The aims of the present study were to (1) characterise the diets of adult Inuit; (2) highlight foods for a nutritional and lifestyle intervention programme; (3) develop a quantitative FFQ (QFFQ) to evaluate the programme and monitor changes in dietary intake in this population over time. A dietary survey using single 24-h dietary recalls was conducted among Inuit aged between 19 and 87 years in two communities in Nunavut, Canada. Eighty-seven subjects completed the recalls (response rate was approximately 73 %). The mean energy intake for men and women was 9530 and 6939 kJ, respectively. The intakes of dietary fibre and the majority of vitamins and minerals (especially vitamins A, D, and E, total folate and Ca) were far below the recommendations. Traditional foods contributed 40 and 42 %, respectively, to protein and Fe intakes. Non-nutrient-dense store-bought foods were consumed much more frequently than the nutrient-dense traditional foods. Foods high in fat and sugar were highlighted, and will be replaced by healthier, more nutrient-dense alternatives to address the dietary inadequacies for the nutritional intervention programme. A 154-item QFFQ was developed and pilot tested in the Arctic Inuit. The present study highlighted foods to be targeted for a nutritional and lifestyle intervention programme not previously undertaken in this population. This QFFQ is culturally appropriate and specific for evaluating the effectiveness of the programme, as well as monitoring nutritional transition in this population.

nuvialuit in Canada's Western Arctic have been living by hunting and gathering for approximately 1,000 years. 1 Two activities define traditional Inuvialuit identity: harvesting of traditional foods (TF) and its redistribution or sharing. 2,3 Like most Indigenous peoples in North America, 4-6 Inuvialuit face extreme pressure to acculturate to Western values, including transitioning to a Western diet. 7,8 Traditional foods, defined as those harvested from the local environment, include animals obtained directly from the land or sea, which contributed largely to dietary intake and were vital to nutrition, health, and food security. However, drastic climate changes pose environmental stress on those animals (e.g., polar bear, seal and caribou) that are TF sources. 9,10 Foods that replace TF are mainly processed, high in sugar and fat, and much less nutrient-dense. This shift in diet has resulted in a decreased intake of many micronutrients 11-14 and is associated with increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic disease in Indigenous peoples in the Arctic. 15,16 Prevalence of diabetes in Indigenous North Americans is 3-5 times that of the general population in Canada. 17 The prevalence of risk factors of diabetes, such as overweight and obesity, is higher among the Canadian Aboriginal population compared to the general population. 18,19 Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop a nutritional intervention program to improve dietary intake for chronic disease prevention. Despite the known effectiveness of risk reduction interventions for obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases, 20 few nutritional intervention programs for Inuvialuit have been successful. Furthermore, there is little up-to-date data on Inuvialuit diet, particularly the diet during transition to a Western diet. The aims of this study were to: 1) characterize diet in Inuvialuit; 2) highlight foods and nutrients for a community-based multiinstitutional nutritional and lifestyle intervention program; and 3) develop a Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (QFFQ) to evaluate the program and monitor nutrition transition in Inuvialuit.

BackgroundIt is widely accepted that metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). To investigate whether coexisting metabolic syndrome is a necessary condition for CKD in overweight and obese.MethodsA cohort study of 6852 Chinese individuals from August 2007 to December 2012. Examinations included a questionnaire, physical measurements, and blood sampling. Hazard ratios for incident CKD were estimated according to combinations of BMI category and absence or presence of metabolic syndrome.ResultsFor CKD, multivariable adjusted hazard ratios vs. normal weight individuals without metabolic syndrome were 1.31 (95 % CI, 0.89–1.92) in overweight and 2.39 (95 % CI, 1.27–4.52) in obese without metabolic syndrome and 1.54 (95 % CI, 1.18–3.95) in normal weight, 2.06 (95 % CI, 1.27–3.36) in overweight, and 2.77 (95 % CI, 1.42–4.31) in obese with metabolic syndrome. There were no interactions between BMI and absence or presence of metabolic syndrome on risk of CKD when BMI was categorized (normal weight, overweight, obese) (P = 0.17). Among individuals both with and without metabolic syndrome there were increasing cumulative incidences of CKD from normal weight through overweight to obese individuals (log-rank trend P = 0.04 to P < 0.001). Although the multivariable adjusted hazard ratio for CKD in individuals with vs. without metabolic syndrome was 1.82 (95 % CI, 1.20–2.78) within overweight and obese individuals (log-rank P = 0.005), only 26.1 % of the increased risk observed for BMI is explained by metabolic syndrome.ConclusionsThese findings suggest overweight and obesity are risk factors for CKD regardless of the presence or absence of metabolic syndrome.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12882-015-0083-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common male malignancy in the United States and disparities in risk exist among ethnic/racial groups. A high intake of well-done meat and the presence of the rapid NAT1 and slow NAT2 acetylator genotypes, as modifiers of the carcinogenic effect of heterocyclic amines, were hypothesized to increase PC risk and possibly explain these ethnic differences in risk.Methods: This study examined the associations between well-done (red) meat consumption, NAT1 and NAT2 acetylator genotypes, and PC risk among five ethnicities (African American, Native Hawaiian, Japanese American, Latino, and Caucasian) in a case-control study of PC nested within the Multiethnic Cohort study. Cases (n = 2,106) and controls (n = 2,063) were genotyped for eight single nucleotide polymorphisms in NAT1 and seven single nucleotide polymorphisms in NAT2 that characterized all common alleles for these genes. Well-done meat intake was computed based on responses to a detailed food frequency questionnaire including a question on meat preference. Conditional logistic regression was used in the analysis.Results: There was no evidence of an increased risk associated with preference for well-done meat, intake of well-done meat, and NAT1 or NAT2 genotypes (jointly or separately).Conclusions: These results do not support the hypothesis that exposure to heterocyclic amines is associated with risk of PC. However, additional studies with more precise exposure measures are needed. Cancer Epidemiol

Dental caries were associated with MetS among middle-aged Chinese in the present study.

Background: Calcium (Ca 2+ ) has recently been shown to selectively increase the activity of monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A), a mitochondria-bound enzyme that generates peroxyradicals as a natural by-product of the deamination of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. It has also been suggested that increased intracellular free Ca 2+ levels as well as MAO-A may be contributing to the oxidative stress associated with Alzheimer disease (AD).

Conduct disorder (CD) is a serious behavioral disorder of childhood and adolescence. The default mode network (DMN) is a brain network which supports self-referential cognitive processes and is typically deactivated during task performance. The aim of this study was to investigate DMN connectivity in male adolescents with pure CD compared to typically-developing controls. Eighteen male adolescents with CD and 18 sex-, age- and education-matched typically-developing (TD) participants were recruited. Current and lifetime psychiatric disorders were assessed using the Chinese version of the Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were obtained using a 3.0 T scanner. Independent components analysis (ICA) was used to investigate functional connectivity between the DMN and related brain regions. DMN activity was observed in medial prefrontal, posterior cingulate, and lateral parietal cortices, and extended to the brainstem. Adolescents with CD showed significantly reduced functional connectivity within the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), bilateral precuneus and right superior temporal gyrus relative to TD controls. CD is associated with reduced functional connectivity within the DMN and between the DMN and other regions. These preliminary results suggest that deficits in DMN functional connectivity may serve as a biomarker of CD.

Background-The dietary habits of the Caribbean have been changing to include more fast foods and a less nutrient dense diet. The aims of this study are to examine dietary patterns in Barbados and highlight foods for a nutritional intervention.