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There are conflicting results on the effect of diet on fertility. This study aimed to assess the effect of different dietary patterns on fertility outcomes in populations who conceive spontaneously and those requiring assisted reproductive technology (ART). A systematic search and meta-analysis were performed for studies investigating dietary patterns or whole diets in reproductive aged women requiring ART or conceived naturally. Outcomes were live births, pregnancy rates and infertility rates. In amount of 15,396 studies were screened with 11 eligible studies. Ten different diet patterns were grouped broadly into categories: Mediterranean, Healthy or Unhealthy. For the Mediterranean diet, on excluding high risk-of-bias studies ( = 3), higher adherence was associated with improved live birth/pregnancy rates in ART [OR 1.91 (95% CI 1.14-3.19, 43%)] ( = 2). Adherence to various Healthy diets was associated with improved ART outcomes (ProFertility diet and Dutch Dietary Guidelines) and natural conception outcomes (Fertility diet). However, due to the variability in Healthy diets' components, results were not pooled. Studies demonstrated preliminary evidence for the role of dietary patterns or whole diets in improving pregnancy and live birth rates. However, due to heterogeneity across the literature it is currently unclear which diet patterns are associated with improvements in fertility and ART outcomes.

Increased consumption of plant-based foods and decreased consumption of animal-based foods is recommended for healthy diets and sustainable food production. We investigated the effects of partial replacement of dietary animal proteins with plant-based ones on intake of energy-yielding nutrients, fibre, and plasma lipoproteins. This 12-week randomised clinical intervention comprised 107 women and 29 men (20–69 years) in three diet groups with different dietary protein compositions (“ANIMAL”: Animal 70%/plant 30%; “50/50”: Animal 50%/plant 50%; “PLANT”: Animal 30%/plant 70%; all: Protein intake 17 E%). Nutrient intakes were assessed by 4-day food records. Saturated fat intake (E%) was lower and polyunsaturated fatty acid intake (E%) higher in the PLANT and 50/50 groups compared to the ANIMAL group (p < 0.001 for all). Fibre intake was higher in the PLANT (p ˂ 0.001) and 50/50 (p = 0.012) groups. Total and LDL cholesterol were lower in the PLANT than in the ANIMAL group (p = 0.003 for both) but no differences in HDL cholesterol or triglycerides were observed (p > 0.05). Replacing animal protein with plant protein sources in the diet led to an increased fibre intake and improved dietary fat quality as well as blood lipoprotein profile. Flexitarian diets could provide healthy and more sustainable alternatives for the current, predominantly animal-based diets.

A dietary pattern can be defined as the quantities, proportions, variety, or combination of foods and drinks typically consumed. The dietary pattern approach aims to place emphasis on the total diet as a long-term health determinant, instead of focussing on separate foods and nutrients, which may interact or confound each other. This scoping review describes the totality of evidence for the role of dietary patterns for health-related outcomes as a basis for setting and updating food-based dietary guidelines in the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 (NNR2023). We used evidence from 10 qualified systematic reviews identified by the NNR2023 project. No additional literature search was conducted. Strong or moderate evidence linked dietary patterns high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, low-fat dairy and legumes, and low in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, sugary foods- and refined grains with beneficial health outcomes, such as reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, bone health, and premature death. We also found limited evidence suggesting a relationship with the described dietary patterns in childhood and decreased risk of obesity and hypertension later in life. Most studies have been conducted among adult populations, and thus, there is a need for studies in certain subgroups, such as children and adolescents as well as the elderly.

Abstract Background A low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet has been reported to improve chronic pain by reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and sensitivity within the nervous system. The main aim of this trial is to evaluate the effects of a ketogenic diet on reported pain, blood biomarkers and quality of life in patients with chronic pain. Methods Participants with chronic musculoskeletal pain were recruited for a 12-week diet intervention that commenced with a 3-week run-in diet removing ultra-processed foods, followed by randomization to either a whole-food/well-formulated ketogenic diet (WFKD) or to continue with the minimally processed whole-food diet (WFD). Outcome measures included: average pain (visual analogue scale VAS), blood biomarkers, anthropometrics, adherence, depression, anxiety, sleep, ketones, quality of life, diet satisfaction, and macronutrient intake. Results Average weekly pain improved for both groups. WFKD group VAS reduced by 17.9 ± 5.2 mm (P = .004) and the WFD group VAS reduced 11.0 ± 9.0 mm (P = .006). Both groups also reported improved quality of life (WFKD = 11.5 ± 2.8%, P = .001 and WFD = 11.0 ± 3.5%, P = .014). The WFKD group also demonstrated significant improvements in pain interference (P = 0.013), weight (P < .005), depression (P = .015), anxiety (P = .013), and inflammation (hsCRP) (P = .009). Significant average pain reduction remained at three-month follow-up for both groups (WFKD P = .031, WFD P = .011). Conclusions The implementation of a whole-food diet that restricts ultra-processed foods is a valid pain management tool; however, a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets may have potentially greater pain reduction, weight loss and mood improvements.

The probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum 299v has earlier been shown to increase iron absorption when added to foods. However, it is not known if the same probiotic strain in a freeze-dried format included in a capsule increases the iron absorption. The aim of this study was to test the hypotheses that non-heme iron absorption from a light meal is promoted by a simultaneous intake of freeze-dried Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lp299v, DSM 9843). With a single blinded placebo controlled sequential design, iron absorption from a light breakfast meal administered with or without capsules containing 1010 cfu freeze-dried Lp299v was studied in healthy female volunteers of fertile age. The methodology used was a double isotope technique (59Fe and 55Fe). Two studies were performed using the same protocol. In study 1, the absorption of iron from a meal without Lp299v was found to be 17.4 ± 13.4%, and from an identical meal with Lp299v was found to be 22.4 ± 17.3% (mean ± SD). This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.040, n = 14). In study 2, the absorption of iron from a meal without Lp299v was found to be 20.9 ± 13.1%, and from an identical meal with Lp299v found to be 24.5 ± 12.0% (mean ± SD, n = 28), which again was statistically significant (p = 0.003). Freeze-dried Lp299v enhances the absorption of iron when administered together with a meal with a high iron bioavailability. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02131870.

The accurate assessment of food consumption is crucial in nutritional studies. Since modern nutrition science has become more interested in diet as a whole, studies validating food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) and exploratory dietary patterns are needed. We aimed at examining the relative validity of a 47-item FFQ against three-day food records among three- to six-year-old Finnish children, as well as investigating the consistency of the dietary patterns derived using the principal component analysis (PCA), with food record and FFQ data as inputs. We conducted the PCA without forcing the food record data to match the FFQ items. Altogether, 75% or more of the participants were classified into the same or adjacent quarter of vegetables and fruits as well as sugary food consumption. Furthermore, the intake of folate and vitamin C increased linearly in the quarters of vegetable and fruit consumption, as did the intake of sucrose in quarters of sugary food consumption. Three fairly similar dietary patterns were identified from food records and FFQ data. Concerning the patterns, more than 70% of the participants were classified into the same or adjacent quarter. However, the Spearman correlation coefficients between the respective pattern scores were low (0.25–0.33). The FFQ showed acceptable validity when ranking food group consumption compared to food records. Additionally, the FFQ-derived dietary patterns were consistent with those derived using food record data.

Background: Children with Crohn’s disease (CD) experience gastrointestinal symptoms that impair nutrition, growth and quality of life. Exclusive enteral nutrition is recommended as a first-line remission induction treatment. However, compliance is challenging due to monotony and the social impact of excluding whole foods, increasing interest in whole-food diet therapies. Objectives: This systematic review aimed to summarise current evidence regarding the impact of whole-food therapies on clinical remission (as defined by each study using validated measures) and related health outcomes in children with CD. Design: We performed a systematic review of studies assessing whole-food interventions in children with CD. Data sources and methods: A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases for research published in English from 1 January 2012 to 16 August 2024. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental studies, cohort studies, case-control studies and case series were included. Results: Twenty-eight studies (n = 4 RCTs, n = 3 non-RCTs, n = 16 observational studies, n = 5 post hoc analyses) met inclusion criteria and examined six types of diets. Most of the children being treated had uncomplicated, mild–moderate disease activity and were on concomitant medications. Those on whole-food therapies demonstrated a median clinical remission rate of 75% (interquartile range 62%–85%; n = 18 studies), mucosal improvement and healing (n = 5/6 studies), improved inflammatory biomarkers (n = 18/19 studies) and enhanced growth parameters (n = 11/13 studies). Outcomes related to microbial changes were inconsistent. Overall, studies were low–medium quality due to small, non-randomised, uncontrolled studies using a variety of concomitant medications and different definitions for clinical remission, preventing definitive conclusions. Conclusion: The findings suggest whole-food diet therapies can potentially be used to treat children with mild to moderate CD and that a flexible, nutrient-balanced dietary approach tailored to the individual child may be possible. However, large-scale, RCTs with standardised outcome measures are needed to further support the routine use of whole-food therapies in paediatric CD. Trial registration: PROSPERO registration number CRD42024580134.

The aim of this study was to estimate the Portuguese population’s baseline exposure to methyl and inorganic mercury by a harmonised total diet study (TDS) methodology and the risk of exceeding the Tolerable Weekly Intake (TWI). TDS food samples representative of the whole diet of the population were prepared as consumed, and analysed for total mercury. European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) conservative approach was used to estimate methylmercury and inorganic mercury and exposure was estimated using Monte Carlo Risk Assessment (MCRA) software. Mean, median and P95 exposure of the overall population (18 to 74 years old) to methylmercury and to inorganic mercury were 1.25, 0.01 and 5.45 µg/kg bw/week, and 0.37, 0.15 and 1.27 µg/kg bw/week, respectively. The percentage of individuals exceeding TWI was 27.6 for methylmercury and 3.5 for inorganic mercury. Regarding childbearing age women (18 to 45 years old), methylmercury mean exposure was 1.13 µg/kg bw/week with 25% of women exceeding the TWI. Cod and hake were the main contributors to mercury intake.

Background Studies investigating dietary resemblance between parents and their children have gained mixed results, and the resemblance seems to vary across nutrients, foods, dietary-assessment tools used, and parent-child pairs. We investigated parent-child dietary resemblance using a novel approach in applying statistical analysis, which allowed the comparison of ‘whole-diet’ between parents and their children. Additionally, we sought to establish whether sociodemographic factors or family meals were associated with dietary resemblance and whether parent-child dietary resemblance was dependent on the parent providing food consumption data on behalf of the child (father or mother, “the respondent”). Methods The DAGIS study investigated health behaviors among Finnish preschoolers using a cross-sectional design. One parent filled in a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) measuring the child’s food consumption outside preschool hours during the last week. In addition, we instructed both parents or legal guardians, should the child have two, to fill in a similar FFQ regarding their own food use. Parents also reported their educational level, the number of children living in the same household, and the number of family meals. As a measure of dietary resemblance between a parent and a child, we computed Spearman correlations ranging mostly from no resemblance (0) to complete resemblance (+ 1) between parent-child pairs over the ‘whole-diet’ (excluding preschool hours). These resemblance measures were further investigated using linear mixed models. Results We obtained 665 father-child and 798 mother-child resemblance measures. Mother-child resemblance was on average 0.57 and stronger than father-child resemblance (0.50, p  < 0.0001), which was explained by a parent-respondent interaction: the diet of the child resembled more the diet of the parent who provided food consumption data for the child. In univariate models, father- and mother-reported number of family meals were positively associated with father-child and mother-child resemblances. Mother-reported number of family meals was positively associated with mother-child resemblance in a full model. Conclusions The diet of the child seems to resemble more the diet of the parent responsible for the reporting of food consumption. Studies should report who provided the food consumption data for the child and take this into account in analyses, since reporter-bias can influence the results.

Current scientific evidence points to a neutral or positive effect of dairy fats intake on cardiovascular health. After years of controversy, with many guidelines recommending a reduced intake of dairy products, and preferably low or nonfat dairy foods, current knowledge points to the more appropriate recommendation of moderate consumption of full-fat dairy foods within a healthy lifestyle. Fermented dairy products seem to be the best option as a source of nutrients and cardiovascular health benefits. Previous recommendations were based on cholesterol, saturated fat, and caloric contents, in dairy fat, and their potential impact on serum cholesterol, fasting sugar levels, and blood pressure. However, experimental data point to a more complex scenario in which other actors may play major roles: calcium, bioactive lipids and peptides, and even the food-matrix effect from the dairy food side, and human genetics and environmental factors all impact dairy food-related health issues. Furthermore, cardiovascular health does not rely solely on serum cholesterol levels and blood pressure but also on inflammatory biomarkers. At present, little is known on the true mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective mechanism of dairy fats, and further research in needed to elucidate them.