Previous evidence suggests that children’s eating behaviors were largely influenced by the parent and home eating structure. This study examined the relationship between parenting styles (including authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, and uninvolved), food parenting practices (within Structure, Coercive Control, and Autonomy Support constructs) and dietary intakes of preschoolers. Children aged 3–5 years and their parents were recruited from preschools/daycare centers and parents completed the surveys (n = 166). Dietary intakes were collected using the Harvard Service Food Frequency Questionnaire (HSFFQ), parenting style was assessed using the Parenting Dimensions Inventory-Short Version (PDI-S), and food parenting practices were measured using Comprehensive Home Environment Survey (CHES). The results showed that food parenting practices had a higher number of specific significant findings on children’s nutrient and food group intakes than parenting styles. Correlation analyses showed positive parenting practices within Structure were significantly related to healthier children’s intakes (e.g., vegetables, iron, and folate) and less unhealthy dietary intakes (e.g., sweets and total fats). Regression models show that children with authoritative parents consumed more fruits compared to children with authoritarian parents and indulgent parents. The results addressed the importance of parental influences for preschoolers’ healthy dietary intakes, which suggested that future interventions and educational programs could enhance parenting practices to impact child diet.

Conducting exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with the existing home environment assessment-the Comprehensive Home Environment Survey (CHES), to identify scales related to food parenting practices. Parents of 3- to 5-year-old children (n = 172) completed the CHES surveys. After selected items from CHES were categorized into food parenting practice constructs, EFA was used to identify potential subconstructs. Internal consistency and Spearman correlation analysis were also conducted. The EFAs identified 4 factors within the structure, 4 within coercive control, and 2 within autonomy support. The results provided preliminary evidence and support that the CHES can be used to measure food parenting practices. The study was limited to a small sample of non-Hispanic White and highly educated participants, less identified items within autonomy support, and lower internal consistency for several identified factors. Confirmatory factor analysis in a larger and more diverse sample is needed for future research.

Skin aging is a complex biological process triggered by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, causing structural and functional deterioration, and its mitigation is a priority in cosmetology and functional food science. Skin fibroblasts, which mediate skin repair, wound healing and inflammation, are closely associated with aging. Sea cucumber collagen peptides exhibit prominent anti-aging, immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties, yet their mechanisms in ameliorating skin aging remain elusive, necessitating further exploration. This study verified the anti-skin aging efficacy of sea cucumber collagen peptides in D-galactose-induced aging mice, and explored whether the mechanism involves regulating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in skin fibroblasts. Aging mice were gavaged with sea cucumber collagen peptides; skin moisture, barrier function and hydroxyproline content were measured, and skin morphology was observed. Immunofluorescence and Western Blot were used to detect ER stress-related proteins. Results showed that sea cucumber collagen peptides significantly improved aging mouse skin barrier function, elevated water and collagen fiber contents, and ameliorated the status of fibroblasts and prickle cells. The underlying mechanism may involve inhibiting ER stress in skin fibroblasts and enhancing prickle cell function. These findings confirm the peptides’ high bioavailability and potential as anti-aging functional food ingredients, providing insights for skin aging prevention.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major global health concern. Marine by-products are increasingly recognized as promising sources of functional ingredients with diverse bio-activities. This study investigated the effects of sea cucumber viscera hydrolysates prepared by protease hydrolysis (SVH) and further fermented with Cordyceps militaris (FSVH) on cellular function and energy metabolism in HCT116 cells. Cell viability, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were evaluated using CCK-8, flow cytometry, wound healing, and Transwell assays. Cellular energy metabolism was assessed by measuring glucose uptake, lactate production, oxygen consumption rate (OCR), and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). The results showed that SVH and FSVH exhibited distinct biological activity profiles in HCT116 cells. Both SVH and FSVH induced apoptosis and inhibited the migration and invasion of HCT116 cells. Both treatments affected glucose metabolism and mitochondrial respiratory function, including glucose uptake, lactate production, mitochondrial respiration, and glycolytic activity. SVH exhibited stronger inhibitory effects on glycolysis-related parameters, whereas FSVH showed greater effects on mitochondrial respiratory capacity. These findings indicate that C. militaris fermentation modified rather than simply enhanced the biological properties of sea cucumber viscera hydrolysates, resulting in distinct effects on cellular function and energy metabolism. This study highlights the potential application of sea cucumber viscera hydrolysates for the value-added utilization of marine processing by-products.