NIH workshop on human milk composition: summary and visions.

Nationally representative data from mother-child dyads that capture human milk composition (HMC) and associated health outcomes are important for advancing the evidence to inform federal nutrition and related health programs, policies, and consumer information across the governments in the United States and Canada as well as in nongovernment sectors. In response to identified gaps in knowledge, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the NIH sponsored the "Workshop on Human Milk Composition-Biological, Environmental, Nutritional, and Methodological Considerations" held 16-17 November 2017 in Bethesda, Maryland. Through presentations and discussions, the workshop aimed to 1) share knowledge on the scientific need for data on HMC; 2) explore the current understanding of factors affecting HMC; 3) identify methodological challenges in human milk (HM) collection, storage, and analysis; and 4) develop a vision for a research program to develop an HMC data repository and database.

Fat composition of vegetable oil spreads and margarines in the USA in 2013: a national marketplace analysis.

Worldwide, the fat composition of spreads and margarines ("spreads") has significantly changed over the past decades. Data on fat composition of US spreads are limited and outdated. This paper compares the fat composition of spreads sold in 2013 to that sold in 2002 in the USA.

Recommendations on reporting requirements for flavonoids in research.

Numerous observational and intervention-based human studies support the notion of a beneficial role for dietary flavonoids in human health. Despite these studies, it is not yet possible to make dietary recommendations with regard to the types and amounts of flavonoids to be consumed. The inherent diversity of flavonoid structure, chemistry, and natural distribution in foods lends itself to errors in reporting the types and/or amounts of flavonoids consumed, as well as incomplete recognition of requirements for intervention studies that aim to assess their benefits in a clinical setting.

Considerations on an approach for establishing a framework for bioactive food components.

Bioactive food components have shown potential health benefits for more than a decade. Currently there are no recommended levels of intake [i.e.

Stakeholder discussion to reduce population-wide sodium intake and decrease sodium in the food supply: a conference report from the American Heart Association Sodium Conference 2013 Planning Group.

Background: A 2-day interactive forum was convened to discuss the current status and future implications of reducing sodium in the food supply and to identify opportunities for stakeholder collaboration.

Methods And Results: Participants included 128 stakeholders engaged in food research and development, food manufacturing and retail, restaurant and food service operations, regulatory and legislative activities, public health initiatives, healthcare, academia and scientific research, and data monitoring and surveillance. Presentation topics included scientific evidence for sodium reduction and public health policy recommendations; consumer sodium intakes, attitudes, and behaviors; food technologies and solutions for sodium reduction and sensory implications; experiences of the food and dining industries; and translation and implementation of sodium intake recommendations.

Are dietary bioactives ready for recommended intakes?

Research has shown that numerous dietary bioactive components that are not considered essential may still be beneficial to health. The dietary reference intake (DRI) process has been applied to nonessential nutrients, such as fiber, yet the majority of bioactive components await a recommended intake. Despite a plethora of new research over the past several years on the health effects of bioactives, it is possible that the field may never reach a point where the current DRI framework is suitable for these food components.

The Smart Choices front-of-package nutrition labeling program: rationale and development of the nutrition criteria.

The goal of the Smart Choices Program (SCP) is to provide a simple front-of-the-package icon system to direct consumers to smarter food choices in the supermarket, which will eventually lead to more balanced diets and to more beneficial foods as food manufacturers renovate products to meet the nutrition criteria for carrying the icon. The SCP was developed by a coalition of scientists and nutrition educators, experts with experience with dietary guidelines, public health organizations, and food manufacturers in response to consumer confusion over multiple front-of-the-package systems based on different criteria. Representatives from different government organizations acted as observers.

Flavonoids and heart health: proceedings of the ILSI North America Flavonoids Workshop, May 31-June 1, 2005, Washington, DC.

This article provides an overview of current research on flavonoids as presented during a workshop entitled, "Flavonoids and Heart Health," held by the ILSI North America Project Committee on Flavonoids in Washington, DC, May 31 and June 1, 2005. Because a thorough knowledge and understanding about the science of flavonoids and their effects on health will aid in establishing dietary recommendations for bioactive components such as flavonoids, a systematic review of the science of select flavonoid classes (i.e.

Reproducibility and relative validity of a questionnaire to assess intake of black tea polyphenols in epidemiological studies.

Epidemiological studies suggest that tea drinking may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Although tea is an important source of antioxidant phytochemicals, variation in preparation techniques may translate to variation in antioxidant capacity. However, most large-scale epidemiological studies use regular food frequency questionnaires to estimate tea intake, and nationally available nutrient analysis databases do not include levels of black tea polyphenols.

Catechins are bioavailable in men and women drinking black tea throughout the day.

Tea consumption has been associated with reduced risk of both cancer and cardiovascular disease in population studies, but clinical data demonstrating bioavailability of the individual catechins and other polyphenolic components of tea are limited. This study assessed the apparent bioavailability of the prominent catechins from black tea in humans drinking tea throughout the day. After 5 d of consuming a low flavonoid diet, subjects drank a black tea preparation containing 15.

Comparative chemopreventive mechanisms of green tea, black tea and selected polyphenol extracts measured by in vitro bioassays.

Black tea extracts (hot aqueous, polyphenols and theaflavins) and green tea extracts (hot aqueous, polyphenols, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin and epigallocatechin gallate) were tested in nine standardized cell culture assays for comparative cancer chemopreventive properties. Most black and green tea extracts strongly inhibited neoplastic transformation in mouse mammary organ cultures, rat tracheal epithelial cells and human lung tumor epithelial cells. Nearly all tea fractions strongly inhibited benzo[a]pyrene adduct formation with human DNA.

Role of medicinal plants, herbs, and spices in protecting human health.

The body of knowledge about plants, herbs, and spices and their respective and collective roles in promoting human health is modest. Flavonoids in tea and anthocyanins in tart cherries were presented as examples of how to move forward in understanding active compounds. Dietary compounds, their roles in maintaining human health, and their interactions with established nutrients were determined to be short-term research priorities.

Effects of chemoprotective agents on the metabolic activation of the carcinogenic arylamines PhIP and 4-aminobiphenyl in human and rat liver microsomes.

Carcinogenic aromatic amines, including the heterocyclic amines, may pose a significant health risk to humans. To determine the potential for chemoprotective intervention against the carcinogenicity of these arylamines and to better understand their mechanism of action, a range of agents, most of them natural dietary constituents, was examined in vitro for their ability to modulate the N-hydroxylation of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) and 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP), an initial step in their bioactivation. Experiments were conducted with rat and human liver microsomes.

Effects of tea polyphenols and flavonoids on liver microsomal glucuronidation of estradiol and estrone.

Administration of 0.5 or 1% lyophilized green tea (5 or 10 mg tea solids per ml, respectively) as the sole source of drinking fluid to female Long-Evans rats for 18 days stimulated liver microsomal glucuronidation of estrone, estradiol and 4-nitrophenol by 30-37%, 15-27% and 26-60%, respectively. Oral administration of 0.

Blood and urine levels of tea catechins after ingestion of different amounts of green tea by human volunteers.

The inhibitory activity of tea against tumorigenesis has been demonstrated in many animal models and has been suggested by some epidemiological studies. Such activity has generally been attributed to tea catechins. To understand the bioavailability of tea catechins in humans, we gave 18 individuals different amounts of green tea and measured the time-dependent plasma concentrations and urinary excretion of tea catechins.

Effect of tea extracts, polyphenols, and epigallocatechin gallate on azoxymethane-induced colon cancer.

Studies were conducted to determine the chemopreventive efficacy of several types of tea extracts on azoxymethane-induced colon cancer in male F344 rats. After determining the maximally tolerated dosage of the tea products, their effect in a colon cancer model was investigated. Groups of 36 male F344 rats received 2 subcutaneous doses of 15 mg/kg azoxymethane (AOM) at Weeks 6 and 7.

Inhibition of PhIP mutagenicity by catechins, and by theaflavins and gallate esters.

Aqueous solutions of gallic acid, methyl gallate, catechins, theaflavins and tannic acid were tested for inhibition of the mutagenicity of PhIP in the Salmonella typhimurium TA98 assay with an S9 fraction from the liver of rats induced with alpha-naphthoflavone and phenobarbital. The IC50S were in the 80-250 microM range for the gallated catechins, theaflavins and tannic acid. No inhibition could be found with these compounds when a direct acting mutagen was used.

Effects of theaflavins on N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine-induced esophageal tumorigenesis.

The purpose of this experiment was to compare the inhibitory effects of the polyphenol fraction of black tea, theaflavins (TF), the polyphenol fraction of green tea, and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in the rat esophageal tumor model. The tea fractions were administered in the drinking water at concentrations of 360 and 1,200 ppm for two weeks before administration of the esophageal carcinogen N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA). NMBA was administered subcutaneously in 10% dimethyl sulfoxide three times weekly for five weeks.

Inhibition of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) mutagenicity by black and green tea extracts and polyphenols.

Solutions of lyophilized preparations of standard black and green tea extracts were made and tested over a range of six concentrations as inhibitors of the mutagenicity caused by the fool mutagen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) in the Salmonella typhimurium TA98 assay containing S9 fraction from rats induced with alpha-naphthoflavone and phenobarbital. Extracts of both black and green tea were equally good inhibitors of mutagenicity. Purified polyphenols were prepared from tea extracts by solvent extraction.