Food-Based Dietary Guidelines Can Be Developed and Tested Using Linear Programming Analysis

Abstract

Effective food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are required to combat micronutrient deficiencies. This study aimed to develop a rigorous approach for designing population-specific FBDGs. A 4-phase approach based on linear programming analysis was used to design, test, and refine the FBDGs. This was illustrated for Malawian children. In phase I, the objective function minimized the difference in the energy contributed by different food groups between modeled and observed diets for 16 observed diet types, while preferentially selecting foods most often consumed. Constraints ensured nutrient adequacy and diet palatability. In phase II, the meal/snack patterns of the phase I modeled diets were examined to develop season-specific FBDGs. In phase III, the robustness of these FBDGs, for ensuring a nutritionally adequate diet, was tested. The objective function, in this analysis, minimized selected nutrient levels in the modeled diets (i.e., chose the "worst-case scenario"), while respecting the FBDGs, palatability, and energy constraints. The FBDGs were refined in phase IV. In the Malawian example used to illustrate our approach, the FBDGs promoted daily consumption of maize flour, small dry fish (>or=20 g), leaf relish, and 2-3 snacks. The last mentioned included mangoes, in the food-shortage season, and pumpkin in the food-plenty season. In addition, legume relish was recommended in the food-shortage season. The approach presented here can be used to design and then test the robustness of FBDGs for meeting nutrient recommendations.

Combining Low Price, Low Climate Impact and High Nutritional Value in One Shopping Basket through Diet Optimization by Linear Programming

“…In contrast, most other studies using linear programming on diets focus on nutritional constraints exclusively [23,24,26,27,54], though some included cost successfully. The studies of Ferguson et al [23,54] for instance, were carried out to improve Food-Based Dietary Guidelines and Food Aid. Two studies, performed in France [55] and the USA [56], also looked at the costs and, for the nutritionally optimal diet, found both an increase in costs.…”

“…Several studies in other countries-For instance the UK, France and New Zealand-Have successfully used linear programming for diet optimization [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Some of these studies demonstrated that cost constraints have a negative impact on nutritional values, and others showed that a healthy diet will not always have lower GHGE [30].…”

Contribution to the development of a food guide in Benin: linear programming for the optimization of local diets

“…Linear programming for the optimization of local diets The LP method used is based on the work of Ferguson et al (21) . LP is a rigorous mathematical approach that optimizes (minimizes or maximizes) a linear function of a set of decision variables while meeting linear constraints.…”

Cost-minimizing food budgets in Ghana

“…Linear programming models optimize (minimize or maximize) linear functions of a set of decision variables, while respecting multiple linear constraints (Ferguson et al, 2003). A first step in developing a linear programming model for diet optimization is to establish a clear question that has to be addressed by the model.…”