This study reports results from a randomized controlled intervention trial, focusing on: (1) the identification of successful consumer strategies for increasing fruit and vegetable intakes to the recommended levels of more than five (80 g) portions per day and (2) impact on overall diet and nutrient intakes. Adult men and women (n 170) fulfilling the main recruitment criterion of eating less than five fruit and vegetable portions per day but contemplating increasing intakes were recruited. Complete valid dietary data was provided by 101 intervention (fifty-nine estimated fruit and vegetable intakes, and forty-two simultaneous weighed total dietary and estimated fruit and vegetable intakes) and twenty-four control subjects (weighed total dietary intakes). Intervention advice included the specific association of high fruit and vegetable intake with reduced risk of disease, practicalities, and portion definition with a target intake of greater than five 80 g fruit and vegetable portions per day for 8 weeks. There were significant effects (P < 0·001) on weighed intakes of fruit and vegetables in the intervention group, rising from 324 (se 25) to 557 (se 31) g/d and reflected by validated portion measures at 8 weeks intervention. Successful strategies chosen by ‘achievers’ of the target intake (65% of subjects) were conventional (fruit as a snack, vegetables with main meals etc.) and favoured fruit. There were significant increases in percentage energy from carbohydrate (from sugars not starch), vitamin C, carotenes and NSP and there was a significant decrease in percentage energy from fat for subjects who had high fat intakes (> 35% energy) at baseline. Follow-up self-reported measures at 6 and 12 months indicated mean intakes of 4·5 and 4·6 defined portions/d respectively, suggesting some sustainable effect. In conclusion, the intervention led to significant increases in fruit and vegetable intakes largely via conventional eating habits, with some desirable effects on macro- and micronutrient intakes.

To assess the response of low consumers of fruit and vegetables to a nutrition education intervention programme, data were collected from 104 adults on attitudinal variables related to ‘eating more fruit, vegetables and vegetable dishes’. Questionnaires (based on the theory of planned behaviour) assessing perceived barriers to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption were administered before an action-orientated intervention programme and at the end of the intervention period (8 weeks). Questionnaire scores for belief-evaluations in the intervention groups pre- and post-study indicated that support of family and friends, food costs, time constraints and shopping practicalities (in order to increase intake of fruit, vegetable and vegetable dishes) were barriers to greater consumption of these foodstuffs. Perceived situational barriers to increasing intakes of fruits and vegetables were: limited availability of vegetables, salads and fruit at work canteens, take-aways, friends' houses and at work generally. Following the intervention the number of visits to the shops was perceived as a greater barrier for increasing intakes of fruit and vegetables. Perceived practical opportunities for increasing intakes highlighted drinking fruit juice, taking fruit as a dessert, having fruit as a between-meal snack and eating two portions of vegetables with a meal. About two-thirds of intervention subjects achieved the recommended fruit and vegetable target, but it is concluded that practical issues and situational barriers need to be addressed for the success of future public health campaigns.

Compensatory changes in energy intake (EI) and macronutrient metabolism in response to modest covert underfeeding were tested by whole-body calorimetry in eight lean men. Each was studied on three occasions comprising a controlled stabilization day followed by manipulation and outcome days in a whole-body calorimeter. On the manipulation day EI was fixed, and calculated to maintain energy balance (CONTROL) or to provide 85% of CONTROL by removing energy as carbohydrate (CHOred) or as fat (FATred). On the outcome day, ad libitum EI was allowed at fixed mealtimes. CHOred and FATred manipulations generated significantly different energy balances (-1.10 (SE 0.13) MJ, P=0.000; -1.10 (SE 0.12) MJ, P=0.000) and fat balances (-0.61(SE 0.23) MJ, P=0.03; -1.09 (SE 0.20) MJ, P=0.000), but not carbohydrate balances (-0.39 (SE 0.22) MJ, NS; 0.11 (SE 0.23) MJ, NS) by the end of the manipulation day compared with CONTROL. On the outcome day, EI was significantly higher than CONTROL after CHOred (+1.58 (SE 0.33) MJ, P=0.004) and FATred (+1.21 (SE 0.49) MJ, P=0.022) with no differences between treatments. Overall 48 h energy balances averaged close to zero at -0.14, +0.34, +0.04 MJ on CONTROL, CHOred and FATred respectively. Total 48 h energy intakes on CHOred and FATred averaged 101 (SE 1.7)% and 99 (SE 2.5)% of CONTROL, thus demonstrating accurate detection of a mild energy deficit and efficient next-day compensation. Despite significant differences in macronutrient oxidation rates, the energy homeostatic mechanism appeared to be independent of specific macronutrient deficits.

Thirty-six normal-weight, habitual snackers (eighteen males, eighteen females) completed a medium-term intervention study designed to examine the tendency of four different types of snacks, varying in nutrient (low- (LF) or high-fat (HF)) and sensory properties (sweet (SW) or non-sweet (NSW)), to influence the control of appetite and to adjust daily energy intake. Subjects were exposed to each snack category for a 3-week period and were asked to consume a minimum number of snacks each day so that at least 25% of their daily energy intake would be derived from the test snacks. Energy and macronutrient intakes from the test snacks were calculated every day and also from other eating episodes (using 3 d food diary records) during the third week of snack exposure. Subjects consumed more energy/d from the SW snacks than from the NSW snacks, with most energy being consumed from the HF/SW snacks (3213 kJ) and least energy from the LF/NSW snacks (1628 kJ). This differential snack intake remained stable across the whole snack exposure period. Total daily energy intake did not differ significantly during exposure to any of the four snack types. Furthermore, the encouragement to eat freely from the test snacks did not lead to daily overconsumption of energy when compared with pre-study intakes. Hence, the level of snack consumption was largely compensated for by the energy consumed from the rest of the eating pattern. Although daily energy intake during exposure to the HF snacks was an average of 364 kJ higher (NS) than that during exposure to the LF snacks, the clearest and most significant effect of snack consumption was on daily macronutrient intake. Appreciable consumption of the HF snacks raised the percentage of total daily energy intake consumed as fat from 37 to 41% (P < 0.01). In contrast, the LF snacks reduced daily fat intake to 33.5% (LF/SW, P < 0.05; LF/NSW, NS) of total daily energy. The results, therefore, suggest that, in habitual snackers, generous consumption of LF snacks, when compared with HF snacks, is an effective strategy to reduce fat intake so that it approaches the recommendations of dietary guidelines without increasing total daily energy intake.

The effect of partial dietary replacement of linoleic acid (18:2n-6; linoleic acid-rich diet) with α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3; α-linolenic acid-rich diet) on plasma lipids was investigated in twenty-nine healthy young men. After a 2-week stabilization period subjects were randomly assigned to either the α-linolenic acid-rich diet group (n 15), receiving a mean of 10.1 g of α-linolenic acid and 12.1 g of linoleic acid/d, or the linoleic acid-rich diet group (n 14), receiving a mean of 1.0 g of α-linolenic acid and 21.0 g of linoleic acid/d, for a 6-week test period. Blood samples were taken at the commencement of the stabilization period and at the start (week 0), midpoint (week 3) and endpoint (week 6) of the test period and plasma lipids analysed. The changes occurring on the linoleic acid-rich diet and α-linolenic acid-rich diet were compared but no significant differences in the changes in plasma total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, the subfractions HDL2 and HDL3 or triacylglycerols were found. These results indicate that dietary replacement of linoleic acid with α-linolenic acid in the diet of healthy male subjects offers similar cardioprotective benefits with respect to lipid metabolism.

We investigated whether the potentiation of postprandial lipaemia by fructose occurs in both non-diabetic subjects and those with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Six non-diabetic and six diabetic subjects were studied on two occasions. They were given a meal containing 1 g fat/kg body weight with, on one occasion, 0.75 g fructose/kg body weight, on the other occasion 0.75 g starch/kg body weight. In both groups, plasma glucose and insulin concentrations rose more after starch than after fructose. At 1–2 h after the meal, plasma non-esterified fatty acid concentrations were suppressed more after fructose than after starch, but later they rose more after fructose than after starch. Plasma triacylglycerol concentrations rose more slowly after fructose, but were considerably higher than those after starch from 4–6 h after the meal. There were no differences in post-heparin plasma lipoprotein lipase (EC 3.1.1.34) activity at the end of the test. The potentiation of postprandial lipaemia by fructose was positively related to the fasting plasma insulin concentration, suggesting that insulin-resistant subjects are more prone to this effect. We conclude that the potentiation of postprandial lipaemia by fructose is seen in both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Our results suggest that alterations in the dynamics of plasma non-esterified fatty acids might underlie the effects of fructose on triacylglycerol metabolism.

Zn absorption was investigated in healthy elderly subjects aged 71–78 years and in young subjects aged 23–43 years using serum concentration curve (SCC) tests. Both groups had similar Zn and protein status. The increase in serum Zn was monitored for 180 min after ingestion of 200ml of soya milk enriched with 50mg of Zn. Three levels of phytic acid were used: 0g/200ml (totally dephytinized soya milk), 0.13 g/200ml (half dephytinized), and 0.26 g/200ml (natural phytic acid content). In a first study the effect of 0 v. 0.26 g/200 ml phytic acid was compared in 10 elderly and 10 young subjects, each subject receiving both treatments. In a second study soya milks with 0 and 0.13 g/200ml were tested in nine elderly and ten young subjects, again receiving both treatments. Mean areas under the curve of the SCC tests conducted with the 0 g/200 ml soya milk were found to be the same in both studies. Phytic acid strongly depressed Zn absorption in both studies (P ≤ 0.05), but to a greater extent at the 0.26 g/200ml level. No difference was found between the groups of young and elderly subjects. Therefore, no significant effect of aging on Zn absorption, as evaluated by the SCC test, or on the inhibitory effect of phytic acid was detected.

Two experiments were conducted to determine apparent ileal digestibility of amino acids (AIDAA) and nitrogen (AIDN) in cottonseed meal (CSM) and soyabean meal (SBM) fed to growing pigs. In the first experiment, twenty-four male pigs (37·3 (SE 2·7) kg) were individually penned and randomized to either CSM or SBM diets. The diets contained 40% of the protein meal (either CSM or SBM) in a wheat starch-sucrose (1:1, w/w) base containing vitamins and minerals, and Cr2O3 as an indigestible marker. Pigs were acclimated to the experimental diets over a 3d period and on day 4 through to day 14 were offered 1800g/d of the diet. Diets were offered in three meals/d from day 4 to day 11 and in eight meals/d from day 12 to day 13. After the eighth hourly-meal on day 14, twelve pigs were anaesthetized with halothane while the remaining twelve pigs were CO2-stunned and processed using commercial slaughter procedures. Ileal digesta were collected from a 1500 mm portion of the terminal ileum of each pig and subsequently analysed for amino acids, N, organic matter and Cr. Results indicated that AIDAA of CSM and SBM were lower when digesta were collected following CO2-stunning than when digesta were obtained under halothane anaesthesia. Consistently, AIDN in CSM (0·51 v. 0·56) and SBM (0·55 v. 0-71) were lower (P <0·05) in CO2-stunned pigs than in halothane-anaesthetized pigs. Furthermore, when digesta collection was conducted under halothane anaesthesia, AIDN of CSM was lower (P < 0·001) than that of SBM. In the second experiment, six male pigs (45 (SE 2·6) kg) were fitted with T-piece cannulas implanted in the terminal ileum, housed individually in metabolism cages, and randomly allocated to either CSM or SBM diets in a single reversal arrangement. Ileal digesta were collected for AIDAA and AIDN determination. Although statistical comparisons could not be made between the two experiments, the AIDAA and AIDN data obtained via cannulated pigs were similar to those values obtained using the halothane-anaesthesia method. Overall, the CO2-stunning method is not recommended for studies of amino acid or nitrogen ileal digestibilities, but may be useful for the study of other dietary constituents.

Male Wistar rats were fed on a conventional diet containing normal corn starch or 6 % enzyme-resistant starch originating from either raw or retrograded high-amylose corn starch. Furthermore, the diets were either cholesterol-free or contained 1 % cholesterol and 0·1 % cholic acid. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether the addition of enzyme-resistant starch to a rat conventional diet had any effect on cholesterol metabolism. Therefore, plasma and liver cholesterol concentrations, plasma HDL:LDL cholesterol ratios and neutral steroid and bile acid excretion were determined. No significant effect of enzyme-resistant starch feeding on plasma and liver cholesterol concentrations was found. However, consumption of raw or retrograded high-amylose corn starch resulted in a decrease in esterified and total liver cholesterol concentrations of 24 and 22 %, respectively. This was accompanied by a reduction in plasma esterified and total cholesterol levels of 4 % and a tendency to higher daily faecal coprostanol and total bile acid excretion.

The present study examined whether the intestinal microflora could affect the bioavailability and vitamin A activity of dietary α- and β-carotene in the rat. In the first set of experiments, we used conventional, germ-free (axenic), and human-flora-associated (heteroxenic) rats. In a second series, conventional rats were treated with either an antibiotic mixture or a potent inhibitor of gastric secretion (Omeprazole). All animals were first depleted of vitamin A over 4 weeks and then were fed on a sterilized diet supplemented with 14 mg β-carotene and 3 mg α-carotene/kg for 2 weeks. In both experiments, a reduction in the intestinal microflora resulted in an increased storage of β-carotene, α-carotene and vitamin A in the liver. Neither the nature of the metabolism of the intestinal microflora (aerobic or anaerobic) nor treatment with omeprazole, to modify intestinal pH, induced a significant effect on the measured variables. When incubated with 15 μmol β-carotene/l for 72 h, neither the anaerobic nor the aerobic sub-fractions obtained from rat or human faeces contributed to β-carotene degradation or to vitamin A synthesis. These findings suggest that reduction in gut microflora results in a better utilization of α- and β-carotene by rats, although bacteria do not have a direct effect on the bioavailability of these pigments.

The gastrointestinal absorption and organ distribution of Cd after exposure for 9 weeks to three fibre-rich foodstuffs (wheat bran, sugar-beet fibre and carrots) were determined in mice. Groups of eight mice were given a diet containing 0.05 mg Cd/kg from wheat bran, sugar-beet fibre, carrots or CdCl2 mixed in a semi-synthetic, low-Cd (<0.007mg/kg) feed. A control group was fed on the low-Cd semi-synthetic feed. The water consumption, food consumption and the weight of the animals were monitored throughout the study. The feed was changed once weekly and Cd was analysed in the feed at each change. myo-Inositol phosphates (hexa-, penta-, tetra- and tri-) and Zn, Cu, Fe and Ca were also analysed in the diets. After 9 weeks, the mice were killed and liver and kidneys were sampled and analysed for Cd. The group receiving the wheat-bran diet had significantly lower fractional Cd accumulation (% total Cd intake) in the liver and kidneys than the other groups, indicating a lower fractional absorption of Cd. The wheat-bran diet had markedly higher levels of inositol hexa- and pentaphosphates (phytates) and a Zn level that was twice as high as those in the other diets. The higher levels of myo-inositol hexa- and pentaphosphates in the wheat-bran diet most probably contributed more to the lower fractional absorption of Cd than the elevated Zn level, due to the formation of insoluble Cd–phytate complexes. Compared with the wheat-bran diet, the sugar-beet-fibre and carrot diets contained very low levels of myo-inositol penta- and hexaphosphates, and consequently the fractional Cd absorption from these diets was higher.