Cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of dementia are increasing in prevalence worldwide, while global dietary patterns are transitioning to a ‘western type’ with increasing meat consumption. Studies which have explored the associations between cognitive function and meat intakes have produced inconsistent findings. The aim of this systematic review was to explore the evidence linking meat intake with cognitive disorders. Twenty-nine studies were retrieved, including twelve cohort, three case-control, thirteen cross-sectional studies, and one intervention study. The majority (21/29) showed that meat consumption was not significantly associated with cognitive function or disorders. Meta-analysis of five studies showed no significant differences in meat consumption between cases with cognitive disorders and controls (standardized mean difference = −0.32, 95% CI: −1.01, 0.36); however, there was considerable heterogeneity. In contrast, a meta-analysis of five studies showed reduced odds of cognitive disorders by consuming meat weekly or more (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.57, 0.88); however, potential publication bias was noted in relation to this finding. Overall, there was no strong association between meat intake and cognitive disorders. However, the evidence base was limited, requiring more studies of high quality to isolate the specific effect of meat consumption from dietary patterns to confirm these associations.

Studies of adults report that perceived taste affects food choices and intake, which in turn may have an impact on health. However, corresponding evidence on adolescents is limited. Our aim was to summarize current evidence of the impact of taste perception on food choice preferences or dietary intakes among adolescents (mean age 10–19.9 years). Systematic searches identified 13 papers, 12 cross-sectional and one cohort study published between 1 January 2000 to 20 February 2020 assessing the impact of taste (using phenotypic and/or genotypic markers) on food choices in adolescents without any disease conditions. Qualitative assessment in the current review indicated that individuals sensitive to bitter tastes often have a lower preference of bitter-tasting food and higher preference for sweet-tasting food. A meta-analysis of three studies on bitter-taste sensitivity revealed no difference in preference for bitter-tasting vegetables between bitter tasters and non-tasters (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.04; 95% CI: −0.18, 0.26; p = 0.72). Overall, a limited number of studies were available for review. As a result, we report no clear relationship between taste perception and food choices or intake in adolescents. More studies are needed to evaluate the link between adolescents’ taste perceptions and dietary intake.

The taste of foods is a key factor for adolescents' food choices and intakes, yet, exploring taste characteristics of adolescents' diet is limited. Using food records for 284 adolescents (10–19 years old) from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), year 9 (2016–2017), we classified diets according to taste. Tastes for each food consumed were generated from a previous survey that asked participants to allocate one main taste to each food. Responses from that survey were processed and included in a Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) to identify taste clusters. The resulting tastes were then applied to the adolescents' food records in the NDNS. For each individual, the total weight of food per day for each taste was calculated. A linear regression model was used to explore dietary intakes from each taste. Findings reveal that adolescents' daily energy intake was highest (34%) from foods that taste sweet. Sweet foods were the main calorie contributors at breakfast and daytime snacking, while energy intake from neutral-tasting foods was higher at lunch and dinner. Sweet food intake was significantly positively associated with higher energy, sugar, and fat intakes. For each percentage increase in sweet foods, energy increased by 10 kcal/d (95% CI 6, 15; P < 0.01). Savory food intake was lower in carbohydrates and sugars; with neutral food consumption inversely associated with energy, carbohydrate, sugars, saturated and total fat. Higher salty food intake was linked to higher saturated fat as well as sodium consumption. Sweet and neutral foods dominate the UK adolescent diet, followed by savory tastes. Balancing the contributions of different tasting foods could assist in improving adolescent diet quality.

Introduction: Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM2) have increased risk of recurrence and progression of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Glucose control through lifestyle intervention is an uninvestigated, attractive strategy to decrease risk of cancer recurrence. We test the feasibility of a diet and exercise program and its glycemic impact in patients with DM2 and NMIBC. Materials/methods: Five participants with NMIBC and pre-diabetes or DM2 were recruited for a pilot, prospective clinical trial. Each participant received dietary counseling for 16 sessions during clinical visits. The intervention included a carbohydrate-restricted (CR) diet (<130 grams per day), 30 min, walking 5×/wk, and 5000 steps daily. Diet compliance was measured with 24-hour diet recall. Exercise was monitored with accelerometer and self-report. Results: Five participants enrolled and two participants completed the 12-month intervention. Adherence was 60% to CR diet and 84% to exercise goals. Participants reduced carbohydrate consumption by 44%. Participants showed reductions in fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, glucosuria, fasting blood insulin, and body weight, and increased euglycemia on continuous glucose monitoring. Conclusions: Adherence to a CR diet and exercise goals is feasible in patients with NMIBC and DM2 and also leads improved glucose control. A phase-II trial on bladder cancer-specific outcomes is warranted.

Background: Evidence-based studies have consistently reported differences in food choices, preferences, and intake in adults based on taste genotype, which may have a potential impact on health. However, the corresponding evidence on adolescents gets less attention. Understanding more about influences on food choice could support healthier diets and weight status in adolescents. Objective: Our aim is to identify and review evidence investigating the impact of taste genotype on phenotype, including taste perception and sensitivity on food choices and dietary intake among adolescents. Method: Systematic searches were conducted to identify English language articles testing the impact of taste genotypes on food choices, preference, and intake on healthy adolescents aged 13–18 years old. The search included all available study designs published between 1/1/2000 to 1/1/2019. The main outcome of this systematic review is the impact of taste genotype on food choices and preference, and dietary intake while the secondary outcome is the impact of taste perception on nutritional status and BMI. The review is still in progress. Results: Approximately 30 studies met our inclusion criteria. The studies included both cross-sectional and case control. About 11 studies measured taste genotype while the majority carried out taste phenotype measures. Participants’ age, in general, was 3+ years old, with only a few studies were focusing precisely on the adolescent age range of 13–17 years old. Conclusion: At this stage of our systematic review, studies reported lower intakes of some types of vegetables with bitter taste among ‘taster’ participants with a higher preference of sweet food. In terms of weight and BMI, people who were ‘tasters’ of bitter compounds tended to have higher weight and BMI than non-tasters. Keywords: Taste, sweet, sour, genetics, genotype, phenotype, adolescents, food choices, food intakes Disclosure: No conflict of interest.