Objective: The objective of study was to assess 24-h urinary Na and K excretion and estimate the average salt and K intakes in a nationally representative sample of the adult population of Slovenia.
Design: A nationally representative cross-sectional study was conducted in four stages between September and November 2022: study questionnaire, physical measurements, 24-h urine collection and laboratory analysis.
Setting: Slovenia.
Objectives: In population studies, iodine intake estimation relies on median urinary iodine concentration (UIC). However, interpreting UIC measurements can be challenging.
Methods: In our study, we included 772 adult participants from three groups: nationally representative gender-mixed, women of reproductive age, and pregnant women.
Background: Consumers generally lack access to information on alcoholic beverages, in spite of it being readily available for food and non-alcoholic beverages. Given the rights of consumers, and as with other products harmful to the population, there have been increasing calls for health warnings to be placed on alcoholic beverages, similar to those implemented on tobacco products. The aim of our research was to assess whether knowledge and awareness of the risks and harms associated with alcohol can be improved with a mobile app.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConsumers' recognition and understanding of food characteristics can have an important role when making purchase decisions. The current study analysed consumer preferences for bread, an important food in the diets of Central European countries. The study included a conjoint experiment on a representative sample of 547 adult consumers in Slovenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDue to their specific mode of operation, military personnel are challenged physically as well as mentally. In most countries, the use of food supplements by military personnel is not regulated, and a high prevalence of supplementation is expected. However, data on this are scarce or very limited, without insights into the importance of supplementation for the intake of bioactive substances.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInadequate iron intake and iron deficiency are recognised as a public health problem in the population at large, and particularly in specific subpopulations. Dietary iron intake was analysed using data of the national Slovenian food consumption study, SI.Menu (n = 1248 subjects; 10−74 years), while iron status was evaluated with laboratory analyses of blood haemoglobin, serum ferritin, and iron concentration in samples, collected in the Nutrihealth study (n = 280, adults).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBranded food composition databases are an important tool for research, education, healthcare, and policy making, amongst others. Such databases are typically compiled using food labeling data without chemical analyses of specific products. This study aimed to verify whether the labeled sugar content in sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) corresponds to the actual sugar content in these products, thus enabling food monitoring studies to be conducted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBranded foods databases are becoming very valuable not only in nutrition research but also for clinical practice, policymakers, businesses, and general population. In contrast to generic foods, branded foods are marked by rapid changes in the food supply because of reformulations, the introduction of new foods, and the removal of existing ones from the market. Also, different branded foods are available in different countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitamin B12 deficiency poses a health concern, especially in vulnerable populations. Dietary vitamin B12 intake was obtained by two 24 h dietary recalls and food propensity questionnaires in a representative Slovenian cross-sectional food consumption survey, SI.Menu ( = 1248 subjects; 10-74 years).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFolate deficiency is associated with various health issues, including anemia, cardiovascular disease, and birth defects. Low folate intake and suboptimal folate status were found in several countries; however, this topic has not yet been investigated in Slovenia. Dietary folate intake and serum folate status were investigated through the nationally representative food consumption study SI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDietary fibre has proven to promote healthy body mass and reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases. To date, in Slovenia, there were only a few outdated studies of dietary fibre intake; therefore, we explored the dietary fibre intake using food consumption data collected in the SI.Menu project.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood-grade titanium dioxide (TiO; E171) is a coloring food additive. In May 2021, a scientific opinion was published by the European Food Safety Authority concluding that TiO can no longer be considered as a safe food additive. Our aim was to investigate the trends in the use of TiO in the food supply.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitamin D is a pro-hormone, essential for musculo-skeletal health, normal immune system, and numerous other body functions. Vitamin D deficiency is considered as a risk factor in many conditions, and there is growing evidence of its potential role in the severity of COVID-19 outcomes. However, an alarmingly high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is reported in many regions, and vitamin D supplementation is commonly recommended, particularly during wintertime.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth claims on food labels are used by food manufacturers to inform consumers about the health effects of a product, and such claims can have notable effects on consumer preferences. According to regulatory definitions, health claims can be either worded or presented as images, but it is not clear under which conditions an image on a food label should be considered a health claim. This question has important practical implications, as the use of health claims is strictly regulated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExcessive sugar intake and the associated increased obesity risk indicate that food reformulation is needed. Non-alcoholic beverages are often high in free sugars, making reformulation with low and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) a common choice. Our knowledge of the use of LNCS in the European food supply is, however, very limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutrition is recognized as one of the leading factors influencing the growing incidence of noncommunicable diseases. Despite society experiencing a global rise in obesity, specific populations remain at risk of nutrient deficiencies. The food industry can use health claims to inform consumers about the health benefits of foods through labeling and the broader promotion of specific food products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConsumption of fatty acids (TFAs) has been unequivocally linked to several adverse health effects, with the increased risk of cardiovascular disease being one of the most well understood. To reduce TFA-related morbidity and mortality, several countries have imposed voluntary or mandatory measures to minimize the content of industrial TFAs (iTFAs) in the food supply. In 2018, Slovenia introduced a ban on iTFAs on top of preceding voluntary calls to industry to reduce its use of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) as the main source of iTFAs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommon buckwheat ( Moench) and Tartary buckwheat ( (L.) Gaertn.) are sources of many bioactive compounds, such as rutin, quercetin, emodin, fagopyrin and other (poly)phenolics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
November 2020
The market of gluten-free (GF) foods has been expanding in recent years. GF foods are consumed not only by those with medical predispositions for avoiding gluten, but also by a specific segment of consumers, searching for "healthier" food choices. For these, such practices can present a serious limitation in the variability of food choices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Consumption of trans-fatty acids (TFA) is a well-established risk factor for CVD morbidity and mortality. Our objective was to investigate TFA levels in Slovenian food supply.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Several studies conducted around the world showed substantial vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among different population groups. Sources of vitamin D in the human body include ultraviolet B (UVB)-light-induced biosynthesis and dietary intake, but people's diets are often poor in vitamin D. Furthermore, in many regions, sun exposure and the intensity of UVB irradiation during wintertime are not sufficient for vitamin D biosynthesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth-related claims on food products influence consumers and their food preferences. None of the European countries have restricted the use of health claims to foods of high nutritional quality despite the regulatory background provided by the European Union in 2006. We evaluated the nutritional quality of foods labelled with claims available in the Slovenian market using two nutrient profile models-Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and European World Health Organization Regional office for Europe model (WHOE)-and compared the results to the nutritional quality of all available foods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConsumption of industrially produced -fatty acids (TFAs) is a well-established health risk factor that correlates with the increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The recommended TFA intake is as low as possible, within the context of a nutritionally adequate diet. Different countries have introduced different measures to minimize the exposure of their population to TFAs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScientific evidence of the association between free sugar consumption and several adverse health effects has led many public health institutions to take measures to limit the intake of added or free sugar. Monitoring the efficiency of such policies and the amount of free sugar consumed requires precise knowledge of free sugar content in different food products. To meet this need, our cross-sectional study aimed at assessing free sugar content for 10,674 pre-packaged food items available from major Slovenian food stores during data collection in 2015.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA voluntary gradual reduction in the salt content of processed foods was proposed Slovenia in 2010. Our objective was to determine the sodium content of prepacked foods in 2015 and to compare these results with data from 2011. Labelled sodium content and 12-month sales data were collected for prepacked foods ( = 5759) from major food stores in Slovenia.
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