Browsing by master's degree program "Magisterprogrammet i human nutrition och matbeteende"

This thesis investigates the sociocultural dimensions of food consumption within the Apurinã Indigenous people, with emphasis on how oral narratives shape food-related practices and knowledge transmission. Through a qualitative approach and decolonising research methodologies, it integrates Indigenous epistemologies with Western theoretical frameworks, specifically Practice Theory, to offer a comprehensive approach to the Apurinã’s food relation. The study aims to observe what Amazonian Indigenous stories reveal about their relations to food and analyse how the recontextualisation of Practice Theory’s ideal types through Indigenous epistemology can portray Apurinã Indigenous food relations. The findings suggest that Amazonian Indigenous food practices, grounded in oral traditions, promote a relational approach where food is respected as equal to humans and integrated into social relations. These practices challenge Western-centric views of food as a commodity, offering alternative insights into human-environment interactions and promoting a holistic approach to food consumption. The research contributes to the broader discourse on cultural preservation, food sustainability, and the integration of Indigenous Knowledge systems in contemporary food practices, advocating for a shift towards more equitable and environmentally conscious food systems.

Background: The effects of vegan and vegetarian diets on children's health are not yet well-understood due to limited research, and the relationship between plant-based diets and children's serum amino acid levels remains unclear. Amino acids play a vital role in growth and well-being, particularly for children. Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to investigate potential differences in serum amino acid concentrations among children following vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous diets. The secondary objective is to explore whether the diet of a child can be inferred based on their serum amino acid profiles. Methods: Conducted as part of the MIRA2 research, the study involved 69 children from Helsinki day care centers, following vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore diets, with dietary data gathered from parents and validated by 3-day food diaries. Serum amino acid concentrations were analyzed using UHPLC in a laboratory, and group comparisons were conducted using Kruskal-Wallis tests with post-hoc analyses. A decision tree model was constructed based on amino acid concentrations to classify children as vegan or non-vegan. Results: Serum amino acid median concentrations of glycine, arginine, cysteine, conditionally indispensable amino acids, sulfur amino acids and amino acids participating in urea cycle were higher in vegans compared to omnivores. Concentrations of lysine were lower in vegans and vegetarians compared to omnivores. The decision tree model, based on amino acid concentrations, successfully classified 70,3% of children as vegan or non-vegan. Conclusions: Plant-based diets appeared to influence serum amino acid concentrations of children to some extent. Further research, especially regarding the health implications and reference values for amino acid levels, particularly in children on plant-based diets, is still needed. Tausta: Vegaani- ja kasvisruokavalioiden vaikutukset lasten terveyteen eivät ole vielä täysin ymmärrettyjä rajallisen tutkimustiedon vuoksi, ja yhteys kasvipohjaisten ruokavalioiden ja lasten seerumin aminohappopitoisuuksien välillä on epäselvä. Aminohapot ovat keskeisiä kasvun ja hyvinvoinnin kannalta, erityisesti lapsille. Tavoitteet: Tutkimuksen ensisijainen tavoite oli selvittää mahdollisia eroja seerumin aminohappopitoisuuksissa lapsilla, jotka noudattavat vegaani-, kasvis- tai sekasyöntiruokavaliota. Lisäksi tutkittiin, voiko lasten ruokavalion päätellä heidän seerumin aminohappoprofiilinsa perusteella. Menetelmät: Tutkimus tehtiin osana MIRA2-tutkimusta, ja siihen osallistui Helsingin päiväkodeissta yhteensä 69 lasta, jotka noudattivat vegaani-, kasvis- tai sekaruokavaliota. Tieto ruokavaliosta kerättiin vanhemmilta ja validioitiin 3 päivän ruokapäiväkirjoilla. Seerumin aminohappopitoisuudet analysoitiin laboratoriossa UHPLC-menetelmällä, ja ryhmävertailut suoritettiin Kruskal-Wallis -testeillä post-hoc-analyyseineen. Päätöspuumalli luotiin aminohappopitoisuuksien perusteella lasten luokittelemiseksi vegaaneiksi tai ei-vegaaneiksi. Tulokset: Vegaaneilla glysiinin, arginiinin, kysteiinin, ehdollisesti välttämättömien aminohappojen, rikkipitoisten aminohappojen ja ureasykliin osallistuvien aminohappojen mediaanipitosuudet olivat korkeammat verrattuna sekasyöjiin. Lysiinin pitoisuudet olivat alhaisemmat vegaaneilla ja kasvissyöjillä verrattuna sekasyöjiin. Aminohappopitoisuuksiin perustuva päätöspuumalli luokitteli onnistuneesti 70,3 % lapsista vegaaneiksi tai ei-vegaaneiksi. Johtopäätökset: Kasvipohjaiset ruokavaliot vaikuttivat jossain määrin lasten seerumin aminohappopitoisuuksiin. Lisätutkimusta tarvitaan erityisesti terveysvaikutusten ja aminohappopitoisuuksien viitearvojen suhteen, erityisesti kasvipohjaisilla ruokavaliolla olevilla lapsilla.

Background: Preschoolers suffer frequently from infections. Large group sizes and varying hygiene practices may enhance pathogen transmission within preschool settings. Preschool-attributable infections cause economic consequences for society, which is why identifying the related risk factors is of importance. One such may be diet. Appropriate immune defence requires sufficient intakes of energy, protein, polyunsaturated fat, dietary fibre, and numerous micronutrients, whereas excess sugar and saturated fat may be harmful. However, previous nutritional research examining preschoolers’ infections has mainly focused on probiotics. Little research has been done on the role of whole-diet in preschoolers’ susceptibility to infections. Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the associations of dietary patterns with common colds, gastroenteritis, and antibiotic courses among Finnish preschoolers. Methods: The study sample included 721 children aged 3-6 years attending the cross-sectional DAGIS survey. The parents reported retrospectively how many common colds, gastroenteritis, and antibiotic courses their children had experienced during the past year. Children’s food consumption was recorded using a 47-item food frequency questionnaire filled in by the parents. The parents also reported background factors of their children and family. The following three dietary patterns were identified based on the food consumption frequencies using principal component analysis: 1) sweets-and-treats pattern (high loadings of e.g. biscuits, chocolate, and ice cream); 2) health-conscious pattern (high loadings of e.g. nuts, natural yoghurt, and berries); and 3) vegetables-and-processed meats pattern (high loadings of e.g. vegetables, colds cuts, and fruits). Dietary pattern scores were calculated for each child to describe the strength of adherence to each identified dietary pattern. The distributions of the dietary pattern scores were divided into thirds that were labelled low, moderate, and high adherence groups. Negative binomial regression analysis was used to examine the associations between thirds of the dietary pattern scores and the prevalence of common colds and antibiotic courses. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the associations between thirds of the dietary pattern scores and a chance of experiencing at least one gastroenteritis. Results: Prevalence of common colds was lower in moderate and high adherences to the sweets-and-treats pattern compared to low adherence (PR=0.89, 95% CI=0.80-1.00; and PR=0.88, 95% CI=0.79-0.99, respectively) and higher in high adherence to the health-conscious pattern compared to low adherence (PR=1.13, 95% CI=1.01-1.27) after adjusting for age, sex, number of children living in the same household, frequency of preschool attendance, probiotic use, and the highest educational level in the family. Moderate adherence to the sweets-and-treats pattern was associated with a lower chance of at least one gastroenteritis (OR=0.63, 95% CI=0.44-0.92) and lower prevalence of antibiotic courses (PR=0.77, 95% CI= 0.59-1.00) compared to low adherence. No significant associations were observed between the vegetables-and-processed meats pattern and the infectious outcomes. Adjustments for the background factors did not modify the associations. Conclusion: The results were unexpected. The associations observed would suggest that favouring unhealthier foods but avoiding healthier foods was linked to better immunity, which is difficult to accept as true. Parents who were most health-conscious of their children’s diet might also have been more conscious of their children’s illness conditions than less health-conscious parents, which may explain the results. Further research with longitudinal designs is needed to determine whether dietary habits play a role in preschoolers’ susceptibility to infections.

BACKGROUND: Diet has a major influence on the human gut microbiome, which has been linked to health and disease. However, epidemiological studies on the association of a healthy diet with the gut microbiome utilizing a whole-diet approach are still scant. OBJECTIVES: To assess associations between healthy food choices and human gut microbiome composition, and to determine the strength of association with the functional potential of the microbiome. DESIGN: The study sample consisted of 4,930 participants in the FINRISK 2002 study. Food intake was assessed using a food propensity questionnaire. Intake of food items recommended to be part of a healthy diet in the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations were transformed into a healthy food choices (HFC) score. Microbial diversity (alpha diversity) and compositional differences (beta diversity) and their associations with the HFC score and its components were assessed using linear regression and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA). Associations between specific taxa and HFC were analyzed using multivariate associations with linear models (MaAsLin). Functional associations were derived from KEGG orthologies (KO) with linear regression models. RESULTS: Both microbial alpha (p = 1.90x10-4) and beta diversity (p ≤ 0.001) associated with HFC score. For alpha diversity, the strongest associations were observed for fiber-rich breads, poultry, fruits, and low-fat cheeses. For beta diversity, most prominent associations were observed for vegetables followed by berries and fruits. Genera with fiber-degrading and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) producing capacity were positively associated with the HFC score. HFC associated positively with KO-based functions such as vitamin biosynthesis and SCFA metabolism, and inversely with fatty acid biosynthesis and the sulfur relay system. CONCLUSIONS: These results from a large and representative population-based survey confirm and extend findings of other smaller-scale studies that plant and fiber-rich dietary choices are associated with a more diverse and compositionally distinct microbiome, and with a greater potential to produce SCFAs.

Introduction In addition to families and home environments, preschools can shape children’s eating habits. Children’s fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption remains below recommendations. Nutrition interventions should be aimed at young children when eating habits develop and be implemented in influential settings, like preschools. The preferred method to study and measure consumption is by weighing foods. However, weighing is hardly used in preschool-settings especially in group-level research. Aims The aim was to examine the effect of the DAGIS intervention on the consumption of FV in preschool meals. The secondary aim was to determine whether the results differed from the impact of DAGIS intervention on the FV consumption at group level when the amount of plate waste was considered. Materials and methods The DAGIS intervention was a randomized controlled trial (2017–2018) aiming to promote lifestyle and self-regulation skills affecting the energy-balance of Finnish 3–6-year-old. The 23-week intervention included 32 preschools. Vegetable consumption was measured at group level for three days in preschool before and after the intervention by weighing vegetables served, serving waste and plate waste. Data analyses were performed using Chi-square test, t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test and linear regression. Results In the follow-up, the median consumption of fresh FV, salad mixes, warm vegetables as a side dish and canned FV (25th; 75th quartile) per child was 81.3 g (55.2; 120.6) in the control group and 72.1 g (65.7; 119.3) in the intervention group. The total consumption of FV per child in the intervention group was not higher than in the control group after intervention. The inclusion of plate waste did not change the results adjusted by municipality. Conclusions There was no increase in FV consumption in the intervention group after intervention compared to the control group. Apart from highlighting FV consumption, future group-level interventions should be targeted at serving of vegetables. They should also critically consider the necessity of collecting plate-waste, especially if it increases research cost and burden.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurological disease impacting over six million people in the world. In addition to the motor symptoms of the disease, the disorder is accompanied with gastrointestinal problems. These include delayed transit time, disturbances in the microbial composition of the gut, inflammation in the intestine, structural changes in the epithelial lining and increased intestinal permeability. Paracellular permeability is regulated by tight junctions (TJ) which are complexes formed by proteins such as claudins, occludin and zonula occludens proteins. Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered have beneficial effects on the host. Probiotic bacteria can modulate intestinal permeability and the expression of TJ proteins. These microbes are also able to improve the gastrointestinal symptoms, such as constipation, in PD patients. As a part of a larger study, the aim was to examine whether the expression of TJ proteins is altered in the lactacystin-induced mouse model of PD and to investigate whether probiotic supplementation elicits changes in their expression. The study was conducted in eight- to nine-week-old C57Bl/6JRccHsd mice, to which PD symptoms had been induced by lactacystin injection to the substantia nigra. Starting at one to two weeks after the injection, four groups of mice were treated with one out of four specific probiotic strains (A, B, C and D) for two weeks. At the end of the experiment, jejunal and colonic samples were collected from the mice. These samples were analyzed using Western Blot to determine the expression of TJ proteins claudin-1, claudin-4 and occludin. Based on the WB results, the jejunal gene level expression of these proteins in one probiotic group (D) was compared to the untreated group with reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The expression of TJ proteins was not altered as a result of the lactacystin injection in jejunum or colon, suggesting that lactacystin model is not optimal for investigating PD-related alterations in TJ proteins. Supplementation with microbe D increased the jejunal expression of claudin-1 on both protein and gene level, whereas in the colonic protein expression there was no change. Clear effects were not detected on claudin-4 or occludin nor when treated with microbes A, B or C. Therefore, microbe D might influence intestinal TJ function and permeability through regulating the expression of claudin-1.

Background: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common diseases characterized by disturbing gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in the absence of structural or biochemical changes in GI tract. Well identified group of compounds responsible for GI symptoms are FODMAPs (fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides and polyols). Legumes contain α-galacto-oligosaccharides (α-GOS), unabsorbed, osmotically active and rapidly fermented fibres, known for colonic gas formation. The role of phytic acid (PA) and its effects on GI symptoms as complex-forming agent is not fully understood. These antinutrients can be removed by enzymatic treatments. However, usefulness of these treatments on reducing GI symptoms is not known. Aims: The aim of this research was to investigate whether two different enzymatic treatments of pea-based products have an impact on experienced GI symptoms. α-GOS and PA content was reduced in the test products. Material and methods: This was a 3–week randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled cross-over-designed study. Participants (n=26) were healthy males and females aged 21–70 who claimed to experience GI symptoms after consuming legumes. Each participant received weekly two portions of either α-galactosidase-treated, double-enzyme-treated or control, spoonable pea-based product. They reported severity of nine GI symptoms within 72–hour time period via web-based survey using visual analog scale (VAS). Maximum values, the time for experiencing the maximum values, maximum values in 8 time points and symptom sum scores were analyzed. To study differencies in GI symptoms caused by the study products, data was analyzed statistically using mainly non-parametric Friedman’s test. Dependence of baseline symptoms and symptom scores were examined using crosstabulation and analyzed statistically with Fisher’s exact test. Results: Participants’ median symptom scores were rather low throughout the intervention, indicating that the participants were after all not very sensitive for legume GOS. Maximum pain score was significantly higher with the double-enzyme-treated product compared to the control product (p=0,038). At time point 5 bloating score was significantly higher with the α-galactosidase-treated product than with the double-enzyme-treated product (p=0,051), and flatulence score was significantly higher with the α-galactosidase-treated product than with the control product (p=0,021). There were no statistically significant differencies in any other examined variables between the study products. Although there was a slight trend towards more severe symptoms with the enzyme-treated products compared to the control product. Conclusions: The enzyme-treated pea-based products were not better tolerated than the control product, but that may be due to the fact that the experienced GI symptoms were rather mild in general. There are some evidence on the use of α-galactosidase supplement to alleviate GOS-induced GI symptoms. In future, the products should be tested in specifically α-GOS- and/or PA sensitive population.

Aims: There is no information on changes in body mass index (BMI) due to the COVID-19 pandemic among persons of migrant origin. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BMI and factors associated with changes in BMI among the general- and migrant-origin populations in Finland. Methods: Individual-level changes in self-reported BMI among migrant origin persons (n=3313) were obtained from the FinMonik Survey conducted in 2018 and MigCOVID Survey conducted 2020-2021. Data for the general population reference group was obtained from the FinHealth 2017 Study conducted 2017-2018 and the FinHealth 2017 follow-up Study (n= 2982). Logistic regression was applied to examine the association between changes in BMI and age, sex, education, economic activity, length of residence in Finland, language skills, smoking, alcohol usage, sleep, physical activity, snacking, and fruit and vegetable consumption. A significant change in BMI was defined as a 5% or greater change. Results: 40.8 percent of the migrant-origin population and 41.2 percent of the general population in Finland experienced at least a five percent change in BMI. Persons of migrant origin who were other than students or employed (OR=1.71, 95% CI 1.18, 2.48) faced an increased risk for an increase in BMI of at least 5%, while being between 35-49 (OR=0.69, 95% CI 0.49, 0.98) and between 50-66 (OR=0.55, 95% CI 0.36, 0.83) had a significantly decreased risk. In the general population, an increase in BMI of at least 5% was more likely to occur among women (OR=1.61, 95% CI 1.26, 2.07), those who were other than students or employed (OR=1.68, 95% CI 1.26, 2.25), those who increased their alcohol intake (OR=1.64, 95% CI 1.06, 2.54), those who increased their snacking (OR=1.40, 95% CI 1.04, 1.90) and decreased their fruit and vegetable intake (OR=1.85 , 95% CI 1.18, 2.90). An increase of at least 5% in BMI was inversely related with being between the ages of 50 and 66 (OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.27, 0.57), having secondary education or higher (OR=0.61, 95% CI 0.43, 0.86), and even among those who smoked more during the pandemic (OR=0.50, 95% CI 0.26, 0.96). Conclusions: Although economic activity was determined to be a significant predictor of increases in BMI among both general- and migrant-origin populations, most examined factors applied differently to each population. These differences must be considered when planning future public health promotion efforts, particularly those during crisis situations.

Legumes are a good source of protein, and they have recently grown in popularity as a substitute for meat due to their lower environmental impact. Reducing meat consumption and replacing it with plant-based foods, such as legumes, is also known to be beneficial for health. Nevertheless, legume consumption in Finland is relatively low, and they are not yet a part of the typical diet for adults or children. Food education and role modeling play an important role in encouraging children towards healthy and sustainable food choices. This thesis investigated whether different food education methods can increase the acceptability of legumes in early childhood education. The thesis is part of the "Food Step" research project, and the data was collected from intervention daycares. The study surveyed early childhood education professionals' attitudes towards legumes using questionnaires. The questionnaires aimed to determine the acceptability of legumes before the intervention and how the food education materials used during the intervention affected it. Among early childhood educators, the use of legumes and related attitudes varied greatly. Most respondents reported using legumes in both the baseline and follow-up surveys, but they showed varying prejudices towards their nutritional properties, structure, and taste. Only attitudes towards the nutritional content of legumes changed significantly between the time points. In summary, the study did not observe significant positive changes in adult attitudes towards legumes. Food behavior begins to form in early childhood, and these patterns are known to be relatively stable. Food behavior-related patterns are learned, for example, in early childhood education. Therefore, it would be important to consider in the future how the attitudes of adults working in early childhood education could be positively changed for them to be better role models.

Abstract Background Household food insecurity and hunger are associated with undernutrition of children under five years of age. Stunted, wasted and underweight young children are often living in food insecure households in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Low socioeconomic status is associated with both, food insecurity and malnutrition. Interestingly, children’ undernourishment and adults’ overweight occur sometimes in the same family. Aims The purpose was to investigate the prevalence of food insecurity, by two different assessment scales, among households with children at the age of 6–23 months in Nairobi and Chuka in Kenya. Differences in household food insecurity between the two living areas and households’ wealth, and an association between household food insecurity and nutritional status of mothers and children were examined. Methods The data from households (n=412) was cross-sectional and a part of InnoFood Africa project in 2021. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Household Hunger Scale (HHS) were used for analysing the prevalence of food insecurity. Sociodemographic background, housing characteristics, nutritional status indicators and HHS were used for the Chi2 -test and linear regression analysis. Results The prevalence of food insecurity by HFIAS and HHS were 63% and 15.5%, respectively. No difference in HHS was found between the living areas. The least wealthy households were more often moderately or severely hungry than the wealthiest households. Statistically significant association was found between HHS and lower maternal MUAC. No association was found between HHS and maternal BMI and any of child’s nutritional status indicators. Conclusion Household hunger was not associated with nutritional status of mothers and children. Further studies are needed to examine the prevalence of double burden of malnutrition in households living in urban and developing societies to understand better the causes for malnutrition.