Four Models Including Fish, Seafood, Red Meat and Enriched Foods to Achieve Australian Dietary Recommendations for n-3 LCPUFA for All Life-Stages.

Populations are not meeting recommended intakes of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA). The aim was (i) to develop a database on n-3 LCPUFA enriched products; (ii) to undertake dietary modelling exercise using four dietary approaches to meet the recommendations and (iii) to determine the cost of the models. Six n-3 LCPUFA enriched foods were identified.

Effect of a 12-mo micronutrient intervention on learning and memory in well-nourished and marginally nourished school-aged children: 2 parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled studies in Australia and Indonesia.

Background: Little is known about the combined effect of micronutrients and essential fatty acids on cognitive function in school-aged children.

Objective: We assessed the effect of micronutrients, long-chain n-3 fatty acids, or both on indicators of cognitive performance in well-nourished and marginally nourished school-aged children.

Design: Two 2-by-2 factorial randomized controlled double-blind trials were performed home-based in Adelaide, South Australia, and at 6 primary schools in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Attitudes, values, and socio-demographic characteristics that predict acceptance of genetic engineering and applications of new technology in Australia.

Studies of community reactions to biotechnology and genetic engineering (GE), in particular, have identified a number of correlates of acceptance, including the field of application of a technology and various characteristics of the perceiver. Factor analysis of acceptability ratings (N=686) of 12 applications of new technologies revealed three factors, denoting medical, societal, and indulgent applications. Acceptability ratings of each application and of GE in principle were regressed onto 18 demographic, attitudinal, trust, and value variables previously identified as potential correlates of acceptance.

Dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: contribution of meat sources.

Objective: We examined the relative contributions of meat and fish to the dietary intakes of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn3PUFAs).

Methods: A database detailing 4550 foods and 4298 recipes recorded in the 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey (NNS95) was updated with new fatty acid compositional data then used to determine intakes from 24-h dietary recalls of 13858 individuals. This approach was validated with food frequency questionnaires from 8321 of these individuals.

Relation of diet to cardiovascular disease risk factors in subjects with cardiovascular disease in Australia and New Zealand: analysis of the Long-Term Intervention with Pravastatin in Ischaemic Disease trial.

Background: Comparisons of the relation of diet with coronary heart disease (CHD) between countries with similar socioeconomic environments have been few. Patients in Australia and New Zealand (n = 9014) who participated in a large secondary prevention trial had significantly different CHD mortality rates.

Objective: The objective of this study was to ascertain the effects of nutrient consumption on cardiovascular disease risk in patients from the 2 countries.

Nutrients for cognitive development in school-aged children.

This review considers the research to date on the role of nutrition in cognitive development in children, with a particular emphasis on the relatively neglected post-infancy period. Undernutrition and deficiencies of iodine, iron, and folate are all important for the development of the brain and the emergent cognitive functions, and there is some evidence to suggest that zinc, vitamin B12, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may also be important. Considerations for future research include a focus on the interactions between micronutrients and macronutrients that might be influential in the optimization of cognitive development; investigation of the impact of nutritional factors in children after infancy, with particular emphasis on effects on the developing executive functions; and selection of populations that might benefit from nutritional interventions, for example, children with nutrient deficiencies or those suffering from attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia.

Dietary guidelines: the development process in Australia and New Zealand.

There is increasing pressure on those developing public health guidelines such as the US Dietary Guidelines to take an evidence-based approach to review of the literature that is increasingly used for clinical practice guidelines. While the public health arena poses a number of problems in terms of the types of evidence available in many instances, one of the consequences of a move to an evidence-based approach will be an increased demand on time and resources. Different countries have varying approaches to the development of dietary guidelines.