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Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is being promoted for increased consumption as a staple for food and nutrition security, improved livelihoods and environmental conservation, especially, in tropical regions such as the Pacific, Africa and the Caribbean where the species is well adapted. The fruit has a high starch content, however, further information is needed on nutritional properties that influence its energy density which could have implications for how it is consumed especially considering the high incidence of diet related non-communicable diseases. This study evaluated dietary fibre; total, resistant and non-resistant starch contents; total and available carbohydrate contents; and energy density of flour from 21 Caribbean and Pacific breadfruit cultivars. There were significant differences (p<0.05) among cultivars for all parameters measured. Depending on cultivar, the values ranged from 6.7 to 13.73 g/100 g for dietary fibre exclusive of resistant starch, from 28.16 to 50.53 g/100 g for resistant starch, from 14.87 to 34.93 g/100 g for non-resistant starch, from 63.68 to 82.57 g/100 g for total starch, from 83.54 to 93.64 g/100 g for total carbohydrate and from 25.37 to 40.61 g/100 g for available carbohydrate. Available carbohydrate content was approximately 36% of the total carbohydrate, indicating that although total carbohydrate content was high, most of it is not readily digested and absorbed in the small intestines. Based on low available carbohydrate content due to high dietary fibre content inclusive of resistant starch, the overall mean energy density was 158.14 ± 2.56 kcal/g and values ranged from 113.39 to 179.39 kcal/g, indicating that breadfruit flour can be classified as a low to medium energy density food depending on cultivar. These results showed the importance of screening to identify cultivars with unique nutritional properties related to resistant starch, dietary fibre and energy density. Additionally, the observed energy density values may support the promotion of breadfruit as a functional food with considerable potential for the dietary management of diet related non-communicable diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic, political, humanitarian and health crises in Venezuela have resulted in mass out migration -thousands of Venezuelans emigrated to Trinidad and Tobago. However, little is known about their food security status in the host country. This study assessed the food security status among Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers in Trinidad and Tobago and tested the validity of the online application of the food insecurity experience scale (FIES), a tool to measure food insecurity, in a small group. This convenience, cross-sectional study applied an online questionnaire to 433 Venezuelan migrants in Trinidad and Tobago in 2020. Snowball sampling was used to connect to migrants based on their access to locally-based NGO service providers, and organizations directly connected to the Venezuelan migrant community. Researchers applied the 12-month reference period to the FIES to measure food insecurity at the individual level. Descriptive analyses, Rasch modeling and binary logistic regression were conducted. Overall, 61.9% of respondents displayed behaviors characterized as severely food insecure. Significant differences in food security status were observed when categories of employment status ( p = 0.032) and paying rent ( p = 0.005) were considered. There were greater proportions of unemployed individuals who were severely food insecure (67.6%) compared to those who were employed (56.7%). There were greater proportions of individuals paying rent who were severely food insecure (62.6%) compared to those who were not paying rent (50.0%). Logistic regression with adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals revealed that food insecurity was less likely among migrants who were employed (OR 0.112, 95% CI 0.016-0.763) relative to those who were not employed, while food insecurity was more likely among migrants who were paying rent (OR 7.325, 95% CI 1.965-27.312) relative to those not paying rent. The FIES was consistent in assessing food security status. These findings provide a rapid assessment that can be used to galvanize international, national and community-level stakeholders to devise and target responses to assist migrants experiencing food insecurity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Saint Ville, Francis-Granderson, Bhagwandeen and Mohammed.)

Background: To examine predictors of increasing overweight among children in two developing countries., Methods: Primary school children (6-10 y at baseline, n  = 336) and their caregivers.Longitudinal data were collected in 2012, with follow-up 18 months later. Data on children's height, weight and dietary intake were collected within 8 primary public schools in Trinidad and 7 schools in St. Kitts. Caregivers' demographic and anthropometric data were also collected., Results: At baseline, children's age and sex and caregivers' BMI, age, and marital status and reported dietary intake were similar across all weight groups. The incidence of overweight and obesity among children was 8.8% and 8.1%, respectively. Dietary intake at baseline was not related to becoming overweight or obese. Similarly there were no differences in reported intake among children who became overweight or obese except that they consumed fewer fruits (0.54±0.92 vs. 0.98±1.66, p  = 0.017). Misreporting of energy intake was higher among overweight/obese children as compared to those who were not overweight/obese (27% vs. 17%, p  = 0.047). The baseline predictors of increasing BMI (adjusted) of the children were older age, higher baseline BMI z-score and higher height-for-age (HFA) z-score; caregiver BMI, children's energy intake (with adjustment for misreporting) did not predict changes in children's BMI., Conclusions: The increasing prevalence of overweight/obesity among children is a serious problem in the Caribbean. Heavier children are at elevated risk of continued rapid increase in their weight status, pointing to the need for early intervention., Competing Interests: Ethical approvals were obtained from the McGill Research Ethics Committee, the Ministry of Education in St. Kitts and Nevis, the Ministry of Health St. Kitts and Nevis, the Ministry of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs in Trinidad and Tobaggo, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Research and Publication Unit. A letter to parents requesting the participation of caregiver and their child was provided to the household and only those children with signed parental consent were enrolled in the study.Not applicable.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.