Dr Rachael Taylor

© 2020 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that breastfeeding exclusivity and duration are positively associated with child cognition. This study investigated whether DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism modified by nutrient intake, may contribute to the link between breastfeeding and child cognition. The aim was to quantify the relationship between global DNA methylation and cognition and behavior at 4¿years of age. Methods: Child behavior and cognition were measured at age 4¿years using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, third version (WPPSI-III), and Child Behavior Checklist (CBC). Global DNA methylation (%5-methylcytosines (%5mC)) was measured in buccal cells at age 4¿years, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) commercial kit. Linear regression models were used to quantify the statistical relationships. Results: Data were collected from 73 children recruited from the Women and Their Children's Health (WATCH) study. No statistically significant associations were found between global DNA methylation levels and child cognition or behavior (p¿>.05), though the estimates of effect were consistently negative. Global DNA methylation levels in males were significantly higher than in females (median %5mC: 1.82 vs. 1.03, males and females, respectively, (p¿<.05)). Conclusion: No association was found between global DNA methylation and child cognition and behavior; however given the small sample, this study should be pooled with other cohorts in future meta-analyses.

© 2019 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University Background and aims: Most studies measure baseline diet quality exclusively and hence the impact of longitudinal changes in dietary intake in relation to weight change is not considered. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether change in diet quality over nine-years was associated with weight change over the same period in mid-age Australian women. Methods and results: Healthy mid-age (45¿49 years) women from the Australian Longitudinal study on Women's Health (ALSWH) were eligible a valid total energy intake (TEI) was reported at baseline (n = 2381), determined using Goldberg cut-offs. Diet quality was measured by the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) using data derived from a validated food frequency questionnaire. Multiple linear regressions were used to evaluate relationships between change in diet quality and weight in mid-age women (n = 1999). Women in the highest tertile of ARFS change improved diet quality [mean ± SD] [7 ± 4 points], while those in the lowest [-9 ±5 points] and middle [-1±2 points] tertiles had worse diet quality at follow-up. Overall, mean weight gain was 2.3 ± 7.2 kg over nine years. Those in the highest tertile of ARFS change gained significantly less weight, compared to the lowest tertile; ß = -1.2 kg [95% CI: -2.31, -0.11; p = 0.03] after adjustment for changes in confounders and baseline weight, baseline ARFS, and total energy intake. Conclusions: Improving diet quality could be an important strategy for promoting modest weight loss and potentially contribute to preventing weight gain in mid-age women, which is important for metabolic health.

© 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited. Background/objectives: We previously demonstrated that fruit and vegetable consumption, was associated with less weight gain over 6 years in young women for all body mass index (BMI) categories. This study evaluated the relationship between diet quality and 6-year weight change, in Australian women initially in the healthy weight range (=18.5 BMI <25 kg/m2) at baseline. Subjects/methods: A total of 4083 young women (27¿31 years) in the healthy weight range (=18.5 BMI <25 kg/m2) enroled in the Australian Longitudinal study on Women¿s Health (ALSWH) were analysed. Diet quality was measured by the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) and the Fruit and Vegetable Index (FAVI) using dietary data derived from a validated food frequency questionnaire. Weight change was calculated as the difference between baseline and 6-year follow-up weight (kg). Multiple linear regression models were used to analyse the association between baseline ARFS and FAVI and 6-year weight change. Results: At baseline, mean diet quality was low for both indices [ARFS (maximum 72) = 29.9 and FAVI (maximum 333) = 94.2] and women gained 3.7 kg of weight during 6 years of follow-up. Regression modelling revealed that every one point increase over 6 years in either the ARFS or FAVI score was associated with statistically significantly less weight gain over 6 years, although the amount was small (33 and 12 g, respectively). Conclusions: Higher diet quality predicts lower prospective weight gain in young women however, further research is needed over a longer follow-up period and in diverse population groups.