Objectives: To investigate the effect of milk supplementation on total body bone mineral acquisition in adolescent girls. Design: 18 month, open randomised intervention trial. Subjects: 82 white girls aged 12.2 (SD 0.3) years, recruited from four secondary schools in Sheffield. Intervention: 568 ml (one pint) of whole or reduced fat milk per day for 18 months. Main outcome measures: Total body bone mineral content and bone mineral density measured by dual energy x ray absorptiometry. Outcome measures to evaluate mechanism included biochemical markers of bone turnover (osteocalcin, bone alkaline phosphatase, deoxypyridinoline, N -telopeptide of type I collagen), and hormones important to skeletal growth (parathyroid hormone, oestradiol, insulin-like growth factor I). Results: 80 subjects completed the trial. Daily milk intake at baseline averaged 150 ml in both groups. The intervention group consumed, on average, an additional 300 ml a day throughout the trial. Compared with the control group, the intervention group had greater increases of bone mineral density (9.6% v 8.5 %, P=0.017; repeated measures analysis of variance) and bone mineral content (27.0% v 24.1 %, P=0.009). No significant differences in increments in height, weight, lean body mass, and fat mass were observed between the groups. Bone turnover was not affected by milk supplementation. Serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor I increased in the milk group compared with the control group (35% v 25 %, P=0.02). Conclusion: Increased milk consumption significantly enhances bone mineral acquisition in adolescent girls and could favourably modify attainment of peak bone mass. Key messages: Osteoporosis is a major public health problem; 40% of women will sustain an osteoporotic fracture Maximising peak bone mass at skeletal maturity may be one of the most important protective measures against fracture in later life Adolescence is a critical time for bone mineral acquisition An increase in milk consumption among adolescent girls resulted in significant gains in bone mineral over an 18 month period This simple intervention indicates that increased milk consumption may be associated with higher peak bone mass

OBJECTIVE--To provide an independent evaluation of seven day weighed dietary records, which are currently accepted as the most accurate technique for assessing habitual dietary intake in studies investigating the links between diet and health. DESIGN--Subjects who had previously participated in the Northern Ireland diet and health study were reselected by stratified random sampling to represent the range of energy intakes in the study as assessed by the seven day weighed dietary record. SETTING--Northern Ireland. SUBJECTS--31 Free living adults (16 men and 15 women). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Energy intake as measured by the seven day weighed dietary record and total energy expenditure estimated concurrently by the doubly labelled water technique. RESULTS--Average recorded energy intakes were significantly lower than measured expenditure in the group overall (9.66 MJ/day v 12.15 MJ/day, 95% confidence interval 1.45 to 3.53 MJ/day). Among those in the upper third of energy intakes the mean (SE) ratio of intake to expenditure was close to 1.0, indicating accurate records (men 1.01 (0.11), women 0.96 (0.08]. In the middle and lower thirds the ratios for men were only 0.74 (0.05) and 0.70 (0.07) respectively and for women 0.89 (0.07) and 0.61 (0.07). CONCLUSIONS--These results show a serious bias in reporting habitual energy intake. If substantiated they may have wide implications for the interpretation of many nutritional studies.

University represents a key transition into adulthood for many adolescents but there are associated concerns about health and behaviours. One important aspect relates to diet and there is emerging evidence that university students may consume poor quality diets, with potential implications for body weight and long-term health. This research aimed to characterise dietary patterns of university students in the UK and their sociodemographic and lifestyle antecedents. An online, cross-sectional survey was undertaken with a convenience sample of 1448 university students from five UK universities (King’s College London, Universities of St Andrews, Southampton and Sheffield, and Ulster University). The survey comprised a validated food frequency questionnaire alongside lifestyle and sociodemographic questions. Dietary patterns were generated from food frequency intake data using principal components analysis. Nutrient intakes were estimated to characterise the nutrient profile of each dietary pattern. Associations with sociodemographic variables were assessed through general linear modelling. Dietary analyses revealed four major dietary patterns: ‘vegetarian’; ‘snacking’; ‘health-conscious’; and ‘convenience, red meat & alcohol’. The ‘health-conscious’ pattern had the most favourable micronutrient profile. Students’ gender, age, year of study, geographical location and cooking ability were associated with differences in pattern behaviour. Female students favoured the ‘vegetarian’ pattern, whilst male students preferred the ‘convenience, red meat & alcohol’ pattern. Less healthful dietary patterns were positively associated with lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, low physical activity and take-away consumption. The health-conscious pattern had greatest nutrient density. The ‘convenience, red meat & alcohol’ pattern was associated with higher weekly food spending; this pattern was also identified most consistently across universities. Students reporting greater cooking ability tended towards the ‘vegetarian’ and ‘health-conscious’ patterns. Food intake varied amongst university students. A substantial proportion of students followed health-promoting diets, which had good nutrient profiles obviating a need for dietary intervention. However, some students consumed poor diets, incurred greater food costs and practised unfavourable lifestyle behaviours, which may have long-term health effects. University policy to improve students’ diets should incorporate efforts to promote student engagement in cooking and food preparation, and increased availability of low cost healthier food items.

Households in the UK discard much food. A reduction in such waste to mitigate environmental impact is part of UK government policy. This study investigated whether household food waste is linked to a lifestyle reliant on convenience food in younger consumers. A survey of 928 UK residents aged 18-40 years and responsible for the household food shopping (male n = 278; female n = 650) completed an online questionnaire designed to measure attitudes to convenience food and to quantify household food waste. Cluster analysis of 24 food-related lifestyle factors identified 5 consumer groups. General linear modelling techniques were used to test relationships between the purchase frequency of convenience food and household food waste. From the cluster analysis, five distinct convenience profiles emerged comprising: 'epicures' (n = 135), 'traditional consumers' (n = 255), 'casual consumers' (n = 246), 'food detached consumers' (n = 151) and 'kitchen evaders' (n = 141). Casual consumers and kitchen evaders were the most reliant on convenience food and notably were the most wasteful. The demographic profile of kitchen evaders matched the population groups currently targeted by UK food waste policy. Casual consumers represent a new and distinct group characterised by "buy a lot and waste a lot" behaviour. Household size, packaging format, price-awareness and marketing all appear to influence levels of food waste. However, it seems that subtle behavioural and sociocultural factors also have impact. Further research is needed to elucidate the factors that mediate the positive association between the purchase of convenience food and reported food waste in order to inform food waste policy and initiatives.

Summary: Background  The efficacy of probiotics in alleviating the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) appears to be both strain‐ and dose‐related.Aim  To investigate the effect of LAB4, a multistrain probiotic preparation on symptoms of IBS. This probiotic preparation has not previously been assessed in IBS.Methods  Fifty‐two participants with IBS, as defined by the Rome II criteria, participated in this double blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study. Participants were randomized to receive either a probiotic preparation comprising two strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus CUL60 (NCIMB 30157) and CUL21 (NCIMB 30156), Bifidobacterium lactis CUL34 (NCIMB 30172) and Bifidobacterium bifidum CUL20 (NCIMB 30153) at a total of 2.5 × 10¹⁰ cfu/capsule or a placebo for 8 weeks. Participants reported their IBS symptoms using a questionnaire fortnightly during the intervention and at 2 weeks post‐intervention.Results  A significantly greater improvement in the Symptom Severity Score of IBS and in scores for quality of life, days with pain and satisfaction with bowel habit was observed over the 8‐week intervention period in the volunteers receiving the probiotic preparation than in the placebo group.Conclusion  LAB4 multistrain probiotic supplement may benefit subjects with IBS.