Lutein and zeaxanthin (L/Z) are the predominant carotenoids which accumulate in the retina of ...the eye. The impact of L/Z intake on the risk and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the developed world, has been investigated in cohort studies and clinical trials. The aims of this review were to critically examine the literature and evaluate the current evidence relating to L/Z intake and AMD, and describe important food sources and factors that increase the bioavailability of L/Z, to inform dietary models. Cohort studies generally assessed L/Z from dietary sources, while clinical trials focused on providing L/Z as a supplement. Important considerations to take into account in relation to dietary L/Z include: nutrient-rich sources of L/Z, cooking methods, diet variety and the use of healthy fats. Dietary models include examples of how suggested effective levels of L/Z can be achieved through diet alone, with values of 5 mg and 10 mg per day described. These diet models depict a variety of food sources, not only from dark green leafy vegetables, but also include pistachio nuts and other highly bioavailable sources of L/Z such as eggs. This review and the diet models outlined provide information about the importance of diet variety among people at high risk of AMD or with early signs and symptoms of AMD.
Abstract
Background
We piloted an educational intervention that aimed to enhance awareness about nutrition-age-related macular degeneration (AMD) links among practising and student dietitians then ...expanded the scope of this intervention to include general eye health, which was delivered to pharmacy students.
Methods
A pilot intervention was conducted in 2019 at the Dietitians Australia Conference (Gold Coast, Australia) where practising and student dietitians underwent a 2-hour small group educational workshop on nutrition and AMD links. Pre-post questionnaires were administered to participants, with voluntary completion of both questionnaires an indicator of consent to participate in the intervention. The primary intervention outcome was a change in AMD-related nutrition knowledge pre-post intervention. A larger intervention was then conducted at the University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia) where pharmacy students underwent a 4-hour educational module to improve general eye health knowledge, as well as student perceptions and attitudes towards a pharmacists’ role in low vision care. Similarly, pre-post questionnaires were administered, with voluntary completion of both questionnaires an indicator of consent to participate in the intervention. The primary intervention outcomes were changes in total knowledge, total perception and total attitude scores pre-post intervention.
Results
(1) Among 10 accredited and 5 student dietitians, there was significant overall knowledge improvement (mean pre-post score: 7.07 ± 1.94 vs. 10.8 ± 1.01,
p
= 0.001) specifically around appropriate dietary advice, food sources of key AMD-related nutrients, and awareness of supplements. (2) Among 179 second-year pharmacy students enrolled in the ‘Pharmacy Practice’ Unit of Study (Bachelor of Pharmacy, University of Sydney), total eye health knowledge (6.25 ± 1.93 vs. 6.64 ± 2.0;
p
= 0.011) significantly improved, along with total perception scores (41.54 ± 5.26 vs. 42.45 ± 4.95;
p
= 0.004). Total attitude scores were not significantly different.
Conclusions
The pilot intervention improved relevant nutrition-AMD knowledge among practising/student dietitians. The modified intervention for pharmacy students also significantly improved general eye health knowledge as well as students’ perception of a pharmacists’ role in low vision care.
. To examine the marketing techniques food and beverage brands use on Instagram, as part of their sport sponsorship strategy.
. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of 31 Instagram accounts ...during the 2021 Australian Open tennis tournament. Branded food and beverage posts with tennis‐linked content were coded based on an initial screening and previously published frameworks.
. Of the 152 included posts, 92% were made by food and beverage companies that were official ‘partners’ of the Australian Open. Products in posts were mostly discretionary foods and alcohol. The most frequently used strategies were ‘Engagement’ (89%) and ‘Branding’ (80%) and nearly half (45%) of alcohol posts invited direct consumption of their product.
. The powerful combination of sport and social media are utilised by brands to interact and build relationship with consumers while promoting the consumption of alcohol and discretionary foods – products which impede rather than promote health. The indirect marketing techniques favoured by brands make this form of advertising difficult to identify and control.
. These results highlight the need for counter‐marketing, policy and regulatory actions to remove unhealthy food and alcohol from sport and reorient sponsorship of sporting events towards products that promote health.
The effect of bread consumption on overall food intake is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to measure postprandial food intake after a set breakfast containing three different breads. Ten ...males and 10 females aged 20.1–44.8 years, BMI 18.4–24.8
kg/m
2, consumed two slices of White Bread, Bürgen
® Wholemeal and Seeds Bread or Lupin Bread (all 1300
kJ) with 10
g margarine and 30
g strawberry jam. Fullness and hunger responses and were measured before and during the test breakfasts. Glucose and insulin responses (incremental area under each two-hour curve (iAUC)) were calculated. Food intake was measured and energy and nutrient intake determined at a buffet meal two hours later. Subjects consumed significantly less energy after the Bürgen
® Bread meal compared to the White Bread meal (2548
±
218 vs. 3040
±
328
kJ, Bürgen
® Bread vs. White Bread,
P
<
0.05). There were higher fullness responses for the Lupin Bread (
P
<
0.01), and the Bürgen
® Bread (
P
<
0.05) compared with the White Bread. Lupin Bread and Bürgen
® Bread produced smaller postprandial glucose responses (79
±
7, 74
±
4, 120
±
10
mmol/L
min iAUC, Lupin, Bürgen
® and White Bread respectively,
P
<
0.01). Differences in insulin responses were also observed (6145
±
1048, 6471
±
976, 9674
±
1431
pmol/L
min iAUC, Lupin, Bürgen
® and White Bread respectively,
P
<
0.01). Equal-energy portions of three different commercially available breads differed in their short-term satiation capacity. Further studies are needed to demonstrate any potential benefit for weight management.
Local carbonate cycling in lagoon-estuarine systems, involving processes such as inorganic and biogenic carbonate precipitation/dissolution, represents an important but poorly constrained component ...of the coastal carbon budget. This study investigates the sensitivity of stable Sr isotope tracer (δ88/86Sr) with respect to carbonate saturation and salinity of local waters in the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLMM) estuary in South Australia. The CLLMM has an extensive range of salinity from fresh to hypersaline (from ∼0 to over 100 PSU), with corresponding variations in water chemistry and major ion composition that in turn controls mineral saturation states, and thus CaCO3 precipitation/dissolution in local waters. Here we use the novel δ88/86Sr tracer in tandem with the more established radiogenic Sr isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr), where the latter is a robust proxy for Sr sources and thus water provenance. We also produced a geochemical (PHREEQC) model of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) saturation changes across this unique lagoon-estuarine system.
The results indicate a systematically increasing trend of δ88/86Sr (from ∼0.25‰ to ∼0.45‰) with increasing salinity and CaCO3 (aragonite, calcite) saturation indices of the coastal waters, which in turn suggest an overall control of carbonate dissolution/precipitation processes on the stable Sr isotope composition in the CLLMM system. This was further corroborated by Ca isotope data (δ44/40Ca) published previously on the same samples from the Coorong, as well as a quantitative simulation of local carbonate removal in the lagoon based on Rayleigh modelling and Sr isotope data.
Overall, our results confirm that a coupled Sr isotope approach (combining 87Sr/86Sr and δ88/86Sr) can be used to constrain not only the main water sources (continental versus marine Sr) but also local CaCO3 dissolution/precipitation processes, and thus inorganic carbon and coastal carbonate cycling in the CLLMM system. Finally, this coupled δ88/86Sr and 87Sr/86Sr approach can be potentially applied to fossil carbonate archives to reconstruct paleo-hydrology and salinity changes in the CLLMM and/or other carbonate-producing coastal systems.
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