Dietary studies on two rural italian population groups of the Seven Countries Study. 3. Trend Of food and nutrient intake from 1960 to 1991.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the trend of food and nutrient intake from 1960 to 1991 of the subjects of two rural Italian cohorts of the Seven Countries Study. DESIGN: Longitudinal study of dietary patterns from 1960 to 1991. SETTING: Two rural Italian cohorts of Seven Countries Study: Crevalcore in the North near Bologna and Montegiorgio in the Centre near Ancona. SUBJECTS: Men aged 40-59 y in 1960 examined every 5 or 10 y until 1991. METHODS: Food intake was assessed by the dietary history method on all available subjects and by the weighed record method in a statistically selected subsample. RESULTS: A marked decrease of energy intake was observed, due not only to the aging process but also to a remarkable reduction of working activities and life habits. The trend of food group intake as percentage of energy shows an increase for milk, cheese, meat, vegetables, fruit, sweet beverages and cakes, pies and cookies and a decrease for bread and alcoholic beverages, which were more marked in Montegiorgio. The evaluation of the above changes by a Mediterranean Adequacy Index provided the following values: in Crevalcore in 1965 2.9 and in 1991 2.2; in Montegiorgio the corresponding values are 5.6 and 3.9. The Mediterranean Adequacy Index of diet of men from Nicotera (the third rural cohort examined only in 1960), considered the Reference Italian-Mediterranean Diet, is 7.5. Accordingly, in both cohorts dietary habits, different at baseline and rather far from the Reference Italian-Mediterranean type (especially in Crevalcore) became worse with time, particularly in Montegiorgio. CONCLUSIONS: The changes observed in 31 y in the diet of men from Crevalcore and Montegiorgio suggest the necessity in the longitudinal nutritional epidemiology studies particularly in rapidly changing societies to assess the trend of food intakes and the factors related to it. This is in view of the promotion of nutrition intervention programs.

Gustatory and food habit changes during the menstrual cycle.

Gustatory and food habit changes during the menstrual cycle were studied in 8 women, 6 smokers and 2 non-smokers, aged 23-37 years. The following parameters were evaluated during three consecutive menstrual cycles: blood oestradiol and progesterone levels on the 7th, 14th and 21st day of each cycle (radioimmunoassay); detection and recognition thresholds and concentration preferences for sucrose, sodium chloride, citric acid and quinine sulphate on the 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st day of each cycle; food consumption (weighed record) on days 1 and 2, 6-8, 13-15 and 20-22 each cycle. The four basic tastes were influenced differently by blood hormone levels during the menstrual cycle. Sensitivity to sweet taste increased with an increase of oestradiol, while sensitivity to bitter taste increased with an increase of progesterone. No correlations between hormone levels and acid taste, and only a few correlations for salt taste were found. Food habits changed during the cycle particularly for meat and fruit. Vegetables and cereals showed only a tendency to vary. In correspondence with the highest oestradiol values there was a tendency towards lower energy intake, -122 kcal (-0.51 MJ) = 8%, predominantly provided by carbohydrates (as bread).

Relationship between mothers' and newborns' nutritional and blood lipid variables.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relation between anthropometry, diet and blood lipids during pregnancy and anthropometry and cord blood lipids in newborns. DESIGN: Longitudinal study during pregnancy. SETTING: Population study. SUBJECTS: A group of 70 volunteer pregnant women attending the Maternity Advisory Service were recruited at the 1st trimester and studied during pregnancy. By the end of the study 17 women had dropped out of anthropometry and diet assessments and 21 had left blood lipid analysis. Anthropometric measurements and cord blood lipid determinations were carried out respectively on 43 and 28 newborns. INTERVENTIONS: Diet history; current methods for anthropometry and blood lipid determinations. RESULTS: The highest values for energy and other nutrient intakes were observed at the 2nd trimester. According to the recommendations usually made, protein and fat intakes were high, and carbohydrate intake too low. This was observed especially at the 3rd trimester. Significant relationships between protein, fat and carbohydrate intake (as a percentage of energy) during pregnancy and anthropometric variables in newborns and cord blood lipids (particularly for boys) were found in the group of mothers and their respective newborns. Few correlations between mothers' and newborns' levels of blood lipids were observed for girls. CONCLUSIONS: The results do not show considerable diet changes during pregnancy. The impact of mothers' diet on fat deposition in newborns and cord blood lipids seems to be sex-linked and more important for boys.

Dietary studies on two rural Italian population groups of the Seven Countries Study. 1. Food and nutrient intake at the thirty-first year follow-up in 1991.

The food and nutrient intake at the thirty-first follow-up in 1991 of 16 surviving elderly from Crevalcore and Montegiorgio, two Italian rural ares of the Seven Countries Study, are reported. For dietary appraisal the individual weighed record method for 3 and 9 days in three seasons was used. In autumn the dietary history method was also used. Because the number of survivors was small, 15 additional elderly subjects in both areas were surveyed. Then, to detect any change related to age in food intake, 41 younger subjects were assessed with the dietary history method. The results in both areas showed in general a high intra-individual variability and no statistically significant difference in food group and nutrient intake between seasons. Between the two methods for dietary survey no statistically significant difference, in general, was observed (P > 0.05 only for a few items). The diet of the subjects of Crevalcore was characterized by a rather high intake of milk and meat and a low intake of fish and legumes. In Montegiorgio the picture was similar to that of Crevalcore, but at a lower level of intake. In both areas, but particularly in Montegiorgio, these subjects have been abandoning the traditional Mediterranean diet.