A Progressive Nutrient Profiling System to Guide Improvements in Nutrient Density of Foods and Beverages.

Improving the nutrient density of processed foods is one way to bring the global food supply closer to the WHO Sustainable Development Goals. Nutrient profiling (NP) has emerged as the preferred method of monitoring the progress toward product innovation and reformulation. This paper presents PepsiCo Nutrition Criteria (PNC), a new internal NP model that was designed to guide and monitor improvements in nutrient density and overall nutritional quality of foods and beverages. The new PNC NP model assigns food products into four classes of increasing nutritional value, based on the content of nutrients to limit, along with nutrients and ingredients to encourage. The nutrient standards used for category assignment followed those developed by global dietary authorities. Standards are proposed for calories, sodium, added sugars, saturated, and industrially produced trans fats. Also included are minimum values for food groups to encourage, low-fat dairy, and for country-specific gap nutrients. Internal use of the NP model has spurred product changes that are consistent with WHO goals for industry transparency. An audited review of company products showed that 48% met added sugar, 65% met sodium, and 71% met saturated fat goals. By the end of 2020, in the top 26 regions in which products are sold, 48% of the total sales volume of global beverages had 100 kcal or less from added sugars per 355 ml serving representing 80% of beverage volume and over 90% of food volume sold globally. The PNC NP model is not consumer-facing but is specifically intended for internal use to motivate stepwise and incremental product innovation and reformulation. Transparent and published NP models further WHO goals of engaging industry stakeholders in the (re)formulation of processed foods and beverages consistent with public health goals.

Dietary fat and appetite: similarities and differences in the satiating effect of meals supplemented with either fat or carbohydrate.

In experiment 1, normal weight male subjects were provided with three types of breakfast consumed in the Human Appetite Research Unit on separate experimental days 1 week apart. The intensity of hunger, fullness and other subjective feelings were tracked by means of visual analogue rating scales at intervals during the day. Energy and nutrient intakes were measured directly from ad libitum test meals consumed at lunch and dinner. During the rest of the day and until after breakfast the following day, food intake was measured indirectly through weighted food records. The test breakfasts comprised a basic meal 184 1 kJ (440 kcal) and the same meal supplemented with similar amounts of either fat (1515 kJ, 362 kcal) or carbohydrate (1527 kJ, 365 kcal). No differences were detected between the effects of the basic breakfast compared with the fat-supplemented breakfast. The carbohydrate supplement suppressed hunger ratings during a limited period after consumption (the post-ingestive window coinciding with the expected metabolism of carbohydrate. In experiment 2, a direct test of consumption during this post-ingestive window confirmed that the carbohydrate supplemented breakfast suppressed intake but the fat supplement did not. These results demonstrate that carbohydrate and fat can produce quiet different effects on satiety. Under these experimental conditions the supplement of fat produced no detectable effect on the expression of appetite and illustrates how dietary fat could lead to passive over-consumption of energy. However this effect may be modified by the particular pattern of food consumption during the course of a day.

Dietary intervention in prostate cancer patients: PSA response in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.

The objective of this study was to show or to exclude an effect of dietary supplement on rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. We have studied the effect of a dietary supplement (verum, administered for 6 weeks) containing plant estrogens, antioxidants, including carotenoids, selenium and other putative prostate cancer inhibiting substances in a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind crossover study in 37 hormonally untreated men with prostate cancer and increasing PSA levels. Outcome measures were changes in the rates of change of serum concentrations of total and free PSA and changes in male sex hormone levels. Male sex hormone levels were significantly lower during the verum phase (DHT: -0.11 nmol/L, p = 0.005; testosterone: -1 nmol/L, p = 0.02). Total PSA doubling time was unaffected. Free PSA, which increased during the placebo phase (average doubling time of 68 weeks), decreased during the verum period (average half-life of 13 weeks; p = 0.02). In those men in whom the free androgen index decreased (21 out of 32), a significant decrease in the slopes of both total and free PSA was observed (p = 0.04). Overall total PSA doubling times did not increase significantly during verum. However, the study demonstrates that this dietary intervention reduces DHT and testosterone levels and increases free PSA doubling time (and total PSA doubling time in a relevant subgroup). If future studies confirm that these observations translate into a slowing of disease progression, a dietary intervention may become an attractive option for prostate cancer treatment and prevention.

Decreased carotenoid concentrations due to dietary sucrose polyesters do not affect possible markers of disease risk in humans.

Excessive consumption of energy and fat increases the risk for obesity. Snacks containing sucrose polyesters (SPE) as a dietary fat replacer are on the market in the United States. SPE products have been shown to lower concentrations of serum carotenoids in short-term studies. Experimental studies on the longer-term effects on health of decreased carotenoid concentrations are lacking. A 1-y randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial was performed. Subjects (n = 380) with a habitual low or high fruit and vegetable intake were assigned to the treatments (0, 7, 10 or 17 g/d SPE). SPE was given in the form of spreads, chips or both. The groups were compared for serum carotenoids, vitamins and markers of oxidative damage, eye health, cardiovascular health and immune status. After 1 y, serum lipid-adjusted carotenoids showed the largest decrease in the SPE chips and spread group (17 g/d) compared with the control group [alpha-carotene 33%; beta-carotene 31%, lycopene 24%, beta-cryptoxanthin 18%, lutein 18% (all P < 0.001) and zeaxanthin 13% (P < 0.05)]. Consumption of SPE spread (10 g/d SPE) decreased carotenoid concentrations by 11-29% (all P < 0.05). SPE chips (7 g/d SPE) decreased zeaxanthin (11%), beta-carotene (12%) and alpha-carotene (21%; all P < 0.05). Serum lipid adjusted alpha-tocopherol decreased significantly by 6-8% (all P < 0.001) in all SPE groups. No negative effects were observed on markers of oxidation, eye health, cardiovascular health or immune status. This study shows that decreases in serum carotenoid concentrations do not affect possible markers of disease risk.