Publications by authors named "Anne-Louise M Heath"

Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted to create dietary recommendations for New Zealand toddlers aged 12-24 months, using linear and goal programming models to assess nutrient intake from various foods.
  • Data was collected from 188 toddlers on their dietary habits, resulting in recommendations that include specific servings for a variety of food groups, like non-sweet cereals, vegetables, fruits, and dairy.
  • The findings highlighted that while the recommendations support a balanced diet, the inclusion of approximately 500g of iron-fortified toddler milk is crucial to ensure adequate iron and folate intake for all toddlers.
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The prevalence of food allergies in New Zealand infants is uncertain but is believed to be similar to Australia, exceeding 10%. Current recommendations for reducing food allergy risk are to offer all major food allergens to infants from as early as six months of age (start of complementary feeding), and before 12 months of age. However, little is known regarding parental practices around introducing major food allergens.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of squeezable food pouches among infants and young children, and their potential effects on energy intake and body mass index (BMI).
  • Researchers surveyed 933 children in New Zealand, and found that while pouch usage decreased as children grew older, the effect on their energy intake varied by age.
  • Notably, preschool children who frequently used pouches consumed less energy compared to non-users, while no significant differences in BMI were observed related to pouch use, suggesting concerns about pouches may be overstated.
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Optimal nutrition during infancy is critical given its influence on lifelong health and wellbeing. Two novel methods of infant complementary feeding, commercial baby food pouch use and baby-led weaning (BLW), are becoming increasingly popular worldwide. Household food insecurity may influence complementary feeding practices adopted by families, but no studies have investigated the use of BLW and baby food pouches in families experiencing food insecurity.

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Background: Obtaining valid estimates of nutrient intake in infants is currently limited by the difficulties of accurately measuring human milk intake. Current methods are either unsuitable for large-scale studies (i.e.

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Iron deficiency in infants can impact development, and there are concerns that the use of baby food pouches and baby-led weaning may impair iron status. First Foods New Zealand (FFNZ) was an observational study of 625 New Zealand infants aged 6.9 to 10.

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Background: Although considerable concern has been expressed about the nutritional implications of infant food pouches, how they impact infant diet has not been examined.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of infant food pouches specifically, and commercial infant foods generally, to nutrient intake from complementary foods in infants.

Methods: Two multiple-pass 24-h diet recall data were collected from 645 infants (6.

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Background And Objectives: Globally, there appears to be an ever-increasing interest in adopting a vegetarian diet. However, there are concerns that avoiding meat may increase the risk of anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies, especially for vulnerable populations, such as adolescent women. The objective of this study was to compare the micronutrient status of vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent women in New Zealand.

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Although concern is frequently expressed regarding the potential impact of baby food pouch use and Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) on infant health, research is scarce. Data on pouch use, BLW, energy intake, eating behaviour and body mass index (BMI) were obtained for 625 infants aged 7-10 months in the First Foods New Zealand study. Frequent pouch use was defined as ≥5 times/week during the past month.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to identify which growth indicator (weight, weight-for-length, BMI) and time intervals (6 or 12 months) of rapid infant weight gain (RIWG) best predict obesity risk at age 11.
  • Researchers analyzed RIWG using weight and height measurements from birth to 2 years, assessing their ability to forecast obesity and body composition later.
  • Results showed that a single assessment of obesity during infancy was a stronger predictor of future obesity and body fat than the various RIWG indicators across different time frames.
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Globally, a recent phenomenon in complementary feeding is the use of squeezable baby food pouches. However, some health agencies have raised concerns about their possible long-term health effects. The aim of this study was to describe parental perceptions of the use of baby food pouches during complementary feeding (i.

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Little is known about Se intakes and status in very young New Zealand children. However, Se intakes below recommendations and lower Se status compared with international studies have been reported in New Zealand (particularly South Island) adults. The Baby-Led Introduction to SolidS (BLISS) randomised controlled trial compared a modified version of baby-led weaning (infants feed themselves rather than being spoon-fed), with traditional spoon-feeding (Control).

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Purpose: The global population is ageing. Evidence show dietary patterns may be associated with cognitive status in older adults. This cross-sectional study investigated associations between dietary patterns and cognitive function in older adults in New Zealand.

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Background: Dietary pattern analysis considers the overall dietary intake and combinations of foods eaten. Valid and reproducible tools for determining dietary patterns are necessary to assess diet-disease relationships.

Objective: This study evaluated the relative validity and reproducibility of the Researching Eating, Activity, and Cognitive Health (REACH) Study food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) specifically designed to identify dietary patterns in older adults.

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Background: The complementary feeding period is a time of unparalleled dietary change for every human, during which the diet changes from one that is 100% milk to one that resembles the usual diet of the wider family in less than a year. Despite this major dietary shift, we know relatively little about food and nutrient intake in infants worldwide and virtually nothing about the impact of baby food "pouches" and "baby-led weaning" (BLW), which are infant feeding approaches that are becoming increasingly popular. Pouches are squeezable containers with a plastic spout that have great appeal for parents, as evidenced by their extraordinary market share worldwide.

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There has been an important shift in the New Zealand infant food market over the past decade, with the majority of complementary foods now sold in "pouches". Along with the increasing market share of commercial infant food pouches internationally, there have been growing concerns about their nutritional quality. However, research examining the nutritional quality of these pouches compared to other forms of commercial infant foods in New Zealand has not been undertaken.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Prevention of Overweight in Infancy (POI) trial evaluated how interventions related to food, physical activity, breastfeeding, and sleep impact obesity risk in children, showing that sleep intervention significantly reduced obesity risk at ages 2 and up to 5 years.
  • The follow-up at age 11 aims to see if the positive effects on BMI and obesity risk from the sleep intervention still exist, alongside examining other factors like movement patterns and mental health.
  • The study has ethical approval and funding, and will involve collecting various data from families through clinics and home appointments to assess multiple health-related outcomes.
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Dietary patterns analyse combinations of foods eaten. This cross-sectional study identified dietary patterns and their nutrients. Associations between dietary patterns and socio-demographic and lifestyle factors were examined in older New Zealand adults.

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The Eating Assessment in Toddlers FFQ (EAT FFQ) has been shown to have good reliability and comparative validity for ranking nutrient intakes in young children. With the addition of food items (n 4), we aimed to re-assess the validity of the EAT FFQ and estimate calibration factors in a sub-sample of children (n 97) participating in the Growing Up Milk - Lite (GUMLi) randomised control trial (2015-2017). Participants completed the ninety-nine-item GUMLi EAT FFQ and record-assisted 24-h recalls (24HR) on two occasions.

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Article Synopsis
  • The gut microbiota converts indigestible plant fibers into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which provide additional energy after easily digestible food is absorbed.
  • This study aimed to investigate whether the levels of SCFAs in infants' fecal samples relate to their sleep patterns.
  • Results indicated that higher levels of propionate in feces were linked to longer uninterrupted sleep in infants, with an increase of 6 minutes of sleep associated with every 1% higher propionate level.
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Background: Gut microbiota data obtained by DNA sequencing are complex and compositional because of large numbers of detectable taxa, and because microbiota characteristics are described in relative terms. Nutrition researchers use principal component analysis (PCA) to derive dietary patterns from food data. Although compositional PCA methods are not commonly used to describe patterns from complex microbiota data, this approach would be useful for identifying gut microbiota patterns associated with diet and body composition.

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The biological succession that occurs during the first year of life in the gut of infants in Western countries is broadly predictable in terms of the increasing complexity of the composition of microbiotas. Less information is available about microbiotas in Asian countries, where environmental, nutritional, and cultural influences may differentially affect the composition and development of the microbial community. We compared the fecal microbiotas of Indonesian ( = 204) and New Zealand (NZ) ( = 74) infants 6 to 7 months and 12 months of age.

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NOVA is a food classification system that categorises food items into one of four categories according to the extent and purpose of their processing: minimally processed food (MPF), processed culinary ingredient (PCI), processed food (PF), or ultra-processed food (UPF). The aim of this study was to determine the relative validity and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire (EAT5 FFQ) for measuring daily energy intake (EI kJ) and percentage of daily energy intake (EI%) from each NOVA group in New Zealand children. One hundred parents of five year old children completed the 123 item EAT5 FFQ on two occasions four weeks apart.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The REACH study aims to explore how dietary patterns impact cognitive function in older adults, considering lifestyle factors and genetic influences, particularly focusing on those aged 65-74 in Auckland, New Zealand.
  • - A variety of data will be collected, including dietary habits through a food frequency questionnaire, cognitive assessments, and physical health measurements, to provide a comprehensive view of participants' health.
  • - By utilizing advanced analysis methods, the study seeks to identify significant relationships between diet, cognitive performance, and metabolic health, which could inform strategies for preserving cognitive function in aging populations.
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Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of consuming iodine-fortified toddler milk for improving dietary iodine intakes and biochemical iodine status in toddlers.

Methods: In a 20-week parallel randomised controlled trial, healthy 12-20-month-old children were assigned to: Fortified Milk [n = 45; iodine-fortified (21.1 µg iodine/100 g prepared drink) cow's milk], or Non-Fortified Milk (n = 90; non-fortified cow's milk).

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