Consumption of milk and milk products in the population of the Upper Silesian agglomeration inhabitants

Impact of the Family Environment on the Frequency of Animal-Based Product Consumption in School-Aged Children in Central Poland

Animal-sourced foods (ASFs) have a high nutritional value, which makes them important elements of young people's diets. Several environmental factors might affect the dietary habits of children and adolescents, and their identification seems to be a principal reason to maintain their healthy eating practice. Thus, we aimed to investigate selected environmental factors (a place of residence, net income, mother's education level, number of siblings, and mother's BMI), which may be linked to the consumption frequency of ASFs among school-aged children. In total, 892 mothers of primary school children aged 7-14 years from central Poland took part in the anonymous and voluntary survey. The frequency of meat and meat product consumption was affected by the mother's education level, place of residence, and net income. Generally, meat was eaten more often by the city children (G = 0.178, p < 0.01) of better-educated mothers (G = 0.268, p < 0.001) and higher-income families (G = 0.209, p < 0.001). A higher level of education was linked to more frequent fish consumption but only in the younger group (G = 0.130, p < 0.05). The frequency of egg intake was positively associated with the maternal level of education (G = 0.185, p < 0.001), children's gender (girls > boys, G = 0.123, p < 0.05), and place of residence (city > village, G = 0.214, p < 0.001). In turn, the frequency of milk and dairy intake was related only to the place of residence (village > city, G = 0.97, p <0.05). It can be concluded that the mother's level of education is a key factor linked to the selected children's dietary habits. Thus, we believe that successful health education programs designed for young people should include the maternal capacity to interpret and adapt information into daily practice.

Determination and Risk Assessment of Flavor Components in Flavored Milk

This study aimed to determine chemical composition and assess exposure in flavored milk among Chinese residents, based on risk assessment methodologies of acceptable daily intake (ADI) and toxicological concern threshold (TTC). Esters (32.17%), alcohols (11.19%), olefins (9.09%), aldehydes (8.39%), and ketones (7.34%) comprised the majority of the flavoring samples. Methyl palmitate (90.91%), ethyl butyrate (81.82%), and dipentene (81.82%) had the highest detection rates in flavor samples. This study screened fifteen flavor components of concern and discovered that 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, benzaldehyde, and benzenemethanol were detected in 100% of flavored milk samples. Benzenemethanol was found in the highest concentration (14,995.44 μg kg^-1). The risk assessment results revealed that there was no risk for Chinese residents in consuming flavored milk, and the maximum per capita daily consumption of 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, and benzenemethanol were 226.208 g, 140.610 g, and 120.036 g, respectively. This study could provide guidelines for amounts of flavor additive ingredients in milk.

The Effect of a Vegan Diet on the Coverage of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Iodine among People from Poland

The aim of this research was to estimate the effect of a vegan diet on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) coverage for iodine in people from Poland. It was hypothesized that the problem of iodine deficiency is a concern, especially among vegans. The survey study was conducted in the years 2021-2022 on 2200 people aged 18-80 with omnivore and vegan diets. The exclusion criteria in the study were pregnancy and lactation. The study found that the coverage of RDA for iodine among people with a vegan diet was lower than among people with an omnivore diet (p < 0.05); 90% of the participants with a vegan diet had an iodine intake below 150 µg/day. Plant-based dairy and meat analogs were consumed by vegans frequently and in large portions, but none were fortified with iodine. It was found that iodized salt was each group's primary source of iodine. However, it was observed that the iodine supply from this source was limited among vegans, especially in female subjects, who consumed less salt and smaller portions of meals. That is why consideration should be given to the iodine fortification of plant-based foods commonly consumed by vegans.

Risk Factors for Eating Disorders and Perception of Body in Young Adults Associated with Sex

(1) Background: The integrated approach to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders (EDs) requires knowledge and can be used only when specific risk factors are known. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in food choices and eating behavior between males and females; (2) Methods: This study comprised 148 females and 27 males aged from 18 to 26-years-old (MEAN ± SD = 21.4 ± 1.86 years old). Information about EDs was obtained from four different measures: the body mass index (BMI), the eating disorder screen for primary care (ESP), a standardized and validated questionnaire called “My Eating Habits” and the food frequency questionnaire with 10 answers (FFQ-10); (3) Results: The risk for developing eating disorders was detected in nearly 67% of respondents. It was also shown that EDs were more common in females and how body weight affected the way individuals feel about themselves. Females showed more unhealthy eating habits, which contributed to dietary restrictions and emotional overeating, as they were also afraid of gaining weight. The frequency of eating meat and drinking alcohol was higher in males, whereas eating legume seeds was less frequent in females. (4) Conclusions: This study opens a new field, which will help health care professionals recognize the problems with eating disorders and treat them based on different sex characteristics.

Enhancing Omega-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Content of Dairy-Derived Foods for Human Consumption

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) are termed essential fatty acids because they cannot be synthesized de novo by humans due to the lack of delta-12 and delta-15 desaturase enzymes and must therefore be acquired from the diet. n-3 PUFA include α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3), eicosapentaenoic (EPA, 20:5n-3), docosahexaenoic (DHA, 22:6n-3), and the less recognized docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5n-3). The three long-chain (≥C20) n-3 PUFA (n-3 LC-PUFA), EPA, DHA, and DPA play an important role in human health by reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Up to the present time, seafood, and in particular, fish oil-derived products, have been the richest sources of n-3 LC-PUFA. The human diet generally contains insufficient amounts of these essential FA due largely to the low consumption of seafood. This issue provides opportunities to enrich the content of n-3 PUFA in other common food groups. Milk and milk products have traditionally been a major component of human diets, but are also among some of the poorest sources of n-3 PUFA. Consideration of the high consumption of milk and its processed products worldwide and the human health benefits has led to a large number of studies targeting the enhancement of n-3 PUFA content in dairy products. The main objective of this review was to evaluate the major strategies that have been employed to enhance n-3 PUFA content in dairy products and to unravel potential knowledge gaps for further research on this topic. Nutritional manipulation to date has been the main approach for altering milk fatty acids (FA) in ruminants. However, the main challenge is ruminal biohydrogenation in which dietary PUFA are hydrogenated into monounsaturated FA and/or ultimately, saturated FA, due to rumen microbial activities. The inclusion of oil seed and vegetable oil in dairy animal diets significantly elevates ALA content, while the addition of rumen-protected marine-derived supplements is the most effective way to increase the concentration of EPA, DHA, and DPA in dairy products. In our view, the mechanisms of n-3 LC-PUFA biosynthesis pathway from ALA and the biohydrogenation of individual n-3 LC-PUFA in ruminants need to be better elucidated. Identified knowledge gaps regarding the activities of candidate genes regulating the concentrations of n-3 PUFA and the responses of ruminants to specific lipid supplementation regimes are also critical to a greater understanding of nutrition-genetics interactions driving lipid metabolism.

Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus dietary intake in active and sedentary Polish students

Study aim: To evaluate energy, macronutrient, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate daily intake in young healthy Polish male students. Material and methods: Two hundred and sixteen participants were physical education students engaged in regular physical ac­tivity (about 9 h/week) and were recognized as physically active. One hundred and fourteen students were from other speciali­zations participating in 1.5 h/week gymnastics classes and were recognized as sedentary. Body mass and height were measured using standard medical equipment. Body fat was evaluated from four skinfold measurements. In all subjects daily intake of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, magnesium and phosphate was briefly assessed from 24-hour food records taken over 4 days. Results: The active students’ diet was characterized by significantly higher energy, macronutrient and mineral daily intake. Moreover, calcium to phosphorus and calcium to magnesium ratios in active subjects were higher than in sedentary ones. There was no significant difference between groups in protein or magnesium intake expressed per 1000 kcal. In contrast, daily intake of fat and phosphate expressed per 1000 kcal was significantly lower in the active students vs. sedentary ones (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05 for fat and phosphate, respectively). Active students were characterized by significantly higher carbohydrate and cal­cium intake per 1000 kcal in comparison with their sedentary counterparts (p < 0.001 for both variables). Conclusions: The dietary pattern of active students was found to be slightly but significantly better than that of their sedentary counterparts. However, in both groups it was far from being a healthy one.