Promoting and disseminating consistent and effective nutrition messages: challenges and opportunities.

Nutrition messages are a central part of policy making as well as communication via product information, advertising, healthcare advice and lifestyle campaigns. However, with amplified information (and misinformation) from a growing number of sources, inconsistent and conflicting food landscapes, and limited engagement from the public, nutrition messaging tensions have become more accentuated than previously. In this review, we focus on the challenges facing those wishing to effect dietary change through communication; and identify opportunities and future research questions Beginning with a new working definition and taxonomy for the term ‘nutrition message’, we consider the evolution of public health nutrition messages from the past century and discuss which types of messages may be more effective.

Food science and food ingredients: the need for reliable scientific approaches and correct communication, Florence, 24 March 2015.

This report summarises the proceedings of a conference organised by the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists. The aim was to consider the process by which dietary guidelines (DG) are developed and the quality of evidence underpinning these guidelines, as well as debating whether or not this has resulted in DG that are effective in terms of health improvement. Key points were a caution about false positives in research, the importance of holistic DG rather than single nutrient targets, the need for appropriate disease endpoints in studies and control of confounders, a plea for less reliance on observational studies which cannot address cause-and-effect relationships and a need to bear in mind unintended consequences.

A novel topical ingredient derived from seaweed significantly reduces symptoms of acne vulgaris: a general literature review.

Currently, benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics, and retinoids are the mainstay topical treatments for acne vulgaris. However, potential benefits may be offered by natural, marine-derived ingredients, such as those derived from brown seaweed (Laminaria digitata). This article will review the available literature on two ingredients; "seaweed oligosaccharides," which are those derived from the polysaccharide membrane of Laminaria digitata, and a novel seaweed oligosaccharide-zinc complex (SOZC) (Phycosaccharide AC, The Mentholatum Company, East Kilbride, UK).

Black tea is not significantly different from water in the maintenance of normal hydration in human subjects: results from a randomised controlled trial.

There is a belief that caffeinated drinks, such as tea, may adversely affect hydration. This was investigated in a randomised controlled trial. Healthy resting males (n 21) were recruited from the general population.

Can pure fruit and vegetable juices protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease too? A review of the evidence.

While it is widely accepted that fruit and vegetables (F&V) lower the risk of cancer, and cardiovascular disease (CVD), the role of pure fruit and vegetable (PFV) juices is often downplayed. This review poses two questions: Are the protective benefits of F&V dependent upon constituents lacking in PFV juices (e.g.