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This study aimed to evaluate the relative validity and reproducibility of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) in adult populations in China. Among the 49 recruited healthy participants (age range: 20–60 years), the relative validity of a 79-item SFFQ was assessed in two ways: (1) by comparing its dietary intake estimates with those from the average measurements of three inconsecutive 24 h dietary records (24-HDRs); and (2) by comparing its estimates of dietary fatty acids with the measured plasma levels of fatty acids. The reproducibility of the SFFQ was evaluated by a comparison of two SFFQ measurements from the same participants collected one year apart. In the relative validity study, the average Spearman correlation coefficient (r) was 0.27 among 18 prespecified food group intakes estimated from the SFFQ and the 24-HDRs; nevertheless, that of five food group intakes (e.g., red meat and seafood) was higher (all rs > 0.40, p < 0.05). In addition, a moderate correlation between the SFFQ estimate of polyunsaturated fatty acid intakes (energy-adjusted percentage of total fatty acids) and its plasma level was observed (r = 0.42, p < 0.05). Regarding the one-year reproducibility of the SFFQ-assessed intakes, the average rank intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.35 for the 18 food group estimates. In particular, moderately reproducible estimates of seven food group intakes (e.g., refined grains and red meat, all ICCs ≥ 0.40, p < 0.05) were observed. In conclusion, the SFFQ provides valid and reproducible estimates of dietary intakes for various food groups in general and performs well as a potential tool for estimating habitual dietary intakes of some unsaturated fatty acids.

To evaluate the validity and reproducibility of a 152-item semi-quantitative FFQ (SFFQ) for estimating flavonoid intakes. Over a 1-year period, participants completed two SFFQ and two weighed 7-d dietary records (7DDR). Flavonoid intakes from the SFFQ were estimated separately using Harvard (SFFQHarvard) and Phenol-Explorer (SFFQPE) food composition databases. 7DDR flavonoid intakes were derived using the Phenol-Explorer database (7DDRPE). Validity was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients deattenuated for random measurement error (rs), and reproducibility was assessed using rank intraclass correlation coefficients. This validation study included primarily participants from two large observational cohort studies. Six hundred forty-one men and 724 women. When compared with two 7DDRPE, the validity of total flavonoid intake assessed by SFFQPE was high for both men and women (rs = 0·77 and rs = 0·74, respectively). The rs for flavonoid subclasses ranged from 0·47 for flavones to 0·78 for anthocyanins in men and from 0·46 for flavonols to 0·77 for anthocyanins in women. We observed similarly moderate (0·4-0·7) to high (≥0·7) validity when using SFFQHarvard estimates, except for flavonesHarvard (rs = 0·25 for men and rs = 0·19 for women). The SFFQ demonstrated high reproducibility for total flavonoid and flavonoid subclass intake estimates when using either food composition database. The intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0·69 (flavonolsPE) to 0·80 (proanthocyanidinsPE) in men and from 0·67 (flavonolsPE) to 0·77 (flavan-3-ol monomersHarvard) in women. SFFQ-derived intakes of total flavonoids and flavonoid subclasses (except for flavones) are valid and reproducible for both men and women.

Objective: To compare different statistical methods for assessing the relative validity of a self-administered, 150-item, semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with 4-day weighed diet records (WR). Design: Subjects completed the Scottish Collaborative Group FFQ and carried out a 4-day WR. Relative agreement between the FFQ and WR for energy-adjusted nutrient intakes was assessed by Pearson and Spearman rank correlation coefficients, the percentages of subjects classified into the same and opposite thirds of intake, and Cohen's weighted kappa. Subjects: Forty-one men, mean age 36 (range 21-56) years, and 40 women, mean age 33 (range 19-58) years, recruited from different locations in Aberdeen, Scotland. Results: Spearman correlation coefficients tended to be lower than Pearson correlation coefficients, and were above 0.5 for 10 of the 27 nutrients in men and 17 of the 27 nutrients in women. For nutrients with Spearman correlation coefficients above 0.5, the percentage of subjects correctly classified into thirds ranged from 39 to 78%, and weighted kappa values ranged from 0.23 to 0.66. Conclusions: Both Spearman correlation coefficients and weighted kappa values are useful in assessing the relative validity of estimates of nutrient intake by FFQs. Spearman correlation coefficients above 0.5, more than 50% of subjects correctly classified and less than 10% of subjects grossly misclassified into thirds, and weighted kappa values above 0.4 are recommended for nutrients of interest in epidemiological studies.

Objective: We aimed to assess the day-to-day variation in twelve one-day diet records over one year from 131 residents of urban and rural areas in the western region of Japan. Methods: Between 2014 and 2015, the participants provided repeated one-day diet records once a month. We estimated the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICCs) for intakes for energy and 39 crude and energy-adjusted nutrients using linear mixed models. Results: Among the unadjusted nutrients, ICCs ranged from 0.05 (95 percent confidence interval = 0.03–0.09) for vitamin A retinol equivalent (RE) to 0.55 (95% CI = 0.48–0.62) for potassium. After energy adjustment, the ICCs were 0.02 (95 percent confidence interval = 0.03–0.09) for vitamin A (RE) and 0.52 (95 percent confidence interval = 0.45–0.59) for potassium. Intakes of energy-adjusted macronutrients tended to have moderate degrees of day-to-day coefficients of variation (CVw, range = 0.13–0.23, mean = 0.18), while the coefficients of variation for intakes of micronutrients varied dramatically (CVw, range = 0.17–2.59, mean = 0.54). Conclusion: There were large day-to-day variations in nutrient intake assessed by diet records among urban and rural residents in the western region of Japan. This study provided information on the reproducibility of crude and energy-adjusted nutrients that may be useful for other dietary studies in Japanese populations.

This study provides comprehensive validation of the 14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (14-MEDAS) in an adult population from Greece (GR), Portugal (PT), Italy (IT), Spain (SP), Cyprus (CY), Republic of North Macedonia (NMK), and Bulgaria (BG). A moderate association between the 14-MEDAS and the reference food diary was estimated for the entire population (Pearson r = 0.573, p-value < 0.001; Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) = 0.692, p-value < 0.001) with the strongest correlation found in GR, followed by PT, IT, SP, and CY. These results were supported by kappa statistics in GR, PT, IT, and SP with ≥50% of food items exhibiting a fair or better agreement. Bland–Altman analyses showed an overestimation of the 14-MEDAS score in the whole population (0.79 ± 1.81, 95%Confidence Interval (CI) 0.61, 0.96), but this value was variable across countries, with GR, NMK, and BG exhibiting the lowest bias. Taking all analyses together, the validation achieved slightly better results in the Mediterranean countries but a definitive validation ranking order was not evident. Considering growing evidence of the shift from Mediterranean Diet (MD) adherence and of the importance of culture in making food choices it is crucial that we further improve validation protocols with specific applications to measure and compare MD adherence across countries and to relate it to the health status of a specific population.

Objective To compare the relative validity of food group intakes derived from a comprehensive self-administered diet history questionnaire (DHQ) and a brief-type DHQ (BDHQ) developed for the assessment of Japanese diets during the previous month using semi-weighed dietary records (DR) as a reference method. Design Between November 2002 and September 2003, a 4 d DR (covering four non-consecutive days), a DHQ (150-item semi-quantitative questionnaire) and a BDHQ (fifty-eight-item fixed-portion-type questionnaire) were completed four times (once per season) at 3-month intervals. Setting Three areas in Japan: Osaka, Nagano and Tottori. Subjects Ninety-two Japanese women aged 31-69 years and ninety-two Japanese men aged 32-76 years. Results Median food group intakes were estimated well for approximately half of the food groups. No statistically significant differences were noted between a 16 d DR and the first DHQ (DHQ1) or between the DR and the first BDHQ (BDHQ1) in fifteen (44 %) and fifteen (52 %) food items for women and in fourteen (41 %) and sixteen (55 %) food items for men, respectively, indicating that both questionnaires estimated median values reasonably well. Median Spearman's correlation coefficients with the DR were 0·43 (range: -0·09 to 0·77) for DHQ1 and 0·44 (range: 0·14 to 0·82) for BDHQ1 in women, with respective values of 0·44 (range: 0·08 to 0·87) and 0·48 (range: 0·22 to 0·83) in men, indicating reasonable ranking ability. Similar results were observed for mean values of the four DHQ and BDHQ. Conclusions In terms of food intake estimates, both the DHQ and the BDHQ showed reasonable validity.

•This was a randomized trial of the Mediterranean versus low-fat diet in a multiethnic coronary heart disease cohort.•The intervention achieved significant improvement in the Mediterranean diet adherence score.•Significant improvement in diet quality was seen with the Mediterranean diet but not with the low-fat diet.•High adherence to the Mediterranean diet was sustained 6 mo after intervention ceased.•The Mediterranean diet could be a feasible alternative for management of coronary heart disease in Australia. It is unclear whether the cardioprotective Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) can be adhered to in non-Mediterranean populations. The aim of this study was to report preliminary results on adherence to a 6-mo ad libitum MedDiet intervention in multiethnic Australian patients with coronary heart disease, including maintenance at 12 mo. Participants (62 ± 9 y of age, 83% men) were randomized to the MedDiet (n = 34) or a low-fat diet (n = 31). Dietitian-led appointments occurred at 0, 3, and 6 mo with a follow-up phone review at 12 mo. Dietary intake was assessed via 7-d food diaries analyzed in FoodWorks8, and MedDiet adherence was measured by a validated 14-item questionnaire. In the pooled cohort, the MedDiet adherence score was low at baseline (5.2 ± 2.1 of 14), with only 6.2% achieving a high score (≥9). MedDiet participants significantly improved the MedDiet adherence score compared with low-fat diet participants after 6 mo (+4.8 ± 2.7 versus +1.2 ± 2 points, respectively; P < 0.001). MedDiet participants significantly increased intake of olive oil, nuts, tomato, yogurt, legumes, and seafood and decreased intake of processed meats and added sugars compared with low-fat diet participants (P < 0.05). Maintenance of the MedDiet at 12 mo was high with 78% of MedDiet participants maintaining an adherence score ≥9; however, mean adherence score decreased by 1 ± 1.9 point (P = 0.01) between 6 and 12 mo. The MedDiet intervention in this pilot trial of Australian patients with coronary heart disease was well adhered to, improved diet quality, and could therefore provide a feasible alternative to a low-fat diet. Notably, improvement in adherence to the MedDiet was achieved through dietitian-led intervention and cross-cultural translation of dietary principles.

ObjectiveGluten-free diet (GFD) is the only management for coeliac disease (CD). Available methods to assess GFD compliance are insufficiently sensitive to detect occasional dietary transgressions that may cause gut mucosal damage. We aimed to develop a method to determine gluten intake and monitor GFD compliance in patients with CD and to evaluate its correlation with mucosal damage.DesignUrine samples of 76 healthy subjects and 58 patients with CD subjected to different gluten dietary conditions were collected. A lateral flow test (LFT) with the highly sensitive and specific G12 monoclonal antibody for the most dominant gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) and a LFT reader were used to quantify GIP in solid-phase extracted urines.ResultsGIP were detectable in concentrated urines from healthy individuals previously subjected to GFD as early as 4–6 h after single gluten intake, and remained detectable for 1–2 days. The urine assay revealed infringement of the GFD in about 50% of the patients. Analysis of duodenal biopsies revealed that most of patients with CD (89%) with no villous atrophy had no detectable GIP in urine, while all patients with quantifiable GIP in urine showed incomplete intestinal mucosa recovery.ConclusionGIP are detected in urine after gluten consumption, enabling a new and non-invasive method to monitor GFD compliance and transgressions. The method was sensitive, specific and simple enough to be convenient for clinical monitoring of patients with CD as well as for basic and clinical research applications including drug development.Trial registration numberNCT02344758.

Purpose Adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been associated with fewer depressive symptoms, however, it is unknown whether this is attributed to some or to all components. We examined the association between the individual food groups of the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), in isolation and in combination, with depression and anxiety (symptom severity and diagnosis). Methods Data from 1634 adults were available from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. Eleven energy-adjusted food groups were created from a 238-item food frequency questionnaire. In regression analysis, these were associated in isolation and combination with (1) depressive and anxiety disorders (established with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview) (current disorder n  = 414), and (2) depression and anxiety severity [measured with the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Fear Questionnaire (FEAR)]. Results Overall, the MDS score shows the strongest relationships with depression/anxiety [Diagnosis: odds ratio (OR) 0.77 per SD, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.66–0.90, IDS: standardised betas ( β ) − 0.13, 95% CI − 0.18, − 0.08] and anxiety (BAI: β − 0.11, 95% CI − 0.16, − 0.06, FEAR: β − 0.08, 95% CI − 0.13, − 0.03). Greater consumption of non-refined grains and vegetables was associated with lower depression and anxiety severity, whilst being a non-drinker was associated with higher symptom severity. Higher fruit and vegetable intake was associated with lower fear severity. Non-refined grain consumption was associated with lower odds and being a non-drinker with greater odds of current depression/anxiety disorders compared to healthy controls, these associations persisted after adjustment for other food groups (OR 0.82 per SD, 95% CI 0.71–0.96, OR 1.26 per SD 95% CI 1.08–1.46). Conclusion We can conclude that non-refined grains, vegetables and alcohol intake appeared to be the driving variables for the associated the total MDS score and depression/anxiety. However, the combined effect of the whole diet remains important for mental health. It should be explored whether an increase consumption of non-refined grains and vegetables may help to prevent or reduce depression and anxiety.