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Little is known about Canadians' knowledge of the 2019 Canada's Food Guide (CFG) recommendations. Using cross-sectional survey data from the Guelph Family Health Study, our brief communication aimed to explore parents' knowledge of the 2019 CFG recommendations through descriptive statistics and content analysis. Among a sample of 122 parents, we found that parents had a general understanding of the 2019 CFG's recommendations but poor knowledge of specific details of the recommendations, such as the names of the three food groups and which foods contain unhealthy fats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Stress may influence the parenting practices employed by parents to manage their children's screen-time. The objective of this study was to examine cross-sectional associations between family stress and media parenting practices. Using the Guelph Family Health Study Pilot 2 cohort, data was collected from 64 parents from 39 families. Linear regression using generalized estimating equations was used to examine associations between family-based stress and screen parenting practices, stratified by mothers and fathers. Models were adjusted for household income, the number of children in the family, child sex, and age. General stress was positively associated with mothers' use of screen-based devices in front of their child(ren) and negatively associated with mothers' monitoring and limit-setting. Fathers' general stress was positively associated with limit-setting. Parenting distress was positively associated with mothers' modeling screen use. Fathers' parenting distress was negatively associated with limit-setting and positively associated with mealtime screen use. Household chaos was positively associated with monitoring screen-time for both mothers and fathers and positively associated with fathers' limit-setting. These results suggest that associations between family stress and media parenting practices differ among mothers and fathers. Programs aimed to reduce children's screen-time should consider these differences in their messaging to parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) guidelines for establishing Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) values based on chronic disease risk endpoints and the strength of evidence for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as it relates to the guidelines. Topics discussed include role of dietary reference intakes for population health, and evidence for EPA and DHA related to chronic disease.

Copyright of Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A reduction in skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation (FAO), manifested as a reduction in mitochondrial content and (or) FAO within mitochondria, may contribute to the development of insulin resistance. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have been observed to increase the capacity for FAO and improve insulin sensitivity. We used the fat-1 mouse model, a transgenic animal capable of synthesizing n-3 PUFA from n-6 PUFA, to examine this relationship. Fat-1 mice exhibited a ~20-fold decrease in the n-6/n-3 ratio in skeletal muscle, and plasma glucose and the area under the glucose curve were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in fat-1 mice during a glucose challenge test. The improvement in whole-body glucose tolerance in the fat-1 mouse was associated with a ~21% (p < 0.05) decrease in whole-muscle citrate synthase (CS) activity (in red muscle only), without alterations in CS activity of isolated mitochondria (either red or white muscle; p > 0.05). These data suggest that the fat-1 mouse has decreased skeletal muscle mitochondrial content. However, the intrinsic ability of mitochondria to oxidize fatty acids was not altered in the fat-1 mouse, as rates of palmitate oxidation in isolated mitochondria from both red and white muscle were unchanged. Overall, this study demonstrates that a decrease in the n-6/n-3 ratio can enhance glucose tolerance in healthy animals, independent of changes in mitochondrial content. La diminution de l'oxydation des acides gras (FAO) dans le muscle squelettique comme le révèle la diminution du contenu de la mitochondrie et (ou) de la FAO dans la mitochondrie contribuerait au développement de l'insulinorésistance. D'après des études, les acides gras polyinsaturés n-3 (PUFA) augmentent la capacité de la FAO et améliorent la sensibilité à l'insuline. Pour analyser cette hypothèse, on utilise la souris fat-1, un modèle transgénique pouvant synthétiser des PUFA n-3 à partir de PUFA n-6. Au cours d'une épreuve de charge en glucose, on observe chez les souris fat-1 une diminution d'environ 20 fois du ratio n-6/n-3 dans le muscle squelettique. De plus, on observe une plus faible concentration plasmatique de glucose et une plus faible surface sous la courbe de glucose lors de l'épreuve; les différences sont significatives (p < 0,05). L'amélioration de la tolérance globale au glucose chez la souris fat-1 est associée à une diminution de ~21 % (p < 0,05) de l'activité musculaire globale de la citrate synthase (CS) dans les fibres musculaires rouges seulement sans modification de l'activité de la CS dans les mitochondries isolées des fibres rouges et blanches (p > 0,05). D'après ces observations, le contenu des mitochondries dans le muscle squelettique des souris fat-1 diminue. En contrepartie, on n'observe pas chez la souris fat-1 de modification de la capacité intrinsèque d'oxydation des acides gras dans les mitochondries, comme le révèle la non-variation du taux d'oxydation du palmitate dans les mitochondries isolées des fibres musculaires rouges et blanches. En bref, cette étude démontre que la diminution du ratio n-6/n-3 peut améliorer la tolérance au glucose chez des animaux en bonne santé, et ce, indépendamment des variations du contenu des mitochondries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact on funding of nutritional sciences in Canada of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project scheme. Topics include the Canadian Nutrition Society's (CNS) two-member survey to assess the impact, a summary of key findings of the principal investigator (PI) and reviewer surveys, and the need for increased overall funding for CIHR.

To examine the association between self-reported food skills and diet quality along with measured food waste among a sample of Canadian parents. Cross-sectional data from surveys to assess food skills, 3-day food records to assess the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, and food waste measured by household waste audits. Guelph-Wellington, Ontario. Parents (n = 130) with children aged 2–8 years. HEI-2015 scores, daily per capita avoidable and unavoidable food waste (grams). Linear regression using generalized estimating equations to determine unstandardized β estimates of associations between food skills and dependent variables. Models were adjusted for multiple testing, gender, and level of education. Food safety knowledge for cooking hot foods (β = 4.3, P = 0.05), planning (β = 4.5, P = 0.001), and conceptualizing food (β = 4.0, P = 0.03) were positively associated with HEI-2015 scores. Knowledge related to best before dates (β = 25.3, P = 0.05; β = 12.1, P = 0.04), conceptualizing food (β = 34.1, P = 0.01; β = 13.8, P = 0.02), and mechanical techniques (β = 39.2, P = 0.01; β = 20.5, P = 0.004) were associated with more avoidable and unavoidable food waste, respectively. Addressing higher-level food skills with a focus on efficient food preparation practices that make use of all edible portions of foods could play an important role in minimizing food waste and improving diet quality. Additional research in other countries and in a larger, more socioeconomically diverse sample is needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unhealthy diets are detrimental to health, but home meal preparation is associated with better diet quality. Among a sample of parents of children aged 2–12, this study aimed to 1) explore perceived challenges and strategies to meeting the 2019 Canada's Food Guide recommendation of "Cook more often". From October 2019 to January 2020, 8 focus groups were conducted with 40 parents (73% mothers; 78% white) from Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A hybrid thematic approach with inductive and deductive data analysis was used. Reported challenges included time constraints, picky eating, lacking cooking skills, high price of some fresh ingredients, school restrictions on meals at school, and the influence of children's peers on food choices, mainly unhealthy snacks. Reported strategies to mitigate some challenges included planning and preparing meals ahead of time, using technology or services to make meal planning and grocery shopping more convenient, using devices and kitchen instruments, such as Crockpot®, to make cooking faster, receiving help from spouse or child(ren), and acknowledging that foods perceived as less healthful in moderation can be included in meal preparation. These findings can help inform interventions and educational campaigns to support cooking among families with young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]