In recent years, many studies have been initiated to characterise the human gut microbiome in relation to different factors like age, lifestyle, and dietary habits. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of yoghurt intake on the gut microbiome among postmenopausal women and how overall dietary habits modulate the gut microbiome. In total, 52 participants were included in the study and two groups—a control (n = 26) and experimental group (n = 26)—were established. The study was eight weeks long. Both study groups were allowed to consume a self-selected diet, but the experimental group had to additionally consume 175 g of plain organic milk yoghurt on a daily basis for eight weeks. In addition, a series of questionnaires were completed, including a questionnaire on the subject’s sociodemographic background, health status, and lifestyle factors, as well as a food frequency questionnaire. Stool samples were collected for the analysis of the gut microbiome (both prior to and after the eight weeks of the study). Sequencing of V4-V5 regions of the 16S rRNA gene was used to determine the bacterial composition of stool samples. The dominant phylum from the gut microbiome was Firmicutes (~70% to 73%), followed by Bacteroidota (~20% to 23%). Although no significant changes in the gut microbiome were related to daily consumption of yoghurt, we report that consumption of food products like grains, grain-based products, milk and milk products, and beverages (tea, coffee) is associated with differences in the composition of the gut microbiome. Establishing nutritional strategies to shape the gut microbiome could contribute to improved health status in postmenopausal women, but further research is needed.

Background and objective: High dietary sodium intake is associated with multiple health risks, and the average sodium intake in Latvia is higher than the World Health Organization has recommended. In Latvia, no study so far has combined self-reported dietary data on sodium and potassium intake with objective measurements in 24-h urine samples. This pilot study aimed to cross-validate both methods and to assess any possible factors interfering with the collection of samples and data in large, population-based future studies of sodium and potassium intake in Latvian adults. Materials and methods: A stratified random sample of healthy Latvian adults aged 19–64 (n = 30) was drawn. Dietary data of sodium and potassium was collected using one 24-h dietary recall and a two-day food diary. Sodium and potassium excretion was measured by one 24-h urinary collection. Results: Median intake of sodium and potassium based on dietary data was 2276.4 mg/day (interquartile range (IQR), 1683.3–3979.4) and 2172.0 mg/day (IQR, 1740.6–3506.5), respectively. Median intake of sodium and potassium based on urinary data was 3500.3 mg/day (IQR, 2191.0–5535.0) and 2965.4 mg/day (IQR, 2530.2–3749.9), respectively. Urinary data showed significantly higher results than dietary records (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p = 0.023). Only 13% of the subjects did not exceed the WHO-recommended limit of 2000 mg of sodium per day, and only 33% consumed at least the recommended allowance of 3510 mg of potassium per day. Median intake of salt was 8.8 g/day (IQR, 5.5–13.8) (according to urinary data). Conclusions: The findings from the present study showed considerable underestimation of dietary sodium and potassium intake based on self-reported dietary data. Urinary data revealed more accurate results, and showed that Latvian adults exceed the amount of salt recommended and consume less potassium than recommended. The pilot study also showed that the chosen methods are adequate for implementation in large, population-based studies to evaluate dietary intake of salt, sodium, and potassium in populations of Latvian adults.

Fish consumption provides nutritional benefits but can also contribute to exposures to bioaccumulative contaminants, requiring guidance that integrates both dimensions. We conducted a deterministic pilot risk–benefit assessment of Latvian inland lake fish using pooled samples stratified by lakes and species. Risks were characterized for methylmercury, estimated from total mercury, and for Σ4 PFAS (PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS) by calculating weekly intakes under three consumption scenarios (150, 300, and 450 g/week) for a 70 kg adult and comparing them to health-based guidance values. Benefits were quantified as weekly contributions of EPA + DHA, iodine, and protein relative to reference intakes, combined into a nutritional index and integrated with risk using a benefit–risk quotient (BRQ). The primary decision outputs were safe weekly consumption amounts (g/week) and the contaminant limiting factor. Across lake-species groups, mercury was the dominant constraint on safe consumption for most predatory fish, while PFAS limited selected groups with lower mercury burdens. EPA + DHA provided the strongest differentiating benefit signal between groups, whereas iodine contribution was limited because measurements were left-censored and constant after limit of quantification (LOQ) handling. This pilot demonstrates an interpretable framework for generating lake- and species-specific consumption guidance that can be updated as monitoring coverage expands.