The Patterns of Complementary Feeding and Growth among 12 to 23 Month-Old Children in China.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to understand the characteristics of dietary patterns among children aged 12 to 23 months and discusses the relationship between dietary patterns and the growth of children. METHOD: Cross-sectional data were selected from the National Nutrition and Health Systematic Survey for 0 to 18 year-old children in China ( n = 2,449) to describe the patterns of complementary feeding and the growth of children. Cluster analysis was used to analyze complementary feeding patterns, and an analysis of variance and Bonferroni test were conducted to analyze the relationship between Z scores and complementary feeding patterns. RESULTS: Four dietary patterns were identified among the children via cluster analysis. In Pattern 4 ( n = 104, 4.2%), children still consumed milk as their staple food. They displayed the lowest grain, fruit, vegetable, egg, and flesh foods consumption, a medium frequency of breast milk consumption, and a high frequency of dairy product consumption. Pattern 4 had the lowest length-for-age Z scores and weight-for-age Z scores, with -0.10 ± 1.34 and 0.24 ± 1.00, respectively ( F = 7.940, P < 0.001; F = 5.317, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Although China is undergoing rapid urbanization and economic development, there is still a phenomenon of insufficient intake of protein-rich foods and dairy-based dietary patterns at the stage of complementary food introduced among children aged 12 to 23 months.

National Nutrition and Health Systematic Survey for Children 0-17 Years of Age in China.

The main purpose of the National Nutrition and Health Systematic Survey for children 0-17 years of age in China (CNHSC) was to collect basic data on the nutrition, development, and health status for children in different regions across China using evidence-based, reliable, and cost-effective approaches. Children and their parents or guardians from seven regions (south, southwest, north, northwest, eastern, central, and northeast China) in China were recruited. A multi-stage stratified randomized sampling method was used. Two provinces were randomly sampled from each of the seven regions, from which one urban district and one rural country were also randomly sampled, resulting in a total of 28 survey counties/districts. Dietary surveys, health examinations, laboratory testing, and questionnaires were used to collect dietary intake, nutritional status, child development, and health status information. Nutrition, health, and lifestyle assessment of children and their parents was determined using the Knowledge Attitude Practice (KAP) survey. Greater than 100,000 children (38,000 children < 6 years of age and 66,000 children 6-17 years of age) completed the survey. The survey provided comprehensive data on child nutrition and health status for future studies and will serve as the basis for an integrated nutrition and health improvement strategies proposal for children in China.

A promoter polymorphism in the hMLH1 gene (-93G/A) associated with sporadic colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a worldwide problem for public health. mutL homolog 1 (MLH1) is a key component of the mismatch repair system, and the MLH1-93G/A polymorphism (rs1800734) is predicted to affect MLH1 protein expression, suggesting that the polymorphism may be associated with the cancer risk; however, the results concerning this have been inconsistent. In order to investigate the possible correlation between human (h)MLH1-93G/A polymorphism and the development and progression of sporadic CRC (SCRC) in China, the genotypes of hMLH1-93G/A were detected by the TaqMan MGB probe method in 312 SCRC patients and 300 healthy controls, and immunohistochemical staining was also performed to measure the expression of hMLH1 in cases with different alleles among the SCRC patients and normal controls. It was observed that the A/A genotype and A allele significantly increased the risk of developing Duke's stage C+D CRC and lymphatic metastasis. hMLH1 expression of the A allele was lower than that of the G allele in CRC. By contrast, there was no statistically significant difference in hMLH1 expression for the A allele and the G allele in the normal controls. These results suggested that hMLH1-93G/A polymorphism may not be associated with the overall risk of CRC, but that the hMLH1-93A/A genotype and A allele are associated with the progression of CRC.