Associations of appetite sensations and metabolic characteristics with weight retention in postpartum women.

Postpartum weight retention (PPWR) is an important risk factor for long-term obesity. Appetite may be a key factor regulating PPWR. The objectives of this study were to determine the associations between () PPWR and appetite; and () appetite, lactation, and metabolic characteristics.

Association of pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain with fat mass distribution and accretion during pregnancy and early postpartum: a prospective study of Albertan women.

Objectives: To examine the patterns of fat mass gain in pregnancy and fat loss in the early postpartum period relative to women's pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and by adherence to Institute of Medicine's gestational weight gain (GWG) recommendations.

Design: Prospective cohort study with three to four study visits.

Setting: This study is a part of the prospective longitudinal birth cohort, 'The Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition Study' (APrON) that recruited pregnant women from the cities of Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta.

The influence of energy metabolism on postpartum weight retention.

Background: Profiling postpartum energy metabolism may assist in optimizing weight management following childbirth.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to profile total energy expenditure (TEE), resting energy expenditure (REE), exercise energy expenditure, sleep energy expenditure, and respiratory quotient in women at 3 and 9 mo postpartum (3M-PP, 9M-PP, respectively), and to examine the association between energy metabolism and postpartum weight retention (PPWR).

Methods: In this cohort study, 1-h REE (measured in a whole body calorimetry unit, WBCU) and body composition (BC, measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) were measured at 3M-PP and 9M-PP (n = 49).

The use of whole body calorimetry to compare measured versus predicted energy expenditure in postpartum women.

Background: Accurate assessment of energy expenditure may support weight-management recommendations. Measuring energy expenditure for each postpartum woman is unfeasible; therefore, accurate predictive equations are needed.

Objectives: This study compared measured with predicted resting energy expenditure (REE) and total energy expenditure (TEE) in postpartum women.

Trajectory and determinants of change in lean soft tissue over the postpartum period.

The aim of this study was to characterise changes in lean soft tissue (LST) and examine the contributions of energy intake, physical activity and breast-feeding practices to LST changes at 3 and 9 months postpartum. We examined current weight, LST (via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), dietary intake (3-d food diary), physical activity (Baecke questionnaire) and breast-feeding practices (3-d breast-feeding diary) in forty-nine women aged 32·9 (sd 3·8) years. Changes in LST varied from -2·51 to +2·50 kg with twenty-nine women gaining LST (1·1 (sd 0·7) kg, P<0·001) and twenty women losing LST (-0·9 (sd 0·8) kg, P<0·001).

Changes in Energy Metabolism from Prepregnancy to Postpartum: A Case Report.

Purpose: Energy metabolism is at the core of maintaining healthy body weights. Likewise, the assessment of energy needs is essential for providing adequate dietary advice. We explored differences in energy metabolism of a primigravid woman (age: 30 years) at 1 month prepregnancy ("baseline"), during pregnancy (33 weeks), and at 3 and 9 months postpartum.

Targeting specific interstitial glycemic parameters with high-intensity interval exercise and fasted-state exercise in type 2 diabetes.

Aims: To compare the acute glycemic responses to a bout of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and energy-matched moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) performed under fasted and postprandial conditions.

Methods: A randomized, controlled, crossover design was used. Ten individuals with type 2 diabetes were each tested in five experimental conditions after an overnight fast: 1) fasted-state HIIE (HIIEfast); 2) post-breakfast HIIE (HIIEfed); 3) fasted-state MICE (MICEfast); 4) post-breakfast MICE (MICEfed); and 5) no exercise (control).

Assessment of Pre-Pregnancy Dietary Intake with a Food Frequency Questionnaire in Alberta Women.

Purpose: Pre-pregnancy is an under-examined and potentially important time to optimize dietary intake to support fetal growth and development as well as maternal health. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which dietary intake reported by non-pregnant women is similar to pre-pregnancy dietary intake reported by pregnant women using the same assessment tool.

Methods: The self-administered, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was adapted from the Canadian version of the Diet History Questionnaire, originally developed by the National Cancer Institute in the United States.

Using traffic light labels to improve food selection in recreation and sport facility eating environments.

Many recreation and sports facilities have unhealthy food environments, however managers are reluctant to offer healthier foods because they perceive patrons will not purchase them. Preliminary evidence indicates that traffic light labeling (TLL) can increase purchase of healthy foods in away-from-home food retail settings. We examined the effectiveness of TLL of menus in promoting healthier food purchases by patrons of a recreation and sport facility concession, and among various sub-groups.

If we offer it, will children buy it? Sales of healthy foods mirrored their availability in a community sport, commercial setting in Alberta, Canada.

Background: Community sports settings are often sources of unhealthy foods for children. Many managers in these settings are reluctant to increase availability of healthy food options because they perceive that healthy foods are not profitable. This study assessed the independent contribution of increased availability of healthy foods to their sales in a community sport, commercial context.

Feasibility and efficacy of menu planning combined with individual counselling to improve health outcomes and dietary adherence in people with type 2 diabetes: a pilot study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and efficacy of implementing a 4-week menu plan combined with individual counselling among people with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A 12-week pilot study with a pretest and post-test design was conducted among 15 participants with type 2 diabetes. The menu plan incorporated the overall recommendations of the Canadian Diabetes Association nutrition therapy guidelines and considered factors such as the accessibility, availability and acceptability of foods.

Test-retest reliability of a continuous glucose monitoring system in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Aims: This study determined the test-retest reliability of a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) (iPro™2; Medtronic, Northridge, CA) under standardized conditions in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Subjects And Methods: Fourteen individuals with T2D spent two nonconsecutive days in a calorimetry unit. On both days, meals, medication, and exercise were standardized.

Estimation of choline intake from 24 h dietary intake recalls and contribution of egg and milk consumption to intake among pregnant and lactating women in Alberta.

Despite recommendations for higher choline intakes during pregnancy and lactation, there is limited research regarding maternal intake during these important periods. In the present study, we estimated dietary choline intake during pregnancy and lactation in a population of Albertan women and the contribution of egg and milk consumption to intake. Dietary intake data were collected from the first 600 women enrolled in a prospective cohort study carried out in Alberta, Canada.

Changes in dietary and physical activity risk factors for type 2 diabetes in Alberta youth between 2005 and 2008.

Objective: Unhealthy dietary and physical inactivity patterns inspired many initiatives promoting healthy youth and healthy schools in Alberta between 2005 and 2008. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the prevalence of lifestyle risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2D) between two province-wide samples of Alberta adolescents (2005 and 2008).

Methods: The dietary and physical activity (PA) patterns of Alberta youth were assessed in two cross-sectional studies of grade 7-10 students, one in 2005 (n=4936) and one in 2008 (n=5091), using a validated web-survey.

Choosing healthier foods in recreational sports settings: a mixed methods investigation of the impact of nudging and an economic incentive.

Background: Nudging is an approach to environmental change that alters social and physical environments to shift behaviors in positive, self-interested directions. Evidence indicates that eating is largely an automatic behavior governed by environmental cues, suggesting that it might be possible to nudge healthier dietary behaviors. This study assessed the comparative and additive efficacy of two nudges and an economic incentive in supporting healthy food purchases by patrons at a recreational swimming pool.

Exploring the variability in acute glycemic responses to exercise in type 2 diabetes.

Aim: To explore the factors associated with exercise-induced acute capillary glucose (CapBG) changes in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: Fifteen individuals with T2D were randomly assigned to energy-matched high intensity interval exercise (HI-IE) and moderate intensity continuous exercise (MI-CE) interventions and performed a designated exercise protocol 5 days per week for 12 weeks. The duration of exercise progressed from 30 to 60 minutes.

Making compromises: a qualitative study of sugar consumption behaviors during pregnancy.

Objective: To explore influences on women's sugar consumption behaviors during pregnancy.

Design: Focused ethnography guided this qualitative study. Contrasting experiences between women with varying sugar intakes were investigated using semi-structured interviews.

Factors and barriers associated with early adoption of nutrition guidelines in Alberta, Canada.

Objective: To identify factors that influenced early adoption and implementation of the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth (ANGCY) in schools in Alberta, Canada; and to identify healthy eating strategies that were implemented as a result of the guidelines. Barriers and facilitators were also investigated.

Design: Multiple case study design (n = 3).

The role of registered dietitians in health promotion.

We used our experience assisting in the development of and evaluating the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth (ANGCY) as a basis for exploring roles that registered dietitians (RDs) can play within health promotion, and how others perceive the RD role. Data were generated via 12 key informant interviews and observations during a multiple case study of recreation facilities that had and had not adopted the ANGCY. We also drew on dialogue and personal observations during development of the ANGCY.

Sarcopenia and physical function in overweight patients with advanced cancer.

Advanced cancer is associated with numerous metabolic abnormalities that may lead to significant body composition changes, particularly muscle loss or sarcopenia. Sarcopenia in cancer has been associated with poor clinical outcomes, including poor physical function. Accurate tools to assess body composition are expensive and not readily available in clinical settings.

Use of micronutrient supplements among pregnant women in Alberta: results from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort.

Maternal nutrient intake in the prenatal period is an important determinant of fetal growth and development and supports maternal health. Many women, however, fail to meet their prenatal nutrient requirements through diet alone and are therefore advised to consume nutrient supplements. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of natural health products (NHP) by pregnant women in each trimester of pregnancy.

Anthropometric and dietary predictors of insulin sensitivity in 10- to 14-year-old boys and girls.

The high prevalence of pediatric obesity has made preventing chronic diseases through healthy lifestyle behaviours a priority within pediatrics. Examining the association between diet and insulin sensitivity (IS) in youth may provide important insights for tailoring preventative dietary interventions. The objective of this study was to explore the associations among anthropometry, diet, and IS in 10- to 14-year-olds.

Cancer cachexia in the age of obesity: skeletal muscle depletion is a powerful prognostic factor, independent of body mass index.

Purpose: Emerging evidence suggests muscle depletion predicts survival of patients with cancer.

Patients And Methods: At a cancer center in Alberta, Canada, consecutive patients with cancer (lung or GI; N = 1,473) were assessed at presentation for weight loss history, lumbar skeletal muscle index, and mean muscle attenuation (Hounsfield units) by computed tomography (CT). Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted.

Prenatal micronutrient supplementation and postpartum depressive symptoms in a pregnancy cohort.

Background: Postpartum depression is a serious problem for women and their offspring. Micronutrient supplements are recommended for pregnant women because of their documented protective effects for the offspring, but their potential beneficial effects on maternal mental health are unknown. This study investigated the association between prenatal micronutrient supplementation and the risk for symptoms of postpartum depression in a longitudinal pregnancy cohort from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study.

Dietary patterns of patients with advanced lung or colorectal cancer.

The purpose of this study was to identify dietary patterns among patients with advanced cancer. Differences between cancer groups are described, and food groups contributing higher proportions to overall caloric intake are identified. Patients with advanced cancer (n=51) were recruited from a regional cancer centre and completed a three-day dietary record.