OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships between eating frequency (EF) and body weight status and to determine whether these relationships can be explained in terms of differences in physical activity levels, macronutrient intakes or energy compensation. DESIGN: Cross-sectional design; free-living subjects, 48 men and 47 women (aged 20±55 y, body mass index (BMI) 18±30), recruited in a workplace setting. MEASUREMENTS: Height and weight; skinfold thickness (four sites); EF, energy and macronutrient intakes (food diary, unweighed, recorded for seven consecutive days); physical activity (7 d activity diary and heart rate monitoring over 48 h period). RESULTS: In men there was a signi®cant negative correlation between EF and body weight, and an inverse relationship with body mass index (BMI). EF was positively correlated with % energy from carbohydrate, although not with total energy intake. In women, there was no relationship between EF and body weight status; however, there were signi®cant positive correlations between EF and total energy intake, and between EF and intakes of total carbohydrate and sugars. For both men and women, there were associations between EF and physical activity levels, approaching statistical signi®cance. CONCLUSIONS: In men, the association between increased EF and lower body weight status may have been in¯uenced by increased physical activity levels. As energy intake did not increase with EF, men appear to have compensated by reducing the mean energy consumed per eating episode. Energy compensation did not take place in women, with women who ate most frequently having the highest energy intakes, although this did not lead to higher BMIs. Physical activity, through participation in active leisure pursuits, may have been an important factor in weight control in women. The % contribution of carbohydrate to total energy was positively correlated with EF in both men and women, and further analysis showed that snack foods provided a higher proportion of carbohydrate than did foods eaten as meals. These results indicate that a high EF is likely to lead to a high carbohydrate diet, which may be favourable for weight control. Our ®ndings suggest that in this population, a high EF was associated with leanness in men, and there was no link between EF and body weight status in women.

Examination of faecal material by Kato Katz (KK) technique is a widely used approach for the diagnosis of intestinal schistosomiasis, particularly in epidemiological surveys. However, this technique lacks diagnostic sensitivity in individuals with low infection intensity or in low endemic areas. In the total population (TP) of 1265 individuals prevalence and infection intensity were established by examining two KK slides. A representative subset of 305 individuals, denominated experimental group (EG), was defined to assess the comparative advantage of an increased sampling effort using the KK technique. In addition stools of the participants of the EG were examined by the formol ether centrifugation technique. The proportion of all positive stool examinations detected by both methods among the experimental group served as reference value for prevalence (diagnostic 'gold' standard). Prevalence of schistosomiasis among TP based on two KK slides was 12.5%. Prevalence among the EG varied from 13.8%, based on one KK slide, over 27.2 based on 10 KK slides of three stool samples to 35.4% as value for the diagnostic 'gold' standard. The comparison of values for prevalence, stratified by age, revealed significant elevated numbers for all age groups, and interestingly, an extension of the highest prevalence levels until an age of 50 years. The overall infection intensity in eggs per gram (epg), calculated as geometric mean, was 83 epg for the TP based on one KK slide, 78 epg for the GE based on one KK slide and 28 epg based on 10 KK slides of three stool samples. In summary our data demonstrate that control programmes based on the examination of a single KK slide, as it is the case in Brazil, tend to underestimate significantly the prevalence and overestimate infection intensity. This applies especially for low endemic areas, where the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of such programmes become questionable. Our data also indicate that the possible solution of this problem lies in targeted mass treatment including age groups with the highest proportions of those infected. This will give high sensitivity together with sustainability and suitability under field conditions.

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The present study demonstrated that snacking on almonds, in comparison to cereal bars, promoted a higher eating frequency, but not a higher energy intake. Advice to snack on either almonds or cereal bars did not result in weight gain, suggesting that energy compensation took place.

There is evidence that oat β-glucan lowers appetite and ad libitum eating; however, not all studies are consistent, and the underpinning mechanisms are not entirely understood. We investigated the effects of 4 g high molecular weight (MW) oat β-glucan on ad libitum eating, subjective appetite, glycemia, insulinemia and plasma GLP-1 responses in 33 normal-weight subjects (22 female/11 male, mean age (y): 26.9 ± 1.0, BMI (kg/m): 23.5 ± 0.4). The study followed a randomised double-blind, cross-over design with subjects fed two test breakfasts with and without oat β-glucan followed by an ad libitum test meal on two different days. Blood samples and ratings for subjective appetite were collected postprandially at regular time intervals. Oat β-glucan increased feelings of fullness (p = 0.048) and satiety (p = 0.034), but did not affect energy and amount eaten at the ad libitum test meal. There was a treatment by time interaction for plasma GLP-1, plasma insulin and blood glucose. GLP-1 was significantly reduced at 90 min (p = 0.021), blood glucose at 30 min (p = 0.008) and plasma insulin at 30 and 60 min (p = 0.002 and 0.017, respectively) following the oat β-glucan breakfast when compared with the control breakfast. Four grams of high MW oat β-glucan lowers appetite but not ad libitum eating and beneficially modulates postprandial glycaemia, it does however, not increase plasma GLP-1 secretion.

A low-fat, high-carbohydrate, sucrose-containing diet combined with increased physical exercise resulted in greater health benefits than diet or physical activity advice alone.

Polyphenols have been suggested to reduce body weight and modify body composition through different mechanisms. These effects have been extensively studied in animals and in vitro and to a lesser extent in humans. The aim of this review is to consider the association between polyphenols and body weight status by focusing on human intervention studies. We conducted a systematic literature search in MEDLINE (via EBSCOhost), ProQuest CENTRAL, and Cochrane CENTRAL without time restrictions. Randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of polyphenols on weight and/or body composition in the overweight and/or obese population were included. Nineteen studies met our inclusion criteria. Results suggest that further research is required before supporting a potential role of polyphenols in reducing weight in overweight and obese individuals (nine studies showed a significant decrease in weight by a mean of 1.47 ± 0.58 kg). Nevertheless, several studies indicated that polyphenols might be effective in preventing small increases in weight during periods of overfeeding rather than reducing weight as such. The outcomes noted do not yet support polyphenol supplementation as a complementary approach in weight loss diets. Further larger trials with a duration of 12 months or more are needed to elucidate the effect of polyphenols on body weight status. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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