"You have to make it cool": How heterosexual Black men in Toronto, Canada, conceptualize policy and programs to address HIV and promote health.

BACKGROUND: Black Canadian communities are disproportionately impacted by HIV. To help address this challenge, we undertook research to engage heterosexual Black men in critical dialogue about resilience and vulnerability. They articulated the necessity of making health services 'cool'. METHODS: We draw on the analyses of focus groups and in-depth interviews with 69 self-identified heterosexual Black men and 12 service providers who took part in the 2016 Toronto arm of the weSpeak study to explore what it means to make health and HIV services 'cool' for heterosexual Black Canadian men. RESULTS: Our findings revealed four themes on making health services cool: (1) health promotion as a function of Black family systems; (2) opportunities for healthy dialogue among peers through non-judgmental interactions; (3) partnering Black men in intervention design; and (4) strengthening institutional health literacy on Black men's health. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the implications of these findings for improving the health of Black Canadians.

Effect of high-oleic canola and flaxseed oils on energy expenditure and body composition in hypercholesterolemic subjects.

OBJECTIVE: The fatty acid profile of dietary fats may contribute to its channelling toward oxidation versus storage, influencing energy and weight balance. Our objective was to compare the effects of diets enriched with high-oleic canola oil (HOCO), alone or blended with flaxseed oil (FXCO), on energy expenditure, substrate utilization, and body composition versus a typical Western diet (WD). MATERIALS/METHODS: Using a randomized crossover design, 34 hypercholesterolemic subjects (n=22 females) consumed 3 controlled diets for 28 days containing ~49% energy from carbohydrate, 14% energy from protein, and 37% energy from fat, of which 70% of fat was provided by HOCO rich in oleic acid, FXCO rich in alpha-linolenic acid, or WD rich in saturated fat. Indirect calorimetry measured energy expenditure and substrate oxidation. Body composition was analyzed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. RESULT: After 28 days, resting and postprandial energy expenditure and substrate oxidation were not different after consumption of the HOCO or FXCO diets compared with a typical Western diet. No significant changes in body composition measures were observed between diets. However, the android-to-gynoid ratio tended to increase (P=.055) after the FXCO diet compared with the HOCO diet. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that substituting a typical Western dietary fatty acid profile with HOCO or FXCO does not significantly modulate energy expenditure, substrate oxidation or body composition in hypercholesterolemic males and females.