Glycaemic index values in the Finnish food composition database: an approach to standardised value documentation

Is Starch Intake Associated With Periodontal Status? An 11-Year Longitudinal Analysis Among Finnish Adults

AIM

To evaluate the association between baseline starch intake (amount and sources) and changes in periodontal status over 11 years in adults.

METHODS

Adults aged 30-82 years, who participated in the Finnish Health 2000 survey and were re-examined in 2004/2005 and/or 2011 were included in the study. The consumption of total starch and six relevant food groups (potatoes, fried potatoes, roots and tubers, pasta, wholegrains and legumes) over the past year was determined at baseline with a validated food frequency questionnaire. The number of teeth with periodontal pocketing ≥ 4 mm (NTPP) was recorded during clinical examinations in 2000, 2004/2005 and 2011. The association between baseline starch intake and the 11-year change in the NTPP was tested in mixed-effects negative binomial regression models, adjusting for covariates.

RESULTS

A total of 1369 adults were included in the analysis. The mean NTPP was 4.1 ± 5.6, 6.3 ± 5.6, and 4.8 ± 5.9 in waves 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Baseline starch intake (in g/day or % energy intake) was not associated with changes in the NTPP after adjustment for covariates. In analysis by food groups, the baseline intake of wholegrains was negatively associated with the NTPP at baseline.

CONCLUSION

This study found no evidence of an association between baseline starch intake and changes in periodontal status. Baseline intake of wholegrains was associated with better periodontal status at baseline.

Presence of Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Monosaccharides, and Polyols (FODMAPs) in commonly eaten foods: extension of a database to indicate dietary FODMAP content and calculation of intake in the general population from food diary data

Background

FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Monosaccharides And Polyols) are known for their health benefits but their fermentation may trigger gastrointestinal symptoms and a low-FODMAP diet is a commonly used intervention for functional gastrointestinal disorders. The use of direct measures of FODMAP is labor intensive and expensive and to facilitate the assessment of FODMAP intake in research and clinical work, a nutritional content database with good quality estimates on FODMAP values is needed. Further, the average intake of FODMAP in a general population would be a useful reference and knowledge of the most commonly eaten foods containing FODMAPs would facilitate clinical work utilizing FODMAP diet interventions.

Methods

A nutritional content database was extended with published FODMAP content data. The database was used to calculate FODMAP intake from four-day food diaries from 117 individuals from the general population in Sweden and the most common food items containing FODMAPs were identified.

Results

FODMAP content for 1060 food items was added to the database resulting in 1805 listed FODMAP values. Mean intake of total FODMAP in the diaries was 19 g (fructose: 15.2 g; fructan: 3.5 g; lactose: 14.1 g; galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) 0.43 g and polyols 1.3 g per day). Overall the most common eaten food items containing FODMAPs were rye and wheat based foods.

Conclusion

Intake of FODMAPs as calculated using the extended database were in line with previous studies supporting its use of the database in both research and clinical interventions. The lists of the most commonly eaten FODMAP food items are provided and may be used to facilitate FODMAP diet interventions.

Dietary carbohydrate quantity and quality in relation to obesity: A pooled analysis of three Finnish population-based studies

Background: The relationship between carbohydrate intake, dietary glycaemic index (GI) and load (GL), and obesity remains unsolved. Sugar intake and obesity represent a timely topic, but studies on sugar subcategories are scarce. We aimed to study whether total carbohydrate, sucrose, lactose, fibre, dietary GI, and GL are associated with obesity in 25–79-year-old Finns. Methods: Our pooled analysis included three cross-sectional population-based studies: the DILGOM Study ( n = 4842), the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study ( n =1979), and the Health 2000 Survey ( n = 5521). Diet was assessed by a validated food-frequency questionnaire, and anthropometric measurements were collected by standardised protocols. Pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression analysis. Results: In the model, which included sex, age, education, smoking, physical activity, and energy intake, the likelihood of being obese (body mass index ⩾ 30 kg/m2) appeared lower in the highest quartiles of total carbohydrate (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.57–0.74; P for trend < 0.0001), sucrose (OR 0.53; 95% CI 0.47–0.61; P < 0.0001), and dietary GL (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.56–0.73; P < 0.0001) compared to the lowest quartiles. In contrast, dietary GI did not associate with obesity. Fibre intake associated inversely with abdominal obesity (OR 0.80; 95% CI 0.71–0.90; P < 0.001). The inverse sucrose–obesity relationship appeared stronger in high fruit consumers compared to low fruit consumers ( P for interaction 0.02). Conclusions: Although most of the studied carbohydrate exposures were associated with a diminished likelihood of being obese, prospective studies are needed to assess temporal relations to support causal inference.

Body size at birth is associated with food and nutrient intake in adulthood

BACKGROUND

Small body size at birth is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Dietary habits are tightly linked with these disorders, but the association between body size at birth and adult diet has been little studied. We examined the association between body size at birth and intake of foods and macronutrients in adulthood.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

We studied 1797 participants, aged 56 to 70, of the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study, whose birth weight and length were recorded. Preterm births were excluded. During a clinical study, diet was assessed with a validated food-frequency questionnaire. A linear regression model adjusted for potential confounders was used to assess the associations. Intake of fruits and berries was 13.26 g (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.56, 25.96) higher per 1 kg/m(3) increase in ponderal index (PI) at birth, and 83.16 g (95% CI: 17.76, 148.56) higher per 1 kg higher birth weight. One unit higher PI at birth was associated with 0.14% of energy (E%) lower intake of fat (95% CI: -0.26, -0.03) and 0.18 E% higher intake of carbohydrates (95% CI: 0.04, 0.32) as well as 0.08 E% higher sucrose (95% CI: 0.00, 0.15), 0.05 E% higher fructose (95% CI: 0.01, 0.09), and 0.18 g higher fiber (95% CI: 0.02, 0.34) intake in adulthood. Similar associations were observed between birth weight and macronutrient intake.

CONCLUSIONS

Prenatal growth may modify later life food and macronutrient intake. Altered dietary habits could potentially explain an increased risk of chronic disease in individuals born with small body size.

Relative validity of a FFQ in measuring carbohydrate fractions, dietary glycaemic index and load: exploring the effects of subject characteristics

FFQ require validation as part of epidemiological research of diet–disease relationships. Studies exploring associations between carbohydrate type and chronic diseases are rapidly increasing, but information on the validity of carbohydrate fractions, dietary glycaemic index (GI) and the glycaemic load (GL) estimated by FFQ is scarce. Likewise, the effects of subject characteristics on FFQ validity have been poorly documented. The present study evaluates the relative validity of an 131-item FFQ in relation to two 3 d food records (FR) performed 6 months apart focusing on the intake of carbohydrate fractions, dietary GI and the GL. Furthermore, we assessed the extent to which subjects' age, education and BMI explain differences between these methods. The study sample comprised 218 men and 292 women aged 25–74 years participating in a large population-based survey in Finland. Energy-adjusted Spearman's rank correlations ranged from 0·27 (sugars) to 0·70 (lactose) for men and from 0·37 (sugars) to 0·69 (lactose) for women. On average, 73 % of the subjects were categorised into the same or adjacent distribution quintile based on the two methods. In general, the FFQ overestimated the intakes compared with FR. Especially in women, FFQ validity for some nutrients was associated with the level of intake, subjects' age and, to a lesser extent, education but not BMI. In conclusion, the FFQ appears to be reasonably valid in the assessment of carbohydrate exposure variables, but the findings show a need for adjustment of diet–disease relationships for subjects' age and education.