Correction: Estimation of Dietary Iron Bioavailability from Food Iron Intake and Iron Status.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Comparing Diet and Exercise Monitoring Using Smartphone App and Paper Diary: A Two-Phase Intervention Study.

Background: There is increasing recognition that personalized approaches may be more effective in helping people establish healthier eating patterns and exercise more, and that this approach may be particularly effective in adolescents.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the use of a smartphone app (FoodWiz2) in supporting healthy lifestyle choices in adolescence.

Methods: Participants (N=34: 11 male, 23 female) aged 16-19 years in full- or part-time education were recruited from sixth form colleges, schools, and other further education establishments in Norfolk and Suffolk, United Kingdom, between February and May 2015.

Modeling tool for calculating dietary iron bioavailability in iron-sufficient adults.

Values for dietary iron bioavailability are required for setting dietary reference values. These are estimated from predictive algorithms, nonheme iron absorption from meals, and models of iron intake, serum ferritin concentration, and iron requirements. We developed a new interactive tool to predict dietary iron bioavailability.

Alginate inhibits iron absorption from ferrous gluconate in a randomized controlled trial and reduces iron uptake into Caco-2 cells.

Unlabelled: Previous in vitro results indicated that alginate beads might be a useful vehicle for food iron fortification. A human study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that alginate enhances iron absorption. A randomised, single blinded, cross-over trial was carried out in which iron absorption was measured from serum iron appearance after a test meal.

Estimation of dietary iron bioavailability from food iron intake and iron status.

Currently there are no satisfactory methods for estimating dietary iron absorption (bioavailability) at a population level, but this is essential for deriving dietary reference values using the factorial approach. The aim of this work was to develop a novel approach for estimating dietary iron absorption using a population sample from a sub-section of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Data were analyzed in 873 subjects from the 2000-2001 adult cohort of the NDNS, for whom both dietary intake data and hematological measures (hemoglobin and serum ferritin (SF) concentrations) were available.

EURRECA-Estimating zinc requirements for deriving dietary reference values.

Zinc was selected as a priority micronutrient for EURRECA, because there is significant heterogeneity in the Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) across Europe. In addition, the prevalence of inadequate zinc intakes was thought to be high among all population groups worldwide, and the public health concern is considerable. In accordance with the EURRECA consortium principles and protocols, a series of literature reviews were undertaken in order to develop best practice guidelines for assessing dietary zinc intake and zinc status.

EURRECA-Estimating selenium requirements for deriving dietary reference values.

Current reference values for selenium, an essential micronutrient, are based on the intake of selenium that is required to achieve maximal glutathione peroxidase activity in plasma or erythrocytes. In order to assess the evidence of relevance to setting dietary reference values for selenium, the EURRECA Network of Excellence focused on systematic searches, review, and evaluation of (i) selenium status biomarkers and evidence for relationships between intake and status biomarkers, (ii) selenium and health (including the effect of intake and/or status biomarkers on cancer risk, immune function, HIV, cognition, and fertility), (iii) bioavailability of selenium from the diet, and (iv) impact of genotype/single nucleotide polymorphisms on status or health outcomes associated with selenium. The main research outputs for selenium and future research priorities are discussed further in this review.

EURRECA-Estimating iron requirements for deriving dietary reference values.

Currently, a factorial approach is used to derive reference values for iron. Calculations include the use of a bioavailability factor to convert the physiological requirement, derived from obligatory losses and requirements for growth and development, into a dietary intake value. A series of systematic reviews undertaken by the EURRECA Network of Excellence aimed to identify data that may increase the accuracy of factorial calculations across all population groups.

EURRECA-Evidence-based methodology for deriving micronutrient recommendations.

The EURopean micronutrient RECommendations Aligned (EURRECA) Network of Excellence explored the process of setting micronutrient recommendations to address the variance in recommendations across Europe. Work centered upon the transparent assessment of nutritional requirements via a series of systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses. In addition, the necessity of assessing nutritional requirements and the policy context of setting micronutrient recommendations was investigated.

Effect of iron intake on iron status: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The response of status biomarkers to an increase in iron supply depends on several physiologic and environmental factors, which make it difficult to predict the outcome of an intervention.

Objective: We assessed effects of baseline iron status, sex, menopausal status, duration of intervention, iron form, and daily dose on the change in iron status in response to iron supplementation.

Design: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of iron-supplementation and -fortification trials that assessed effects on hemoglobin, serum ferritin (SF), soluble transferrin receptor, or body iron was conducted.

Selenium and prostate cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Prostate cancer is a growing public health problem. Several human studies have shown a potentially protective effect of selenium, but the conclusions from published reports are inconsistent.

Objective: The objective was to examine the evidence for relations between selenium intake, selenium status, and prostate cancer risk.

EURRECA's approach for estimating micronutrient requirements.

In Europe, micronutrient dietary reference values have been established by (inter)national committees of experts and are used by public health policy decision-makers to monitor and assess the adequacy of diets within population groups. The approaches used to derive dietary reference values (including average requirements) vary considerably across countries, and so far no evidence-based reason has been identified for this variation. Nutrient requirements are traditionally based on the minimum amount of a nutrient needed by an individual to avoid deficiency, and is defined by the body's physiological needs.

Risk-benefit analysis of mineral intakes: case studies on copper and iron.

Dietary reference values for essential trace elements are designed to meet requirements with minimal risk of deficiency and toxicity. Risk-benefit analysis requires data on habitual dietary intakes, an estimate of variation and effects of deficiency and excess on health. For some nutrients, the range between the upper and lower limits may be extremely narrow and even overlap, which creates difficulties when setting safety margins.

Micronutrient bioavailability research priorities.

A micronutrient bioavailability workshop, which involved international experts and members of the scientific community and the food industry, with interactive breakout sessions based on synectics principles, was organized by the International Life Sciences Institute Europe Addition of Nutrients to Food Task Force and the European Commission Network of Excellence European Micronutrient Recommendations Aligned. After presentations by experts, a series of "challenge statements" was discussed. The aim was to address topical issues, in particular those that linked bioavailability with the derivation of micronutrient requirements and dietary recommendations, to identify gaps in knowledge and to consider research priorities.

Increased consumption of fatty and lean fish reduces serum C-reactive protein concentrations but not inflammation markers in feces and in colonic biopsies.

Fish consumption is associated with a reduced colorectal cancer risk. A possible mechanism by which fish consumption could decrease colorectal cancer risk is by reducing inflammation. However, thus far, intervention studies investigating both systemic and local gut inflammation markers are lacking.

Increasing fish consumption does not affect genotoxicity markers in the colon in an intervention study.

Observational studies suggest that fish consumption is associated with a decreased colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. A possible mechanism by which fish could reduce CRC risk is by decreasing colonic genotoxicity. However, concerns have also been raised over the levels of toxic compounds found in mainly oil-rich fish, which could increase genotoxicity.

Fish consumption and markers of colorectal cancer risk: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Diet is a major factor in the etiology of colorectal cancer, with high fish consumption possibly decreasing colorectal cancer risk, as was shown in several observational studies. To date, no intervention trials have examined the possible beneficial effects of fish intake on colorectal cancer risk.

Objective: The objective was to investigate the effects of a 6-mo intervention with oil-rich or lean fish on apoptosis and mitosis within the colonic crypt.

Methods of assessment of selenium status in humans: a systematic review.

Background: To understand the effect of selenium intake on health, it is important to identify sensitive and population-specific biomarkers of selenium status.

Objective: The objective of this systematic review was to assess the usefulness of biomarkers of selenium status in humans.

Design: The methods included a structured search strategy on Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE (Ovid), and Cochrane databases; formal inclusion and exclusion criteria; data extraction into an Access database; validity assessment; and meta-analysis.

Methods of assessment of copper status in humans: a systematic review.

Background: The assessment of dietary adequacy of copper is constrained by the absence of recognized copper status biomarkers.

Objectives: The objectives were to systematically review the usefulness of copper status biomarkers and identify those that reflected changes in status over > or =4 wk.

Design: The methods included a structured search on Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE (Ovid), and Cochrane databases to October 2007, followed by the use of formal inclusion/exclusion criteria, data extraction, validity assessment, and meta-analysis.

Assessing potential biomarkers of micronutrient status by using a systematic review methodology: methods.

Background: To explore the relation between micronutrient status and health, it is important to understand which markers of micronutrient status can be relied on and under what circumstances.

Objective: The objective of this article was to develop a common systematic review methodology for use in the assessment of micronutrient status for selenium, iodine, copper, zinc, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, vitamin D, and omega-3 (n-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Design: We developed a methodology on the basis of defining studies that clearly altered micronutrient status and then pooled data on the effects of this intervention on each specific biomarker to assess objectively the response of various status markers to changes in intake.

Biomarkers of copper status: a brief update.

The essentiality of copper (Cu) in humans is demonstrated by various clinical features associated with deficiency, such as anaemia, hypercholesterolaemia and bone malformations. Despite significant effort over several decades a sensitive and specific Cu status biomarker has yet to be identified. The present article updates a comprehensive review recently published by the authors which assesses the reliability and robustness of current biomarkers and outlines the on-going search for novel indicators of status(1).

Does ageing affect zinc homeostasis and dietary requirements?

Dietary intakes of zinc are lower in the elderly because of reduced energy requirements, and it is not clear whether ageing impacts on adaptive homeostatic mechanisms, namely absorptive efficiency and endogenous losses in the GI tract. Physiological requirements for zinc are unlikely to change significantly, but there are several attributes of ageing that may affect aspects of zinc metabolism (e.g.

Stable isotope pilot study of exchangeable copper kinetics in human blood plasma.

To develop further our understanding of initial dietary copper metabolism, a method has been developed to separate plasma copper that is bound to albumin, from that bound to ceruloplasmin. This method has been tested using plasma samples from a pilot study involving six human volunteers who consumed 3mg oral doses of the stable isotope (65)Cu and gave blood samples at timed intervals up to 7 days. The results suggest that this method can be used to monitor dynamic fluctuations in newly absorbed copper over a short time frame.

Multivariate techniques and their application in nutrition: a metabolomics case study.

The post-genomic technologies are generating vast quantities of data but many nutritional scientists are not trained or equipped to analyse it. In high-resolution NMR spectra of urine, for example, the number and complexity of spectral features mean that computational techniques are required to interrogate and display the data in a manner intelligible to the researcher. In addition, there are often multiple underlying biological factors influencing the data and it is difficult to pinpoint which are having the most significant effect.