Sugars and sweeteners: science, innovations, and consumer guidance for Asia.

Background And Objectives: Rising obesity in Southeast Asia, one consequence of economic growth, has been linked to a rising consumption of energy from added sugars. This symposium, organized by ILSI Southeast Asia, explored regional issues related to dietary sugars and health and identified ways in which these issues could be addressed by regional regulatory agencies, food producers, and the consumer.

Methods And Study Design: Papers on the following topics were presented: 1) current scientific evidence on the effects of sugars and non-caloric sweeteners on body weight, health, and eating behaviors; 2) innovations by food producers to reduce sugar consumption in the region; 3) regional dietary surveillance of sugar consumption and suggestions for consumer guidance.

Adherence of Malaysian Adults' Energy and Macronutrient Intakes to National Recommendations: A Review and Meta-Analysis.

The present study examined the best available evidence regarding energy and macronutrient intake during adulthood (age 19 to 59 years) in Malaysia and assessed whether intakes adhere to national recommendations, in order to develop recommendations for dietary improvement based on population consumption patterns. A literature review and meta-analysis evaluated intake based on the following characteristics, using information from food balance sheets, national surveys, and individual studies: (1) levels of intake, (2) proportion of the population whose diets adhere to/exceed/fail to meet Malaysian Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) levels, and (3) sources of macronutrients observed in these studies. Food balance data suggested high levels of available energy, animal source protein, vegetable fat, and refined carbohydrates.

Consumption and sources of added sugar in Thailand: a review.

Background And Objectives: The present review examined the best available evidence regarding consumption levels and sources of added sugar in different population groups in Thailand.

Methods And Study Design: Information was extracted from food balance sheets, household expenditure surveys, food consumption surveys, government reports, published and unpublished studies.

Results: A total of 24 references were obtained, comprising 8 nationally representative reports and 16 individual studies.

High prevalence of thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in early childhood among a nationally representative sample of Cambodian women of childbearing age and their children.

Background: Thiamine deficiency is thought to be an issue in Cambodia and throughout Southeast Asia due to frequent clinical reports of infantile beriberi. However the extent of this public health issue is currently unknown due to a lack of population-representative data. Therefore we assessed the thiamine status (measured as erythrocyte thiamine diphosphate concentrations; eThDP) among a representative sample of Cambodian women of childbearing age (15-49 y) and their young children (6-69 mo).

Intake of added sugar in Malaysia: a review.

The term 'added sugars' refers to sugars and syrup added to foods during processing or preparation, and sugars and syrups added at the table. Calls to limit the daily intakes of added sugars and its sources arose from evidence analysed by WHO, the American Heart Association and other organizations. The present review examined the best available evidence regarding levels of added sugar consumption among different age and sex groups in Malaysia and sources of added sugars.

The 2nd International Conference on East-West Perspectives on Functional Foods: Science, Innovations and Claims.

The 2nd International Conference on East-West Perspective on Functional Foods held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November, 2007, discussed the current work on some traditional Asian foods and new technologies that offer both challenges and opportunities for functional foods. The highlight of the conference was on the current regulatory status of nutrition and health claims related to functional foods and the experiences in some countries on the substantiation of claims. Attention was also given to strategies for effective communication of functional foods to consumers.