Dietetics, Volume 4, Issue 1 (March 2025) – 4 articles

Calorie information is often provided on food packaging and is a legal requirement in many countries. There is some evidence to suggest that attention to calorie counting can have a detrimental effect on those with eating disorders (EDs). The aim of this review is to summarise current research relating to the impact of restaurant menu calorie labelling on people with EDs. A search was carried out using the CINAHL Complete and Medline databases. Ten papers were included in the final review. Recent statistics show that the incidence of EDs is increasing. These studies assessed the impact of calorie information on people with EDs. Policies, such as calorie labelling on restaurant menus, could be a contributing factor. Studies exploring the effect the policy has had on obesity levels have not demonstrated a significant positive impact on reducing calorie intake. Qualitative studies conducted in England show the extent to which people with EDs are affected. Much of the data from the transcripts highlighted the negative thoughts that this policy has evoked. A review of the literature has demonstrated that this policy has had a negative impact on people with EDs and little benefit for those with obesity, who may also experience EDs. Full article

The environmental impact of unhealthy diets and the obese population is becoming clearer. However, little is known about the impact of ‘healthy’ diets related to ‘fitness’ lifestyles, such as diets directed to gain muscle mass and lose body fat, or the diets of the physically active population. This paper aims to evaluate the Dietary Water Footprint (DWF) of a representative sample of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Mexico, identifying differences according to body composition (levels of fat and muscle) and physical activity (type and intensity), with a focus on contrasting active, healthy lifestyles (i.e., fitness) with sedentary and obesogenic patterns and examining protein consumption. A validated and adapted Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was applied to 400 adults (18–74 years) from the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. The participants were grouped according to their body fat and muscle mass levels and physical activity type and intensity. DWF, food and nutrient intake, and adequacy were calculated. The DWF of the sample with a low body fat, a high muscle mass, moderate to intense exercise, and anaerobic exercise (i.e., ‘fitness’ lifestyle) was up to 800 L per person per day (L/p/d) higher than the sedentary/obese populations. Risks of a high DWF were found as protein intake increases (OR = 6; p < 0.0001). Although unhealthy diets linked to obesity are a major environmental problem, ‘fitness’ lifestyles can have serious environmental implications. Full article

Diets will likely play a crucial role in the Anthropocene to support the population’s health and safeguard environmental sustainability for future generations. Based on a cross-sectional–observational–descriptive design for evaluating an entire menu proposal, data on the type and composition of the menus offered by a university catering service during an academic year were collected. Each day during the meal service, 10 plates of the same option offered were weighed, and 10 photographs were taken. With these data, the nutritional value and carbon footprint were evaluated for all possible combinations of first and second courses, while including the average values of other components of the menu (garnishes, bread, desserts, and beverages). The annual menu proposal resulted in 6478 combinations of first and second courses plus the other components. The average caloric intake was 1194 kcal/menu with high consumption of proteins and lipids, and the average carbon footprint was 1.86 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂eq)/menu, with the second course being the major contributor. Creating menus that consider these two essential parameters is the task of specialists. Achieving food consumption that balances nutrition and environmental sustainability is another issue of education and communication. Full article

Background: Inorganic nitrate is abundant in leafy green vegetables and has been shown to exert positive cardiovascular effects through nitric oxide-related pathways. The enteral microbiome is an emerging key player in cardiovascular diseases and depends on dietary habits. Whether dietary inorganic nitrate impacts on the microbiome and atherosclerosis-associated microbiome-dependent metabolites like short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is unknown. Methods: In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, 30 healthy volunteers were included who either received dietary nitrate (0.12 mmol/kg bodyweight) or placebo (equimolar amounts of sodium chloride) for 30 days. The microbiome metabolites TMAO and SCFA were analyzed. The enteral microbiome was analyzed by 16S-rRNA sequencing at baseline and follow-up. Results: Systolic blood pressure decreased after nitrate supplementation (baseline 124.73 mmHg vs. follow up 120 mmHg, p < 0.05) with no change in controls. Dietary nitrate supplementation increased TMAO levels (nitrate baseline 349.28 μ/L vs. nitrate follow-up 481.15 μ/L, p < 0.05), while SCFA levels remained unchanged. The relative abundance of Akkermansia and taxa of Clostridiales were higher in individuals with high compared to normal TMAO levels after nitrate supplementation, while Shannon diversity, richness and evenness did not differ between both groups. Conclusions: Our results indicate that dietary nitrate supplementation is associated with alterations to the enteral microbiome with an impact on proatherogenic metabolites. Further work is warranted to investigate the causal relationship between dietary nutrients, the microbiome and downstream metabolites. Full article