Ultra-processed foods and human health: An umbrella review and updated meta-analyses of observational evidence.

Background & Aims: Ultra-processed food (UPF) intake has increased sharply over the last few decades and has been consistently asserted to be implicated in the development of non-communicable diseases. We aimed to evaluate and update the existing observational evidence for associations between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and human health.

Methods: We searched Medline and Embase from inception to March 2023 to identify and update meta-analyses of observational studies examining the associations between UPF consumption, as defined by the NOVA classification, and a wide spectrum of health outcomes.

Impact of a Special Operations Forces Basic Training on Body Composition and Energy Expenditure.

Introduction: The Belgian Special Operations Regiment undergoes an 8-week basic training course (SOF Basic Course) following the Military Initiation Phase. The aims of the present study were to estimate energy expenditure and changes in body composition during SOF Basic Course.

Materials And Methods: A multi frequency body composition analyser assessed baseline and endpoint body composition.

Do psychological factors relate to movement-evoked pain in people with musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: A growing body of evidence has demonstrated the importance of implementing movement-evoked pain in conventional pain assessments, with a significant role for psychological factors being suggested. Whether or not to include these factors in the assessment of movement-evoked pain has not yet been determined.

Objectives: The aim of this systematic review is to explore the association between psychological factors and movement-evoked pain scores in people with musculoskeletal pain.

East-Greenland traditional nutrition: a reanalysis of the Høygaard nutritional data (1936-1937).

Greenlandic traditional nutrition was unique in the arctic environment. The aim of the present study was to reanalyse the Høygaard . data, focusing on two micronutrients object of discussion, i.

Vitamin C in East-Greenland traditional nutrition: a reanalysis of the Høygaard nutritional data (1936-1937).

Greenlandic traditional nutrition was an almost exclusive meat dietary pattern. Høygaard et al. stayed in East-Greenland between August 1936 and August 1937.

Plant-based dietary patterns in Flemish adults: a 10-year trend analysis.

Purpose: Although the beneficial health effects of plant-based dietary patterns are evident, it is not clear if population-wide dietary patterns are shifting in a more plant-based direction. This study evaluated trends in dietary patterns among Flemish adults over a 10-year period. Furthermore, differences in socio-demographic characteristics between different dietary pattern groups were explored.

East-Greenland traditional nutrition: a reanalysis of the Inuit energy balance and the macronutrient consumption from the Høygaard nutritional data (1936-1937).

Greenlandic traditional nutrition was unique in the arctic environment because it was an almost exclusive meat dietary pattern. Høygaard et al. left Copenhagen in August 1936, and stayed in East Greenland until August 1937.

Energy Balance and Energy Availability During a Selection Course for Belgian Paratroopers.

Introduction: Adequate energy supply is a prerequisite for optimal performances and recovery. The aims of the present study were to estimate energy balance and energy availability during a selection course for Belgian paratroopers.

Methods: Energy expenditure by physical activity was measured with accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X+, ActiGraph LLC, Pensacola, FL, USA) and rest metabolic rate in Cal.

Efforts needed for preventing breast and colorectal cancer through changes in dietary patterns.

Background: Prospective cohort studies on diet and cancer report risk associations as hazard ratios. But hazard ratios do not inform on the number of people who need to alter their dietary behaviours for preventing cancer. The objective of this study is to estimate the number of people that need to alter their diet for preventing one additional case of female breast or colorectal cancer.

Nutritional intervention in chronic pain: an innovative way of targeting central nervous system sensitization?

Introduction: Few treatment programs for chronic pain nowadays take a dietary pattern or adipose status into account.

Areas Covered: An important role of neuroinflammation in chronic pain is now well established, at least in part due to increased central nervous system glial activation. Based on preclinical studies, it is postulated that the interaction between nutrition and central sensitization is mediated via bidirectional gut-brain interactions.

Dietary Intake, Hydration Status, and Body Composition of Three Belgian Military Groups.

Introduction: Malnutrition, suboptimal hydration, and inadequate body composition can have negative consequences on soldiers' performance and health. A recent consensus statement concerning "soldiers' physical performance" points to the scarcity of data in specific military populations. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess and compare dietary intake, hydration status, and body composition of three military groups during their specific military training.

Energy availability and nutrition during a Special Force Qualification Course (Q-Course).

Introduction: The Special Forces (SF) are an elite military group usually engaged in physically demanding field operations, resulting among others in high daily energy requirements. Optimising energy supply and nutritional requirements is therefore mandatory for success. The aim of this study was to estimate energy availability and nutrition during a Qualification Course (Q-Course) for Belgian SF.

Low 10-year reproducibility of glycaemic index and glycaemic load in a prospective cohort study.

When relating glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) to health outcomes, many prospective cohort studies assess the nutritional exposure only once in time, that is, at the start of the study, presuming a stability in nutritional consumption during the course of the study. The aim of this study is to investigate the reproducibility of GI and GL. This is a prospective cohort study in which 562 middle-aged Belgian adults noted all foods and drinks consumed during 3 d in 2002 and 2012.

The effect of a portion size intervention on French fries consumption, plate waste, satiety and compensatory caloric intake: an on-campus restaurant experiment.

Background: One of the driving factors of dietary overconsumption throughout the last decennia is the increase of food portion sizes. Larger portions induce higher daily energy intake, so reducing portion size may reduce intake of excess calories. However, real-life studies about the effects of portion size reduction are lacking.

Factors associated with fruit and vegetable and total fat intake in university students: A cross-sectional explanatory study.

Aim: This study assessed sociodemographics, general health, personal and environmental factors associated with fruit and vegetable (F&V) and total fat intake in Belgian university students.

Methods: In total, 185 students completed a self-reported online questionnaire assessing daily F&V and fat intake, as well as sociodemographic, personal and environmental variables related to F&V and fat intake. Mean F&V and fat consumption were compared with Belgian recommendations.

Effect of vitamin D supplementation on non-skeletal disorders: a systematic review of meta-analyses and randomised trials.

Randomised trials reported up to Dec 31, 2012, did not confirm that vitamin D supplementation could protect from non-skeletal health conditions affecting adults, as was expected on the basis of data from observational studies. To examine whether the more recently published meta-analyses and trials would change past conclusions, we systematically reviewed meta-analyses of vitamin D supplementation and non-skeletal disorders published between Jan 1, 2013, and May 31, 2017, that included study participants of all ages, including pregnant women. We also searched for randomised trials not included in meta-analyses.

Assessment of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and weight change: a prospective cohort study.

Background: In prospective studies, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) have been associated with weight increase. However, most prospective studies examine changes in body weight over time according to amounts of SSB intake at baseline, generally without considering changes over time in SSB, energy intake and physical activity. The objective of the present study was to examine how SSB intakes influence changes in weight, according to the way SSB intakes are analysed.

The Paradox of Ingestion of Dietary Cholesterol in "Vegans"-Reply.

In a comment on several articles on the vegan dietary pattern, Antoniazzi & Acosta-Navarro (2017) mentioned the paradox of the presence of dietary cholesterol as a nutritional component in the analysis of the vegan dietary pattern [1]. [..

Vegetarianism and meat consumption: A comparison of attitudes and beliefs between vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, and omnivorous subjects in Belgium.

High levels of meat consumption in Belgium may be contributing to increased risk of non-communicable diseases in this population. The objective of this study is to investigate the attitudes and beliefs about vegetarianism and meat consumption among the Belgian population, ultimately to better understand the motivations underlying these dietary behaviours. This cross-sectional study was initiated in March 2011.