Surveillance data indicate that food security rates increased among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021) compared with pre-pandemic (2019), but this could have been due to increased participation from better resourced households. Our objective was to examine if demographic differences between SNAP-participating households in each year were responsible for the increased prevalence of food secure households. We calculated the observed 30-d food security prevalence among SNAP-participating households for each year. We used indirect standardisation to produce expected 2020 and 2021 prevalences with 2019 as the standard population using household size, income, age, sex, race, Hispanic ethnicity, presence of children, single parent household, metropolitan status and census region. We calculated standardised prevalence ratios (SPRs) to understand if the observed prevalence was higher than expected given any changes in the demographic profile compared to 2019. The Current Population Survey data were collected by the United States Census Bureau and Department of Agriculture. Our sample included 5,245 SNAP-participating households. The observed prevalence of food secure households increased by 3⋅6 percentage points comparing 2019 to 2020 (SPR = 1⋅06, 95 % confidence interval = 1⋅00, 1⋅11) and by 8⋅6 percentage comparing 2019 to 2021 (SPR = 1⋅13, 95 % confidence interval = 1⋅07, 1⋅18). The greater prevalence of food secure SNAP households during the pandemic did not appear to be attributable to socio-demographic differences compared to pre-pandemic. Despite hesitance among policymakers to expand or enhance social safety net programmes, permanently incorporating COVID-19-related policy interventions could lessen food insecurity in years to come.

The present studies aimed to evaluate the glycaemic and insulinaemic responses, in healthy adults, to short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) from sucrose used to replace sugars in foods. Two study populations aged 18–50 years were recruited and they consumed dairy desserts or pound cakes containing either standard sugar content or scFOS to replace 30 % of the sugar content. For each study, the two products were tested once under a double-blind and cross-over design with at least 7 d between the two tests. Glucose and insulin were measured using standard methods in blood samples collected with a venous catheter for 120 min during a kinetic test. For the dairy desserts, replacing 30 % of the sugars with scFOS significantly reduced postprandial glycaemic (AUC0–120 min; P = 0·020) and insulinaemic (AUC0–120 min; P = 0·003) responses. For the pound cakes, the glycaemic response was not altered (AUC0–120 min; P =  0·322) while the insulinaemic response tended to be lower (AUC0–120 min; P = 0·067). This study showed that scFOS can be used to replace sugars with the benefit of lowering the postprandial glycaemic response without increasing the insulinaemic response. The effect might be modulated by other parameters (e.g. fat content) of the food matrices.

The objective of the paper is to analyse changes in food commodity prices and estimate the potential effects of food price change on nutrition security in Nepal in the context of COVID-19 contagion control measures. It presents a comparative intra-country observational study design looking at events before and during the pandemic (after implementation of contagion control measures). The study design includes three districts, enabling comparison between diverse agro-ecological zones and geographical contexts. The methodology consists of primary data collection, modelling and quantitative analysis. The analysis is based on actual school meal food baskets which represent culturally and nutritionally optimised food baskets, developed by the local community and notional typical household food baskets. End May/early June 2020 is the ‘Post-COVID-19’ reference point, the same time period in 2019 i.e. June 2019 is the ‘Pre-COVID-19’ reference point. The study finds a substantial increase in food commodity prices across food groups and districts with marked inter-district variation. For school meal basket, all micronutrients show large average declines ranging from 9⋅5 % for zinc to 11 % for vitamin-A. For household food baskets on average, vitamin-A reduced 37 % followed by iron at 19 %, reduction in zinc is low due to the high zinc content in whole grain cereals. COVID-19 control measures are likely to have contributed to substantial price inflation over the reference period with potentially damaging effects on nutrition security in Nepal with serious implications for vulnerable populations.

Elevated fatty acid binding proteins (FABP) may play a role in obesity and co-morbidities. The role of nutritional interventions in modulating these levels remains unclear. The aim of this post hoc study was to determine the effect of overweight (OW) on FABP4 and FABP5 in boys in relation to indices of adiposity, insulin resistance and inflammation, and to investigate the effects of a 6-month supplementation with an encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice concentrate (FVJC) plus nutritional counselling (NC) on FABP levels. A post hoc analysis of a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study of children recruited from the general paediatric population was performed. A total of thirty age-matched prepubertal boys (nine lean and twenty-one OW; aged 6–10 years) were studied. Patients received NC by a registered dietitian and were randomised to FVJC or placebo capsules for 6 months. FABP4, FABP5, glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), glucose-induced acute insulin response (AIR), lipid-corrected β-carotene (LCβC), adiponectin, leptin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), IL-6 and body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were determined before and after the intervention. FABP were higher (P < 0·01) in the OW v. lean boys and correlated directly with HOMA-IR, abdominal fat mass (AFM), hs-CRP, IL-6, and LCβC (P < 0·05 for all). FABP4 was associated with adiponectin and AIR (P < 0·05). FVJC plus NC reduced FABP4, HOMA-IR and AFM (P < 0·05 for all) but not FABP5. OW boys showed elevated FABP4 and FABP5, but only FABP4 was lowered by the FVJC supplement.

The predisposition of cats to gain weight following neutering is well established; however, there is little information about the distribution and range of post-neutering weight gains observed in cats under a controlled environment. This retrospective study investigated 6-month post-castration weight gain and distribution of percentage body weight (BW) change in a cohort of twenty, male domestic shorthair cats relative to a control group of intact cats. Cats were matched in age (2·0–2·6 years), husbandry conditions and consumed ad libitum the same dry maintenance diet for at least 3 months prior to and 6 months following castration. All cats were castrated within 48 h of each other. All cats gained weight after castration. Mean BW was 4·67 (sd 0·70) kg at the start of the study and 5·93 (sd 1·38) kg at the end of the study, with individual weight gain ranging 3–53 % at 6 months post-neutering. The pre-conception BW of the queens of each cat was compared with the pre- and post-neutering BW of their offspring. The pre-conception BW of the queens was significantly correlated with the offspring's initial BW (ρ = 0·65, P = 0·01), final BW (ρ = 0·67, P = 0·01) and percentage BW change (ρ = 0·54, P = 0·04). A wide range of post-castration weight gains was observed among cats of similar backgrounds and housing conditions. Implementation of effective methods to control food consumption pre-conception and post-neutering may be a strategy for preventing obesity and obesity-related disorders in cats.

We have reported previously that the urinary excretion of B-group vitamins reflects recent dietary intakes of these vitamins. We also proposed reference values for the urinary levels of B-group vitamins for human subjects, and used these for evaluating human nutritional status. However, the question arises as to whether the urinary excretion of B-group vitamins in animals or human subjects decreases immediately before they become B-group vitamin insufficient or when fed a diet low in vitamins. In the present study, rats were fed a vitamin-free diet for 5 d, and changes in the levels of B-group vitamins in urine and blood were monitored. Urinary excretion of vitamin B1, vitamin B2, 4-pyridoxic acid (a catabolite of vitamin B6), pantothenic acid, folate and biotin steeply decreased, and all of the values reached zero within 1–2 d. With respect to blood, the concentrations of only three of the eight B-group vitamins (vitamin B1, pyridoxal phosphate and biotin) decreased to 15 % (P < 0·0001), 7 % (P < 0·0001) and 2 % (P < 0·0001) on day 5, respectively, compared with the values at the beginning of the experiment. The decrease was more rapid and the changes were greater in the urine samples than in the blood samples. The present data complement our previous proposal that the urinary excretion of B-group vitamins reflects the nutritional status of these vitamins.

We examine the validity and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in a subsample of participants in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Cohort Study using a database of polyphenol-containing foods commonly consumed in the Japanese population. Participants of the validation study were recruited from two different cohorts. In Cohort I, 215 participants completed a 28-d dietary record (DR) and the FFQ, and in Cohort II, 350 participants completed DRs and the FFQ. The total polyphenol intake estimated from the 28-d DR and FFQ were log-transformed and adjusted for energy intake by the residual method. Spearman correlation coefficients (CCs) between estimates from the FFQ and 28-d DR as well as two FFQs administered at a 1-year interval were computed. Median intakes of dietary polyphenols calculated from the DRs were 1172 mg/d for men and 1024 mg/d for women in Cohort I, and 1061 mg/d for men and 942 mg/d for women in Cohort II. The de-attenuated CCs for polyphenol intake between the DR and FFQ were 0⋅47 for men and 0⋅37 for women in Cohort I and 0⋅44 for men and 0⋅50 for women in Cohort II. Non-alcoholic beverages were the main contributor to total polyphenol intake in both men and women, accounting for 50 % of total polyphenol intake regardless of cohort and gender, followed by alcoholic beverages and seasoning and spices in men, and seasoning and spices, fruits and other vegetables in women. The present study showed that this FFQ had moderate validity and reproducibility and is suitable for use in future epidemiological studies.

Despite global efforts made to address anaemia, the prevalence remains high in most Sub-Saharan African countries. In Ethiopia, anaemia poses a very strong public health concern. The purpose of the present study was to examine the key risk factors related to anaemia among children aged 6–24 months (younger age group) and 25–59 months (older age group). We used the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data, collected from 11 023 mothers with under five children. Ordered logistic regression modelling was used for assessing risk factors of childhood anaemia. The results suggest that the prevalence of anaemia was 72 % in the younger and 49 % in the older age groups. The risk factors for anaemia in the younger age group were morbidity (odds ratio (OR) 1⋅77; CI 1⋅21, 2⋅60), having no piped water source (OR 1⋅76; CI 1⋅07, 3⋅01) and no toilet facility (OR 1⋅60; CI 1⋅07, 2⋅38). The key risk factors for anaemia in the older age group were no micronutrient intake (OR 1⋅69; CI 1⋅23, 2⋅31), having a young mother (15–24 years old) (OR 1⋅35; CI 0⋅84, 1⋅91) and a non-working mother (OR 1⋅50; CI 1⋅15, 1⋅96). Anaemia also varied by region, place of residence and economic factors. Multiple factors contributed to the high prevalence of anaemia. Given the structural problem that the country has intervention strategies should consider the unique characteristics of regions and rural residences where the prevalence of anaemia is above the national average.

Obesity is increasingly recognised as being a heterogeneous disease. Some obese individuals may present a metabolically healthy profile (metabolically healthy obese (MHO)), while some normal weight individuals exhibit an adverse cardiometabolic phenotype (metabolically unhealthy normal weight individuals (MUHNW)). The objectives of the present study were to examine the prevalence and associated characteristics of the different body composition phenotypes within a Maltese cohort. This was a cross-sectional analysis involving 521 individuals aged 41 ± 5 years. The metabolically unhealthy state was defined as the presence of ≥2 metabolic syndrome components (NCEP-ATPIII parameters), while individuals with ≤1 cardiometabolic abnormalities were classified as metabolically healthy. Overall, 70 % of the studied population was overweight or obese and 30⋅7 % had ≥2 cardiometabolic abnormalities. The prevalence of MHO and MUHNW was 10⋅7 and 2⋅1 %, respectively. Individuals with the healthy phenotype were more likely to consume alcohol, participate in regular physical activity and less likely to be smokers. While the MHO phenotype had similar values for waist, hip and neck circumferences, waist–hip ratio and insulin resistance when compared with MUHNW individuals, there was a lower proportion of MHO subjects having a high fasting plasma glucose, hypertriglyceridaemia or low HDL-C when compared with the unhealthy lean individuals. A high prevalence of the metabolically unhealthy phenotype was observed in this relatively young population which may result in significant future cardiovascular disease burden if timely assessment and management of modifiable risk factors are not implemented. Furthermore, the present study suggests that the MHO phenotype is not totally benign as previously thought.

In young new Ethiopian immigrants (EI, about 0·5 years since immigration; n 20), veteran Ethiopian immigrant students (ES, about 13 years since immigration; n 30) and native Israeli students (NS; n 82), dietary macronutrients and electrolytes, and responses to basic tastes were compared in a cross-sectional design. From EI, to ES, to NS, dietary energy, protein, fat, and Na+ increase, whereas carbohydrates, K+ and Ca2+ do not differ. Corrected for energy intake, only Na+ increases. EI consume less dietary Na+, like foods with less Na+ content, salt their food less, yet show a greater hedonic response to salt taste. In contrast, preference for sweet does not differ. Taste psychophysics, 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) responses and lingual fungiform papillae density differ by group (and sex), but do not relate to dietary intake. Together, these changes could reflect dietary acculturation, increasing overall intake, Na+ in particular, accompanied by decreasing taste sensitivity, and changes in sensory perception and preference in these Ethiopian immigrants. The fact that immigrants find salt more hedonic, yet eat less of it, could suggest increased sensitivity to its taste, and might suggest restoring sensitivity to reduce Na+ intake for all. Similar alterations in taste sensory responses might be obtained in other forms of dietary flux. Understanding dietary acculturation can focus efforts (e.g. on Na+), to anticipate the disease burden of diets of affluence among immigrants. Yet, these immigrants’ nutrition is healthier in its low fat and Na+, suggesting that nutritional advice should focus on preservation, as well as prevention. Our study adds Ethiopian nutritional acculturation to that of the varied immigrant groups around the world.

More knowledge about improving dietary intake in secondary preventive actions against childhood overweight and obesity is needed. The objective was to evaluate the impact of a 2-year intervention on energy, macronutrient and food intake of overweight and obese children participating in a randomised controlled trial. Children (8–12 years old) living in Sweden were recruited to participate for 2 years between 2006 and 2009. The children were randomised into either an intervention group (n 58), participating in an intervention concerning food habits, physical activity and behavioural change, or a control group (n 47). Dietary intake at baseline and the 2-year measurement were assessed with a diet history interview covering 14 d. Energy intake (EI) of the intervention and control groups was underestimated by 28 and 21 %, respectively, after 2 years, but with no difference between the groups (P = 0·51). After 2 years of intervention, the intervention group, compared with the control group, had a lower intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (P = 0·015) as well as a higher intake of foods high in fibre, low in saturated fat, sugar and salt (P = 0·031). Further, a lower EI in relation to BMR, lower total fat, MUFA and cholesterol was seen in the intervention group compared with the control group. In conclusion, the food and nutrient intake of overweight and obese children was improved after participating in a 2-year intervention programme. Dietary counselling should be included in secondary preventive actions against childhood overweight and obesity to promote healthy food habits.

Dogs participating in endurance exercise, including herding, hunting and racing have a greater energy requirement and may be more susceptible to nutrient depletion, electrolyte imbalance and metabolic stress. The objective of the present study was to investigate the acute response to unstructured mixed exercise in American Foxhounds fed a nutrient-fortified endurance diet. Thirty-nine adult Foxhound dogs (median age: 5·0, range: 2–10 years and median body weight (BW): 36·4, range: 24·9–49·5 kg) were allotted to a standard performance diet (Control) or nutrient-fortified endurance diet for adult dogs (Test). Dogs were balanced by sex, age, BW and athletic performance between diets. All male dogs were intact, whereas all the female dogs were spayed. After 80 d on diet, blood samples were collected via jugular puncture at baseline (0 h), and at 3 and 25 h post-exercise (mean: 17·7 (sem 0·92) km run over 2–3 h). Plasma taurine concentration and complete amino acid (AA) profile, serum chemistry and creatine kinase were measured. Serum chemistry profile remained within normal ranges throughout the study. A significant (P < 0·05) diet by time interaction was observed for calcium, alkaline phosphatase and most AA. Plasma taurine and most essential AA were increased (P < 0·05) after exercise and remained greater (P < 0·05) in dogs fed the Test diet, including the branched-chain AA (isoleucine, leucine and valine). Creatine kinase increased (P = 0·01) after 3 h and returned to baseline after 25 h post-exercise, but was not altered by diet. These data indicate that dogs undergoing a moderate bout of exercise did not suffer from electrolyte imbalance, and that a nutrient-fortified diet resulted in greater plasma taurine and essential AA concentrations.

Adolescent undernutrition is a major public health problem in Ethiopia. Inadequate dietary intake of nutrients is the major determinants of undernutrition. However, the adequacy of dietary intake among adolescents was not sufficiently explored. The present study aims to estimate the inadequacy of nutrient intake among adolescent girls in south central Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. We assess food and nutrient intake using repeated multiple-pass 24-h dietary recall. The study was conducted in Damot Gale district, Woliyta zone, Southern Ethiopia. Data were collected from 288 female adolescents. The majority of adolescent girls consumed cereals (96⋅9 %) and roots/tubers (75⋅3 %). However, only less than 1 % of them consumed flesh food. The mean energy, carbohydrate, protein and dietary fibre intake of the adolescent girls per day was 1452⋅7 ± 356⋅3 kcal, 305⋅6 ± 72⋅4 g, 35⋅7 ± 13⋅3 g and 18⋅6 ± 8⋅4 g, respectively. The median fat intake was 13⋅3 g (IQR 8⋅8, 19⋅8). The contribution of carbohydrate, protein and fat for the total energy was 80, 10 and 8 %, respectively. The prevalence of inadequate intake of protein was 60⋅9 %. The prevalence of inadequate intake of iron for early adolescents and late adolescents was 82 and 53 %, respectively. The prevalence of inadequate intake of folate was 83⋅9 % and zinc was 58 %. The prevalence of inadequate intake was greater than 90 % for vitamin B12, vitamin C and calcium. The present study found an alarmingly high prevalence of inadequate intake of some nutrients among adolescent girls of Damot Gale district.

Adequate nutrition is essential for early childhood to ensure healthy growth, proper organ formation, and function, a strong immune system, neurological and cognitive development. The main aim of the present study was to assess the effect of maternal employment on nutritional status among children aged 6–23 months in the town of Bale Robe, Ethiopia. A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on about 597 (293 unemployed and 304 employed) having children aged 6–23-month-old children sampled were employed with a multistage sampling technique. A face-to-face interview was conducted using a structured pretested questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used for the statistical analysis. The magnitude of stunting (39.9 %), underweight (39⋅9 %) and wasting (22⋅2 %) was greater in 6–23-month-old children born to employed mothers than their counterparts in unemployed ones [stunted (31⋅3 %), underweight (24⋅0 %) and wasted (11⋅8 %)]. Being a girl [AOR 0⋅31; 95 % CI (0⋅17, 0⋅54)] in employed mothers and [AOR 0⋅29; 95 % CI (0⋅16, 0⋅51)] in unemployed people significantly protected stunting. This study demonstrated that the nutritional status of 6–23-month-old children is better among unemployed mothers than among employed mothers. Therefore, concerted efforts may decrease child undernutrition in a study area.

The aim of the present study was to identify and describe the factors influencing feeding practices of children aged 6–23 months in Rwanda. This is a cross-sectional descriptive qualitative study. A total of ten focus group discussions were conducted separately with mothers, fathers, grandmothers and community health workers (CHWs) from five different districts in Rwanda. The discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed using qualitative data analysis software, Atlas.ti. The study participants were mothers, fathers and grandmothers of children aged 6–23 months and CHWs in charge of child health. Caregivers’ knowledge and beliefs about the benefits of breast-feeding and timely introduction of complementary food were found to be the primary individual factors facilitating good infant and young child feeding practices. The common belief of caregivers that infants should be given liquids (thin gruel, fruit juices and meat broth) as first foods instead of semi-solid foods was a barrier to good feeding practices. The community-based nutrition education and counselling programmes were facilitators of good complementary practices at the group level. At the society level, poverty in rural agrarian households was a barrier to optimal feeding practices. The study shows that there is a need to empower caregivers with more specific guidelines, especially on complementary feeding.

The present study aimed to investigate the interaction of Apo A-II polymorphism and dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) with lipid profile and anthropometric markers in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) that are at risk for atherosclerosis. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 778 patients with T2DM (35–65 years). Dietary intakes were assessed by a 147-item food frequency questionnaire. DTAC was computed using international databases. Participants were categorised into two groups based on rs5082 genotypes. The gene–diet interaction was analysed by an ANCOVA multivariate interaction model. Total cholesterol, TC; triacylglycerol, TG; high- and low-density lipoprotein, HDL and LDL; TC–HDL ratio; waist circumference, WC and body mass index, BMI were obtained according to standard protocols. Overall, the frequency of CC homozygous was 12⋅1 % among study participants. We found that a significant interaction between rs5082 variants and DTAC on mean WC (PTEAC = 0⋅044), TC concentration (PFRAP = 0⋅049 and PTEAC = 0⋅031) and TC/HDL (PFRAP = 0⋅031 and PTRAP = 0⋅040). Among patients whose DTAC was higher than the median intake, the mean of weight, WC and TC/HDL were significantly higher only in individuals with CC genotype. Also, the high DTAC was associated with a lower TC concentration only in T-allele carriers (PFRAP = 0⋅042). We found that adherence to a diet with high total antioxidant capacity can improve the complications of diabetes and atherosclerosis in the T carrier genotype more effectively than the CC genotype. These results could indicate the anti-atherogenic properties of Apo A-II. However, further studies are needed to shed light on this issue.

Montmorency tart cherries (MC) have been found to modulate indices of vascular function with interventions of varying duration. The objective of this preliminary study was to identify the chronic effects of MC supplementation on vascular function and the potential for urinary metabolomics to provide mechanistic evidence. We performed a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised study on 23 healthy individuals (18M, 7F) that consumed 30 ml MC or a placebo twice daily for 28 days. Whole body measures of vascular function and spot urine collections were taken at baseline and after supplementation. There were no significant changes to vascular function including blood pressure and arterial stiffness. Urinary metabolite profiling highlighted significant changes (P < 0⋅001) with putative discriminatory metabolites related to tryptophan and histidine metabolism. Overall, MC supplementation for 28 days does not improve indices of vascular function but changes to the urinary metabolome could be suggestive of potential mechanisms.

Children's vitamin D intake and status can be optimised to meet recommendations. We investigated if nutritionally balanced school meals with weekly fish servings affected serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and markers related to bone in 8- to 11-year-old Danish children. We conducted an explorative secondary outcome analysis on data from 784 children from the OPUS School Meal Study, a cluster-randomised cross-over trial where children received school meals for 3 months and habitual lunch for 3 months. At baseline, and at the end of each dietary period, 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteocalcin (OC), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), bone mineral content (BMC), bone area (BA), bone mineral density (BMD), dietary intake and physical activity were assessed. School meals increased vitamin D intake by 0·9 (95 % CI 0·7, 1·1) μg/d. No consistent effects were found on 25(OH)D, BMC, BA, BMD, IGF-1 or OC. However, season-modified effects were observed with 25(OH)D, i.e. children completing the school meal period in January/February had higher 25(OH)D status (5·5 (95 % CI 1·8, 9·2) nmol/l; P = 0·004) than children completing the control period in these months. A similar tendency was indicated in November/December (4·1 (95 % CI –0·12, 8·3) nmol/l; P = 0·057). However, the effect was opposite in March/April (–4·0 (95 % CI –7·0, –0·9) nmol/l; P = 0·010), and no difference was found in May/June (P = 0·214). Unexpectedly, the school meals slightly increased PTH (0·18 (95 % CI 0·07, 0·29) pmol/l) compared with habitual lunch. Small increases in dietary vitamin D might hold potential to mitigate the winter nadir in Danish children's 25(OH)D status while higher increases appear necessary to affect status throughout the year. More trials on effects of vitamin D intake from natural foods are needed.

College students constitute a significant proportion of the young adult population in Norway. They are in their reproductive years, which is of interest regarding diet and preconception health. Our objective was to assess young college students’ diet and nutrient intake in relation to national dietary recommendations and assess the probability of inadequate micronutrient intake for both genders using the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, and also to evaluate its consequences on preconception health and create a groundwork for future interventions on this group. At the University of Agder (UiA), we enrolled 622 students aged 18–40 years for a cross-sectional study of student's diet, StudentKost. The students completed a food frequency questionnaire, including questions of supplement use, over the past 4 weeks. Intake of fruits, vegetables, oily fish, and whole grain was lower than recommended, as were mean intake of folate, iron, and iodine. Our main findings are that students have a somewhat suboptimal diet compared to the Norwegian dietary guidelines. Male students had generally lower diet quality than females. Compared to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR), we also saw a relatively high probability of inadequate intake of several micronutrients and a very high probability for some micronutrients in a significant portion of the sample. Public health effort should be directed towards improving students and young adults’ diet in general, and interventions towards improving preconception health should be explored. The low participation rate limits the generalizability of our findings. Our findings encourage further investigation into young adults’ diet.

Cardiovascular diseases are among the main causes of death in Brazil and worldwide. The literature indicates the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype (HTWP) as an accessible alternative for the identification of cardiovascular and metabolic risk. The present study aimed to identify the prevalence and factors associated with HTWP in individuals diagnosed with arterial hypertension (AH) and/or diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). A cross-sectional study was conducted with individuals diagnosed with AH and/or DM2. The study data were collected through semi-structured interviews containing socio-demographic information, lifestyle, health care, in addition to anthropometric assessment, blood pressure measurement and biochemical blood tests. The prevalence of HTWP was estimated and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the factors associated with HTWP. Of the 788 individuals analysed, 21⋅5 % had the HTWP. In the adjusted model, the following variables remained associated with a greater chance of presenting HTWP: sex, age, body mass index (BMI) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). Being female increased the chance of HTWP by 7⋅7 times (OR 7⋅7; 95 % CI 3⋅9, 15⋅2). The one-year increase in age increased the chance of HTWP by 4 % (OR 1⋅04; 95 % CI 1⋅02, 1⋅06). The addition of 1 mg/dl of VLDL-c increased the chance of HTWP by 15 % (odds ratio (OR) 1⋅15; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1⋅12, 1⋅18), as well as the increase of 1 kg/m2 in the BMI increased the chance of this condition by 20 % (OR 1⋅20; 95 % CI 1⋅15, 1⋅27). The prevalence of HTWP was associated with females, older age, higher BMI, higher VLDL-c and risk waist/height ratio.