Carotenoid Intake and Serum Concentration in Young Finnish Children and Their Relation with Fruit and Vegetable Consumption.

Fruit and vegetable intake has been associated with a reduced risk of many chronic diseases. These foods are the main dietary source of carotenoids. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the associations between dietary intake and serum concentrations of α- and β-carotene in a sample of young Finnish children from the population-based birth cohort of the Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) Study.

Quantitative risk assessment on the dietary exposure of Finnish children and adults to nitrite.

Nitrite intake from the consumption of cured meat and tap water was estimated for Finnish children of 1, 3 and 6 years as well as Finnish adults of 25-74 years. Nitrite content in the foods was measured by capillary electrophoresis, and was then used together with individual food consumption data from the FINDIET 2007 and DIPP studies in a stochastic exposure assessment by a Monte Carlo Risk Assessment (MCRA) program. Nitrite intake from additive sources and tap water was assessed, and more than every 10th child between the ages 3 and 6 years was estimated to have a nitrite intake exceeding the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of nitrite.

Perceived health-related self-efficacy associated with BMI in adults in a population-based survey.

Background: The concept of ability to control personal behaviour in various environmental temptations is called self-efficacy. The high prevalence of obesity and overweight in Finland is the reason for studying the determinants of weight. The aim of the present study was to clarify the associations between body mass index and health-related self-efficacy (HSE), including food patterns, health behaviour and education.

Finnish Children Healthy Eating Index (FCHEI) and its associations with family and child characteristics in pre-school children.

Objective: The objective was to develop a Finnish Children Healthy Eating Index (FCHEI), to determine the relative validity of the index and to examine associations between the index and familial sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics.

Design: Cross-sectional samples of children participating in a population-based birth cohort study in Finland.

Setting: Type I Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) Study cohort.

A diet following Finnish nutrition recommendations does not contribute to the current epidemic of obesity.

Objective: Recently, the general public opinion is that nutritional recommendations promote obesity rather than prevent it. We created the Recommended Finnish Diet Score (RFDS) that illustrates the Finnish nutrition recommendations and assessed whether this score is associated with BMI, waist circumference (WC) and body fat percentage (BF%).

Design: Cross-sectional study included two phases of the National FINRISK 2007 Study.

Tendency toward eveningness is associated with unhealthy dietary habits.

Subjects with higher preference for evening hours in daily activities (eveningness) have been repeatedly shown to practice adverse health behaviors as compared to those preferring morning hours (morningness). However, associations between chronotype and dietary intake have not been explored intensively. The authors explored whether the human chronotype is associated with food and nutrient intakes in a random sample of the population aged 25 to 74 yrs.

Food consumption and advanced β cell autoimmunity in young children with HLA-conferred susceptibility to type 1 diabetes: a nested case-control design.

Background: Evidence for the role of food consumption during childhood in the development of β cell autoimmunity is scarce and fragmentary.

Objective: We set out to study the associations of longitudinal food consumption in children with the development of advanced β cell autoimmunity.

Design: Children with advanced β cell autoimmunity (n = 232) (ie, with repeated positivity for antibodies against islet cells) together with positivity for at least one of the other 3 antibodies analyzed or clinical type 1 diabetes were identified from a prospective birth cohort of 6069 infants with HLA-DQB1-conferred susceptibility to type 1 diabetes who were born in 1996-2004, with the longest follow-up to the age of 11 y.

Fatty acids in serum and diet--a canonical correlation analysis among toddlers.

Fatty acid concentrations in blood are potential biomarkers of dietary fat intake, but methodological studies among children are scarce. The large number of fatty acids and their complex interrelationships pose a special challenge in research on fatty acids. Our target was to assess the interrelationships between the total fatty acid profiles in diet and serum of young children.

Use of voluntarily fortified foods among adults in Finland.

Objective: To investigate the purchase and use of fortified foods, and to explore and compare background characteristics, food consumption and nutrient intakes among users and non-users of voluntarily fortified foods in Finland.

Design: A study based on the National FINDIET Survey 2007 (48 h recall), which included also a barcode-based product diary developed to assess the type, amount and users of voluntarily fortified foods. Logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate associations between background characteristics and the use of fortified foods.

Diet composition of pregnant Finnish women: changes over time and across seasons.

Objective: To describe the diet of a population of pregnant Finnish women over a period of 7 years, with special attention paid to seasonal fluctuations in food consumption and nutrient intake.

Design: A validated 181-item FFQ was applied retrospectively, after delivery, to assess the maternal diet during the 8th month of pregnancy.

Setting: Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Nutrition Study Cohort.

Educational differences in the diet of Finnish adults and the associations between education and the determinants and facilitators of dietary fat quality.

Objective: The aim of the study is to elucidate differences in adults' diet by education, and to analyse the associations between dietary facilitators, education and dietary fat quality.

Design: In all, one-third of subjects from the national FINRISK health survey were invited to participate in the FINDIET 2007 Survey. A 48 h dietary interview was used for dietary data and personal background data were collected by the health survey questionnaire.

Dietary survey methodology of FINDIET 2007 with a risk assessment perspective.

A cross-sectional survey, FINDIET 2007, was carried out in Finland. Food intake data was collected by a 48 h recall interview. Additional food intake data was collected by a repeated 3 d food diary, a barcode-based product diary, a food frequency questionnaire and by a supplementary questionnaire on rarely eaten foods.

Changes in the contribution of snacks to the daily energy intake of Finnish adults.

This study presents data on the contribution of eating occasions to the daily intakes of energy and nutrients. The 48-h dietary data of Finnish adults were gathered from two independent, population-based health surveys undertaken in 2002 and 2007. Snack-dominated and main-meal dominated eating patterns were defined as the habit of obtaining the majority of daily energy from snacks or from main meals.

Nutrient intake and food use of Finnish conscripts in garrison, on leave, and in encampment conditions.

Background: 80% of Finnish men fill their civic duty and complete military service. Conscripts' dietary habits have been studied limitedly.

Objective: The aim was to determine conscripts' nutrient intake and food use in garrison, on leave, and in encampment conditions.

Unhealthy dietary patterns are associated with weight gain during pregnancy among Finnish women.

Objective: To study whether the dietary patterns of Finnish pregnant women are associated with their weight gain rate during pregnancy.

Design: A validated 181-item FFQ was applied retrospectively to assess the diet during the eighth month of pregnancy, and maternal height and maternal weight at first and last antenatal visits were recalled. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, parity and smoking of the pregnant women was obtained by a structured questionnaire and from the Finnish Birth Registry.

Some similarities in dietary clusters of pre-school children and their mothers.

The diet of pre-school children is determined by the parents and carers. The aim of the present study was to describe dietary clusters of pre-school children and their mothers in Finland, and analyse the similarity of dietary clusters within child-mother pairs. The present study comprised the mothers (n 4862) whose child was recruited in the Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Nutrition Study and the children belonging to selected, cross-sectional age groups of 1 year (n 719), 3 years (n 708) and 6 years (n 841).

Sucrose in the diet of 3-year-old Finnish children: sources, determinants and impact on food and nutrient intake.

The aim was to identify the important sources of added sucrose and determinants of high intake, and to evaluate what impact a high proportion of energy from added sucrose has on the intake of foods and nutrients. The subjects consisted of children invited to the nutrition study within the Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention birth cohort and born in 2001 (n 846). Of these, 471 returned 3 d food records at 3 years of age.

Sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics are associated with antioxidant intake and the consumption of their dietary sources during pregnancy.

Objective: To analyse the associations of selected sociodemographic and lifestyle factors with the intake of antioxidant nutrients and consumption of their main dietary sources among pregnant women.

Design: A population-based cohort study. Dietary intake during pregnancy was assessed by a self-administered FFQ one to three months after the delivery.

Intake of antioxidant vitamins and trace elements during pregnancy and risk of advanced beta cell autoimmunity in the child.

Background: Type 1 diabetes may have its origins in the fetal period of life. Free radicals were implicated in the cause of type 1 diabetes. It was hypothesized that antioxidant nutrients could protect against type 1 diabetes.

Dietary intake and major food sources of polyphenols in Finnish adults.

Phenolic acids, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and ellagitannins are polyphenols that may have beneficial effects on human health and provide protection against chronic diseases. To date, limited data exist on quantitative intake of polyphenols. The aims of this study were to estimate the quantitative intakes of polyphenols by using analyzed concentrations together with individual food consumption records and to determine major dietary sources.

Seven distinct dietary patterns identified among pregnant Finnish women--associations with nutrient intake and sociodemographic factors.

Objectives: To identify and describe dietary patterns in a cohort of pregnant women and investigate whether the dietary patterns are associated with dietary intake and sociodemographic factors.

Design: Mothers entering the Finnish Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) Nutrition Study in 1997-2002 were retrospectively asked to complete a food-frequency questionnaire concerning their diet during pregnancy. Principal components analysis was used to identify dietary patterns.

Dietary intake and use of dietary supplements in relation to demographic variables among pregnant Finnish women.

Proper nutrition during pregnancy may be important for maternal health and fetal growth and development. In Finland, targeted recommendations are given to guide pregnant women in their food choice and dietary supplement use so that they may obtain adequate nutritional status and meet the increased need for nutrients. The aims of the present study were to examine food choices, nutrient intake and dietary supplement use of pregnant Finnish women in association with demographic variables.

Market basket study on dietary intake of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PBDEs in Finland.

We have measured the concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD/F), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in 10 market baskets consisting of almost 4000 individual food samples representing 228 different food items, and also in the total diet basket. Lower bound concentrations of PCDD/Fs ranged between 0.0057 and 5.

Phyto-oestrogen database of foods and average intake in Finland.

Information on phyto-oestrogen intake in various populations has been scanty until now, primarily because data on the content of these compounds in foods were lacking. We report here on expansion of the Finnish National Food Composition Database (Fineli) with values for the plant lignans matairesinol and secoisolariciresinol and the isoflavones daidzein and genistein. The values, expressed as aglycones, were based on food analyses (mainly GC-MS) or imputed from analytical data for 180 foods for lignans and 160 foods for isoflavones; additionally, over 1000 values were derived from the recipe database of Fineli.

Arginine intake, blood pressure, and the incidence of acute coronary events in men: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.

Background: Evidence suggests that dietary supplementation of L-arginine, the precursor of nitric oxide, may protect arteries against atherosclerosis.

Objective: We tested the hypothesis that dietary arginine intake is associated with a decreased risk of acute coronary events in Finnish men aged 42-60 y.

Design: We investigated this association in a prospective cohort study of men who were free of prior coronary artery disease and who were examined in 1984-1989 in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD).