Publications by authors named "Lora Iannotti"

It is well-established that a range of macronutrients, micronutrients and bioactive compounds found in animal-source foods play unique and important roles in human health as part of a healthy diet. This narrative review focuses on terrestrial animal source foods (TASFs). It particularly analyzes five groups: poultry eggs, milk, unprocessed meat, foods from hunting and wildlife farming, and insects.

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Animal source foods are under scrutiny for their role in human health, yet some nutritionally vulnerable populations are largely absent from consideration. Applying a Population Intervention/Exposure Comparator Outcome (PICO/PECO) framework and prioritizing systematic review and meta-analyses, we reviewed the literature on terrestrial animal source foods (TASFs) and human health, by life course phase. There were consistent findings for milk and dairy products on positive health outcomes during pregnancy and lactation, childhood, and among older adults.

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Planetary health is an emerging field that emphasises that humans depend on a healthy Earth for survival and, conversely, that the sustainability of Earth systems is dependent on human behaviours. In response to member demands for resources to support teaching and learning related to planetary health, the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) convened a working group to develop a set of planetary health learning objectives (PHLOs) that would complement the existing ten CUGH global health learning objectives. The eight PHLOs feature Earth system changes, planetary boundaries, and climate change science; ecological systems and One Health; human health outcomes; risk assessment, vulnerability, and resilience; policy, governance, and laws (including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement); roles and responsibilities of governments, businesses, civil society organisations, other institutions, communities, and individuals for mitigation, adaptation, conservation, restoration, and sustainability; environmental ethics, human rights, and climate justice; and environmental literacy and communication.

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Background: Concurrent losses in biodiversity and human dietary diversity are evident in Madagascar and across many food systems globally. Wild food harvest can mitigate nutrition insecurities but may also pose species conservation concerns.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association of wild plant and animal species consumption during hunger season with diet diversity and child growth near the Alandraza-Agnalavelo protected forest in Southwestern Madagascar.

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Mollusc and crustacean consumption in the first 1000 d may improve maternal and child health by providing essential nutrients. However, in some contexts, molluscs and crustaceans have been associated with allergies and environmental contamination, potentially leading to adverse health and development outcomes. It is unclear whether the health benefits of consuming molluscs and crustaceans, collectively classified as shellfish in nutrition, are outweighed by the potential risks to pregnant women and children.

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Animal flesh foods are rich in bioavailable iron but infrequently consumed by young children. We aimed to determine whether flesh food intake was associated with iron and anaemia status among 585 Malawian infants enroled in a 6-month egg-feeding trial. The percentage of days of small fish, large fish and meat consumption were assessed through weekly 7-day animal-source food screeners.

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Food insecurity affects an estimated 691-783 million people globally and is disproportionately high in Africa and Asia. It arises from poverty, armed conflict, and climate change, among other demographic and globalization forces. This review summarizes evidence for policies and practices across five elements of the agrifood system framework and identifies gaps that inform an agenda for future research.

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Populations in countries such as Haiti demonstrate a high level of need for mental health care despite a lack of services and trained professionals. In addition to the dearth of biomedical services, local belief systems and explanatory models contribute to a majority of the population relying on traditional medicine as their first option for care. Using a mixed-methods approach, we aim to characterise mental illness at the first mental health clinic in the region - Sant Sante Mantal Mòn Pele (SSMMP) - by interviewing 96 patients with a demographic questionnaire as well as Anxiety, Depression, and Functionality Scales.

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Objective: To evaluate the acceptability of traditional Zambian dishes fortified with Complementary Food for Africa+Dried Fish Powder (ComFA+Fish), a locally sourced protein/micronutrient blend designed to impact nutrient deficiencies among infants and young children (IYC) and improve pregnancy and birth outcomes among women of reproductive age (WRA).

Design: During two sensory panels, caregivers evaluated: (1) the acceptability of four ComFA+Fish dishes for household consumption, including fortified chibwabwa fisashi, savory Kapenta chutney, fortified complementary maize porridge and fortified bean-vegetable soup and (2) whether their IYC found the fortified complementary maize porridge acceptable.

Setting: Lake Kariba, Southern Province, Zambia.

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Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) are common causes of infectious diarrhea among young children of low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) and travelers to these regions. Despite their significant contributions to the morbidity and mortality associated with childhood and traveler's diarrhea, no licensed vaccines are available. Current vaccine strategies may benefit from the inclusion of additional conserved antigens, which may contribute to broader coverage and enhanced efficacy, given their key roles in facilitating intestinal colonization and effective enterotoxin delivery.

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Background: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is common in populations with limited dietary diversity and access to vitamin A-rich foods.

Objectives: This analysis aimed to determine the impact of supplementing children's diets with 1 egg/d on the concentration of plasma retinol and RBP and the prevalence of VAD.

Methods: Children age 6-9 mo living in the Mangochi district of Malawi were individually randomly assigned to receive 1 egg/d for 6 mo ( = 331) or continue their usual diet ( = 329) in the Mazira trial (clinicaltrials.

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Background: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) are common pathogens infecting children during their growth and development. Determining the epidemiology and the impact of DEC on child anthropometric measures informs prioritization of prevention efforts. These relationships were evaluated in a novel setting, Cap-Haitien, Haiti.

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Mineral deficiencies are common in children living in low-resource areas. Eggs are a rich source of essential nutrients and have been shown to improve growth in young children, although little is known about their impact on mineral status. Children aged 6-9 months (n = 660) were randomized to receive either one egg/day for 6-months or no intervention.

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Frequent ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is consistently associated with poor health outcomes. Little is known about UPF intake during early childhood and its effects on growth. We assessed UPF in relation to child anthropometry, bone maturation, and their nutrition profiles in a rural Ecuadorian community.

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Scientific and political discussions around the role of animal-source foods (ASFs) in healthy and environmentally sustainable diets are often polarizing. To bring clarity to this important topic, we critically reviewed the evidence on the health and environmental benefits and risks of ASFs, focusing on primary trade-offs and tensions, and summarized the evidence on alternative proteins and protein-rich foods. ASFs are rich in bioavailable nutrients commonly lacking globally and can make important contributions to food and nutrition security.

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Objectives: This study aimed to characterize mineral nutrition (copper, magnesium, selenium, and zinc) in Samburu pastoralist youth, in the context of differential cultural transitions due to uneven changes in educational access, herding intensity, polygyny, and access to wild, domesticated, and market-sourced foods.

Materials And Methods: Whole dried blood spots were collected in a total of 161 youth (highlands, = 97; lowlands, = 64) to assess concentrations of: cadmium, copper, lead, magnesium, mercury, selenium, and zinc. Concentrations were determined through Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry.

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Livestock keeping can positively influence the nutritional status of populations and households through increased consumption of animal-source foods (ASF) and other indirect pathways, but can also adversely affect health by increasing the risk of diseases. We conducted a systematic review synthesising the current state of knowledge on the associations among livestock keeping, infectious disease and the nutritional status of children under 5 years and women of reproductive age in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). A comprehensive search of 12 electronic databases and grey literature sources published from 1991 to the end of December 2020 was conducted.

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Background: One in five young children globally suffer the consequences of stunted growth and development and millions experience deficiencies in zinc, iron, iodine, vitamins A and B12, nutrients found bioavailable in fish foods. Small-scale fisheries have the potential to generate income and augment fish consumption while being environmentally sustainable if appropriately managed. However, those engaged in small-scale fisheries are often marginalized, poor, and malnourished.

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Background: Children with recurrent infectious diarrhea are susceptible to growth faltering. DHA and choline may play a role in this relationship due to their involvement in lipid metabolism, gut immunity, and inflammatory pathways.

Objectives: This study aimed to characterize the contributions made by DHA and choline status and enteric damage in young children in the association between diarrheal illness and child growth.

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Background: Meta-analyses show that small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNSs) reduce child wasting and stunting. There is little information regarding effects on severe wasting or stunting.

Objectives: We aimed to identify the effect of SQ-LNSs on prevalence of severe wasting (weight-for-length z score < -3) and severe stunting (length-for-age z score < -3).

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Dietary patterns spanning millennia could inform contemporary public health nutrition. Children are largely absent from evidence describing diets throughout human evolution, despite prevalent malnutrition today signaling a potential genome-environment divergence. This systematic review aimed to identify dietary patterns of children ages 6 months to 10 years consumed before the widespread adoption of agriculture.

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Background: Young children with diets lacking diversity with low consumption of animal source foods are at risk of iron deficiency anemia (IDA).

Objectives: Our objectives were to determine the impact of supplementing diets with 1 egg/d on ) plasma ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), body iron index (BII), and hemoglobin concentrations and ) the prevalence of iron deficiency (ID), anemia, and IDA.

Methods: Malawian 6-9-mo-old infants in the Mazira trial (clinicaltrials.

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This study assesses the perspectives and experiences of Vodou priests (ougan) in the treatment of mental illness in northern Haiti. Our goal is to explore the etiology and popular nosologies of mental illness in the context of Haitian Vodou, through understandings of illness and misfortune which are often viewed as a result of sent spirits-or spirits sent supernaturally by others with the intent to cause harm. Using a qualitative approach, this study conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 20 ougan living near the city of Cap-Haïtien.

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