Cross-sectional analysis of plasma n-3 fatty acid levels and self-reported hearing difficulty in the UK Biobank Cohort.

Background: Disabling hearing loss affects ∼430 million people globally. Fish consumption and long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake were inversely associated with risk of hearing loss, but the association of plasma n-3 PUFAs and hearing loss is unclear.

Objective: To examine the associations between plasma n-3 PUFA fractions (as % of total fatty acids), i.

Understanding the role of the human gut microbiome in overweight and obesity.

The gut microbiome may be related to the prevalence of overweight and obesity, but high interindividual variability of the human microbiome complicates our understanding. Obesity often occurs concomitantly with micronutrient deficiencies that impair energy metabolism. Microbiota composition is affected by diet.

Using Capillary Whole Blood to Quantitatively Measure Ferritin: A Validation Trial of a Point-of-Care System.

Iron deficiency is a public health problem with devastating health, developmental and behavioral effects which often exacerbated due to affordability and access to screening and diagnosis. Using ™ a portable, point-of-care diagnostic system capable of quantitatively measuring ferritin in blood, we validated ferritin measurements using whole blood and serum with a lab-based, regulator-approved analytical device for measuring ferritin in venous serum. Capillary (finger stick) and venous whole blood samples were obtained from 44 male and female volunteers.

Lower omega-3 status associated with higher erythrocyte distribution width and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in UK Biobank cohort.

High red blood distribution width (RDW) is associated with decreased red blood cell deformability, and high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a biomarker of systemic inflammation and innate-adaptive immune system imbalance. Both RDW and NLR are predictors of chronic disease risk and mortality. Omega-3 index (O3I) values have previously been shown to be inversely associated with RDW and NLR levels.

Are professors of human nutrition faculty at Canadian universities representative with respect to common social constructs of gender and race?

Attributes such as sex and race/ethnicity are associated with inequities in representation. The objective of this study was to assess representation of 2 social constructs, gender and race, of professors of human nutrition in Canada. Using information publicly available October 2021, individuals with the title of assistant, associate, or full professor were identified on websites of 20 Canadian universities offering undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in human nutrition.

The omega-3 index is inversely associated with the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in adults'.

The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a biomarker of systemic inflammation and measures innate-adaptive immune system balance. The omega-3-index (O3I) measures the amount of EPA+DHA in blood. Both a low O3I and an elevated NLR are associated with increased risk for chronic disease and mortality, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Omega-3 index is directly associated with a healthy red blood cell distribution width.

Low red blood cell (RBC) membrane content of EPA and DHA, i.e., the omega-3 index (O3I), and elevated RBC distribution width (RDW) are risk factors for all-cause mortality.

Using an erythrocyte fatty acid fingerprint to predict risk of all-cause mortality: the Framingham Offspring Cohort.

Background: RBC long-chain omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid (FA) percentages (of total fatty acids) are associated with lower risk for total mortality, but it is unknown if a suite of FAs could improve risk prediction.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare a combination of RBC FA levels with standard risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in predicting risk of all-cause mortality.

Methods: Framingham Offspring Cohort participants without prevalent CVD having RBC FA measurements and relevant baseline clinical covariates (n = 2240) were evaluated during 11 y of follow-up.

Beyond Nutrient Deficiency-Opportunities to Improve Nutritional Status and Promote Health Modernizing DRIs and Supplementation Recommendations.

The US Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide dietary recommendations to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease. Despite 40 years of DGA, the prevalence of under-consumed nutrients continues in the US and globally, although dietary supplement use can help to fill shortfalls. Nutrient recommendations are based on Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) to meet the nutrient requirements for nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals in a particular life stage and gender group and many need to be updated using current evidence.

Measuring health promotion: translating science into policy.

Commonly, it is the end of life when our health is deteriorating, that many will make drastic lifestyle changes to improve their quality of life. However, it is increasingly recognized that bringing good health-promoting behaviors into practice as early in life as possible has the most significant impact across the maximal healthspan. The WHO has brought clarity to health promotion over the last fifteen years, always centering on language relating to a process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their physical, mental and social health.

Modeling Possible Outcomes of Updated Daily Values on Nutrient Intakes of the United States Adult Population.

The United States (US) Food and Drug Administration has updated the Daily Values (DVs) for the Nutrition Facts Label on packaged foods. We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2012 data with the International Life Sciences Institute, North America Fortification Database, which identifies intrinsic, mandatory enriched, and fortified sources of nutrients in foods and beverages, to model the new DVs' potential impact on adult (≥19 years of age) intake. We assumed that manufacturers will adjust voluntary fortification to maintain percent DV claims.

Establishing What Constitutes a Healthy Human Gut Microbiome: State of the Science, Regulatory Considerations, and Future Directions.

On December 17, 2018, the North American branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI North America) convened a workshop "Can We Begin to Define a Healthy Gut Microbiome Through Quantifiable Characteristics?" with >40 invited academic, government, and industry experts in Washington, DC. The workshop objectives were to 1) develop a collective expert assessment of the state of the evidence on the human gut microbiome and associated human health benefits, 2) see if there was sufficient evidence to establish measurable gut microbiome characteristics that could serve as indicators of "health," 3) identify short- and long-term research needs to fully characterize healthy gut microbiome-host relationships, and 4) publish the findings. Conclusions were as follows: 1) mechanistic links of specific changes in gut microbiome structure with function or markers of human health are not yet established; 2) it is not established if dysbiosis is a cause, consequence, or both of changes in human gut epithelial function and disease; 3) microbiome communities are highly individualized, show a high degree of interindividual variation to perturbation, and tend to be stable over years; 4) the complexity of microbiome-host interactions requires a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research agenda to elucidate relationships between gut microbiome and host health; 5) biomarkers and/or surrogate indicators of host function and pathogenic processes based on the microbiome need to be determined and validated, along with normal ranges, using approaches similar to those used to establish biomarkers and/or surrogate indicators based on host metabolic phenotypes; 6) future studies measuring responses to an exposure or intervention need to combine validated microbiome-related biomarkers and/or surrogate indicators with multiomics characterization of the microbiome; and 7) because static genetic sampling misses important short- and long-term microbiome-related dynamic changes to host health, future studies must be powered to account for inter- and intraindividual variation and should use repeated measures within individuals.

US Family Physicians Overestimate Personal ω-3 Fatty Acid Biomarker Status: Associations with Fatty Fish and ω-3 Supplement Intake.

Background: The health benefits of ω-3 (n-3) fatty acids are well established. Only a small percentage of Americans consume the recommended amounts of fatty fish, the main dietary source of ω-3 fatty acids, and most have low ω-3 fatty acid blood concentrations.

Objective: We aimed to measure biomarkers of long-chain ω-3 fatty acid (EPA and DHA) status among family physicians, and determine whether having their ω-3 status tested would influence attitudes and patient recommendations.

Impact of Biological Feedback and Incentives on Blood Fatty Acid Concentrations, Including Omega-3 Index, in an Employer-Based Wellness Program.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3) are important fatty acids for the retina and brain. More than 95% of Americans have suboptimal EPA + DHA blood concentrations. This cross-sectional employer-based study assessed whole blood fatty acid levels of volunteers participating in an onsite wellness biometric screening program and was designed to determine if an incentive, a $5 coupon for a 90-day supply of fish oil supplement typically costing $18-30, stimulated incremental dietary behavior change relative to nutritional status assessment alone to increase EPA + DHA concentrations.

Risk of Deficiency in Multiple Concurrent Micronutrients in Children and Adults in the United States.

Certain population sub-groups in the United States are vulnerable to micronutrient malnutrition. Nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) describing the biochemical status of vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, folate, and anemia, were aggregated to determine the overall risk of multiple concurrent deficiencies in U.S.

Implications of US Nutrition Facts Label Changes on Micronutrient Density of Fortified Foods and Supplements.

The US FDA published new nutrition-labeling regulations in May 2016. For the first time since the implementation of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, the Daily Value (DV) for most vitamins will change, as will the units of measurement used in nutrition labeling for some vitamins. For some food categories, the Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACCs) will increase to reflect portions commonly consumed on a single occasion.

Suboptimal Plasma Long Chain n-3 Concentrations are Common among Adults in the United States, NHANES 2003-2004.

Population data on long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCn-3 PUFA) status from biomarkers of dietary intake is lacking. The objectives were to describe plasma LCn-3 PUFA concentrations and compare them to concentrations associated with cardiovascular health and dietary recommendations for two servings of seafood/week. Fasting plasma fatty acids were measured among 1386 subjects ≥20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2004.

Suboptimal Serum α-Tocopherol Concentrations Observed among Younger Adults and Those Depending Exclusively upon Food Sources, NHANES 2003-20061-3.

Vitamin E is an essential nutrient for human health, with an established function as a lipid-soluble antioxidant that protects cell membranes from free radical damage. Low vitamin E status has been linked to multiple health outcomes, including total mortality. With vitamin E being identified as a 'shortfall nutrient' because >90% of American adults are not consuming recommended amounts of vitamin E, we aimed to determine the prevalence of both clinical vitamin E deficiency (serum α-tocopherol concentration < 12 μmol/L) and failure to meet a criterion of vitamin E adequacy, serum α-tocopherol concentration of 30 μmol/L, based on the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) and lowest mortality rate in the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene (ATBC) study.

Nutritional status as assessed by nutrient intakes and biomarkers among women of childbearing age--is the burden of nutrient inadequacies growing in America?

Objective: Understanding nutrient intakes among women of childbearing age within the USA is important given the accumulating evidence that maternal body weight gain and nutrient intakes prior to pregnancy may influence the health and well-being of the offspring. The objective of the present study was to evaluate nutritional status in women of childbearing age and to ascertain the influence of ethnicity and income on nutrient intakes.

Design: Nutritional status was assessed using data on nutrient intakes through foods and supplements from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

ω-3 fatty acid supplementation as a potential therapeutic aid for the recovery from mild traumatic brain injury/concussion.

Sports-related concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) are becoming increasingly recognized as a major public health concern; however, no effective therapy for these injuries is currently available. ω-3 (n-3) fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have important structural and functional roles in the brain, with established clinical benefits for supporting brain development and cognitive function throughout life. Consistent with these critical roles of DHA in the brain, accumulating evidence suggests that DHA may act as a promising recovery aid, or possibly as a prophylactic nutritional measure, for mTBI.