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Purpose: Different populations may exhibit differences in dietary intakes, which may result in heterogeneities in diet–disease associations. We compared intakes of major food groups overall, by sex, and by socio-economic status (SES) (defined as both education and income), between participants in the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) and the UK Biobank (UKB). Methods: Data were from ~ 25,000 CKB participants who completed a validated interviewer-administered computer-based questionnaire (2013–2014) and ~ 74,000 UKB participants who completed ≥ 3 web-based 24-h dietary assessments (2009–2012). Intakes of 12 major food groups and five beverages were harmonized and compared between the cohorts overall, by sex and by SES. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression examined the associations between dietary intakes and body mass index (BMI) in each cohort. Results: CKB participants reported consuming more rice, eggs, vegetables, soya products, and less wheat, other staple foods (other than rice and wheat), fish, poultry, all dairy products, fruit, and beverages compared to UKB participants. Red meat intake was similar in both cohorts. Having a higher SES was generally associated with a higher consumption of foods and beverages in CKB, whereas in UKB dietary intakes differed more by education and income, with a positive association observed for meat and income in both UKB and CKB but an inverse association observed for education in UKB. Associations of dietary intakes with BMI varied between the two cohorts. Conclusion: The large differences in dietary intakes and their associations with SES and BMI could provide insight into the interpretation of potentially different diet–disease associations between CKB and UKB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Eating healthier is associated with a range of favorable health outcomes. Our previous model estimated the impact of dietary changes on life expectancy gains but did not consider height, weight, or physical activity., Objectives: We aimed to estimate the increase in life expectancy resulting from the transition from typical national dietary patterns to longevity-optimizing dietary changes, more feasible dietary modifications, and optimized vegan dietary changes in China, France, Germany, Iran, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States., Methods: Our modeling study used data from meta-analyses presenting dose-response relationships between intake of 15 food groups and mortality. Background mortality data were from the Global Burden of Disease Study. We used national food intake data and adjusted for height, weight, and physical activity level., Results: For 40-y-olds, estimated life expectancy gains ranged from 6.2 y (with uncertainty interval [UI]: 5.7, 7.5 y) for Chinese females to 9.7 y (UI: 8.1, 11.3 y) for United States males following sustained changes from typical country-specific dietary patterns to longevity-optimized dietary changes, and from 5.2 y (UI: 4.0, 6.5 y) for Chinese females to 8.7 y (UI: 7.1, 10.3 y) for United States males following changes to optimized vegan dietary changes., Conclusions: A sustained change from country-specific typical dietary pattern patterns to longevity-optimized dietary changes, more feasible dietary changes, or optimized vegan dietary changes are all projected to result in substantial life expectancy gains across ages and countries. These changes included more whole grains, legumes, and nuts and less red/processed meats and sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages. The largest gains from dietary changes would be in the United States., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to investigate the association between diet and the risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer in the UK Women's Cohort Study. A total of 35 372 women aged 35–69 years were enrolled between 1995 and 1998 and completed a validated 217-item FFQ. The individual foods were collapsed into sixty-four main food groups and compared using Cox proportional models, adjusting for potential confounders. Hazard ratio (HR) estimates are presented per portion increase in food items. After approximately 18 years of follow-up, there were 1822, 294 and 285 cases of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer, respectively. A high consumption of processed meat and total meat was associated with an increased risk of breast and endometrial cancer. High intake of tomatoes (HR 0·87, 99 % CI 0·75, 1·00) and dried fruits (HR 0·60, 99 % CI 0·37, 0·97) was associated with a reduced risk of breast and endometrial cancer, respectively. Mushroom intake was associated with a higher risk of ovarian cancer (HR 1·57, 99 % CI 1·09, 2·26). Subgroup analysis by pre- or postmenopausal cancer further demonstrated an association between processed meat intake and both postmenopausal breast cancer and endometrial cancer. Intake of dried fruits was associated with a reduced risk of postmenopausal endometrial cancer (HR 0·55, 99 % CI 0·31, 0·98). Our findings suggest that while some foods may trigger the risk of these cancers, some foods may also be protective; supporting the call for further randomised controlled trials of dietary interventions to reduce the risk of cancer among pre- and postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives There is a lack of published data about the food intake of patients with type 2 diabetes and the changes that they make in response to patient-centred dietary advice. The present study describes the changes reported in response to a nonprescriptive dietary intervention based upon UK dietary guidelines. Methods Two hundred and sixty-two patients (87 women and 175 men) from the Early ACTivity in Diabetes (ACTID) trial who received the dietary intervention returned 4 days food diaries at baseline and 6 months. Nonparametric tests were used to examine changes in meal patterns, total energy intake and energy from food groups between baseline and 6 months. Results Mean (SD) number of reported meals day-1 was 3.0 (0.3) and mean (SD) number of snacks was 1.1 (0.6) at both baseline and 6 months for men and women. Men reported decreasing energy intake by a mean (SD) of 912 (1389) KJ/day [218 (332) kcal day-1] ( P < 0.001) and women by 515 (1130) KJ/day [123 (270) kcal day-1] ( P < 0.001). Men reported reducing energy from alcoholic drinks [−234 (527) KJ day-1; P < 0.001], white bread [−113 (402) KJ day-1; P = 0.001], biscuits [i.e. cookies −67 (205) KJ day-1; P < 0.001] and cakes [−50 (410) KJ day-1; P = 0.0012]. Women reported reducing energy from mixed main meals [−134 (456) KJ day-1; P = 0.036], pasta and rice [−79 (326) KJ day-1; P = 0.019], high-energy drinks [−59 (159) KJ day-1; P = 0.001] and white bread [−59 (368) KJ day-1; P = 0.042]. Conclusions Men and women in the Early ACTID study reported small changes in higher-energy and lower-fibre foods and drinks in response to patient-centred dietary advice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Using a nationally representative sample, to identify groups among British children aged 1½ - 4½ years who report similar patterns of diet. Design: Nationally representative dietary survey, using 4 d weighed dietary records, of girls and boys aged 1½ - 4½ years living in private households in Great Britain in 1992-1993. Cluster analysis was used to aggregate individuals into diet groups. Setting: Great Britain. Participants: Eight hundred and forty-eight boys and 827 girls. Results: Three clusters were identified for girls and three for boys. Among boys the most prevalent cluster was 'Healthy Diet' (52·3 %), the second was 'Convenience Diet' (38·3%) and the third was 'Traditional Diet' (9·3 %). Among girls, the most prevalent dietary cluster was 'Healthy Diet' (58·7 %), followed by a 'Convenience Diet' (36·6%) and 'Traditional Diet' (4·3 %). There were important differences in nutrient profile, sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics between clusters. Conclusions: Cluster analysis identified three groups among both girls and boys which differed not only in terms of reported dietary intake, but also with respect to nutrient intake, social and behavioural characteristics. The groups identified could provide a useful basis for the development, monitoring and targeting of public health nutrition policy for pre-school children in the UK. Further research is needed on the consequences for chronic disease in the future for these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the importance of a whole diet approach to healthy eating, detailing the development of the Balance of Good Health and explaining why such a healthy eating model works for the UK population. Comparisons are made between dietary recommendations (from the Balance of Good Health) and current eating patterns in the UK. This paper also discusses why it is important to consume foods from each of the four major food groups and discusses the health issues associated with cutting out a food group from the diet, as occurs in a number of popular diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The UK Biobank study collected detailed dietary data using a web-based self-administered 24 h assessment tool, the Oxford WebQ. We aimed to describe a comprehensive food grouping system for this questionnaire and to report dietary intakes and key sources of selected nutrients by sex and education., Methods: Participants with at least one valid 24-h questionnaire were included (n = 208,200). Dietary data were grouped based on the presence of nutrients as well as culinary use, processing, and plant/animal origin. For each food group, we calculated the contribution to energy intake, key macronutrients, and micronutrients. We also identified the top contributors to energy intake, free sugars and saturated fat by sex and education., Results: From the 93 food groups, the top five contributors to energy intake (in descending order) were: desserts/cakes/pastries; white bread; white pasta/rice; bananas/other fruit; semi-skimmed milk. Wine, beer, and fruit juices were the top beverage contributors to overall energy intake. Biscuits, and desserts/cakes/pastries were the highest contributors to free sugars, total fat, and saturated fat intakes, but also contributed to the calcium and iron intakes. Top contributors to energy, saturated fat, and free sugars were broadly similar by sex and education category, with small differences in average nutrient intakes across the population., Conclusion: This new food classification system will support the growing interest in the associations between food groups and health outcomes and the development of food-based dietary guidelines. Food group variables will be available to all users of the UK Biobank WebQ questionnaire., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

To detect modest associations of dietary intake with disease risk, observational studies need to be large and control for moderate measurement errors. The reproducibility of dietary intakes of macronutrients, food groups and dietary patterns (vegetarian and Mediterranean) was assessed in adults in the UK Biobank study on up to five occasions using a web-based 24-h dietary assessment ( n 211 050), and using short FFQ recorded at baseline ( n 502 655) and after 4 years ( n 20 346). When the means of two 24-h assessments were used, the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) for macronutrients varied from 0·63 for alcohol to 0·36 for polyunsaturated fat. The ICC for food groups also varied from 0·68 for fruit to 0·18 for fish. The ICC for the FFQ varied from 0·66 for meat and fruit to 0·48 for bread and cereals. The reproducibility was higher for vegetarian status (κ > 0·80) than for the Mediterranean dietary pattern (ICC = 0·45). Overall, the reproducibility of pairs of 24-h dietary assessments and single FFQ used in the UK Biobank were comparable with results of previous prospective studies using conventional methods. Analyses of diet-disease relationships need to correct for both measurement error and within-person variability in dietary intake in order to reliably assess any such associations with disease in the UK Biobank., (© The Author(s) 2019.)

Background: Age at natural menopause is a matter of concern for women of reproductive age as both an early or late menopause may have implications for health outcomes., Methods: Study participants were women aged 40-65 years who had experienced a natural menopause from the UK Women's Cohort Study between baseline and first follow-up. Natural menopause was defined as the permanent cessation of menstrual periods for at least 12 consecutive months. A food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate diet at baseline. Reproductive history of participants was also recorded. Regression modelling, adjusting for confounders, was used to assess associations between diet and age at natural menopause., Results: During the 4-year follow-up period, 914 women experienced a natural menopause. A high intake of oily fish and fresh legumes were associated with delayed onset of natural menopause by 3.3 years per portion/day (99% CI 0.8 to 5.8) and 0.9 years per portion/day (99% CI 0.0 to 1.8), respectively. Refined pasta and rice was associated with earlier menopause (per portion/day: -1.5 years, 99% CI -2.8 to -0.2). A higher intake of vitamin B6 (per mg/day: 0.6 years, 99% CI 0.1 to 1.2) and zinc (per mg/day: 0.3 years, 99% CI -0.0 to 0.6) was also associated with later age at menopause. Stratification by age at baseline led to attenuated results., Conclusion: Our results suggest that some food groups (oily fish, fresh legumes, refined pasta and rice) and specific nutrients are individually predictive of age at natural menopause., Competing Interests: Competing interests: JEC is a director of the University of Leeds spin out company Dietary Assessment., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)