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Research

Development of the Menu Assessment Scoring Tool (MAST) to Assess the Nutritional Quality of Food Service Menus

Preventing the rise in obesity is a global public health priority. Neighbourhood environments can help or undermine people's efforts to manage their weight, depending on availability of nutritious and nutrient-poor 'discretionary' foods. The proportion of household food budgets spent on eating outside the home is increasing. To inform nutrition policy at a local level, an objective assessment of the nutritional quality of foods and beverages on food service menus that is context-specific is needed.

Research

Intake of polyphenols from cereal foods and colorectal cancer risk in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study

Cereal-derived polyphenols have demonstrated protective mechanisms in colorectal cancer (CRC) models; however, confirmation in human studies is lacking. Therefore, this study examined the association between cereal polyphenol intakes and CRC risk in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS), a prospective cohort study in Melbourne, Australia that recruited participants between 1990 and 1994 to investigate diet-disease relationships.

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A massive hit that targets kids quite a bit: Where and how Australian school children see energy drinks

Energy drinks (EDs) are not recommended for children due to their high caffeine content and adverse health risks. Their popularity among children may be due to children's exposure to ED marketing. This study aimed to identify where children have seen ED marketing and whether they believe ED marketing targets them.

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Modelling the effects of beverage substitution during adolescence on later obesity outcomes in early adulthood: Results from the raine study

Sugar-sweetened beverage intake during adolescence was associated with higher body mass index, waist circumference, and being overweight in early adulthood

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What is known about consumer nutrition environments in Australia? A scoping review of the literature

This study aimed to summarize the attributes that have been examined in existing peer-reviewed studies of Australian consumer nutrition environments

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Variation in Neonatal Nutrition Practice and Implications: A Survey of Australia and New Zealand Neonatal Units

Significant global variation exists in neonatal nutrition practice, including in assigned milk composition values, donor milk usage, fortification regimens, probiotic choice and in methods used to calculate and report nutrition and growth outcomes, making it difficult to synthesize data to inform evidence-based, standardized nutritional care that has potential to improve neonatal outcomes

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Prebiotic Supplementation During Pregnancy Modifies the Gut Microbiota and Increases Metabolites in Amniotic Fluid, Driving a Tolerogenic Environment In Utero

The gut microbiota is influenced by environmental factors such as food. Maternal diet during pregnancy modifies the gut microbiota composition and function, leading to the production of specific compounds that are transferred to the fetus and enhance the ontogeny and maturation of the immune system. Prebiotics are fermented by gut bacteria, leading to the release of short-chain fatty acids that can specifically interact with the immune system, inducing a switch toward tolerogenic populations and therefore conferring health benefits.

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Effects of diurnal exercise timing on appetite, energy intake and body composition: A parallel randomized trial

To determine the effect of diurnal exercise timing on appetite, energy intake and body composition in individuals with overweight or obesity.

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A prospective investigation of dietary patterns and internalizing and externalizing mental health problems in adolescents

Our findings only lend partial support to a link between diet and mental health, specific to females consuming a Western diet and to externalizing behaviours