. Although it is challenging to translate our understanding of microbiome-based approaches to dietary guidelines or clinical therapies, these findings provide an attractive target for promoting brain function.

Recommendations for Integrating Evidence-Based, Sustainable Diet Information into Nutrition Education

The adoption of more sustainable diets (SD) has the capacity to meet the needs of individuals without compromising future generations' abilities to do the same. Nutrition educators are ideal candidates for delivering SD education to consumers, yet evidence-based recommendations for the profession have not been crafted. The results of a thorough, narrative review of the literature performed in 2021 suggest there are five well-supported recommendations nutrition educators should consider incorporating in their work. They are (1) shift towards a plant-based diet, (2) mitigate food waste, (3) limit consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF), (4) engage in local food systems, and (5) choose sustainable seafood. Each recommendation is discussed below in detail, to provide nutrition educators with a nuanced scope of the issue, after which suggestions for the inclusion of these recommendations, using an example of the authors' experiences from the US Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), are provided.

Effects and mechanisms of natural products on Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in elderly people with a high incidence rate and complicated pathogenesis, and causes progressive cognitive deficit and memory impairment. Some natural products and bioactive compounds from natural sources show great potential in the prevention and treatment of AD, such as apple, blueberries, grapes, chili pepper, Monsonia angustifolia, cruciferous vegetables, Herba epimedii, Angelica tenuissima, Embelia ribes, sea cucumber, Cucumaria frondosa, green tea, Puer tea, Amanita caesarea and Inonotus obliquus, via reducing amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition, decreasing Tau hyperphosphorylation, regulating cholinergic system, reducing oxidative stress, inhibiting apoptosis and ameliorating inflammation. This review mainly summarizes the effects of some natural products and their bioactive compounds on AD with the potential molecular mechanisms.

Aquatic Foods and Nutrition in the Pacific

National rates of aquatic food consumption in Pacific Island Countries and Territories are among the highest in the world, yet the region is suffering from extensive levels of diet-related ill health. The aim of this paper is to examine the variation in consumption patterns and in nutrient composition of aquatic foods in the Pacific, to help improve understanding of their contribution to food and nutrition security. For this examination we analysed nutrient composition data and trade data from two novel region-specific databases, as well as consumption data from national and village level surveys for two Melanesian case studies, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. Results demonstrated that consumption depends on availability and the amount and type of aquatic food consumed, and its contribution to nutrition security varies within different geographic and socio-demographic contexts. More data is needed on locally relevant species and consumption patterns, to better inform dietary guidelines and improve public health both now and into the future. Advice on aquatic food consumption must consider the nutrient composition and quantity of products consumed, as well as accessibility through local food systems, to ensure they contribute to diverse and healthy diets.

Updating the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for the Spanish Population: The Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) Proposal

Diet-related risk factors and physical inactivity are among the leading risk factors for disability and are responsible for a large proportion of the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases. Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are useful tools for nutrition policies and public health strategies to promote healthier eating and physical activity. In this paper, we discuss the process followed in developing the dietary guidelines for the Spanish population by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) and further explain the collaboration with primary healthcare practitioners as presented in the context of the NUTRIMAD 2018 international congress of SENC. From a health in all policies approach, SENC convened a group of experts in nutrition and public health to review the evidence on diet-health, nutrient intake and food consumption in the Spanish population, as well as food preparation, determinants and impact of diet on environmental sustainability. The collaborative group drafted the document and designed the graphic icon, which was then subject to a consultation process, discussion, and qualitative evaluation. Next, a collaborative group was established to plan a dissemination strategy, involving delegates from all the primary healthcare scientific societies in Spain. A product of this collaboration was the release of an attractive, easy-to-understand publication.

Sociodemographic Variation in Consumption Patterns of Sustainable and Nutritious Seafood in Australia

National dietary guidelines (DGs) consistently recommend consuming seafood for health benefits, however, the sustainability of increasing seafood consumption is often challenged. Seafood products vary in environmental performance as well as health benefits, yet there is no information integrating the health and ecological impacts of different seafood choices. The first step in optimising improved health and environmental outcomes is to examine more closely the types of seafood being consumed at population and individual levels, to develop the means to increase the intake of seafood that is optimal for human health and the environment. The purpose of this analysis was to better understand the specific types and amounts of seafood consumed by the Australian population, and by socioeconomic subgroups within the population, to determine the relative nutritional content and sustainability of seafood consumed by these groups. Secondary analysis of the Australian Health Survey (AHS) (2011-2013), which reached 32,000 people (25,000 households) was undertaken. The majority of respondents (83%) did not consume any seafood on the day of the survey. Results indicated the proportion of seafood consumers was lowest among adults who were unemployed, had the least education and were the most socio-economically disadvantaged. Crustaceans and farmed fish with low omega 3-content, such as basa and tilapia, were identified as the least nutritious and least sustainable seafood categories. These two categories constituted a substantial amount of total seafood intake for the lowest socio-economic consumers, and over 50% for unemployed consumers. In contrast, consumers in the highest socio-demographic group consumed mainly high trophic level fish (moderate nutrition and sustainability) and farmed fish with high omega-3 content (high nutrition, moderate sustainability). Fewer than 1% of adults or children reported eating seafood identified as both more nutritious and less resource intensive, such as small pelagics or molluscs. Opportunities exist to increase seafood intakes to improve health outcomes by varying current seafood consumption patterns to maximise nutritional outcomes and minimise environmental impacts. Initiatives to promote the health and environmental benefits of seafood should be promoted at the population level, with targeted interventions for specific groups, and should encourage consumption of highly nutritious low resource intensive types of seafood.