Browsing by study line "Human nutrition"

Added sugar intake has been associated with several adverse health issues, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. However, the knowledge of added sugar intake’s associations with overall diet quality and population subgroups is currently scarce. Our objective was to examine the association of added sugar intake with overall diet quality and population subgroups formed by sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors, and obesity measures in the Finnish adult population. We also explored whether the association between added sugar intake and overall diet quality differs in the population subgroups. We applied the data from the cross-sectional population-based national FinHealth 2017 Study, and our analytical sample comprised 5094 Finnish adults. Dietary intake was assessed with a validated food frequency questionnaire and added sugar intake was estimated by a newly developed calculation method utilizing food item disaggregation based on the national food composition database Fineli ®. Overall diet quality was assessed by the modified Baltic Sea Diet Score (mBSDS), depicting a healthy Nordic diet. The analyses were established separately for women and men, and associations were calculated by chi-square tests and linear and logistic regression analyses, adjusting for age, education level, smoking, physical activity, BMI, and energy intake. Interactions were investigated with interaction terms and stratified analyses. Added sugar intake was inversely associated with education (P = 0.032 women; P = 0.001 men), smoking (P = 0.002 women; P < 0.0001 men), and physical activity (P < 0.0001) in both sexes. An inverse association was found with BMI in men (P = 0.003). Higher added sugar intake was associated with lower overall diet quality (P < 0.0001) and lower consumption of healthy perceived mBSDS components (P ≤ 0.001). An inverse association was also found with red and processed meat consumption in men (P = 0.011), while there was no association in women. Of the studied population subgroups, a significant interaction was found in physical activity subgroups in men (P = 0.005), the inverse association between added sugar intake and overall diet quality being stronger among active men compared with moderately active and inactive men. In conclusion, our findings suggest that high added sugar intake was associated with lower overall diet quality, lower education, and unhealthy lifestyle habits. The findings of this study can be utilized as background information when establishing new incentives to reduce added sugar intake or maintain a satisfactory intake level in the Finnish adult population. More research, especially longitudinal studies, is needed of added sugar intake’s associations with sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors, obesity measures, and overall diet quality in the population and population subgroups.

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: Fitness athletes change their nutrition a week before competition during “peak week” in the hope of achieving a better physique in competition. There is little evidence of the benefits of peaking in fitness sports and current literature suggests that these peaking methods might even be harmful to athletes’ condition or pose a risk to their health. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional strategies of fitness athletes during the peak week and the effects of these strategies on body composition, anthropometry, and hormonal markers. Materials and methods: Participants consisted of 6 female and 10 male fitness athletes preparing for the 2019 Finnish championships. The participants’ hormone levels (cortisol, estradiol, T4, FSH, T3, insulin, free testosterone, leptin, and ghrelin) were measured from blood samples collected before the beginning of the peak week and on the day after the competition. Body composition and anthropometric measurements (weight, fat mass, fat free mass, intracellular water, total body water, chest circumference, waist circumference, vastus lateralis CSA) were taken at the same time points. The energy and nutrient intake of the athletes was estimated based on self-reported food diaries. The associations between nutritional factors and changes in body composition and hormonal markers were investigated with regression analysis. Results: The competitors were found to significantly (p < 0,05) increase their energy intake, carbohydrate and sodium intake, and to decrease their protein intake when transitioning to peak week. During the peak week body weight, fat free mass, intracellular and total body water, waist circumference and vastus lateralis CSA increased statistically significantly (p < 0,05). A statistically significant decrease was found in cortisol, estradiol, free testosterone and ghrelin levels, whereas T4, FSH, T3, insulin, and leptin levels increased significantly (p < 0,05). Conclusions: We found that fitness athletes change their nutrition a week before the competition in the hope of achieving a better competition physique. The changes in energy and nutrient intake were not associated with changes in body composition, but they may be connected to hormonal changes. The hormonal changes detected during the peak week indicate that athletes start to recover from a long period of energy restriction, which may lead to a better competition physique.

Some diets strain the environment more than others and have disadvantageous effects on population health. Ecological impact of animal protein production is often particularly high; it bears about three quarters of the greenhouse gas emissions of food. Consequently, ecological impact of plant-based protein sources, pulses and nuts, is generally considered small. The food consumption varies between different sociodemographic groups, and unhealthy diets, that are significant exposers for many lifestyle diseases, are more common in certain population groups. To improve the population health and reduce the ecological impacts of food consumption, it is important to recognize the population groups whose diets reveal disadvantageous food consumption. Utilizing Finnish loyalty card data (LoCard-data), this study investigates the sociodemographic variables related to daily consumption of three separate protein sources: meat, milk products and plant proteins. Customer responses to a questionnaire on their food consumption preferences and demographics were used. The probability of consuming different protein sources on daily basis was obtained using logistic regression model. In other words, daily consumption of meat, milk products and plant-based protein sources was explained by the following independent variables: age, sex, education, income, household size and place of residence. Statistically significant association was found between the daily meat consumption and all the independent variables in both unstandardized and standardized models. In the unstandardized model, sex was not associated with daily consumption of milk products, and income was not associated with daily consumption of plant-based protein sources. However, in the standardized model, the association of the daily milk product consumption and sex became significant, whereas the association with education and urbanization level was not statistically significant. Association of the daily plant protein consumption with income and region was insignificant. In the standardized model, the probability of daily meat consumption increased with age, income and household size or when the respondent was male or had a low level of education. The probability of daily milk product consumption increased with age, income and household size or if the respondent was female. The probability to consume plant proteins on daily basis was in association with female sex, older age, having a higher education and a bigger household. The results are largely in line with other studies. However, contrary to most of the studies, the greater age was associated with daily consumption of all the examined protein sources. Future studies are needed to examine sociodemographic factors related to consumption of milk products and plant protein sources in total, but also related to consumption of different meat and milk products. Moreover, it is important to investigate the motives, attitudes and cultural meanings of the food choices as those cannot be captured with this approach. Differences in food cultures may impact on the results as well, which increases the need for additional research.

Tiedekunta/Osasto: Maatalous-metsätieteellinen tiedekunta Laitos: Elintarvike- ja ravitsemustieteiden osasto Tekijä: Sini Maria Närvä Työn nimi: Punaisen ja prosessoidun lihan osittainen korvaaminen palkokasveilla: vaikutus veren rasva-arvoihin ja kehonkoostumukseen terveillä työikäisillä suomalaisilla miehillä Oppiaine: Ihmisen ravitsemus- ja ruokakäyttäytyminen (Opintosuunta: Ihmisen ravitsemus) Työn laji: Maisterintutkielma Aika: Huhtikuu 2021 Sivumäärä: 63 sivua + 1 liite Tiivistelmä: Tausta: Sydän- ja verisuonitaudit (SVT) ovat merkittävin syy sairastuvuuteen ja kuolleisuuteen länsimaissa. SVT:n riskitekijöitä ovat ruokavalion rasvan laatu, veren korkea kolesterolipitoisuus (erityisesti LDL-kolesteroli), ylipaino, tupakointi, diabetes ja kohonnut verenpaine. Miehillä riski sairastua SVT:hin on naisia suurempi. Lisäksi miesten ruokavalio on usein laadultaan naisia heikompi, ja miesten punaisen ja prosessoidun lihan kulutus on liian runsasta suosituksiin nähden. Korvaamalla eläinperäisiä proteiinin lähteitä kasviperäisillä lähteillä voidaan vaikuttaa suotuisasti sydän- ja verisuonitautien riskitekijöihin. Tavoite: Työn tavoitteena oli tutkia, onko veren rasva-arvoissa, kehon painossa ja kehonkoostumuksessa eroja, kun ruokavalion punaista ja prosessoitua lihaa korvataan osittain ei-soijaperäisillä palkokasveilla. Tutkimushypoteesina oli, että punaisen ja prosessoidun lihan korvaaminen osittain palkokasveilla pienentää kokonais- ja LDL-kolesterolipitoisuutta sekä kehon painoa ja rasvamassaa. Menetelmät: Tässä tutkimuksessa käytettiin Papumies-interventiotutkimuksen aineistoa. Tutkittavat olivat 20-65-vuotiaita terveitä suomalaisia miehiä (n=102). Heidät satunnaistettiin kahteen eri interventioryhmään kuuden viikon ajaksi. Toinen ryhmä (liharyhmä) sai punaista ja prosessoitua lihaa ja niistä valmistettuja tuotteita 760 g/vko (25 % päivittäisestä proteiinin saannista). Toinen ryhmä (palkokasviryhmä) sai palkokasveja ja palkokasvituotteita (pääosin herneitä ja härkäpapuja) 20 % päivittäisestä proteiinin saannista sekä punaista ja prosessoitua lihaa 200 g/vko (5 % päivittäisestä proteiinin saannista). Ennen intervention alkua ja sen lopussa kerätystä paastoverinäytteestä analysoitiin kokonais-, HDL- ja LDL-kolesteroli sekä triglyseridipitoisuudet, ja lisäksi mitattiin tutkittavien pituus, paino, vyötärön- ja lantionympärys sekä kehonkoostumus. Ryhmien välisiä eroja näissä muuttujissa intervention loppupisteessä tutkittiin kovarianssianalyysillä käyttäen alkupisteen arvoja kovariaatteina. Tulokset: Alkupisteessä ryhmien välillä ei ollut eroa kolesterolipitoisuuksissa (pois lukien HDL-kolesteroli), painossa, vyötärön- ja lantionympäryksessä tai kehonkoostumuksessa. Intervention lopussa plasman kokonais- ja LDL-kolesterolipitoisuudet (p<0,001 ja p=0,001), kehon paino ja painoindeksi (p=0,031 molemmissa) olivat pienemmät ja HDL-kolesterolipitoisuus suurempi (p=0,030) palkokasvi-ryhmässä liharyhmään verrattuna. Triglyseridipitoisuudessa, vyötärönympäryksessä, vyötärö-lantio-suhteessa, rasvaprosentissa, rasvamassassa, rasvattomassa massassa tai rasvamassan ja rasvattoman massan indeksissä ei havaittu eroja ryhmien välillä intervention lopussa (p>0,05). Johtopäätökset: Punaisen ja prosessoidun lihan osittainen korvaaminen ei-soijaperäisillä palkokasveilla kuuden viikon ajan paransi veren rasva-arvoja ja vähensi painoa terveillä työikäisillä miehillä, mikä viittaa sydän- ja verisuonitautiriskin pienemiseen. Tätä tietoa voidaan hyödyntää suunniteltaessa toimenpiteitä terveellisemmän ja ympäristön kannalta kestävämmän ruokavaliosuosituksen laatimisessa väestötasolla. Avainsanat – Nyckelord – Keywords: Ravitsemus, ei-soijaperäiset palkokasvit, punainen liha, plasman lipidit, sydän- ja verisuonitaudit Säilytyspaikka – Förvaringställe – Where deposited: Maatalous-metsätieteellinen tiedekunta, Elintarvike- ja ravitsemustieteiden osasto, Helsingin yliopisto Muita tietoja – Övriga uppgifter – Additional information: Ohjaajat: Suvi Itkonen, ETT, dosentti; Anne-Maria Pajari, apulaisprofessori

Background: Migration has found to be associated with changes in eating habits. Typically, dietary acculturation occurs which means that the person adopts host country’s ways of eating. Previous studies suggests that dietary acculturation can have negative effects on person’s diet if the person adopts the host country’s way of eating processed foods that replace the traditional healthy foods of their own culture. The phenomenon is also reflected in other generations, with children and young people with a foreign background being found to eat more sweets and soft drinks than other peers. To promote the eating habits of families with children with a foreign background, a deeper understanding is needed of the factors behind eating habits. Ethnography offers an opportunity to increase understanding of everyday eating and produces descriptive data to complement traditional nutrition research. Objectives: The aim of this MS's thesis was to draw a picture of everyday eating in families with children and with a foreign background in Finland. The study participants were mothers with first- and second-generation foreign backgrounds and with different ethnic backgrounds. Methods: This was a qualitative study using an ethnographic design. The field of research was an open community space in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The data consisted of ethnographic interviews with mothers (n=23) and field workers (n=2), as well as participatory observations and pictures. The data was analyzed by coding and theming. The results were compared with the model of dietary acculturation created by Satia-Abouta and with previous literature. Results: The role of mothers in the food supply of families was central. They made a distinction between “everyday food”, “cultural food” and “Finnish food”. Everyday food was something easy and fast, while cultural food required time and expertise. Some of them prepared cultural food as everyday food, as it was a means of maintaining cultural heritage. Except for fruits, vegetables and vegetarian dishes played a smaller role in mothers’ stories than animal-based products (meat, chicken, fish) and carbohydrate-containing products (rice, pasta, potatoes). Ethnic shops in the area were perceived as comprehensive, although many bought only (halal) meat there. The mothers' eating habits showed dietary acculturation, as they had begun to prepare “Finnish foods” such as mashed potato or lasagna that were new to them. It was important for the mothers that their children ate well, and children’s lack of eating emerged as a concern. The mothers balanced between what foods children liked and what they considered as good for the child. They had searched and received ideas and information regarding eating on the Internet and from a Finnish counseling center. Conclusions: This study brought understanding of everyday eating in families with children with a foreign background in Finland. The ethnographic approach made it possible to describe mothers’ own perspectives and was an effective way to recruit people with a foreign background. More ethnographic research is needed from the perspective of children and adolescents with foreign backgrounds to make their voices heard as well.

The purpose of this thesis was to find out how a brain-friendly dietary intervention affects plasma metabolites. The data was from the BraVe (Brainfood interVention) study conducted by Fazer, Nokia, Nightingale and Afekta Technologies. 88 working aged men and women underwent an 8-week diet-switch trial: first 4 weeks consisted of a control diet similar to a typical western diet and the following 4 weeks of an intervention diet which emphasized brain-friendly foods. Lunch was controlled and the subjects received nutritional guidance as well as breakfast cereals and healthy snack options to take home. Dietary intake was measured with food diaries and transformed into FFQ-like data and the subjects were divided into four groups based on their diet compliance. Also weight, blood glucose, insulin, CRP, cholesterol and plasma metabolites were measured during the trial. The metabolite samples were analysed with liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and identified with MS-DIAL. Correlations between metabolites and food groups were determined with SPSS. There were 99 significantly correlating (FDR p<0.1) metabolites: phospholipids, phosphatidylcholines, amino acids and acylcarnitines. 42 metabolites remained unknown. The strongest correlations were found between the intake of red meat and PC(O-16:0/20:4) (=0,494, FDR-p<0,001) and LysoPC(O-16:0) (=0,423, FDR-p<0,001) and between the intake of full grain products and 3,2-dihydroksyfenyylivalericacid (=0,418, FDR-p<0,001). Compliance to brain-friendly diet affected the strength and significance of the metabolite correlations . The results of this thesis are similar to those previously found in metabolomics which suggests that the results are valid and the trial successful. These results provide also additional information in the field of metabolomics which can be useful in further research.

Verenpainetta ja kolesterolia alentavien lääkkeiden käyttö yleistyy väestön lisääntyvän lihomisen vuoksi. Rationaalinen lääkehoito on keskeinen hoitokeino etenkin perinnöllisen alttiuden sydän- ja verisuonitauteihin omaavilla henkilöillä. Lääkehoidon lisäksi on tärkeää huomioida elintapamuutoksen rooli ruokavalion, liikunnan, tupakoinnin ja alkoholin käytön osalta, koska kohonneet verenpaine- ja kolesteroliarvot johtuvat ensisijaisesti epäterveellisistä elintavoista. Aikaisemman tutkimuksen perusteella lääkkeitä käyttävät eivät muuta elintapojaan terveellisemmiksi ja heidän vyötärönympäryksensä on suurempi verrattuna lääkkeitä käyttämättömiin. Tämän vuoksi on tärkeää tutkia verenpaine- ja kolesterolilääkkeitä käyttävien ruokatottumuksia ja muita elämäntyylejä. Verenpaine- ja kolesterolilääkkeitä käyttävien ruokavalintoja on tutkittu kansainvälisesti jonkin verran, mutta suomalaisten näitä lääkkeitä käyttävien ruokavalinnoista ei ole kovinkaan paljon tutkimustietoa saatavilla. Tämän pro gradu -tutkielman tarkoituksena oli selvittää ruoankäytön eroavaisuuksia verenpaine- ja kolesterolilääkkeitä käyttävillä ja niitä käyttämättömillä 62-86 vuotiailla päijäthämäläisillä vuonna 2012 ja vastata kysymyksiin: Millaiset ruokatottumukset verenpaine- ja kolesterolilääkkeitä käyttävillä on verrattuna niitä käyttämättömiin? Onko verenpaine- ja kolesterolilääkkeiden käytöllä yhteys ruokatottumuksiin ikääntyvillä päijäthämäläisillä? Onko verenpaine- ja kolesterolilääkkeiden käytöllä yhteyttä ruokavalion terveellisyyteen? Tutkielman tulokset antavat lisää tietoa verenpaine- ja kolesterolilääkkeitä käyttävien ruokatottumuksista ja elintavoista. Tarpeeksi kattavan tutkimuksen ja vahvan tutkimusnäytön avulla voidaan luoda suosituksia ja ohjata lääkkeitä käyttäviä parempiin valintoihin, niin yksilöllisellä kuin yhteiskunnallisella tasolla. Tietoa voidaan mahdollisesti jatkossa hyödyntää kun suunnitellaan elintapaneuvontaa lääkityksen aloitusta suunniteltaessa, sen aloituksen yhteydessä ja säännöllisesti lääkkeiden käytön aikana. Pro gradun tutkimusväestönä oli päijäthämäläinen väestökohortti, joka muodostui kolmesta ikäluokasta (tutkimuksen alkaessa iältään 52–56, 62–66, ja 72–76 vuotta (n=2 815) Tutkimushenkilöt täyttivät elintapoja ja terveydentilaa koskevia kyselyitä. Tutkielmassa hyödynnettiin Ikihyvä -Päijät-Häme 2012- tutkimuksen aineiston ruokafrekvenssikyselyn ja lääkkeidenkäyttö kysymysten vastauksia. Otos oli (n=969), joista naisten osuus oli 54% ja miesten 46%. Verenpaine- ja kolesterolilääkkeitä käyttävien ja käyttämättömien ravitsemuksen tarkastelun työkaluksi muodostettiin ravitsemussuositusten mukainen terveellisen ruokavalion pisteytys. Pisteytys mittaa ainoastaan ruokavalion kokonaisuutta, joten tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin lisäksi siihen valittujen elintarvikeryhmien käyttöä yksi kerrallaan. Ruokatottumusten lisäksi tarkastelussa olivat muista elintavoista liikunta, tupakointi ja alkoholin käyttö. Aineistoa tutkittiin Khiin neliötestillä ja varianssianalyysillä, joissa tutkittiin lääkkeenkäyttöryhmien eroja ruokatottumuksissa. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella ei voida todeta, että verenpaine- ja kolesterolilääkkeiden käyttö tai toisaalta käyttämättömyys olisi yhteydessä suositusten mukaisiin ruokatottumuksiin. Tilastollisesti merkitseviä eroja ruokatottumuksissa ei ollut lääkkeenkäyttöryhmien välillä. Terveellisen ravitsemuksen ja elämäntyylin avulla on mahdollista vaikuttaa ikääntyvien sydän- ja verisuonitautiriskiin. Sekä lääkitystä, että elämäntapainterventioita tarvitaan ikääntyvillä kohonneen verenpaineen ja veren kolesterolitason alentamiseksi