Development of a Genetic Risk Score to predict the risk of overweight and obesity in European adolescents from the HELENA study.

Obesity is the result of interactions between genes and environmental factors. Since monogenic etiology is only known in some obesity-related genes, a genetic risk score (GRS) could be useful to determine the genetic predisposition to obesity. Therefore, the aim of our study was to build a GRS able to predict genetic predisposition to overweight and obesity in European adolescents.

Do dietary patterns determine levels of vitamin B, folate, and vitamin B intake and corresponding biomarkers in European adolescents? The Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study.

Objectives: To determine dietary patterns (DPs) and explain the highest variance of vitamin B, folate, and B intake and related concentrations among European adolescents.

Methods: A total of 2173 adolescents who participated in the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence study met the eligibility criteria for the vitamin B intake analysis (46% boys) and 586 adolescents for the biomarkers analysis (47% boys). Two non-consecutive, 24-h, dietary recalls were used to assess the mean intakes.

Prevalence of Metabolically Healthy but Overweight/Obese Phenotype and Its Association With Sedentary Time, Physical Activity, and Fitness.

Purpose: Childhood obesity is one of the major concerns in the last years due to the association with future health problems and all-cause mortality. However, there is a subset of adolescents with overweight/obesity who present a metabolic healthy profile. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of metabolically healthy but overweight/obese adolescents and whether sedentary time, physical activity, and fitness differ between metabolically healthy and nonmetabolically healthy phenotypes.

Correlates of dietary energy misreporting among European adolescents: the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study.

This study examined the correlates of dietary energy under-reporting (UR) and over-reporting (OV) in European adolescents. Two self-administered computerised 24-h dietary recalls and physical activity data using accelerometry were collected from 1512 adolescents aged 12·5-17·5 years from eight European countries. Objective measurements of height and weight were obtained.

European adolescent ready-to-eat-cereal (RTEC) consumers have a healthier dietary intake and body composition compared with non-RTEC consumers.

Purpose: This study aims to analyse the association of European adolescents' ready-to-eat-cereal (RTEC) consumption frequency with their dietary intake by applying the concept of diet quality index and nutritional status.

Methods: From the multi-centre European HELENA study, relevant data were available in 1,215 adolescents (12.5-17.

Reference values for leptin, cortisol, insulin and glucose, among European adolescents and their association with adiposity: the HELENA study.

Background And Objective: Adequate concentrations of leptin, cortisol, and insulin are important for a suitable metabolism and development during adolescence. These hormones jointly with glucose play a major role in fat metabolism and development of childhood obesity. Our main objective was to quantify biomarkers as leptin, cortisol, insulin and glucose status in European adolescents to contribute to establish reference ranges.

Dietary lipid intake only partially influences variance in serum phospholipid fatty acid composition in adolescents: impact of other dietary factors.

The present study aimed to assess the correlation between food and fatty acid (FA) intake and the serum phospholipid (PL) FA status in European adolescents and explored the percentage of variation in serum PL FA that could be attributed to dietary habits. Participants included 528 adolescents recruited in the HELENA Study. Dietary intake was assessed by two, self-administered, non-consecutive 24-h recalls.

Moderators of the effectiveness of a web-based tailored intervention promoting physical activity in adolescents: the HELENA Activ-O-Meter.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the moderation effects of sex, age, and psychosocial determinants (intention, social support, and modeling) of physical activity (PA) in the relationship between an Internet-based computer-tailored intervention program (Activ-O-Meter) and modes of PA and commuting.

Methods: The Activ-O-Meter with intervention and control condition was delivered to 555 adolescents (boys 50.5%, mean age: 14.

The relationship between cotinine concentrations and inflammatory markers among highly secondhand smoke exposed non-smoking adolescents.

Background: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is a risk factor of respiratory, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, however its association with inflammatory markers among highly SHS exposed adolescents has not yet been explored.

Methods: Participants included in this study were a subset of 68 non-smoking adolescents, aged 12.5-17.

Impact of weight loss and maintenance with ad libitum diets varying in protein and glycemic index content on metabolic syndrome.

Objectives: We investigated the effects of weight loss and maintenance with diets that varied with regard to protein content and glycemic index (GI) on metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) status.

Methods: Secondary analyses were performed within the Diet, Obesity and Genes (DiOGenes) study (2006-2008), a randomized controlled dietary intervention. Nine hundred and thirty-eight overweight and obese adults from eight European countries entered an 8-wk low-calorie-diet period.

Clustering of multiple lifestyle behaviors and health-related fitness in European adolescents.

Objective: To explore the clustering of different lifestyle behaviors and whether this clustering differs by gender, age, and health-related fitness.

Design: Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) cross-sectional study.

Setting: Ten European cities.

Psychosocial determinants and perceived environmental barriers as mediators of the effectiveness of a web-based tailored intervention promoting physical activity in adolescents: the HELENA Activ-O-Meter.

Background: The aim was to examine if psychosocial determinants (attitudes, self-efficacy, social support from a sports partner) and perceived environmental barriers (PEB) of physical activity (PA) mediated the effect of a 3-month Internet-based intervention on PA in European adolescents.

Methods: A sample of 536 adolescents (51% boys) aged 12-17 years were randomly assigned to intervention or control condition. Questionnaires were used to assess different PA behaviors, psychosocial determinants and PEB at baseline and at 3-month follow-up.

Dietary and lifestyle quality indices with/without physical activity and markers of insulin resistance in European adolescents: the HELENA study.

Emerging data indicate that higher levels of insulin resistance (IR) are common among children and adolescents and are related to cardiometabolic risk; therefore, IR requires consideration early in life. In addition, there is a lack of conclusive evidence regarding the role of dietary nutrients on IR. The Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence Cross-Sectional Study (HELENA-CSS) was conducted in European adolescents aged 12·5–17·5 years.

A multicentre weight loss study using a low-calorie diet over 8 weeks: regional differences in efficacy across eight European cities.

Principles: The efficacy of low-calorie diets (LCDs) has not been investigated in large-scale studies or among people from different regions, who are perhaps unaccustomed to such methods of losing weight. The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in obesity measures among overweight/obese adults from eight European cities (from Northern, Central and Southern Europe) during the 8-week LCD phase of the DiOGenes study (2006-2007), a family-based, randomised, controlled dietary intervention.

Methods: 938 overweight/obese adults completed baseline examinations and underwent an 8-week LCD, providing 3.

Systematic review with dose-response meta-analyses between vitamin B-12 intake and European Micronutrient Recommendations Aligned's prioritized biomarkers of vitamin B-12 including randomized controlled trials and observational studies in adults and elderly persons.

Background: Many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies have provided information on the association between vitamin B-12 intake and biomarkers. The use of these data to estimate dose-response relations provides a useful means to summarize the body of evidence.

Objective: We systematically reviewed studies that investigated vitamin B-12 intake and biomarkers of vitamin B-12 status and estimated dose-response relations with the use of a meta-analysis.

North-south gradients in plasma concentrations of B-vitamins and other components of one-carbon metabolism in Western Europe: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study.

Different lifestyle patterns across Europe may influence plasma concentrations of B-vitamins and one-carbon metabolites and their relation to chronic disease. Comparison of published data on one-carbon metabolites in Western European regions is difficult due to differences in sampling procedures and analytical methods between studies. The present study aimed, to compare plasma concentrations of one-carbon metabolites in Western European regions with one laboratory performing all biochemical analyses.

Main characteristics and participation rate of European adolescents included in the HELENA study.

Background: Participation rate and response rate are key issues in a cross sectional large-scale epidemiological study. The objective of this paper is to describe the study population and to evaluate participation and response rate as well as the key nutritional status variables in male and female adolescents involved in the HELENA study.

Methods: A multi-stage random cluster sampling with a target sample of 3000 adolescents aged [12.

Can differences in physical activity by socio-economic status in European adolescents be explained by differences in psychosocial correlates? A mediation analysis within the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) study.

Objective: Socio-economic status (SES) has been positively associated with physical activity (PA) levels in adolescents. In order to tackle these social inequalities, information is needed about the underlying mechanisms of this association. The present study aimed to investigate the potential mediating role of psychosocial correlates of PA on the relationship between SES and PA in European adolescents.

Multiple miscarriages are associated with the risk of ovarian cancer: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

While the risk of ovarian cancer clearly reduces with each full-term pregnancy, the effect of incomplete pregnancies is unclear. We investigated whether incomplete pregnancies (miscarriages and induced abortions) are associated with risk of epithelial ovarian cancer. This observational study was carried out in female participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Objectively-measured and self-reported physical activity and fitness in relation to inflammatory markers in European adolescents: the HELENA Study.

Objective: Atherogenesis involves an inflammatory process that occurs early in life even though clinical symptoms are not observed until adulthood. Two important protective factors for low-grade inflammation may be physical activity (PA) and fitness. We examined the independent associations of objective and subjective measurements of PA and fitness with low-grade inflammation in European adolescents.

Food intake of European adolescents in the light of different food-based dietary guidelines: results of the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study.

Objective: Since inadequate food consumption patterns during adolescence are not only linked with the occurrence of obesity in youth but also with the subsequent risk of developing diseases in adulthood, the establishment and maintenance of a healthy diet early in life is of great public health importance. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to describe and evaluate the food consumption of a well-characterized sample of European adolescents against food-based dietary guidelines for the first time.

Design: The HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study is a cross-sectional study, whose main objective was to obtain comparable data on a variety of nutritional and health-related parameters in adolescents aged 12·5-17·5 years.

Nutritional knowledge in European adolescents: results from the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) study.

Objective: To build up sufficient knowledge of a 'healthy diet'. Here, we report on the assessment of nutritional knowledge using a uniform method in a large sample of adolescents across Europe.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Sexual dimorphism in the early life programming of serum leptin levels in European adolescents: the HELENA study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that a lower birth weight, as an indicator of adverse intrauterine environment, is associated with higher serum leptin levels in European adolescents. We also examined the possible sexual dimorphism in this relationship.

Methods: Fasting serum leptin was measured in 757 European born at term adolescents (429 females) aged 14.

The nutritional requirements of infants. Towards EU alignment of reference values: the EURRECA network.

This paper presents a review of the current knowledge regarding the macro- and micronutrient requirements of infants and discusses issues related to these requirements during the first year of life. The paper also reviews the current reference values used in European countries and the methodological approaches used to derive them by a sample of seven European and international authoritative committees from which background scientific reports are available. Throughout the paper, the main issues contributing to disparities in micronutrient reference values for infants are highlighted.